The African Network of Women in Astronomy (AfNWA) this week announced that two exceptional women in science – Professor Renée Kraan-Korteweg and Dr. Marie Korsaga – are being recognised by the inaugural awards.
“The senior award goes to Professor Kraan-Korteweg from South Africa and the early career award goes to Dr. Korsaga, Burkina Fasos first woman astronomer,” said AfNWA on Wednesday.
The awards, worth 1,500 each, recognise and support the scientific achievements, and contributions to society, of women in Astronomy in Africa.
They are given by the African Network of Women in Astronomy (AfNWA), a committee of the African Astronomical Society, and by the International Science Programme of Uppsala University in Sweden.
The winners have also been invited to give a plenary talk at the general assembly of the African Astronomical Society later this month, March 2022.
Senior Astronomer Award: Prof. Renée Kraan-Korteweg is a senior research scholar at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
She has held a number of high-profile positions over her career, including leading the Astronomy department at the University of Cape Town from 2004 to 2014 and the Astronomy department at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico.
Prof. Kraan-Korteweg’s research interests include unveiling the large-scale structure of the universe and understanding how it came to be.
She is also a user of astronomical observations from various telescopes and has recently discovered a new supercluster of galaxies hidden behind the Milky Way galaxy.
Prof. Kraan-Korteweg’s work is internationally recognised, and she has received various awards. Prof. Kraan-Korteweg has supervised more than 30 graduate students in her career, attracted significant research funding (both for her work and for the departments she has led).
Prof. Kraan-Korteweg has been a key advocate for the growth of astronomy on the African continent as well as the support of women in astronomy.
The award acknowledges the vast impact she has had on women in Astronomy in Africa.
Early Career Award: Dr. Marie Korsaga, Burkina Faso and France
Dont let early career fool you. Dr. Korsaga has many achievements under her belt.
Dr. Korsaga is the first Burkinabe woman to obtain a PhD in astronomy.
Dr. Korsaga is a postdoctoral researcher at the Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg in France, and a lecturer at the Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo in Burkina Faso.
In her research, Dr. Korsaga works on dark matter and where it is found in galaxies.
For that, she uses observations from optical, infrared and radio telescopes, giving her a broad skillset in astronomy.
Dr. Korsaga is also a passionate advocate for women in STEM in the global and African astronomy communities.
She has given a number of high-profile talks, including a TEDx talk.
Dr. Korsaga has spoken at the African Union and was recently honoured by the city of Huesca, Spain in their newly unveiled sundial.
Dr. Korsaga is also a founding member, and sits on the editorial board, of LAstronomie Afrique, the first francophone online astronomy magazine in Africa.
Many nominations were submitted in late 2021 for the awards, and a prestigious panel of judges was invited to evaluate the submissions.
