Institute for African Development
IAD Graduate Student Lightning Talks
The IAD Graduate Student Lightning Talks (GSLT) are designed to showcase the diverse research, field experiences, and scholarship of Cornell graduate students with a research focus on African development. In the fast-paced format, each participant delivers a 15-minute presentation (including a brief Q&A session) highlighting their current projects, research findings, or fieldwork experiences. The event creates an opportunity for students to share their work with the broader community while fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on issues related to African development and global engagement. The program is planned to launch in Fall 2026 and aims to become a recurring platform for scholarly exchange within the institute.
The forum provides a supportive environment for students to present their ideas, receive feedback, and engage with faculty, peers, and practitioners interested in African development. Students at any stage of their research are encouraged to share their work and contribute to this collaborative academic exchange.
For more information about the IAD Graduate Student Lightning Talks or participation details, please contact IAD@cornell.edu.
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IAD Community Grant Supports Research on Community Fisheries
Cornell PhD candidate Aalayna R. Green's community project on “Care, Instead of Violence: Building Capacity and Countering Violence with Communal Fisheries in the Zambezi,” explores how community-managed fisheries could help strengthen local livelihoods along Namibia's Chobe River, where fishing plays a central role in daily life.
The project was funded by an Africa Community Grant from the Einaudi Center's Institute for African Development (IAD).
For many households in the region, fishing provides both income and an important source of food. At the same time, the river is also an international boundary between Namibia and Botswana. In some areas, fishermen from local Namibian communities have encountered difficulties while fishing near the border, including interactions with the Botswana Defense Force (BDF), which patrols parts of the river. These encounters have occasionally led to tensions that affect fishing activities and the security of local livelihoods.
Green’s research examines whether communal fisheries could offer a more stable framework for managing fishing access while supporting both community needs and sustainable resource use. The project places particular emphasis on approaches grounded in local knowledge and community participation.
One part of the work involves mapping fishing activity along the Chobe River. This mapping will help identify areas where fishing commonly takes place and locations that might support community-managed fishing points. It will also help clarify how communities currently use and depend on the river.
The project will also organize workshops and discussions with community members, village leadership, and regional stakeholders from both Namibia and Botswana. These gatherings are intended to share knowledge about fisheries management while opening space for dialogue about community experiences and potential cooperative solutions.
By focusing on community engagement and local capacity-building, the project aims to support fishing communities in the region while encouraging more collaborative approaches to managing shared natural resources.
Green is a PhD candidate at Cornell University in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) and Department of Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies (College of Arts & Sciences). Her research examines the connections between conservation, livelihoods, and social justice.
IAD Community Grants support Cornell students conducting research and community-engaged work across Africa. Projects like Green's highlight how locally grounded approaches can contribute to both sustainable resource management and community well-being.
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International Fair
August 26, 2026
11:00 am
Uris Hall, Terrace
International Fair showcases Cornell's global opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. Explore the fair and find out about international majors and minors, language study, study abroad, funding opportunities, global internships, Cornell Global Hubs, and more.
The International Fair is sponsored by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and Office of Global Learning (both part of Global Cornell) in partnership with the Language Resource Center.
Register on CampusGroups to receive a reminder. Registration is not required.
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Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
East Asia Program
Southeast Asia Program
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Institute for African Development
Institute for European Studies
South Asia Program
Migrations Program
Southwest Asia and North Africa Program
Reimagining International Aid
April 16, 2026
5:00 pm
Rockefeller Hall, 201 (Schwartz Auditorium)
Bartels World Affairs Lecture
In this year’s Bartels lecture, Ambassador Samantha Power examines the causes and consequences of dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). While reductions in United States foreign assistance have inflicted harm on millions of people, the principal beneficiaries of the cuts, Power contends, are the People’s Republic of China and other governments that prefer to operate without scrutiny or accountability.
Join us as Power outlines a strategy for revitalizing a broad bipartisan coalition to support foreign assistance. To succeed in building resilient aid structures, politicians and stakeholders will need to demonstrate the effectiveness of aid programs to the public. U.S. resources should be used as leverage to secure new commitments from partner countries and mobilize additional investments from allied governments, the private sector, philanthropy, and members of the diaspora.
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Speaker
Ambassador Samantha Power served in the Biden-Harris administration as the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the world’s premier international development agency. She was the 28th U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Obama-Biden administration. Her first book, "A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide, won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
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About the Bartels World Affairs Lecture
The Bartels World Affairs Lecture is a signature event of the Einaudi Center for International Studies. This flagship event brings distinguished international figures to campus each academic year to speak on global topics and meet with Cornell faculty and students, particularly undergraduates. The lecture and related events are made possible by the generosity of Henry E. Bartels ’48 and Nancy Horton Bartels ’48.
Additional Information
Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
East Asia Program
Southeast Asia Program
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Institute for African Development
Institute for European Studies
South Asia Program
Migrations Program
Southwest Asia and North Africa Program
Cornell Economist: Iran Conflict Adds Uncertainty to Unstable Economy
Steven Kyle, IAD/LACS
Steven Kyle, a retired Cornell University professor of applied economics, comments on the economic uncertainty stemming from the Iran conflict.
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Beyond the Battlefield: Women and the Nation in Twentieth Century Angola
April 7, 2026
3:30 pm
Mann Library, 160
"This study contributes to scholarship in African history, gender studies, and postcolonial theory by offering a nuanced account of the intersections among militarism, nationalism, and gender. It invites readers to reconsider the frameworks through which political subjectivity and historical memory are constructed. Beyond the Battlefield is an essential resource for scholars and students interested in the gendered dimensions of colonialism, war, and state formation in modern Africa."Amazon.com: Beyond the Battlefield: Women and the Nation in Twentieth-Century Angola (War and Militarism in African History): 9780821426739: Makana, Selina S.: Books
cosponsored by the Institute for African Development, Department of History, and the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
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Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
Institute for African Development
Why are My Food Prices So High?
Chris Barrett, IAD/SEAP
In this episode of Research Matters, economist Chris Barrett digs into why food prices remain so stubbornly high — from climate shocks and geopolitical conflict to supply chain bottlenecks and fragile global markets that amplify volatility.
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Travel Grants Send Grad Students Abroad
Eighty-three graduate students traveled internationally for fieldwork last summer with Einaudi Center support.
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Cultivating Climate Resilience in Sierra Leone
Mandela Fellow's Project Grows Future Climate Leaders
The idea for a youth climate action project originated in 2023 during the Einaudi-led Mandela Washington Fellowship at Cornell.
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Information Session: Fulbright U.S. Student Program
May 18, 2026
5:00 pm
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program supports U.S. citizens to study, conduct research in any field, or teach English in more than 150 countries. The program is open to graduate students, recent graduates, and young professionals. Undergraduate students who wish to begin the program immediately after graduation are encouraged to start the process in their junior year. Recent graduates are welcome to apply through Cornell.
The Fulbright program at Cornell is administered by the Mario Einaudi Center for International studies. Applicants are supported through all stages of the application and are encouraged to start early by contacting fulbright@einaudi.cornell.edu.
Register for the virtual session.
Can’t attend? Contact fulbright@einaudi.cornell.edu.
Additional Information
Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
East Asia Program
Southeast Asia Program
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Institute for African Development
Institute for European Studies
South Asia Program
Migrations Program