By Isaac Nyabisa Oteyo

When I landed in Cape Town, South Africa for the IEEE Africon 2017, I was beyond excited. Surrounded by Cape Town’s modern skyscrapers and seeing cable cars dangling precariously in the backdrop of the Table Mountains made it all so surreal. Although the picturesque scene of the Rainbow Nation bedazzled me, the fact that I was not only attending the prestigious Conference, but presenting a paper marked the highlight of my visit, and I thank the Kenya Education Network (KENET) for leading me here.

The IEEE Africon 2017 conference was held at the Aquarium (the Avenue Building) in the Victoria and Alfred (V & A) Waterfront; adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. Right inside the building, there is an aquarium with big ocean fish which gives a breath-taking view of these beautiful creatures up-close. Refreshments were served right outside the aquarium (within the Avenue building). As we sipped our cups of hot coffee and tea, we interacted with over 48 participants from different nationalities who were here for the same cause. It was really a great opportunity for networking and guess being in Africa, networking over a drink made it more African.

Presenting the Paper

I presented my paper titled 'Volume of Signaling Traffic Reaching Cellular Networks from Mobile Phones'  on 19^th September 2017; a cold Tuesday morning. Although the morning was chilly, the energy to present surpassed the pounding cold. The presentation only lasted 20 minutes, and though short, it was adequate to have the audience understand the problem being investigated and the findings. I appreciated the positive comments and the enthusiasm the audience had concerning my presentation. Of course, it is more interesting to hear ideas, critiques and comments from others, because then you get to learn and become better. It was fascinating to note the enormous opportunities for research we have in the African Continent. Although the challenges are numerous and the research questions are contextually unique; there are even more open opportunities for research and collaboration. However, for all these to happen, we need open minds ready to explore the untapped opportunities.

Dreams Made True

After the conference, I thought in hindsight my journey from when I completed writing my thesis for the M.Sc. in Data Communications and Software Engineering. I hoped that at least one scientific publication would come out of my thesis, though it was not a requirement for completing the program. When the opportunity to submit a manuscript to the IEEE Africon 2017 conference came knocking at the door, I immediately submitted my manuscript for review, and hoped for the best. My advisor always reminded me to be “patient in getting your paper accepted in a reputable conference”

A couple of months later, the review feedback came to my email address and voila, the response was an awesome acceptance. Getting a paper manuscript accepted for presentation at an IEEE conference and subsequent publication is an ‘over the moon’ feeling. However, as is the fate to the scientific community, it is one thing for the manuscript to be accepted and another one to get funding for the publication.

The thought of not attending the conference due to funding deflated me, but I remembered that KENET (which I have encountered previously during trainings and forums) offer travel grants to STEM areas. Immediately, I made an online application to KENET for a travel grant, and again hoped for the best. I kept tabs with the Community Relations Lead for the organization, who kept the communications rife during the preparations and visa processing period and this increased my hopes.

The grant application outcome came through on a day I least expected with a positive response. I had been granted an air ticket, partial conference registration fees, travel, and accommodation fees as well. I was in disbelief! I also benefited from being a student and was exempted from paying the full conference fees, so I didn’t have to pay a dime as all the remaining costs were covered by KENET. Eventually, when the travel visas were issued, KENET introduced all the other 10 grantees attending the conference to each other on email. We traveled on the morning of 17^th September 2017 to Cape Town. Majority of us were on Kenya Airways (the pride of Africa); while the rest used South African and Ethiopian Airways.

Me outside the conference venue

Seeking for Accommodation

If you have been to a new town for the first time, then you very well know the challenges of finding conducive and affordable accommodation. I immersed myself into the internet and visited several websites. Finally, I landed one that looked more credible with attractive offers, and that is how I ended up in Blue Bark Packers guesthouse in Cape Town. The guesthouse is located approximately a mile and half from the Water Front. It sits almost at the base of the Table Mountains, just before you begin the steep climb. The breeze from the ocean blows gently with a nice cooling effect.

Summing Up the Experience!

When an opportunity to travel to a good scientific conference presents itself, kindly grab it! You will meet new people and together forge research collaborations to advance humanity. I definitely look forward to another wonderful experience next year in Ghana. Thank you KENET for providing the opportunity; the four days spent in Cape Town are surely memorable - the experience and lessons learnt will soon reflect here locally. Let me now turn my energy to research that will see me there again!

Every year, KENET awards up to 15  grants to faculty and students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) areas. KENET also offers grants to Special Interest Groups on Computational grants to special Interest Groups on Computational Modeling and Materials Science (CMMS). Applications can be made here.