Week 21 (May 23-29, 2022) of Research at the University of Kinshasa ends with a bang…. And announces more to come; fasten your seatbelts!

Professor Muyembe Tamfum, this tireless Congolese soldier-researcher, has just received, Friday, May 27 his (Nth) Honorary Doctorate, this one from Harvard University (USA); no doubt, his bag will soon be completed by a Nobel Prize. With all due respect to our elder, Professor Bakandeja, we pray and firmly believe that this will happen, by maintaining a high rate of work and scientific production, as he himself does!

Saturday, May 28, 2022, Social Dynamics, dear to Professor Shomba, braved and circumvented the SNEL trap. At the cost of birthday candles, no, of a generator, his Research Center was able to hold, in the Monekoso room, the scientific activity scheduled for its 20th anniversary. The Management Committee could not miss such an opportunity; it was represented by the first among them, the Rector, Professor Jean-Marie Kayembe. The latter, whose rigor and volume of scientific production we know (I know the character well), was simply amazed by the quality of the communications and the expertise of the speakers. Moreover, he did not hesitate to order them to reflect on the traffic jams that decorate the arteries of our large city-province in Kinshasa. This will be an essential contribution for the commission, led by Jacques Emina and the experts of the SGR, who are already working on the subject.

Friday, May 27, there was a thesis defense, by Mr Albert Lundemba (Bravo to the new Doctor), on a "Study of the sigma-hole interactions of divalent sulfur, selenium, and tellurium by basic analysis of Cambridge structural data coupled with computational methods". These kinds of theses that push the uninitiated to say that these people (the scientists) are from another planet, but they come to propose solutions to the problems that arise today on our planet. It smelled strongly of sulfur in the Promotions room on Friday ... Professor Lapika told me that it was edifying and "scientifically" Unikin!

You are probably aware, this same Friday, May 27, ours were awarded prizes and honored at CAMES: Professor Nkiama, “Mr. National Quality Assurance” and biological son, as some would say, of Unikin, elevated to the rank of “Officer of the International Order of Academic Palms of CAMES”, Professor Théophile Mbemba, the late Professor Mashako Mamba, posthumously. They are all from Unikin and will be invited, during a public scientific activity, to come and enlighten us on their careers.

Thursday, May 26, imposed crossover, in the morning, between some members of the Management Committee.

The Rector had taken over the management of the Fleuve Congo Hotel, where, alongside the CAMES days, a colorful scientific activity was being held, at the initiative of Professor Bakandeja, on "The effectiveness of tax collections on companies and the fairness of their collection in Sub-Saharan Africa." The diversity of participants, both national and international, left no doubt about the scientific stature and relevance of this conference and its impact on the daily lives of the Congolese people.

Meanwhile, Professor Bruno Lapika, Administrative Secretary General, chaired a thesis jury, from Social, Administrative and Political Sciences, on solid waste management in Kinshasa. The ceremony was supervised by Professor Tshimpi, Secretary General in charge of Research (SGR).

Jules Kassay's work left few questions about the methodology. And the conclusions were blunt and hardly debatable: 1. Solid waste management in the city-province of Kinshasa should be decentralized but absolutely is not; 2. This management must be done at the municipal level but is still, unfortunately, managed (inefficiently) at the provincial level; 3. Many of the laws on the subject are very old and deserve a vigorous overhaul; 4. And this was a contribution from Professor Biey, a recognized expert in this field. It takes money, a lot of money, around $200 million, to hope for the success of this essential imperative, for the good of each of us. Let's not forget that environmental pollution has an impact on the health of each of us. Most medical studies show, in particular, a resurgence and an increase in the prevalence of certain pathologies, particularly cancer, with increasingly lower ages of discovery.

Even Thursday, May 26, Just before the supervision of this thesis defense, the SGR opened a scientific day, Monekoso room, organized by the Nephrology Service of the Department of Internal Medicine of the University Clinics, on the occasion of the Emeritus of Professor Nazaire Nseka, a revered Master, a Model, beyond the Faculty of Medicine, for many of us. He has indisputably contributed to improving the management of kidney diseases in the DRC, is at the origin of a law tabled in the National Assembly on organ transplantation, has prepared a solid succession which includes Professors Sumaïli (Annals of Medicine), Makulo (Physician-Director of the University Clinics), Bukabau, Mokoli, etc. And the young generation seems to have taken the measure of its responsibilities.

Have you traveled, Friday 27 05, this mix of analyses on antimicrobial resistance, coordinated by Professor Memvanga, a specialist in nanomedicines? A treat for any scientist and researcher!

Congratulations to SE Muhindo Nzangi, this young and dynamic Minister of Higher and University Education, appointed by his peers at CAMES, President of the Council for the 2022-2023 financial year!

I really like this DRC, which has decided to take its destiny into its own hands and assume responsibility for itself. And I understand (and support) the jubilation of some of my experts at the SGR, true Researcher-Activists.

Congratulations to all these “Unikin-artists”, you are all contributing to the rebirth of our university, the University of the Democratic Republic of Congo; hats off!

• Briefs:
  • Working session with a team of geneticists from Unikin on rare diseases. A research center in the making, which has our full support;
  • Working session with Professor Memvanga, on the installation (very soon) of anti-plagiarism software at each faculty;
  • Discussions with Professor Lueteta (Sciences), focal point, preparation unit for future scientific days of AISM (African Institute of Mathematical Sciences). Probable postponement to September 2022;
  • Advocacy to obtain a training line of at least 6 PhDs in different nanospecialties;
  • Discussions with Ms. Kathrin Knödel, Head of Research for Germany, on a private visit to Unikin, on the sidelines of CAMES.
• Remember
  • Publication of our Rankings has been postponed for a few days, allowing time to integrate the products of some latecomers.

Proud to be from Unikin, the eldest daughter!

Happy Sunday everyone.

Done in Kinshasa, Sunday, May 28, 2022

For the Lions Management Committee: Prof JM Kayembe, Rector; Prof E Banza, SGAC; Prof A Tshimpi, SGR; Prof B Lapika, SGADM; Prof Y Duagani, AB.

Prof. Antoine Tshimpi, SGR.