Ms. Edwards’ talk, “The Matthew Effect: Africa’s Scientists and Climate Change,” offered insight into the work she conducts on the use of science and technology for the poor, and in international development and public policy.

The Matthew Effect is a term out of the sociology of science that suggests the stronger a body is the more it will reap, stemming from the bible in Matthew 13:12: “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.”

“Science in Africa represents a practical example of the Matthew Effect,” Ms. Edwards said, commenting that a lack of funding, the state of universities, “brain drain” and poor access to the internet have had serious consequences on Africa’s ability to proactively address the dangers of climate change. Africa has experienced frequent natural disasters, increase in desertification, loss of agricultural livelihood, increased urbanization, disease and stagnant agricultural productivity.

According to Ms. Edwards, climate change is the Matthew Effect in action. “The world’s richest impact the climate the most, but the world’s poorest will suffer the most. This is an ‘out of Africa’ problem that begs for ‘made in Africa solutions,” she said.

The fact that Africa’s scientists have not yet spoken with one voice about the effects of climate change in Africa, motivated Ms. Edwards to begin an exploration of Africa’s scientific community. It became clear to her that while the problem of climate change was acknowledged, Africa was without the resources or enough shared education to address the issues at hand.

“There is a lack of understanding,” Ms. Edwards said. “It seems Africa is studied more by foreigners than it is understood by Africans. There is an acute need for public discussion on climate change in Africa, and more information and education for a lay audience.”

To address this need, Ms. Edwards suggests creating a regional intergovernmental panel on climate change for Africa and developing centres of excellence in climate research and virtual networks in climate science. Other suggestions included E-journals for African climate science, training programs that integrate climate change with research, and introducing science journalism.

Specializing in international development throughout her career, Ms. Edwards has a particular interest in food security and rural poverty in Africa and South Asia. Her primary research interest is the use of science and technology for the poor, with a particular focus on supporting the “bottom billion” in Africa and South Asia.

Ms. Edwards is a Ph.D. candidate in Global Governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo. Returning to academia after an impressive career with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Edwards’s has held the titles of Canadian high commissioner to India (2003-06), South Africa (1999-2003) and Kenya (1993-95), director general of the Global Issues Bureau (1995-96), director of Middle East Relations (1992-93) and chair of the Southern Africa Task Force (1989-93).

The Ashley Fellowship at Trent University is funded by a bequest from the late Professor C.A. Ashley, long-time friend of Trent University and an enthusiastic proponent of the role that informal contacts of college life can play in the academic pursuits of the University.