Dr Nana Amma Asante-Poku, Coordinator of the ISSER Seminar Series, facilitates a seminar session.
If you know ISSER well enough, you will know that Tuesday afternoons are special -- for good reason. They are usually when the ISSER community comes together for the ISSER Seminar Series, a platform where researchers present ongoing work, receive critical feedback and refine their ideas.
For an institute committed to advancing evidence-based knowledge for development, the seminars provide an important space for strengthening the quality, relevance and rigour of research. Open to ISSER researchers and students, as well as scholars from other universities and research institutions in Ghana and beyond, the Series is steadily broadening the Institute's research conversations.
The numbers tell part of the story. This year alone, ISSER has hosted more than 20 presenters and recorded over 1,200 cumulative participants -- and counting. Yet the format remains deliberately simple: researchers share emerging work, participants ask questions and offer perspectives, and presenters leave with new insights to strengthen their research.
“The beauty of the Seminar Series lies in the diversity of the research and presenters it attracts, and the quality of exchanges it generates,” says Dr Nana Amma Asante-Poku, Coordinator of the Seminar Series. “Its relatively simple format allows the focus to remain firmly on the research, the discussion and the learning that comes from it.”
Practical training beyond the classroom
Beyond strengthening research, the Seminar Series is increasingly providing practical training for emerging researchers. A growing feature of the platform is the participation of graduate students, moving them from the audience to the centre of scholarly conversation.
Whether as presenters or discussants, students critically engage with research and offer constructive feedback before an audience of faculty, researchers and fellow students. For instance, Mr Alfred Godwin Adjabeng, Mrs Tawiah Agyarko-Kwarteng and Mr Ammishaddai Kotey Djanie, all ISSER PhD Candidates, have recently taken on the discussant role, including, in some instances, discussing the work of their own supervisors.
The experience provides practical training in critical analysis, academic communication and confident scholarly engagement -- skills that are difficult to develop fully in the classroom alone.
The learning opportunity also extends beyond ISSER. Mr Karim Abdullah, a PhD student at the University of Bonn, Germany, recently presented his research to the ISSER community, with Prof. Simon Bawakyillenuo serving as discussant. Such exchanges give emerging researchers an opportunity to test their work and benefit from feedback beyond their immediate academic environments.
ISSER’s MA students are also scheduled to present papers from their theses, providing them with an opportunity to receive feedback, strengthen their research and academic communication skills, and build confidence in presenting their work to a scholarly audience.
Strengthening networks and collaboration
The Seminar Series is also a regular meeting point between ISSER and its wider community of researchers, collaborators, affiliates and practitioners. This year's presenters have included Prof. Robert Lensink, Vice-Dean of Research at the University of Groningen, Dr Ababacar Sedikh Gueye of Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal; and Prof. Yegandi Imhotep Paul Alagidede, Bank of Ghana Chair in Finance and Economics at the University of Ghana.
“The Seminar Series is an important platform for connecting our faculty and students with research affiliates, collaborators and friends of ISSER,” says Prof. Robert Darko Osei, Director of ISSER. “Through these interactions, ideas are shared, relationships strengthened and new collaborations can emerge.”
The Series also creates space for perspectives beyond academia. The participation of Mr Emmanuel Ansah-Amprofi, Founder and CEO of AgriOne Technologies Limited, also demonstrates the Series' ability to bring industry perspectives into ISSER's research conversations, creating opportunities for engagement across academic and professional boundaries.
At its heart, the ISSER Seminar Series is about creating a community in which ideas are tested, knowledge is shared, researchers learn from one another, and connections are built. Every Tuesday, the conversation continues.
Interested in presenting or learning more? Contact the Seminar Series Coordinator, Dr Nana Amma Asante-Poku, at naasante-poku@ug.edu.gh or connect with her on LinkedIn.
- Log in to post comments