20/12/15

Our favourite features of 2015

Copyright: Chris de Bode/Panos

By: Inga Vesper

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<div class="article-wrap">
<div id="article-introduction">
<h1>Our favourite features of 2015</h1>
<h4>By: Inga Vesper</h4>
</div>
<br />
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<div id="article-body">
<p>This year, <em>SciDev.Net</em> published a range of in-depth features covering the big issues at the point where science meets policy in developing countries. We updated our most popular <a href="https://www.scidev.net/medicine/feature/traditional-medicine-modern-times-facts-figures.html">Spotlight on traditional medicines</a> and covered such important issues as conflict, <a href="https://www.scidev.net/ebola/feature/communicating-crisis-ebola-facts-figures.html">Ebola</a> and <a href="https://www.scidev.net/climate-change/feature/local-voices-global-talks-climate-change.html">climate change</a>— topping it off with an investigation into problems with PhD quality at Uganda’s private universities. Here are our five highlights.<br />
 </p>
<figure class="article-image left-image" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;">
	<a href="https://www.scidev.net/environment/feature/el-nino-predict-the-unpredictable.html" style="font-family: 'AvantGardeGothicITCW02B 737103', 'Arial Black', san-serif; font-size: 28px; line-height: 30px;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="El nino Mark Cane feature.jpg" fileid="3EFA24A3-64B7-47E6-B5FFD4229321C8ED" height="123" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/el_nino_mark_cane_feature.jpg" width="180" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 180px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 180/123;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="El nino Mark Cane feature.jpg" fileid="3EFA24A3-64B7-47E6-B5FFD4229321C8ED" height="123" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/el_nino_mark_cane_feature.jpg" width="180" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 180px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 180/123;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="El nino Mark Cane feature.jpg" fileid="3EFA24A3-64B7-47E6-B5FFD4229321C8ED" height="123" src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/el_nino_mark_cane_feature.jpg" width="180" /></noscript></noscript></a></figure>
<p> <strong><a href="https://www.scidev.net/environment/feature/el-nino-predict-the-unpredictable.html">El Niño: Meet the man who tries to predict the unpredictable</a> </strong><br />
<strong>As part of our <a href="https://www.scidev.net/article-series.el-nino-effect.html">El Niño series</a>, we interviewed Mark Cane, who jointly created the first computer model that managed to predict the ocean warming phenomenon and its impact on global weather.</strong></p>
<hr />
<figure class="article-image left-image" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;">
<h2>
		<a href="https://www.scidev.net/knowledge-economy/feature/knowledge-economy-ict-developing-nations.html"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Stack of books africa knowledge economy" fileid="75B3E7CE-2D3F-43A5-90B7008127910685" height="114" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/ssa_en/552f76d69d29c98025000075.jpg" width="180" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 180px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 180/114;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Stack of books africa knowledge economy" fileid="75B3E7CE-2D3F-43A5-90B7008127910685" height="114" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/ssa_en/552f76d69d29c98025000075.jpg" width="180" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 180px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 180/114;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Stack of books africa knowledge economy" fileid="75B3E7CE-2D3F-43A5-90B7008127910685" height="114" src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/ssa_en/552f76d69d29c98025000075.jpg" width="180" /></noscript></noscript></a></h2>
</figure>
<p> <strong><a href="https://www.scidev.net/knowledge-economy/feature/knowledge-economy-ict-developing-nations.html">What is a knowledge economy?</a></strong><br />
<strong>This primer for an <a href="https://www.scidev.net/knowledge-economy/multimedia/knowledge-africa-economy-PEI-debate.html">online debate about the state of Africa’s knowledge economy</a> looked at how access to digital technologies could transform developing countries.</strong></p>
<p></p>
<hr />
<figure class="article-image left-image" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;">
<h2>
		<a href="https://www.scidev.net/gender/feature/women-costa-rica-ict-education.html"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="CRcomputers_Sula Batsu" fileid="142D94B4-0A4B-4956-859E3A29EAFF2680" height="120" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/crcomputers_sula_batsu.jpg" width="180" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 180px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 180/120;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="CRcomputers_Sula Batsu" fileid="142D94B4-0A4B-4956-859E3A29EAFF2680" height="120" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/crcomputers_sula_batsu.jpg" width="180" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 180px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 180/120;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="CRcomputers_Sula Batsu" fileid="142D94B4-0A4B-4956-859E3A29EAFF2680" height="120" src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/crcomputers_sula_batsu.jpg" width="180" /></noscript></noscript></a></h2>
</figure>
<p><strong style="font-family: CaeciliaCom-55Roman, TimesNewRoman, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.scidev.net/gender/feature/women-costa-rica-ict-education.html">Q&A: Spurring women from Costa Rica into ICT</a></strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>The Sulá Batsú cooperative is at the coalface of global struggles to improve the presence of women in information and communications technology careers, but faces difficult hurdles.</strong><br />
	 </p>
<hr />
<figure class="article-image left-image" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;">
<h2>
		<a href="https://www.scidev.net/conflict/feature/modelling-mob-computers-predict-violence.html"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Violence mapping" fileid="0D606DBD-EB01-491E-BA81171B4678B096" height="120" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/rsz_1rsz_violence_mapping_model.jpg" width="180" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 180px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 180/120;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Violence mapping" fileid="0D606DBD-EB01-491E-BA81171B4678B096" height="120" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/rsz_1rsz_violence_mapping_model.jpg" width="180" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 180px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 180/120;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Violence mapping" fileid="0D606DBD-EB01-491E-BA81171B4678B096" height="120" src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/rsz_1rsz_violence_mapping_model.jpg" width="180" /></noscript></noscript></a></h2>
</figure>
<p>
	<strong><a href="https://www.scidev.net/conflict/feature/modelling-mob-computers-predict-violence.html">Modelling the mob: How computers can predict violence</a></strong><br />
	<strong>This feature examines the role of computer models in quelling conflict hotspots, and asks what this means for peacekeeping.</strong></p>
<p>	 </p>
<hr />
<figure class="article-image left-image" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;">
<h2>
		<a href="https://www.scidev.net/education/feature/phd-crisis-uganda-private-universities.html"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="rsz_kampala_university.jpg" fileid="0C01F6FC-42B3-4F8B-98EBD7A535899E6A" height="120" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/rsz_kampala_university.jpg" width="180" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 180px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 180/120;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="rsz_kampala_university.jpg" fileid="0C01F6FC-42B3-4F8B-98EBD7A535899E6A" height="120" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/rsz_kampala_university.jpg" width="180" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 180px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 180/120;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="rsz_kampala_university.jpg" fileid="0C01F6FC-42B3-4F8B-98EBD7A535899E6A" height="120" src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/global/rsz_kampala_university.jpg" width="180" /></noscript></noscript></a></h2>
</figure>
<p>
	<strong><a href="https://www.scidev.net/education/feature/phd-crisis-uganda-private-universities.html">PhD crisis in Uganda’s private universities</a></strong><br />
	<strong><em>SciDev.Net</em>’s exclusive investigation reveals shady practices and abysmal standards for expensive postgraduate education at private institutions in the country. </strong><div class="related_widget"><h3 class="widgettitle">You might also like</h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/features/top-features-2014/">The leading features of 2014</a></li><li><a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/news/ten-most-popular-news-stories-2014/">Our ten most popular news stories of 2014</a></li><li><a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/column/analysis-top-blogs-2014/">How our analysis blogs dug into 2014’s headline stories</a></li></ul></div><br />
	 </p>

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<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/features/scidevnet-favourite-features-2015/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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This year, SciDev.Net published a range of in-depth features covering the big issues at the point where science meets policy in developing countries. We updated our most popular Spotlight on traditional medicines and covered such important issues as conflict, Ebola and climate change— topping it off with an investigation into problems with PhD quality at Uganda’s private universities. Here are our five highlights.

El Niño: Meet the man who tries to predict the unpredictable
As part of our El Niño series, we interviewed Mark Cane, who jointly created the first computer model that managed to predict the ocean warming phenomenon and its impact on global weather.

What is a knowledge economy?
This primer for an online debate about the state of Africa’s knowledge economy looked at how access to digital technologies could transform developing countries.

Q&A: Spurring women from Costa Rica into ICT

The Sulá Batsú cooperative is at the coalface of global struggles to improve the presence of women in information and communications technology careers, but faces difficult hurdles.

Modelling the mob: How computers can predict violence
This feature examines the role of computer models in quelling conflict hotspots, and asks what this means for peacekeeping.

PhD crisis in Uganda’s private universities
SciDev.Net’s exclusive investigation reveals shady practices and abysmal standards for expensive postgraduate education at private institutions in the country.