Science: In 2001, mathematical physicist Neil Turok went back for the first time in 25 years to his childhood home, South Africa, to visit his parents. Dismayed by the lack of opportunities for math graduates in Africa and motivated by his father, a former antiapartheid activist, the University of Cambridge researcher took action. Over the next 2 years, Turok had a derelict building near Cape Town renovated into a new institute, enrolled 29 math graduates from 11 African nations, and persuaded mathematician colleagues to teach there for 3-week shifts. "It's a very inspirational venture, … a real flagship project," says Britain's Astronomer Royal Martin Rees, who has visited the institute.

The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) continues to grow (see sidebar, p. 605), but Turok isn't stopping there. He's leading the effort to replicate it at 15 centers across the continent, each focusing on a different area of applied math, such as economics. "When people hear about AIMS, they get very excited," Turok says, "and people see the spark of something much, much bigger."

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