Adelaida K. Semesi | |
---|---|
Born | 1951 |
Died | 6 February 2001 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | (aged 49–50)
Alma mater | University of Dar es Salaam |
Known for | Mangrove ecology |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Marine biology |
Institutions | University of Dar es Salaam |
Adelaida Kleti Semesi, also Adelaide K. Semesi (1951 – 6 February 2001),[1] was a Tanzanian ecologist, who was Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Dar es Salaam. Known for her work on mangrove ecology, Semesi was the first woman to be a professor in the field of natural sciences in Tanzania.
Semesi was born in 1951 in Haubi, Tanzania.[2] She graduated from the University of Dar es Salaam with a BSc in 1975,[2] followed by a PhD from the same institution in 1979.[3]
Semesi's teaching career began in 1975 as teaching assistant, rising to professor by the time of her death.[2] In 1982 she began a programme of research into seaweed cultivation in Zanzibar; its application resulted in greater investment in the industry providing a wider range of employment, especially for women.[2] Her work on mangrove ecology began in 1990, which resulted in Tanzania being one of the first countries to have an environmental management plan for mangroves.[1] She was also an advocate for orally transmitted indigenous scientific knowledge, and its practice within communities, especially relating to agricultural practices.[4]
Nicknamed mama mikoko ("mama mangroves" in Swahili),[5][6] she specialised in mangrove ecology,[5] she was a Council Member for the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems,[1] a Council Member for the International Seaweed Association,[7] and a member of the board of trustees for the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association.[6]
Semesi was Tanzania's first female professor in the field of natural sciences.[6] Despite wider discrimination against women in science, she was recognised with international awards.[8] These included a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of South Florida in 1982, where she undertook a research project entitled "Analysis of Certain Marine Phycocolloids".[9] She was the recipient in 1992 of a Pew Trust Fellowship, which she used to undertake a major study on the Bagamoyo area, incorporating marine sources, socio-economic statistics and other factors.[7]
At the time of her death, Semesi was Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences of the University of Dar es Salaam.[10] She died on 6 February 2001.[1] Her death was described in Pwani Yetu: The Newsletter of the Tanzania Coastal Management Partnership as a "great misfortune for marine conservation".[10]
Semesi was married with four children.[6]