The blog is a bridge between myself in the field of ocean science/ science and the rest of the world. I share my experiences of significant developments in my ever-intriguing and continuously evolving world of science. The ultimate goals are to expose my challenges and strengths as a black woman scientist, to inspire others and…
The intriguing life of Dr Kolisa Yola Sinyanya. Black Woman Extraodinaire!
The blog is based on Dr Kolisa Yola Sinyanya’s life as a professional ocean scientist in academic, corporate and industry spaces.
Kolisa jets off to Spain with Black In Marine Science’s (BIMS) Tidal Wave Program for the prestigious United Nations Ocean Decade Conference
Upon being chosen as a Black In Marine Science Tidal Wave Program inaugural fellow, one of my tasks and privileges was to attend this year’s United Nations Ocean Decade Conference in Spain, Barcelona. Initially, the plan was to speak about my PhD research (submitted in 2023), but that did not go according to plan and,…
I finally launched my channel!
For several years, I have been getting informal requests to start a podcast or channel. One person said she needed to listen to me speaking or watch me on her screen talking about anything. As long as I am the one speaking on the other side of the audio or screen. Of course, I laughed…
February BIMS guest post: What does being Black in Marine Sciences mean to me?
By Kolisa Yola Sinyanya, Ph.D. candidate , Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, member of Black in Marine Science Member This year, the ICB blog and BIMS, Black in Marine Science, will continue to our collaboration by monthly highlight scientists from the BIMS organization. We hope this collaboration will further foster connecting a phenomenal network…
Ocean Explorers Empowering Youth to Dive into Ocean Science
We are so excited about our brand new project! Ocean Explorers has been in the cards for a number of years now. But we could not execute it before our founder submitted her PhD in Oceanography! Ocean Explorers is an initiative that was developed to address the ongoing demand for career guidance and science communication…
Rising above discrimination in science
Being part of the inaugural cohort at Ocean Womxn brought me closer to other black women and women of colour in my field of research. It additionally opened up a new world of opportunities for me in a range of fields within ocean sciences and externally. My brand became larger than life! Of course, as…
My life as an academic mentor
Two years ago, my PhD advisor asked me to mentor one of her 3rd year students. This is one of my responsibilities as an Ocean Womxn fellow. I had a Zoom session with the student and in that first meeting, she became so emotional from being reminded that she is brilliant, that she is not…
TEDxUCT with Kolisa Sinyanya, the #MthathaBoffin and #DrofMoon, Tshiamiso Makwela
The year is 2019 and big things are happening! For me, this is the year of grabbing opportunities by the neck and using them to my advantage. It is a year of further growth! I’m a believer in fortune cookie messages and one fortune cookie completely re-enforced my thinking and how I approach life. The…
Science Communication: #SciComm
Science communication has bitten me like a bug and I love the effects! Through science communication, we as scientists get the precious opportunity to tell our science-related stories to the public. This sharing of scientific research and discoveries with non- experts in our different fields of expertise can be in the form of science exhibitions,…
My Ph.D. journey
The Ph.D. tempo has considerably increased as I reach the second year of study and panic mode is an element in the equation. My Ph.D. focuses on understanding nitrogen (mainly nitrate and ammonium) uptake in the surface waters of the Indian Ocean (nutrient poor) and Subantarctic Ocean (nutrient rich as nutrients are not fully consumed by the marine…
A 2017 Recap
It’s a new year, a chance to improve, conquer and be fierce. The new year brings opportunity, a chance to correct our mistakes and of course work towards finishing what we started. I’m one of the most prominent believers in women. Women are powerhouses, we sometimes forget just how valuable and influential we are in society….
ACE Project XII Workshop 2017
The first South African Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE Project XII) workshop took place at the University of Cape Town in November 2017. The University of Cape Town, Rhodes University, Nelson Mandela University and Cape Peninsula University are part of ACE Project XII. At the workshop, students and supervisors gave talks on their areas of research…
Dr Kolisa Yola Sinyanya 