The old Hotel Rio Grande was the first building in Muizenber

• Published date: 22 February 2024
• Author: Yolande Du Preez yolande.dupreez@acm.co.za
• Publication title: Constantiaberg Bulletin

The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) offers a one-year postgraduate Master’s degree in mathematical sciences

The three-storey, pastel green Art Deco building, a stone's throw from Muizenberg’s beachfront, was built in 1931 by Charles McCarthy, of McCarthy Contractors, one of the most prominent building contractors in Cape Town at the time, according to Michael Walker’s book, A Statement in Stone. It is now home to 68 students from across Africa.

“Students live on the top floors of the building and are taught in lecture halls in the same building. They live, eat, socialise, and study together without any cost to them,” said spokesperson, Noluthando Sithole.

The institute is also home to the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Schools Enrichment Centre (AIMSSEC), a not-for-profit organisation that helps to train teachers from rural and township communities and elsewhere in Africa to teach maths and science.

AIMSSEC academic manager Dr Sinobia Kenny said many of the courses the trainees attended were held at partner universities.

“At the end of the day, they spell their names in mathematics,” she said.

AIMS was founded...