Deborah Dormah Kanubala and Dorcas Attubea have organized a one-day miniature Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana to help create awareness about and help break the STEM gap in rural Africa through advocacy and communication.
The project which was a blend of leadership and career development and an advocacy and science communication project was aimed at encouraging high school students to pursue STEM-related courses while igniting and sustaining their interest in Mathematics and Science.
Activities of the conference included career development to provide career guidance for high school students, mentorship, an exhibition of science projects and speeches from distinguished scientists.
Speaking at the conference, Dr. Kwara Nantomah, head of the Mathematics Department at the University for Development Studies said there should more practical application of STEM and pathways to increasing researchers in the field.
He further noted that the success and euphoria around this conference underlines and illustrates the desire for STEM in the region despite the many challenges in the area.
“In the interest of the advancement of STEM, it is thus imperative that this interest is harnessed and nurtured with similar projects in the future,” he stated.
During the mentorship and career guidance phase of the conference, both students and experts alike had an opportunity to interact with each other and network. The students also had the opportunity to ask the experts questions on how to succeed in any given field as well.
The experts also shared their experiences and motivated the students on taking careers in Mathematics and Sciences. The students also asked questions on better ways to study and apply mathematics and science.
One key side event during the conference was a scientific exhibition where some of the students from different high schools showed the entire group of participants amazing projects they worked on. Among the exhibitions displayed included semi-automatic poultry incubator and a smart bin.
The conference was attended by eighty students from eight senior high schools in the Northern Region of Ghana and their teachers.
Guests who graced the event include Alhaji Mohammed Haroon, a former Northern Regional Director of Education, Dr. Mary Pedavoah, a Biochemistry lecturer at the University for Development Studies.
The organizers are grateful to AlumNode for their generous financial support in financing this project and American Mathematical Society(AMS) specifically, Prof. Catherine Roberts who supplied them with STEM related leaflets to distribute to the students.