A non-governmental organisation, STEMbees, with funding from the US Embassy in Ghana, is training over one hundred girls from 37 Junior High School to build, programme and launch nano-satellites into the lower atmosphere.
The Infinity Girls in Space project aims to close the gender gap in STEM and increase interest in space technology among Ghanaian students.
The launch of the nano-satellites developed by the first cohort of girls trained took place on November 18th, 2022 at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Ghana, located in East Legon Hills.
The group of girls from the AIMS Girls in Mathematical Sciences Program (GMSP) used helium-filled weather balloons to launch their cube satellite prototypes.
The satellites were built with electronics and sensors and were programmed specifically to monitor the atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity of the weather and to also capture photographic views of the environment from the sky. The cube casing for the satellites was 3D designed and printed.
Present at the launch event was the Chief Operations Officer of AIMS Ghana, Ms. Adelaide Asante, who commenced the programme with a speech, emphasising that AIMS Ghana seeks to produce the next Einstein who will be an African female.
She added that STEMbees hopes to discover the next Einstein female through GMSP.
In an interaction with Joy learning’s Edunews 360, the Executive Director of STEMbees, Linda Ansong, elaborated that the sole purpose of STEMbees is to provide practical activities for basic and senior secondary school students, to complement the STEM curriculum to ensure that more African girls get interested in STEM-related careers and contribute to STEM.
She also expressed their gratitude to the US Embassy in Ghana for supporting this initiative.
Also in attendance were the representative of the Minister of Education, Madam Sheila Naa Boamah; the Director of Science Education Unit, Ghana Education Service; Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare; and the Director of Administration at GES, Adwoa Oduro Konadu.
Speaking with the girls, they expressed their sincere gratitude to the organization for impacting them with technical knowledge using electronics, coding, and 3D modelling, and providing them with hands-on experience
“I see this as a great opportunity to have been a part of this project, and now I can call myself an inventor,” Deborah Honame, a student said.
STEMBees is a non-governmental organization that aims at empowering Ghanaian girls and women to pursue their dreams and careers to break down gender barriers by mentoring them in robotics, digital literacy, 3D modelling, and other STEM activities.
