Strengthening Our Partnership with STEM Student Based Organizations (SBOs): West Africa

For more than one year, InsightSTEM has worked to achieve better results for students and youth in West Africa, Our core values are to demoncratise STEM knowledge through exploration, creating a world where all minds are critically thinking, STEM literate and global learners. As a natural outgrowth of our work, we have created and continue to nurture diverse network across the region.

West Africa is currently characterized by a rapidly growing youthful population experiencing rapid social- economic, scientific and technological development. InsightSTEM cannot do it alone in West Africa, thus, strengthening our partnerships with all STEM organizations is essential to us. With this, we can have more impacts by providing STEM knowledge through exploration across all regions of West Africa.

Networking Evening: Biological Sciences  Student Association (BIOSSA), University of Liberia

On March 18, 2017 at 6:00pm,   InsightSTEM had an exciting event; a dinner night with the Biological Sciences   Student Association (BIOSSA), University of Liberia in the Tubman Hall at the Capitol Hill Campus of the University of Liberia, ,  with some of its Local Impact Committee Liberia members as well as Kinder STEM West Africa Missions Director, Mr. Johnason L. David and West Africa Coordinator, Mr. Simmie S. Nyanfor, Jr. were present. Interestingly, InsightSTEM Liberia LIC Chairperson, Mr. Chalaty A. Young, also serves as the President of the Biological Sciences Students Association at the University of Liberia.

At this event, Campus Ambassador and Local Impact Committee, Christian Weah   gave a brief presentation about IstightSTEM. He also presented on programs and projects undertaken by InsightSTEM and some good works coming up  by the organization. He encouraged STEM teachers, professionals, and students to become members of InsightSTEM by joining the Liberia Local   Impact Committee in order to help explore STEM greatly in Liberia.

Moreover, some Young STEM Professionals of InsightSTEM were given various awards as Honorees. These include: Francis Maweah, Jr. (Academic Excellence Award), Perry Z. Newray (Distinct Leadership Award), and our Student Representative Varfee A. Siryon also receiving Distinct Leadership Award.

World Pi Day

March 23, 2017, was another unique program; the World Pi Day organized by Liberian Community Association of Connecticut Scholars (LCAC - Scholars) that was well attended by InsightSTEM Liberia Local Impact officials led by its Chairperson, Mr. Chalaty A. Young, and also Kinder STEM West Africa Missions Director, Mr. Johnason L. David and West Africa Coordinator, Mr. Simmie S. Nyanfor, Jr.

Some members of the InsightSTEM West Africa crew at
the World Pi Day Celebration - Liberia

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi  is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159.

Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point. As an irrational and transcendental number, it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations, Pi’s infinite nature makes it a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits.

Cross section of students at the Pi Day celebration held at the Firestone Field House, Harbel, Margibi County, Liberia

Chalaty A. Young, LIC Liberia Chair
presenting to the audience

Our Local Impact Liberia Chair, Chalaty A. Young talked more of InsightSTEM to the audience and he provided opportunity for students and teachers that were willing to become members of the organization by writing down basic information about themselves. He also served as judge of the Pi recitation and quizzing competition.

Jallah Sumo, HSS Representative
helping students join
InsightSTEM HSS program

Mr. Jallah Sumo, High School Scholars Program representative, Liberia Local Impact Committee engaged the students on the importance of the HSS program and how it is beneficial to the growth of them as a students and the provision of smooth transition and readiness to take on STEM careers after high school. He also emphasized on the hands on opportunities to partake in InsightSTEM programs and projects to enhance their research and outreach skills. 

Mr. Brillaince Karwee, STEM Exploration Technology Team Lead, Liberia Local Impact Committee, explained to the students about the low cost exploration technologies InsightSTEM provides to enhance their STEM knowledge through exploration. In addition, Campus Ambassador Fredrick Dukuly make presentation on the importance of Pi as it relates to STEM Education as well as Darcess Dossen encouraging students to take on STEM careers.

More high-schools scholars and teachers were encouraged to become members of InsightSTEM High School Scholars Program because of their passion for STEM which they would love to explore greatly in Liberia.

Cross section of the students at the event

The program was successful and ended with students interacting with officials of InsightSTEM to know more about the organization.

You can support our programs and projects in West Africa by donating here: http://give.classy.org/WestAfrica

--- Romell Dede
InsightSTEM LIC Liberia Communications Officer

Traveling with InsightSTEM to Bali!

I woke up the morning of January 17th with my bags all packed and ready to go for a long trip across the world. Today was the start of a trip that would include enduring over 20 hours of flying in order to reach our destination in Ubud, Bali. I made sure to bring entertainment for the flights, to prepare as much as I could for being in the air for so long. I brought my iPad, laptop, phone with multiple portable chargers, and even a couple of Malaysia and Bali travel books to prepare for once we got there. I made sure I was prepared for anything on the flights, in order to make myself as comfortable and entertained as possible.

The Mountains covered in snow
flying into Denver

Our first flight left from Tucson at 9 a.m. Our destination was Denver, Colorado, and we happened to get upgraded to First Class!! This flight was only 2 hours, so it went very quick. The view from the plane once we got into Colorado was amazing, everything was white. The mountains were covered in snow; something rarely ever seen in Arizona. Once we landed in Denver, we awaited our next flight to Los Angeles, California, which was once again, a 2 hour flight. This flight went by quickly as well and by the time we landed in LA, it was 5 p.m. Fortunately for us, our next flight was the next day, so we got to have a break from flying... for now. Our next flight was scheduled to leave at 11 a.m. the next morning, to Tokyo, Japan.


I was really excited to go to Tokyo for I had never been anywhere close to there! I wasn't however, looking forward to the 12 hour plane ride that it took to get there. 12 hours of sitting in the same spot, in a plane 36,000 feet in the air, just did not appeal to me at all. I was nervous, but mostly I was just ready to get it over with. We would be landing in Tokyo at 3:45 p.m., and then leaving an hour and a half later on a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was going to be a 7 hour flight that landed us in Kuala Lumpur at Midnight. In an effort to not be jet lagged once we landed in Kuala Lumpur, my plan was to stay up for the entire duration of both flights so that once we landed in Kuala Lumpur, I would be ready to sleep.

Inside the plane

We boarded our flight Wednesday morning, and found our seats on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that was going to take us across the Pacific Ocean to Tokyo. The plane was massive, and to my surprise, the seats were well spaced apart and quite comfortable! Every seat even had outlets, so that I could charge any of my electronic devices. Not only that, but on the back of every headrest, there was a screen that contained a library of different movies, TV shows, and music to choose from, and they were all free! The movie and TV choices were great too! They had tons of choices, ranging from classic movies, to newer movies that I wanted to watch, but never got the chance to. I was actually excited to get to watch these movies that they had. Not only that, but they even had WiFi available for purchase on the flight.

I stayed up the entire duration of the flight, thanks to having WiFi, watching movies and TV shows, and having in-flight meals. The WiFi was only $24 for the entire duration of the flight, which I used in order to stay in contact with my friends and family back home, constantly updating them about my flight. I watched The Martian, Star Trek: Beyond, and a few episodes of Game of Thrones to entertain myself. Before I knew it, we were already on our descent into Tokyo. The flight may have been long, but it flew by (no pun intended) and wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought it was going to be. I even found that I had enjoyed my flight, thanks to all of the on-board entertainment that they provided. This experience helped me to enjoy my travel more and be more optimistic for our next flight.

Our time in Japan was short, I wish we had more time because spending an hour and half in that airport went by so fast! There were so many people there and everything was so different. Seeing signs that weren't in English and all of the different souvenirs that you could buy were so cool to see! I wanted to buy so many things there, but unfortunately, we had another plane to catch and the line for the souvenir store was agonizingly long. We headed for our gate for our next flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Souvenir shop in Japan

This plane, while being the same exact model as our flight to Japan, had smaller seats on the inside. I found that it wasn't as roomy, but still manageable. It had all of the same amenities as our other flight, which I found very relieving. I managed to watch the movie Storks and Suicide Squad while on this flight, before I found myself waking up to the sound of the Captain announcing we were preparing to land in Kuala Lumpur. Another flight that quickly passed by; flights that I originally dreaded going on in the first place. Even though the flights were enjoyable, I was glad to be done flying for the time being, for our next flight was in two days time.

View of Kuala Lumpur
from the top of KL Tower

Kuala Lumpur was nothing like I had ever seen before. Everywhere you look, there were skyscrapers and trees. I had never seen so much green in person before, and if you are from where I come from, you would understand. Driving on the left side of the road was also a sight to see, after growing up in the United States, where all the driving is done on the right side and the steering wheel is located on the left side of the car. While I was in Kuala Lumpur, I got to see an aquarium, KL tower, the Petronas Towers, and the Batu Caves. Everything was spectacular, and like nothing I had ever seen before. My favorite was the Batu Caves, because it was just amazing to see. They had sacred statues and temples there, along with a giant cave that required climbing over 200 stairs! Not only that, but there were monkeys within a few feet of you nearly every step of the way... It was a sight to see and I am very glad to have had the chance to see it in person myself.

Batu Caves

Our next flight would be the last one for a while, to a place we planned on setting up headquarters for the next month. This flight was only 3 hours, in order to get to Ubud, Bali, the site of most of our STEM Exploration Expeditions. We got into Bali at 2 a.m., and had to take a taxi to our hotel, right next to the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud. I found that Bali is even more beautiful than Kuala Lumpur! All around you, there is something new to see. There are trees, wildlife, and sights to see everywhere! Just walking along the road in Ubud, there are monkeys walking around, climbing in the trees right next to you! You may even stumble upon ancient-looking ruins and temples right off of the main roads. The food is great and there isn't a lack of shopping or tourist attractions to see.

View from our Bungalow

Sacred Monkey Forest

Traveling to Bali, we had a total of 23 hours in the air, but it was definitely worth it! Looking back, it went by so quickly, I hardly even noticed it and as an added bonus, the flights were very affordable!! Now that I am here in Bali, I am so glad that I did it. I am so grateful at the opportunity that InsightSTEM has given me in order to become part of the team and have the chance to travel to such a unique and beautiful place. I hope to help others come out to Bali as well and meet with Jake and I, in order to expand their STEM knowledge through exploration as I am doing at this very moment. This opportunity could even be available to you! Take a look at our STEM Exploration Expeditions that we have available and see which one best fits you. And just maybe, I will see you soon, out here, gaining more STEM knowledge and experiencing the Balinese cultures right beside me. Come visit us and take this opportunity to better yourself and share your knowledge and experience with others. I hope to see you soon!!

-Isaiah Gurule
 Mission Coordinator of InsightSTEM

Initiating Community STEM In West Africa

InsightSTEM West Africa Family and Community STEM held it first Community STEM exploration event at SMART LIBERIA hall (9^th street, Sinkor). This event brings together 18 parents and 16 kids from various communities to engage in exploration activities. This event marks the first of its kind in West Africa with support from InsightSTEM.

Our West African coordinator (Simmie S. Nyanfor, Jr.) presented an overview of InsightSTEM and pending family and community STEM programs to be implemented in West Africa. Meanwhile, the director for Family and Community STEM and KinderSTEM  in West Africa (Johnnason L. David, Jr.) explained to parents and kids the differences between Family STEM, Community STEM, and KinderSTEM as its related to the work of InsightSTEM in West Africa.

He clearly stated that Family STEM is a series of events where parents and kids engage STEM explorations and learn to learn together, He also explained that Community STEM Explorations are considered to be one off events for adults and kids to engage together in STEM exploration. KinderSTEM is another initiative where InsightSTEM works with teachers working with the youngest kids in the education system aged 4-6 yrs old.

In this event the community members did three STEM explorations: Blobs in the Bottle,  Fizz-inflator, and Build the Tallest Tower. Adults and kids alike were engaged in these activities working together to find the best solutions!

Our Community STEM activities were all designed to engage individuals in STEM exploration, and to democratize STEM knowledge to all, young and old, through exploration.

Back to School 2016: Mapping our Campus Ambassador Impact

Right now we have Campus Ambassadors at Universities in 23 countries around the world, and the number is constantly growing. We keep track of the campuses where our ambassadors (and the supporters of the program) are having an impact around the world in an active google map that is embedded below in this blog post... or you can visit http://bit.ly/ISCAmap to explore some more!

To support our Campus Ambassadors around the world, and help us to have impacts with our new programs for the 2016-2017 school year you can visit http://bit.ly/CAgive2016.

Back to School 2016: Our Campus Ambassadors Worldwide

Recently we presented the latest updates about our Campus Ambassadors program at the national meeting of the American Astronomical Society. You can check out the poster below or here!

We are launching our Back to School campaign to support our ongoing Campus Ambassadors program... where you can have great impacts in providing professional development and education/outreach training and opportunities to the next generation of STEM professionals worldwide! To learn about how to support this program please visit http://bit.ly/CAgive2016 ... and check back here for continuing updates and information soon!

Powering Science and Technology for Africa's Economic Transformation. A need for InsightSTEM intervention.

By: Simmie S. Nyanfor, Jr. (InsightSTEM West Africa Coordinator)

As InsightSTEM begins to expand our impacts into West Africa, it is worth considering the needs for incorporating new educational strategies and international partnerships to help the next generation of young Africans prosper in an increasingly STEM focused economy and world.

Africa has achieved exceptional economic growth over the past decade, averaging 4.5% a year, underpinned by prudent macroeconomic management. Now we must achieve economic growth that is accompanied by significantly less poverty and greater prosperity for all the people of the continent. With new discoveries of oil, gas, and minerals seemingly every month, we need to be able to extract, market, and invest the new-found earnings from these resources in higher quality education, health, and other vital development priorities.

As Africans move to cities in ever-growing numbers, we must also address unprecedented rates of urbanization and new needs for housing, infrastructure, and agricultural productivity to feed urban residents as well as increase food security in rural areas. On the environment front, Africa, which has contributed the least to climate change, is bearing its disproportionate impact in terms of droughts, floods, rising sea levels which in turn bring economic losses and hardship.

At the same time, these challenges also bring opportunities for joint research that would benefit scientists across the world as well in Africa. There is scope for similar research collaboration between African and foreign scientists in medicine and biodiversity, irrigation, engineering, mining and other fields.

But here is the challenge. We will only achieve these exciting research coalitions in Africa if we correct a longstanding imbalance in our education systems. Today, our stock of graduates is still highly skewed towards the humanities and social sciences, while the share of our students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) averages less than 25%. Further, women are under-represented in science and technology-related courses and professions on the continent.

Thanks to Africa's recent progress in school enrollment, more and more students are completing primary and secondary school. This new generation of young Africans must be equipped with the modern skills and knowledge they need to find African solutions to Africa's challenges. Earlier this year, at a High-Level Forum on Higher Education for Science, Technology and Innovation hosted by the Government of Rwanda and the World Bank in Kigali, participating countries and partners called for a bold target -- to double the share of African university graduates in science and technology fields within a decade, by 2025. This is key to transform Africa into a knowledge-driven continent within a generation.

So how can we do it? There are proven steps that can be taken to realign higher education with the needs of the 21st century economy and to brighten the career prospects of young Africans today. Partnership is the operative word, between academic institutions both in Africa and abroad, between universities and the private sector, and with new investment partners in Asia and Latin America. Systemic reforms are also necessary, particularly to improve the quality of education across all levels of the education system, and to make higher education more relevant to the needs of would-be employers.

African universities have much to gain from joining forces with universities abroad, such as through the University of Michigan's STEM-Africa initiative which has nurtured young scientists and advanced research networks with institutions in Africa, and also their work in training mathematicians and doctors on the continent.

In fact, the African diaspora can play a very critical role in advancing science and technology in their countries of origin by helping generate new interest in supporting the STEM fields in Africa. We must mobilize a wide alliance of supporters including policymakers, international financial institutions such as the World Bank Group, and academics, both in Africa and abroad. At the same time, universities in Africa now need to achieve the next level of home-grown excellence.

A number of US and European universities have campuses and programs overseas, notably in Asia and the Middle East--and the next frontier is Africa. One US university has opened a campus in Rwanda, and the first cohort of students from this centre will graduate later this year. By building campuses in Africa, such programs bring quality education that is adapted to local cultural norms and requirements. Universities that move quickly will be at a significant advantage as this is a growing market that will only become larger as Africa continues its robust economic growth.

Students must also be able to apply what they learn once they graduate and look to cross the threshold of the jobs market. This requires innovative partnerships and coalitions, as well as targeted reforms. Following the example of countries like Kenya and Senegal, ministries responsible for higher education should aim to boost private representation on their university boards and engage with the private sector to strengthen links with employers, including on curriculum design. Private sector partners in Africa can also offer apprenticeships, internships, and certification programs, to help bridge the gap between what is being taught in universities and the realities of the job market, and to invest in the next generation of technicians and corporate recruits.

The World Bank is working with eight African governments and the Association of African Universities on the Africa Centres of Excellence initiative, which will strengthen 19 centres of excellence in West and Central Africa. This initiative aims to build and sustain excellence in higher education in Africa, particularly in science and technology, by fostering regional specialization, concentrating limited top-level faculty and generating knowledge "spillovers." This sort of cooperative action is vital to maximize the impact of limited resources and achieve greater regional integration.

Africa's new partners--countries such as Brazil, China, India and Korea--can play an important role in building human capital in Africa. These countries have rich experience in developing higher education programs that serve the needs of modernizing economies, and have much to offer by way of lessons learned and active partnerships. The World Bank is working towards building a Partnership for Skills in the Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology ("PASET") that brings together new partners and African policymakers, to catalyse this process especially in high-potential sectors.

Partnership among all of these networks will commit us all to a coordinated, faster approach to advancing science and technology in Africa and helping Africans young people achieve their aspirations. It will also help companies to find young Africans with advanced skills and knowledge locally, allowing them to compete and thrive in international markets.

As more than 11 million young Africans try to join enter the job market every year over the next decade, we need to make strategic investments in their education and other development prospects in order to drive and sustain Africa's economic transformation.