Twelve colleges throughout Africa have obtained academic science kits from the IAEA as a part of an initiative to advertise scientific exploration and encourage college students. 

The initiative goals to domesticate curiosity in nuclear science and know-how amongst college students and to supply a pathway for fostering innovation throughout the African continent, by encouraging college students to pursue nuclear-related careers. This will ultimately guarantee a pipeline of certified professionals and allow African international locations to totally leverage the advantages of nuclear science.

“We want to encourage a generation of young scientists and engineers who will actively contribute to Africa’s scientific development by equipping them with practical tools and knowledge,” stated Mickel Edwerd, Section Head, IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation’s Division for Africa.

Schools in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa have already obtained the kits as a useful resource for educating science and nuclear-related topics in secondary colleges. The intention is to spark kids’s curiosity in nuclear science within the area by enabling them to conduct revolutionary physics experiments within the classroom.

The kits include a variety of fundamental radiation detectors and are designed to introduce college students to the detection of several types of radiation. The aim is to offer college students palms on tools and laboratory workout routines to deepen their understanding of the bodily processes of radiation detection and the technical elements of dosimetry.

“Throughout my 11 years of teaching physics, I have always struggled to give my students any practical classroom experience in nuclear physics. But with this Nuviatech Instruments educational kit donated to us by the IAEA, I now have equipment that I can use to give my students practical experience in nuclear physics.,” stated Daniel Mireku OSEI, Physics Teacher at Presbyterian Boys Senior High School in Ghana. 

The academic college kits initiative follows a workshop hosted for secondary college educators from Africa organized by the IAEA and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, geared toward enhancing their understanding of nuclear science and know-how. The coaching, which passed off in November 2023, highlighted the function and affect of nuclear science and know-how in several areas of improvement, together with well being, agriculture, the setting and extra. It additionally coated educating approaches, assist supplies, sources and actions obligatory for educating nuclear science in secondary college. 

“The African teachers who participate in this training have an important role and accountability to facilitate the dissemination of these topics to students, which will motivate the young generation to join nuclear sciences and technology,” stated Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director of the Division for Africa on the opening session of the coaching.

Teachers from 16 African international locations attended the coaching at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) in Texas, USA, and actions included college visits, interactions with lecturers, and a go to to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to study house science. The venture is a part of an initiative to advertise nuclear science and know-how schooling and assist African international locations in leveraging its advantages.

“I hope the teachers from the African secondary schools who attended this inaugural IAEA training event hosted by PVAMU came away with strengthened technical knowledge of nuclear science and technology,” stated Sunaree Hamilton, group chief for IAEA Programs in Argonne’s Strategic Security Sciences division. She added that they’ll apply this data within the classroom to teach and encourage college students all through the African area.

The IAEA helps skilled coaching in nuclear science and know-how schooling by means of varied technical cooperation tasks that handle useful resource limitations and workforce challenges notably within the subject of nuclear science and know-how.