Photonics outreach activities seen by over 1200 attendees in Ghana
During May 2024, George has been leading an extensive set of outreach activities in Ghana. George, a 2024 Optica Ambassador, teamed up with students and other researchers from Ghana and Germany to deliver a programme of activities to over 1200 attendees from a variety of backgrounds and ages ranging from 8 to 25 years old.
The first 2 days took place at the Physics department of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, which aims to be one of the first Universities in Ghana to introduce photonics as a thematic research area. The programme of day 1 included scientific discussions, career development workshops as well as Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) talks for students and staff at the University. The keynote address for commencement of the program was given by Prof. David Dotse Wemegah, deputy head of KNUST physics department where he highlighted the importance of Optics and Photonics to the growth of the country and the African continent in general. George gave a wide-ranging introduction to photonics covering basic principles and varied applications.
Later sessions of the event included “Career Paths in Photonics: Industry, Academia, and Research”, where George gave a presentation detailing the intricacies of applying for admissions and financial aids to pursue such programs.
Day 2 concentrated on the importance of outreach, motivating students to consider the need for outreach, what outreach means to them, and how they believe they can be the source of inspiration for the next generation.
Ghana, like many African countries, has a high disparity between male and female education especially in the STEM sector. Although this narrative is changing, there is a need to sensitise the young to become ambassadors for diversity in STEM. There was therefore a panel discussion on factors affecting the increase in the number of females in STEM and what we can all do to make it successful.
The afternoon session of day 2 focussed on training the students on various optics-based demonstrations and other general physics demonstrations. This was also an opportunity to build their confidence in public speaking and knowledge transfer. Training was given that would allow the students to undertake demonstrations of fluorescence and phosphorescence, plasma globe physics, lenses, telescopes and microscopes, dispersion of white light into its constituent colours, diffraction and interference, polarization effects, and fiber optics, as well as exercises in chemical sample classification using a portable Raman spectroscopy system built by the Optical Manipulation Group.
For a second phase of outreach work, George and some of the KNUST students travelled 400km north to the city of Tamale, to meet students and teachers from basic to tertiary levels of education and to introduce them to the fascinating field of photonics and inspire them to take up programs and careers in STEM, through practical teachings and hands-on experiments. Tamale was chosen because the northern part of Ghana has been characterized by its minimal national investment and developmental focus, represents a community that has been historically marginalized, especially in the fields of advanced science and technology. Through this outreach, we aimed to help address and mitigate the disparities in educational resources and technological exposure that have long plagued this area.
These events were held over three days at the premises of Red Clay studios in Tamale and attracted over 1,000 participants, including students and teachers from various educational institutions of all age groups.
The program featured a variety of interactive sessions, hands-on demonstrations, and insightful lectures aimed at introducing and deepening the understanding of photonics and its applications, with enthusiastic participation and positive feedback from attendees.
During the outreach program, it was evident that the team successfully reached students and teachers in the city of Tamale who were largely unfamiliar with photonics. The curiosity and interest shown by the participating schools emphasized how impactful this outreach was for them. Many of the students mentioned that they knew very little or nothing about photonics prior to the event. However, the outreach program has helped bridge this knowledge gap, helping them develop an understanding of the modern field and applications of optics and photonics. The fun got better and better day after day at the outreach program. The experimental and interactive sessions proved to be a huge success leading to the joy and excitement of everyone. The engaging demonstrations and hands-on experiments fueled the whole learning process.
Consequently, the participants expressed a willingness to embrace career opportunities in the field of photonics as well as in other STEM-related fields. The teachers who took part in the outreach program commended the efforts of the KNUST Photonics Student Chapter for bringing the knowledge of photonics to share with them, and how beneficial it would be for this field to be included in their academic syllabus.
The KNUST Photonics Student Chapter values diversity, equality, and inclusivity, in all of its endeavors. The large number of female participants, along with students of different cultures and age groups who attended the outreach, serves as perfect evidence of this commitment.
Finally, George carried out a series of visits to additional schools and universities in three other regions of Ghana, including his own primary and junior high school. George summarized the personal pride he took in being able to undertake this outreach work, “I was delighted to be able to give back to the community that nurtured me and give a foundation for future generations of Ghanaians to make impacts on the STEM subjects.”
George’s research group leader, Prof Kishan Dholakia, commented “It gives me great pleasure to be able to support George in this outreach work in Ghana, particularly showcasing our portable Raman system for food and drink analysis. Having seen the feedback from attendees, I am sure he has inspired many young people.”
The outreach activities detailed here were delivered in collaboration with Drs Akyana Britwum, Micheal Donkor, Mercy Badu and Olivia Christos from the Departments of Physics and Chemistry of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana, Dr Fabain Ruf co-founder of Helping Hands Network and 2023 Optica Pivoting fellow from Zeiss Germany, and the members of Photonics KNUST -the student wing of Optica and SPIE in KNUST.
The activities were co-sponsored by the Optical Manipulation Group, Optica and Mr Ibrahim Mahama of the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA) and Red Clay studios in Tamale, Ghana, A Heart for Science – the outreach wing of the Zeiss Group in Germany, Menlo systems – Germany and Dr Alexander Jantzen, a 2022 Optica Ambassador.