MakersPlace, an institution that promotes Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, has hosted its maiden event for female university students, dubbed ‘MakersPlace Arduino 4Her’, as part of measures to equip them with digital skills in computer programming and electronic-circuits design.
Participants at the event held in Accra were exposed to various applications of the Arduino technology for academic and industrial research. There was an opportunity for them to create their own Arduino projects to gain experience.
In an interview with B&FT, a certified Arduino practitioner, Karen Sakyibea Osei Mensah, described the event as a unique opportunity for female university students who are interested in STEM to test their ability to create their own Arduino projects and connect with like-minded individuals.
“So, this event was made to celebrate the Arduino Day 2023; and also to introduce female learners to physical computing. They got a chance to build and code their first project,” she said.
According to Ms. Osei Mensah, this is the first event hosted by MakersPlace for females to have more in-depth ideas on Arduino and also to empower women to continue pursuing careers in STEM; and plans are in place to organise more programmes centred on women empowerment.
“I’m happy; one of my mottos is anytime you are learning, have fun while you are learning. So I’m always happy to go out there to facilitate, give my best and make sure that my learners are getting the impact and value they need from whatever session we are holding at the moment,” she added.
A participant shared her experience with B&FT.
“I’m actually happy to be part of the Arduino 4Her programme, and with this I’m glad I was able to meet people, connect to people and see how they are doing in their STEM careers. I realised that some of us haven’t been introduced to this type of programming yet, so I have to start from scratch.”
About MakersPlace
MakersPlace is an internationally accredited STEM organisation in the country that leverages emerging technologies to teach robotics, drone technologies, mechatronics, TinyML, coding and others to skill the future workforce today.
