COME this August, Guyanese youths will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn about building robotics and drones as part of the STEMGuyana summer camp which will be rolled out in three regions across the county.
In the summer of 2016, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) camp launched a robotics building and programming camp at Lusignan, Buxton and Georgetown.
Spearheading the project was STEM camp coordinator and United States-based Technology Consultant,Karen Abrams, who collaborated with First Lady Sandra Granger.
More than 200 students benefited from that camp. This year, the group will be planning a similar camp and will be adding a drone building and programming component.
The camp will target students from ages 11-15 years old.
Abrams, her husband Leon Christian, and their four children, the creators of K12Youthcode, a national virtual coding league for k-12 students, homeschoolers, clubs and national organisations based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, are the pioneers of the youth camp.
Speaking to Guyana Chronicle, the United States-based technology consultant explained that the goal of the summer camp is to expose and prepare young people in Guyana for a future that will require knowledge of technology, and a culture of innovation and creativity.
“These camps will build innovation, creativity, and problem-solving skills in young students. It will also teach them the logic of programming and engineering,” Abrams noted.
The technology consultant explained that the STEMGuyana group is preparing the National Robotics Team for competition in Washington DC in July 16 -18.
“More than 150 teams from around the world will be competing and we believe our young people will be prepared to compete at this level,” Abrams stressed.
She explained that the camp is a fun and educative way to introducing young people to computer programming and students do not need any special skill in drones to attend the camps.
Application for the summer camps will commence at the end of May via online.
Registration will also be done at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall from 10:00 hrs- 14:00 hrs on Saturdays.
STEMGuyana is seeking additional sponsorship to purchase robot kits and drones for the programmes. The targeted amount is US$15,000.
“We need to be able to purchase robot kits which are around US$375 each,also drones are around the same price….Many of our classes have around eight groups of students so we need to have an adequate supply of equipment,” Abrams said.
Both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Telecommunications have given their support to the initiative. West Indian in the Woods, Awesome Events Party Rentals and Caribbean International Shipping — all companies in the diaspora — are sponsors of the STEMGuyana camps.
