By Edoamaowo Udeme, Abuja
A workshop on promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) for school-age girls was organised by the The United States Embassy opened yesterday in Abuja,
Thirty science students, teachers and officers of the Nigerian Air Force were trained on the basics of building Drones.
The event which took place at the Nigerian Air Force Girls Comprehensive School Abuja, with the topic; “Build a Drone: Promoting STEM initiatives for Girls in Nigeria”, saw a team of drone experts practicalizing the skills for piloting and landing an unmanned aerial drones to the students.
Representing The US Embassy, Major Peters, said that the event is “Getting children involved in technology and putting Nigerians in the forefront the up and coming aviation world where most developing countries are trying to get into this new era of flying, which is, the unmanned aerial vehicle and these girls are right her to make it happen”
On the future of Nigeria competing with the US on drones invention, Peters noted that “The US and Nigeria are not competing, Nigeria has always been our friend and ally”
U.S. Speaker Eno Umoh, a technologist, educator and the co-founder of Global Air Media, an aerial cinematography and mapping company said the program aims to deepen girls’ interest in STEM.
Eno who got inspired while visiting his homestead, Akwa Ibom, during a gubernatorial inauguration, said “I was motivated by my passion for technology coupled with my observation that the stadium where the inauguration took place was manned by a camera drone and I felt that I should practicalize it and give it back to the society by training our Nigerian youths”
On the impact he hopes this training will create, Eno said ” Drone is a very hot topic right now and I am hoping this creates a spark mainly for the youths to explore STEM ideas in edication”
“We are going to build more drones train them on the foundation of drones so that from here, they can develop more concepts and build thier own kinds of drones”
“We are going to develop more business plan competition between the groups and each group will come up with ideas involving the drones that they will work on”.
“This programme will be sustained because we want to be sure the children are doing well in this field so we we always do a bad up check after today“
Speaking on behalf of the students, The Commandant of the school, Wing Commander Ali, while appreciate the US Embassy for the gesture said ” I am very honoured that our school is chosen to host this event, since we are already into piloting, this is an added knowledge to us”
She stressed that “The children are more informed now by being involved with the practical assembling of drones, especially, being that these ones are not the military type but a more milder and easier ones”
“We now have a very new perspective of looking into the new direction of using drones for photography” Ali noted
“Photography is one of the trait subjects and we are really going to add that to our curriculum so the children can build drones for photography” she added