By Natricha Levy-McFarlane | Publications Director
The world is in the middle of a pandemic and we are all adjusting to a new normal. This is no different at SOSA, where we have had to be nimble to quickly pivot and adjust to keep our programmes running and our youth engaged.
The result of this was STEPS Online 2020 where we took our summer programmes virtual. Our first event was hosted on June 22 and 23, 2020 and was a resounding success!
The workshop focused on Computer Science (Learning to Code), Virology, and Epidemiology - a very timely component as the world watches as scientists track the development and spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
Participants loved the workshops with almost 70% ranking the 2 days at an 8 and above on a 10-point scale for fun factor. As for the impact of the workshop, this participant summed it up nicely, “I did not know that R was a programming language, I had no idea what bioinformatics was about, and I also had never heard about Scratch as a programming language.”
In July, we hosted another 2-day workshop covering non-communicable diseases such as cancer and heart disease, and engineering, including 3D printing and aerospace engineering. Students joined us for a mixture of presentations and hands-on learning guided by specialist speakers. This event saw SOSA expanding its reach all across Jamaica.
Once again, participants found the sessions to be fun and a majority (86%) indicated that their interest in science was an 8 and above on a 10-point scale at the end of the workshop. This represents a whopping 68% increase in the interest level prior to the beginning of the workshop!
Comments from our participant included:
“I have an increased urge of wanting to be a scientist.”
“I wasn't sure what career and educational path I wanted to pursue but [now] I know about a lot of different careers in STEM which I could pursue.”
Go team SOSA, job well done!
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