Trainer strives to simplify science with robots

By Macharia Kamau

Science subjects have been perceived by some students as mind boggling with some hardly stepping into laboratories after secondary school.

"The problem is that students rarely get to see the practical elements of sciences and go through the entire secondary schooling knowing only the theoretical aspects," said Mr Allan Okoth a programme coordinator at Makini College.

"This is what makes science disciplines seem difficult. They are, however, simple and enjoyable for those who get to apply what they learn practically."

And in a quest to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical aspects of science learning, Okoth has started an initiative that will help secondary school students tackle topical themes from a practical angle during the holidays starting this April.

The project, Science 2030, modelled alongside the Kenya Vision 2030 and is targeted at children aged between 12 and 17. This holiday’s theme will be ‘robots’ and has highly trained resource persons to demonstrate to students that the theoretical concepts taught in class are actually applicable in real life.

Artificial intelligence

The two-day camp will be held at Makini Academy. The facilitators will include Elisha Opiyo, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) lecturer at the University of Nairobi.

The students will learn electronics and basic robotics and by the end of the camp, they will be able to assemble and programme a basic robot.

Okoth has imported five robots from Abe Howell's Robotics, an American maker of low cost educational robots.

Science 2030, according to Okoth, aims to play a role in aiding Kenya reap from science and technology by imparting relevant skills and knowledge to youth, who he said have not been factored in the national development agenda.

"The youth have not been fully acknowledged in the Kenya Vision 2030, yet they will be the ones who will form the work force then," he said.

"Kenya is said to be the business hub of East Africa yet it lags behind countries like Rwanda in technological development."

During subsequent holidays, Science 2030 will be working on an ambitious project.

"During the next holiday camp, we are planning to launch a balloon with a camera, which show students the earth’s curvature," he said.