By Moses Omorogieva
Lagos, June 7, 2018 (NAN) The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, says it has mentored 13 females in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) leaders on evolving technology needs of the 21st century.
The Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consulate Lagos, Ms Darcy Zotter made this known in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.
Zotter said the mentorship was in collaboration with Baltimore-based Global Air Media, which was done in addition to a two-day drone technology workshop for students and women STEM leaders.
“In addition to the students’ seminar, 13 female STEM leaders were mentored on the evolving technology needs of the 21st century, particularly in the fields of real estate and construction, cinematography, as well as humanitarian and emergency response,’’ she said.
She explained that the hands-on workshop was designed to stimulate the interest of the participating students in mathematics, science and careers in other STEM fields.
“STEM enables us to find solutions to some of the most pressing issues of today such as alternative energy or even food security. Creating inventions to solve global challenges can be a catalyst for a country’s economic development,” she said.
According to her, a team of three drone experts led by Global Air Media co-founder Eno Umoh facilitated the series of workshops.
“Thirty elementary and high school students were coached on the basics of building a drone from the scratch, as well as the requisite skills for piloting and landing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV),’’ she said.
Zotter said that the U.S. Mission in Nigeria had funded a number of projects to increase STEM education in different parts of the country.
“Last March, we hosted a 16-member delegation of senior women technology executives and professionals from Silicon Valley, California. The visiting delegation held a mentoring programme for over 70 Nigerian female STEM leaders.
“In December 2017, we funded the establishment of a technology hub in Lagos designed to host training and mentoring sessions for persons living with disabilities in various technology-based skills.
“We also hosted RoboRAVE, a robotics education program in Lagos and Abeokuta in October 2017,” Zotter explained in the statement.
The training was held at the Cedar STEM & Entrepreneurship Hub, and American Corner at Co-Creation Hub (CCHUB), both in Yaba, Lagos for two days. (NAN)
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Edited by Grace Yussuf