HANDS-ON OPPORTUNITIES IN STEM AT LEGON-GHANA

In May of this year, CIEE Legon hosted a faculty-led Engineering group from the University of Houston, in collaboration with the School of Engineering Sciences (SES), University of Ghana. The group was introduced to two major projects; Using Engineering Principles to Convert Plastic Waste into Fuel for Mobile Use and Using Engineering Principles in Water Treatment for Rural and Peri-Urban Communities being ran by the SES, and led by Prof. Dodoo-Arhin and Dr. Annan, respectively.

The students were engaged in full-day practical workshops where they had the opportunity of working with their hands on machinery and/or equipment. It was eye-opening on the part of center staff to learn that for one of the students, it was the first time, as a third year Engineering student, that he had ever worked with his hands on a Pyrolysis System, which was built entirely by the students and faculty of the SES. Plastic waste was fed into the Pyrolysis system and was broken down by heat at different temperatures ranging from 300 to 900 degrees Celsius in the absence of oxygen to produce liquid oil.

This is what CIEE Legon is all about; providing opportunities for experiential, hands-on learning. The STEM scene is vibrant here in the University of Ghana; from a wide range of engineering courses, to mathematical sciences, other pure sciences, to medicine and medical research. Prospective applicants from STEM backgrounds may be hesitant in choosing Legon as their study abroad destination, as they may assume that the University is not well-epuiped to run STEM courses.

Such experiences prove otherwise.