Toronto-based group aims to boost science literacy in Guyana

Aug 04, 2017 News

A Toronto-based non-profit organization is hoping raise the scientific literacy among secondary students and teachers in Guyana. The group, Pueblo Science, is conducting a workshop at the St Stanislaus College in Brickdam, Georgetown.

The initiative is organised by the St Stanislaus College Alumni, Canada, and Ministry of Education.

A five-member team which consists of four scientists and an engineer have travelled to Guyana to train around seventy students and teachers from the public school system how to effectively use science experiments in their classrooms and how to construct them from local materials.

Visionary behind Pueblo Science, Dr May Rose Salvador explained that the mission of the organization is to raise the level of science literacy in underprivileged communities in Canada and the developing world.

Dr. Salvador is a Physical Chemistry Scientist who was born in the Philippines. She is currently based in Canada.

Having obtained a doctorate at the University of Toronto, Dr Salvador formed Pueblo Science, less than a decade ago. The organization has since touched various parts of the globe, educating teachers mainly of simple and affordable ways of implementing science projects that can help societal problems.

This is the group’s second trip to Guyana.

During her initial visit, Dr Salvador, had explained that her vision is to enlighten as many people as possible of the importance of Science.

A mission, which she says is premised on the fact that science has the potential to stave off some challenges of everyday challenges.

The visiting five-member ‘Pueblo Science’ team currently conducting a workshop in Guyana

Growing up in rural Philippines, Dr Salvador recalled “seeing things that I realized later could be avoided with a bit more critical thinking from the residents.”

She recounted, for instance, that her village sourced drinking water from a nearby river but after she would consume the water, her stomach hurt. But according to her, “my mom would think that I was touched by spirits.”

“Later I found out that it was probably bacteria that were giving me those tummy aches,” noted Dr Salvador. It was such realizations that helped foster the idea of Pueblo Science.

It is with that view that Dr Salvador hopes to educate teachers and enable them to pass on the scientific knowledge to the children they teach.

Salvador emphasized that the workshop is designed to lift the scientific enthusiasm of student and teachers through “hands on,” activities.

“Our goal is to encourage a lifelong interest in learning and inquisitiveness through hands-on activities. ”

National Science Coordinator attached to NCERD, Petal Jettoo, explained that for the period of one week, the classrooms of St Stanislaus College will be transformed into laboratories, where practical skills and scientific knowledge will be transferred.

“The workshop provides an opportunity to explore a variety of topics in chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, electronics, and robotics.”

“Each day of the workshop will have morning and afternoon session dedicated to a different topic, with breaks. But the common goal is to teach those present how use materials readily available in their environment such as charcoal and potatoes to conduct experiments rather than use the more expensive techniques.”

Jettoo explained too that the workshop is an extension of activities organised by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Guyana. STEM activities are geared towards promoting sustainable developments as well as the Green economy and Initiatives.

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