The AIMS Ghana, Girls in Mathematical Sciences Program (GMSP) is a fully-funded, exciting and challenging 9-month program created for bright, curious and creative female Senior High School students to unlock their potential in the Mathematical Sciences. It has been carefully structured to prevent interference in mainstream academics. The program operates on a hybrid model with an online and onsite session. It is currently being implemented with support from the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Education under the UNESCO Category II arrangement.
It started out in 2020, with the first cohort of 35 students from 29 schools in 11 regions of Ghana. Supercharged by the GMSP, 21 of these young ladies are currently pursuing STEM courses at the tertiary level. This year the second cohort comprised 40 girls from 37 Schools in 15 regions of Ghana.
The program was full of exciting courses based on the GMSP hybrid system. The girls participated in online Masterclasses with renowned scientists from within and outside the continent, and each of them has also been assigned a mentor to guide them with regard to career prospects going forward. The residential session involved minicourses in fields such as Problem Solving, Quantum space-time, Financial Mathematics, and Probability.
Extracurricular activities involved visits to the Ghana Civil Aviation – Traffic Control Room, the Legon Botanical Gardens, the Accra High School STEAM Centre, as well as the Cinema. Additionally, they participated in a hands-on session under the Infinity Girls in Space Project, powered by STEMBees Organization, with support from the US Embassy in Ghana. This was an all-encompassing experience.
On the 18th of November 2022, the girls completed their session with a closing ceremony where they launched the CubeSat Prototype based on the Infinity Girls in Space Project, where they built satellites with electronics and sensors. These were explicitly programmed to monitor the atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity of the weather and also to capture photographic views of the environment from the sky. The project gave them practical exposure to innovation and creation as they prepare to go into the world of STEM.
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