The fifth edition of the Young Scientists Kenya (YSK) National Science and Technology Exhibition is set to take place tomorrow, Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th at the Sarit Expo Centre in Westlands, Nairobi.
The two-day event, themed – Using STEM to Redefine our Future, will see 80 project finalists from 71 Secondary Schools across 37 counties, including four Special Needs Education Schools, exhibit their innovative projects in four categories: Social and Behavioural Sciences; Chemical, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences; Biological and Ecological Sciences; and Technology.
“In our bid to leave no learner behind, this year, we ensured students from all backgrounds across Kenya got a fair chance to access STEM materials. We seek to promote wider participation in STEM, with more focus on students with special needs, girls, and those from marginalised communities,”
said Evans Njoro, National Director, Young Scientists Kenya.
As part of its efforts to support and engage the youth, Safaricom, through its BLAZE platform, has provided cash and in-kind support of over KES 100 million to YSK since its inception in 2018.
“Our support for STEM programmes perfectly aligns with our vision of becoming a purpose-led technology company. This exhibition is an opportunity to showcase not just to Kenya, but to the rest of the world, what we can do to empower young people to use STEM to redefine the future,”
said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom PLC.
Overall winners will receive a cash award, a university scholarship, and a trip to Ireland, while the runners-up will receive a cash award. A host of categories and special awards are also up for grabs by students and teachers. BLAZE by Safaricom will also award smartphones and headphones worth KES 250,000 to the various winners and runners’ up.
Winning students will also attend a boot camp where they will receive mentorship and training on commercialisation, enterprise development, pitching, Intellectual Property protection and incubation links to the public and private sectors.
Young Scientists Kenya is a platform for young people to demonstrate their innovation and showcase their scientific talents. Since 2018, YSK has reached over 200,000 students from over 700 schools across all 47 counties through its outreach programme.
The 2022 exhibition is open to the public, who can visit the Sarit Expo Centre or follow proceedings via YSK’s social media platforms. It is delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Education, The Embassy of Ireland, BLAZE by Safaricom, Institute of Physics, Kerry Kenya Ltd, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Kevian Kenya, CEMASTEA, Premchandbhai Foundation, and Tononoka Group, among others.