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Little Shop of Physics: Sparking Passion for Science in Namibian Youth
November 2, 2023
A B2Gold-sponsored youth science program is hitting the road in Namibia – sparking passion for science among more local students than ever before, thanks to a new mobile lab-on-wheels.
An education hub for up-skilling young Namibians
Since 2017, B2Gold’s Namibia-based Little Shop of Physics (LSOP) has been operating out of the Education Centre at B2Gold’s Otjikoto Nature Reserve – a CSR initiative geared to providing a variety of skills and education for young locals around the Otjikoto Mine.
In May 2023, the LSOP Outreach was born, with the purchase of a new van. The vehicle has become a mobile lab-on-wheels, allowing the program to reach more communities, broadening access and removing barriers to participation.
LSOP is a concept that originated at Colorado State University (CSU) in the US, aiming to make physics fun and easy to understand through practical experiments and demonstrations that align with local school curricula. Its goal is to overcome traditional barriers to exploring and learning physics in schools – encouraging Namibian students to become engineers, doctors and scientists.
The methodology has been embraced by teachers and pupils alike. LSOP has become one of B2Gold’s most prominent educational programs in Namibia; endorsed by the Namibian Ministry of Education, the Namibia National Institute for Educational Development (NIED), and the University of Namibia (UNAM).
Opening doors to careers in science
The LSOP methodology is practical, fun, exploratory and creative. It provides teachers and learners an opportunity to identify everyday objects they can use to build and explore physics concepts such as magnetism, force, energy, and more.
Between January 2019 and April 2023, around 443 teachers and 1,200 pupils from five Namibian regions benefited from the LSOP, between the new lab-on-wheels, and visits to the Education Centre.
The shared vision for the program is to integrate LSOP methodologies into the natural sciences curriculum at UNAM for future teachers. This way, the next generation of teachers will be able to develop experiments and tools from commonplace materials to teach physics concepts to their students.
This cycle embeds the LSOP approach of making science fun into the education system. The ultimate outcome? Teachers who are inspired to teach science, and students who improve their grades and pursue science-related studies at tertiary level. Now starting one van visit at a time.
