Bangladesh Science Outreach is a science program run by volunteer university students, who hold workshops for secondary school students in remote villages.
Bangladesh Science Outreach is a project under the non-profit organization Samaj Unnayan Sangstha, in partnership with Institute of Education and Research of University of Dhaka and sponsored by American Center. It is aimed at improving science education for children in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Science Outreach (BSO) started its operation in March 2014 with the objective of spreading the curiosity for science among young minds (secondary school students) studying in remote village schools. 28 university students were selected from a wide pool of applicants consisting of university students studying science or education. They were then trained as Mentors in April at the Institute of Education and Research (IER) of Dhaka University. 4 teams of Mentors created 4 different workshops on the broad themes: 1. Physics and Astronomy, 2. Chemistry and Biology, 3. Engineering and Technology, and 4. Science in Bangladesh. The two-hour long workshops consist of interactive talks, hands-on experiments and demonstrations made with everyday material around us. From May to September, 21 Pilot workshops were held at schools in Manikganj, Kaliganj and Dhaka. The Pilot Program held workshops at 5 schools and reached over 600 students and was able to generate interest for teaching and studying science among school teachers, administrators and students. With the success of the Pilot Program, BSO has now launched its first full season, Season Dhaka. Season Dhaka consists of 8 schools in Tangail, Mymensingh Narsingdi and Narayanganj and will be reaching over 1000 school students. 40 Mentors have been recruited from over 300 applicants and the workshops are now in their development phase. Between January and May 2015, BSO will be holding 45 workshops along with science talks and seminars for the Mentors. At the end of 2015, BSO will be starting its operation in Sylhet, thereby launching its mission of spreading all across Bangladesh.
