The U.S. Embassy and the Embassy of Denmark welcome NASA Senior Robotics Engineer Dr. Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu and the Robotics Inspired Science Education “RISE” initiative to Ghana. Through a collaborative multi-partner effort, over 40 robotics science clubs from high schools throughout Ghana will participate in kick-off workshops that will introduce robotics kits, guidebooks and additional training suggestions in order to inspire Ghanaian youth to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. RISE seeks to transform the learning experience of young Ghanaians by connecting science theory with hands-on learning experience. Not only will teachers and students strategize, design, build, programme and test an autonomous robot to solve defined real world problems, but students will develop leadership skills, self-confidence, presentation and communication skills and stewardship through the experience of Robotics competitions. In his support for the effort, Ambassador Teitelbaum noted, “In an era when Ghana’s economy is expanding rapidly, Ghanaian students will be well-served to engage in science, technology, engineering and math activities such as those offered by robotics. Nearly every sector in Ghana’s economy could benefit from expertise acquired from application and development of robotics – from medicine to agriculture, textiles to oil production and mining.” The Danish Ambassador Carsten Nilaus Petersen sees the initiative “as an important element for the development of the high tech industrial sector in Ghana, and a significant input to the advancement of Ghana’s research capabilities.” The October workshops are only the beginning of the RISE project, as the participating students and teachers will have the opportunity to continue to work in science clubs during the course of the academic year. All of the partners on this project will also seek to organize future workshops and robotics science competitions, and to expand the project to other high schools, junior high schools and colleges. This large scale effort benefits from the support of Tigo, the Advanced Information Technology Institute of the Ghana – India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, Google Ghana, LEGO Education, Carnegie Mellon Engineering, and other partners. Individual and corporate sponsors interested in maintaining the momentum of the RISE launch by continuing to foster team competition, volunteering, mentoring, and offering internship opportunities to RISE graduates are encouraged to contact the Ghana Robotics Academy Foundation (GRAF) at http://foundation.ghanarobotics.org/