This Wednesday, July 1st will be the first lesson in a series of lessons from JMA’s Scientists of Tomorrow initiative, in partnership with Voices on the Mount, a Ghanian nonprofit founded by teen activist Obed Dadzie. 

Our JMAxVOTM students reside across 12 countries: Ghana, South Africa, the Gambia,  Zimbabwe, Guinea, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Cameroon, Nigeria, the UK, and USA.

 The ages range from as young as 15 year old secondary schoolers, all the way up to 32 year old masters students!

These lessons were derived and modified from the lessons taught by Brown University’s  Biotechnology Professor Toni-Marie Achilli, the teacher of the highly rated and unanimously loved course “Biotechnology in Medicine” at Brown University. 

We would like to thank Inna Patty, chairwoman of the Miss Ghana Beauty Pageant, for sharing details about our Scientists of Tomorrow initiative with her 36,000+ followers!

The lessons are taught remotely, through Zoom, to foster a safe and productive learning environment during the time of this pandemic. The series of lessons are free of cost and center around a Medical Biotechnology curriculum spanning subjects from CRISPR, cloning, genome editing, cardiovascular engineering, stem cell engineering, aging/pharmacogenetically delaying the aging process, organ transplantation/stem cell grafts, prosthetic limbs and mechanical design, biomaterials, tissue engineering, and much more! The program also will teach students practical wet lab skills (ELISA, PCR, Transformation, Midi Preps, Gel Electrophoresis, Rosetta Cells, etc) and help pair them with research internships to contribute tangible change to the field of scientific research, and help them attain scholarships to attend college. 

The ultimate goal of these lessons are to empower students of all ages with cutting edge STEM education to equip you with the skills and knowledge they need to gain better internships, attend university, and be the leaders of tomorrow in combating systemic diseases that affect millions across the world.

The time of this pandemic has been a challenging one, particularly for students in African nations, where millions have been left without any educational support or mentorship — which is where these remote JMA lessons hope to come into play. The amazing part about the Scientists of Tomorrow initiative is that students from countries across the world have the opportunity to learn right next to each other, side by side, sharing thoughts, challenging each others’ ideas, and forging friendships that transcend their country — and in some cases — their continent!

We, here, at the JMA team, are incredibly excited to see the progress of these lessons and to see the amazing success of our students through our remote instruction!

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on June 25, 2020 but had to be re-uploaded at a later date due to technical difficulties.