Samtse College of Education Advances STEM Education with Robotic Telescope Workshop

A one-day workshop on exploring and understanding the Project Panoptes, a Robotic Telescope, was held at Samtse College of Education on 12th April. The aim of the workshop was to encourage and inspire students in the advancement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.

The workshop was led by Joe Wise and his team from the Royal Academy, who provided hands-on experience in the construction of a telescope. Participants also explored the use of Panoptes, a telescope designed for collaborative scientific research and data analysis. To date, three units of the Robotic Telescope have been installed in Bhutan, one of which, PAN027, is located on the roof of Karmaling Hostel at the college. This unit will be used for astronomical observations and scientific research.

Two participants, Pema Gyeltshen and Ram Bhattarai, from the B.Ed. program, shared a collective enriching experience. They expressed that the workshop provided them with a new perspective on how technology can be used in innovative ways and expressed interest in participating in future workshops.

The workshop aims to contribute to the enrichment of STEM fields, particularly astronomy, in Bhutan.

Reported by Chimi Yangden