Gwangju Office of Education to Operate Science Experience and Exploration Programs

Ambitious Nobel+ On:
Hands-on and Inquiry-Based Science Talent Cultivation Project
to Foster Global Science Leaders in Gwangju

The Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education is operating hands-on and inquiry-based programs centered on the science talent cultivation project ‘Ambitious Nobel+ On’ to spark students’ interest in basic science.

According to the Office on the 25th, the program is being carried out to revitalize science education in schools, make science education a part of daily life and popularize it, and foster global science leaders.

First, to revitalize school science education, seven schools will be selected to operate advanced science and technology-based inquiry and experiment programs. Each school will receive 60 million KRW in support to establish intelligent science labs.

Lecture at Gwangju Science Focus High School. Provided by Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education.

Thirty schools will each receive 20 million KRW to equip themselves with advanced science teaching aids. Teaching aids that are difficult for schools to purchase will be available for loan through the Science Teaching Aid Library and the Basic Science Support Center at the Science Gifted School.

Programs enabling various science activities will also be provided. April and May will be designated as ‘JAM (Just Ask Me) Science Focus Weeks,’ during which each school will host science lectures, hands-on experiences, and competitions.

Other initiatives include the ‘Science Museums Are Alive’ program, which involves visiting science museums nationwide, in-depth science programs between science-focused schools, research presentations, and support for scientific research activities through the Basic Science Support Center at the Science Gifted School.

Projects have also been prepared to strengthen familiarity and accessibility to science by allowing students to directly experience and verify various scientific principles.

For elementary, middle, and high school hub schools, the ‘Pop-up Science Lab’ brings science museums to schools, while ‘Nobel+ Science, Through Books’ links science with reading. There is also ‘Starry Night,’ where citizens observe celestial bodies together, ‘Nobel+ SciBridge’ to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the ‘Science Competition.’

As a global science leader development program, the ‘Nobel+ Scientist’s Path: To the World, To the Future Science Leadership Camp’ will be presented in conjunction with the ‘Student Global Leader World Tour.’

Students will visit research facilities and universities in Germany and Switzerland, where this year’s Nobel Prize in Science was awarded, to nurture the dreams of aspiring Nobel laureates.

A new initiative, ‘I Am Also a Nobel+ S.C. (Science Communicator),’ will be launched to foster science communication skills and encourage students to present creative science ideas. The ‘I Am Also a Nobel+ Scientist’ gifted science education program will also continue.

In October, the ‘Gwangju Mathematics and Science Festival,’ open to the entire Gwangju education community, will be held. Other events include ‘Our Family STAR LINK,’ a family astronomy experience, ‘Science Teacher Talk-Day’ to improve teaching and learning methods, and ‘StarBridge’ in collaboration with universities.

Superintendent Lee Jeongseon said, “We will support a variety of programs so that students can develop an interest in science and cultivate creative and innovative problem-solving skills.”