Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – US Embassy Charge d’Affaires David Greene donated a NASA Mars Rover Lego model to Morocco’s International University of Rabat (UIR) on Monday on the sideline of a conference to promote women in science.
The model was given to the university’s college of architecture and engineering as the UIR held a conference, which focused on education opportunities for women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
“Working together, Morocco and the US can succeed in fostering equal access to science, technology and engineering education for young women,” Greene said.
The US embassy highlighted in a press release that Moroccan-America NASA scientist Kamal Oudrhiri played a pivotal role in the development of the “Curiosity” Mars Rover as well as in NASA’s Mars Exploration Program in 2020.
The Mars Rover model – based on a NASA robot used to explore Mars in 2020 – is made from 110,000 lego pieces and featured in an exhibition at the National Library in Rabat in 2021.
The exhibition was about the bicentennial of the American Legation in Tangier, the first US diplomatic mission in Morocco and a symbol of more than 200 years of friendship between the two countries.
“The rover model represents the deep, historic ties between the US and Morocco, especially in education and scientific research and development,” the statement added.
The conference falls within “Women’s History Month” in the US which is set to commemorate women’s contributions to American history.
Moroccan women who previously took part in US government exchange programs participated in a panel at the UIR conference on Monday to discuss female presence in fields that have previously been male dominated, such as aerospace and mechanical engineering.
The US government exchange programs are highly competitive, with many young Moroccans applying to get a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit NASA and learn more about science and technology from renowned scientists.
In the past decade, programs such as TechWomen, TechGirls, and Space Camp saw the participation of over 1,500 Moroccan women and girls aged 15 to 35.
The conference at the UIR was also an occasion to introduce young university students to study abroad opportunities and scholarships such as Fulbright, in addition to cultural programs at Dar America in Casablanca.
“This key to increasing female participation in our countries’ economies,” Greene concluded.
Read Also: Morocco, US Pledge to Boost Investment Opportunities
