On Saturday, February 14, 2026, the Ghana Photonics and Optics Laboratory (GPOL) in the Department of physics at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) together with the members of the KNUST Photonics Student Chapter (KPSC) spent time with students at Kumasi High School (KUHIS) during their photonics outreach to the school.

This initiative backed by the principal investigators of GPOL Dr. Akyana Britwum and Dr. Michael K. E. Donkor with funding and support from SPIE and OPTICA allowed the opportunity for the students of KUHIS to experience firsthand the practical principles and applications of optics and photonics beyond their textbooks and classrooms.

A special guest on the outreach was the ambassador for OPTICA Dr. Fabian Ruf who did not hesitate to join and be a part of this impact journey a second time after his first outreach with the KPSC in 2024. He led the KPSC members through a training session as they prepared toward the outreach, further strengthening the team’s ability to provide quality experience during the photonics outreach.

As some of the students recounted, the outreach program turned out to be just what they needed stating that “it will greatly benefit them in their academics and educational competitions like the National Science and Maths Quiz”.

Many thanks to the facilitators from the KNUST Photonics Student Chapter for their ever lasting energy and commitment to photonics and #STEM education across Ghana and Africa. To our sponsors SPIE and OPTICA, we say Ayekoo.