ACES Inspires the Next Generation of Women in STEM Through Sustainable Cooling
On Wednesday, February 11, staff members from the African Center of excellence for sustainable cooling and cold-chain (ACES) participated in the Women Inspiring STEM Excellence (WISE) conference. This event, organised in celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, aimed to empower the next generation of female leaders to excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Over 500 middle school girls from Kigali convened for a full day of hands-on workshops learning coding, engineering, medical science, and other science related disciplines.
Three ACES staff members, Cedrick Leon Igiraneza, a researcher and two refrigeration technicians; Hope Mudenge; and Joyeuse Habimana facilitated an interactive workshop to demonstrate how STEM is exciting, creative, and truly made for everyone regardless of gender. Centered on refrigeration and sustainable cooling, the session featured hands-on activities that enabled young girls to explore the application of science and engineering in addressing real-world challenges in agriculture and health sectors. The workshop started with a brief introduction to what ACES does from refrigeration technologies demonstrations, research, and capacity building. This was followed by an engaging game titled the "Mega Cold-Chain Quiz," which assessed students' knowledge and skills in refrigeration. Students responded to multiple choice questions, with the winner receiving chocolate prizes.
A subsequent literal ice-breaking activity tasked students with extracting chocolates embedded in frozen ice. This exercise allowed students to observe ice melting firsthand, fostering discussions on heat transfer and phase changes. Through direct engagement, students gained an intuitive, memorable, and enjoyable understanding of these fundamental scientific principles.
Building upon this foundation, the next session introduced Phase Change Materials (PCM) and insulated cool boxes. These technologies are widely employed for storing and transporting small quantities of temperature-sensitive products. The PCM tools maintain stable temperatures, thereby supporting critical services such as vaccine distribution, food safety, and cold-chain logistics. Students were able to connect what they saw in the workshop to real refrigeration technologies used in communities around the world.
Concluding the session, ACES staff demonstrated the "cool-bike," an innovative refrigerated bicycle whose cooling performance enhances as a result of the rider's pedalling effort. By riding, students could observe how mechanical energy is converted to into cooling energy, while understanding the basic refrigeration cycle in an accessible, and practical manner. By integrating movement, energy conversion, and cooling, the cool-bike underscored the value of deploying affordable, environmentally sustainable cooling technologies adapted to local infrastructures and needs.
Through experiential learning, innovation, and real-world applications, the girls were positioned not merely as learners, but as prospective engineers, scientists, and problem-solvers.
This event highlights one of the core focuses of ACES, helping inspire Rwanda’s next generation to be part of Africa’s cooling transformation.