As it celebrates a major milestone, we’re shining a spotlight on the work of University of Colorado Boulder’s PhET Interactive Simulations—the brainchild of our 2020 Education Research laureate, Professor Carl Wieman.

In Tanga, Tanzania, there’s a STEM park sitting in the middle of a cluster of schools in one of the city’s poorer neighborhoods. Children throng the interactive displays, shepherded by young volunteers. On the screens are PhET simulations, interactive virtual spaces that help students explore math and science through in a game-like environment. And standing by the captivated young people are teachers soaking up the excitement and ideas they’ll take back to their own classrooms.

There’s a beautiful circularity to it: PhET simulations work because they’re built on the science of teaching, and they support classroom practitioners to teach science. And now those same teachers are helping to expand the platform’s reach and impact. With support from our prize, Carl and his team are nurturing a generation of local changemakers through the PhET Fellowship Program.

PhET Fellows are driving lasting change through local communities

Recruited from across Africa and Latin America, PhET’s 32 Fellows are secondary and tertiary teacher leaders. Together, they’re building robust teacher communities, with the goal of reaching at least 1,600 teachers across two continents—who in turn will make quality STEM education available to thousands of young people.

More than that, they’re reshaping systems—and building a better world. When research-based teaching and learning approaches are embedded in schools, that gives rise to future generations of STEM professionals who’ll go on to change our shared future.

Meet Martha and Tuwaya

Martha Mwiinga, from Zambia, and Tuwaya Manyozo, from South Africa, joined us at the 2022 Triennale of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). It’s essential we hear directly from teachers in discussions that impact them; they were a vital voice in the dialogue and offered hands-on demonstrations to show PhET’s effectiveness in the classroom.

At home, Martha and Tuwaya lead face-to-face and virtual professional development workshops for educators, supporting hundreds of teachers in transforming classroom practice—and STEM education.

“It’s making the invisible science phenomena visible”

So said a guest at our December Summit in Hong Kong in 2022, who saw PhET in action thanks to demonstrations from the PhET team. Dr Kathy Perkins, Dr Rebecca Vieyra, Zachariah Mbasu, and Hong Kong STEM teachers joined us to show how the simulations enrich local physics and maths curricula.

It’s an important point to remember: that virtual learning can also be, in a sense, tangible. PhET’s 160 engaging, game-like interactive simulations are designed to reinforce that connection. They help students learn through play and exploration—the best way to learn—emphasizing the connections between real-life experiences and the underlying science.

The languages of learning

PhET Interactive Simulations are available in 115 languages. As part of its prize-funded expansion, the platform first launched the Africa Translator Network and then the Global Translator Network. They’re part of a deliberate drive to make the platform both accessible and inclusive: bringing on board more languages, and making sure students can see themselves in the simulations: in dress, in skin colour—even in the objects used to draw connections with the real world.