Maktab Sabah’s orange car wins Shell’s Sabah #MyGeek-a-thon
KOTA KINABALU: ‘Orange Car’ from SM Maktab Sabah emerged state champion of Shell’s #MyGeekMovement in a competition known as the Sabah #MyGeek-a-thon by showcasing its ‘Sustainable Living Systems’ inventions.
The competition, held at Plaza Shell here, saw ‘VEGA’ from SMK La Salle taking the second spot.
Both these schools will represent Sabah at the national #MyGeek-a-thon competition which will take place at Make The Future Live Malaysia 2019 at Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur on May 1.
Shell Malaysia selected five schools from Sabah to compete in its STEM initiative as part of its drive to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) amongst secondary school students in Malaysia.
This year’s participating schools were SM St Michael of Penampang; SM All Saints, SMK La Salle and SM Maktab Sabah of Kota Kinabalu; and SM Sung Siew of Sandakan.
‘Orange Car’ which comprises Andry Lin Haslan, Sharon Vianne Lazarus F and Mohamad Syari’ifuddin ‘Irfan Bin Muhamad Riza came up with an invention called Smart Street Light which automatically turns on and off when it detects vehicles or any moving objects – human and animals included, on the street.
The use of Infra-red sensors in this invention creates a system that would save tonnes of electricity in Sabah and rest of Malaysia if implemented.
“We were shocked when we were announced winners as we did not expect it. We attribute our win to our passion, efforts and most importantly, teamwork. We are very inspired by our learnings in #MyGeekMovement and wanted to take the knowledge we gained in this programme and implement it towards helping solve problems concerning sustainability. For us, the joy we get in gaining knowledge is key to being successful,” shared the ‘Orange Car’ teammates who stood tall together when asked about being the state champion.
The first runner up, ‘VEGA’ from SMK La Salle has Ryan Anakin Chong Jia Wen, Elther Ethalbert and Ian Carter Hellyson in the team.
Their invention, Fueler X is fuel pump system that converts seawater through electrolysis into hydrogen with the potential of replacing petrol as a source of fuel.
“Today’s young generation are naturally tech savvy. Our goal is to further nurture their interest towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics, where the application of innovative and critical thinking are crucial. We aim to equip our students with the relevant skills and tools to steer them towards becoming future engineers and innovators,” shared Prithipal Singh, General Manager of Sabah Shell Petroleum Company Ltd.
In August 2017, Shell Malaysia introduced its STEM immersion programme called the #MyGeekMovement. With the support of the Ministry of Education, #MyGeekMovement selected about 225 secondary one students from fifteen schools across Malaysia.
These students were given the opportunity to gain hands-on STEM learning, with a focus on technology. In Sabah, 75 students were selected, while a peer to peer coaching was also implemented to share the knowledge with the larger student community of about 10,000 students from all participating schools in Sabah.
“Our country’s goal is to achieve a 60:40 ratio in science and arts stream in high schools. This has resulted in a strong call at states and national levels to grow students’ interest in STEM subjects to meet Malaysia’s future human capital needs,” he added.
#MyGeekMovement provides learning content that complements the existing school co-curricular structure with a long-term goal to increase the number of students opting for science stream, while boosting interest in science and technology amongst the younger generation.
The programme gives students insights into the world of technology and innovation and encourages them to be innovative. It enables them to continue to grow their technological, critical, creative and innovative skill sets and challenges them to design and innovate solutions for real-world problems.
For further information on Shell’s #MyGeekMovement, log on to www.shell.com.my