Curtin hosts Science Challenge for secondary school students
MIRI: The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Curtin University Malaysia Student Branch recently hosted IEEE Science Challenge for secondary school students in the northern region.
Curtin University in a press release said the programme aimed to inculcate students’ interests in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
Supported by Curtin Malaysia’s Domestic Student Recruitment Department, IEEE Region 10 Women in Engineering, Tegas Community Innovative Learning and Miri District Education Office, the competition was initially divided into three stages.
In the first stage, students were required to use their science knowledge to build a prototype, to which they later pitched their ideas in English during a school science fair and finally for the selection process where the 12 team finalists competed in the Northern Sarawak Grand Finale at the Harry Perkins Lecture Theatre Foyer at Curtin Malaysia.
The judges comprised lecturers Jameson Malang and Hii Kiew Ling from Curtin Malaysia’s School of Pre-U and Continuing Education (SPACE); and Young Professionals Committee Chair for IEEE Region 10 as well as representative of IEEE-WIE Dr Saaveethya Sivakumar.
Team ‘Foodimer’ from SMK Lutong, with its members Lee Tone, Annesia Chong Kwan Xin and Nur Athirah Abdullah was the cream of the crop.
The team was awarded ‘The Outstanding Inventors Award’ and the ‘Best Pitching Award’ for their ‘Foodimer’ project.
The Most Innovative Award, meanwhile, went to team ‘Riam Voyager’ from SMK Riam with its team members Jessica Rinai Rumji, Fernendez Ujang and Christian Orlando Bauer for their project titled ‘Bubble T-zer’.
Another team from SMK Riam, ‘Ngene-21’ comprising Cheryl Elvira Andy, Gabriellyn Norwie Guri and Helga Hurin Anyei, was announced as the second runner-up for the Best Pitching Award for their ‘Bario Tutu Soap’ project.
They were also second runner-up winner of the Outstanding Inventors Award.
The first runner-up for Most Innovative Award went to team ‘Nunchi’ from Knewton Global Schools Miri, with members Isyha Ilantharini Arun Ilanthirayan, Christie Xin Ai Low and Zamathole Akemi Sithole.
Team Nunchi also won the Most Popular Innovators Award for their project titled ‘Designing a Buoyant Algae Collector to Reduce the Effects of Eutrophication’.
Saaveethya, who is also a lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Curtin Malaysia, was pleased to see the growing trend of female students in engineering and hoped to see even more females getting involved in engineering and tech industry.