The inaugural STEM SHOWCASE jointly organised by Penang STEM, Tech Dome Penang, Penang Math Platform and Han Chiang High School at the school premises was very well-received with estimated crowd attendances surpassing the targeted 10,000 over the 2 days.
The much-awaited event (planned since 2019 but deferred due to the pandemic) had the endorsement of both the State Education Department and the Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation (MOSTI) more than 40 bus loads of students from selected primary and secondary schools were brought in to participate in over 70 STEM workshops conducted over the 2 days.
In total, it was estimated that more than 6,000 students visited the 2-day showcase.
Lending support and expertise to organise the event were 4 professional bodies namely:
• Institution of Engineers (IEM)
• Technological Association of Malaysia (TAM)
• Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET)
• Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
5 competition finals were also conducted with student participation of about XXX. The competitions were finales to series of workshops conducted earlier as run-up to the STEM SHOWCASE with student participation in the earlier rounds totalling about 2,000 students.
The winning schools were:
• Grand STEM Challenge – SMJK Chung Ling Butterworth
• Design, Engineer, Construct – SMJK Phor Tay
• 3-D Design – SMJK Heng Ee
• Excel Hackathon – SMJK Jit Sin
• STEM Innovation Showcase. – Chung Ling Private High School
Winning teams for the respective categories received cash prizes from sponsors (namely Intel Technology, Bentley Systems, Boston Scientific, Flex and Greatech and Aemulus respectively) while trophies were sponsored by Emico Penang.
There were also introductory STEM Experiences sessions to introduce younger children to the wonders of Science & Technology.
2 talk sessions each on STEM academic and career pathways were also conducted to offer useful insights and information to students and parents on what would be the in-demand skillsets/professions in Industry now and in the foreseeable future.
STEM SHOWCASE ’22 was officially launched by the deputy Chief minister II, YB Prof Dr P Ramasamy (who is also PENANG STEM Chairman) whilst Chief Minister, YAB Tuan Chow Kon Yeow made an official visit to launch the Grand STEM Challenge and give away prizes for various competitions.
Other VIP visitors included State Exco members, YB Dato’ Abdul Halim Hussein, YB Jagdeep Singh, YB Chong Eng, Member of Parliament YB RSN Rayer and Dr Nagulendran (MOSTI) and Dr Mohd Siroj from the Education Department.