The Malaysian National Day was also punctuated with the Opening Ceremony and Announcement of the Semi Finalists for the 2021 National Science Challenge.
The event was attended by several guests of honour. They are:
- YBhg Professor Dr Noor Saadah Abd Rahman and YBhg Professor ChM Dr Basyaruddin Abdul Rahman: Co-Chairpersons National Science Challenge (NSC) Steering Committee
- Mr Jaffri Ibrahim: Chief Executive Officer of Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST)
- Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Tahir: Chairperson, 2021 NSC Organising Committee
- Associate Prof Dr Tan Yee Shin and Associate Prof Dr Yap Wing Fen: Co-Chairs, 2021 NSC Organising Committee
The 2021 NSC is organised in collaboration with strategic partners such as the Ministry of Education Malaysia, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology Centre, or CREST for short, and the Malaysian Society for Microbiology. The excellent Young Scientists Network-ASM was on board to strategise the concept and content of NSC, while Sasbadi Online Sdn Bhd acted as the technology partner.
This year, 706 teams have participated in the Preliminary Level Online Quiz which was held in July this year. From there, 79 teams emerged as state representatives at the State Level. These teams were further whittled down to 20 teams for the Semi Final level, via an interview session held in mid-August.
The Semi Final Level, which commences today, will be filled with virtual workshops where these students will test their innovativeness, harness their STEM knowledge, and hone their communication skills.
Then, their performance throughout the Semi Final level will be evaluated on 25 September, where the top five teams will be chosen to compete at the Grand Finale on 9 October, vying for the bragging rights as the Winner of 2021 NSC, the Prime Minister’s Challenge Trophy, plus winning exciting prizes.