One Belt One Road Teenager Maker Camp & Teacher Workshop 2018

The stellar performance of Sekolah Menengah Sains Kuching as the first runner-up of the 7th ASEAN Plus Three Junior Science Odyssey (7th APT JSO) earned them the opportunity to represent Malaysia at the 2nd One Belt One Road Teenager Maker Camp & Teacher Workshop.

This year, the programme carried the theme “Science Unites, Innovation Decides”. This was Malaysia’s second time being invited to participate in the programme, which was held from 15 to 21 November 2018.

The One Belt One Road Teenager Maker Camp & Teacher Workshop was jointly organised by the Children & Youth Science Center (CYSC) of China Association of Science and Technology (CAST), Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) of the People’s Republic of China and supported by ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF), Inter Academy Partnership Science Education Programme (IAP SEP), Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World (AETDEW) and Network of African Science Academies (NASAC).

Academician Dato’ Ir Lee Yee Cheong FASc, ASM Fellow and Chairman of IAP SEP Global Council and Founder President of Academy of Engineering and Technology for the Developing World (AETDEW) addressed the participants during the programme’s opening ceremony.

In his remarks, Dato’ Lee thanked the organisers and partners for continuing this significant programme. He further stated that children are the future and investing in them is to save the future and ensures a bright and prosperous future. He pledged the support of AETDEW and IAP SEP to make the initiative of camp and workshop more vibrant and fruitful in future.

On the first day of the Camp, the students were assigned different scientific tasks in different science fields, such as robotics, laser cutting, 3D printing, chemistry, and costume designing.

Models that have been produced were presented to the jury of teachers to determine the best of the best and award them with medals. The awards were given based on best team work, best presentation and best makers.

In addition, a campus tour was also arranged for all the participants. The teachers and officials were taken to visit the China Science and Technology Museum on the third day of the Camp.

In the museum, the participants had the opportunity to witness the traditional way of extracting water from its source, methods of excavation and transportation as well as the latest technologies such as space, robotics

The participants also participated in a wonderful astronomy night and experienced the astronomy with state-of-the-art technology through a virtual tour.

A visit to the Institute of Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences was also arranged for the participants; they learnt about the history of the Institute, as well as its contributions towards the defense and modern development of China since its establishment in 1950s.

Participants were also able to delve deep into the rich tapestry of history and culture of China with visits to historical places such as the Temple of Heaven and Great Wall of China.

This year, the mentor teacher and ASM officer that accompanied the students were also got the opportunity to participate in a dedicated programme for STEM teachers and officers. Both sides have reaped much benefit from the exchange of experiences among the delegates on STEM education.

During the workshop, the ASM officer, Shahridzal Aizat Shahrum shared ASM’s initiatives on inquiry based science education (IBSE) as well as the success stories.