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Malaysian students get early exposure to STEM subjects

Image Credits: New Strait Times, Article

Exposure to potential careers and university courses enables students to decide on their field of interest and ease the transition into tertiary education.

The recent 21st Century Electronics Bootcamp 2020 held at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) served as a platform for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) leavers to gain key skills and knowledge that can prepare them for an engineering or a STEM degree.

Fourteen students from across the nation gained hands-on experience and technological know-how such as learning to use a platform for building electronics projects.

Working in teams to tackle life problems using engineering principles, their ideas were translated into prototypes by the end of the programme.

One student stated that the most priceless experience that he had was learning about the Internet of things (IoT) and the Arduino software which expanded my design-thinking skills.

The boot camp taught him to code properly and how to design and assemble printed circuit boards (PCB) using applications like TraxMaker and CircuitMaker.

Another student took part in creating a smart house prototype with smart lighting by applying the IoT principles. Her team equipped the prototype with a light-dependent resistance (LDR) sensor which was programmed to light up the house. Carrying out this project was eye-opening and it developed my interest in the electrical engineering field.

In its second year, the month-long programme was spearheaded by the UKM Engineering and Built Environment Faculty’s Graduates Academic Competency Empowerment Programme (PKAS).

Participants were also able to tour research laboratories, architectural studios and other university facilities.

Students gained university experience through group projects and weekly presentations, realising the value of STEM knowledge and how it can contribute to personal development and nation-building.

One student, currently pursuing aBuilding Services Engineering diploma at Politeknik Shah Alam stated that the intensive electronics curriculum allowed him to get a head-start in his studies.

At last year’s boot camp, he built a prototype using a PCB as a smoke detector. His current diploma programme includes a topic on fire detection systems. The invaluable knowledge gained from the boot camp helped the student to understand the topic easier.

It was noted that the boot camp also introduces students to future study and career prospects.

Meanwhile, fellow alumnus and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia student, who decided to pursue actuarial science, stated that he valued the network and guidance he gained from the boot camp greatly.

The Director of the programme noted that said 60 per cent of the boot camp syllabus is based on electronics. It was developed by integrating aspects of design thinking, which is a pillar of Industry 4.0 and a combination of Google web and analytics applications.

The design uses an interdisciplinary approach and experience-based learning pedagogy that will stimulate students’ interest to improve knowledge, skills and values. This year, 125 applications were received from across the country.

While the programme is open to all SPM leavers, there are some criteria in place, namely, family background, academic achievement, financial status and psychometric assessment. Participants are fully funded by PKAS, except for accommodation, for the T20 community.

It was noted that the research universities are the frontrunners in nurturing more knowledgeable citizens.

Research universities need to build interest and identify potential students in the field of research from the school level. This is important in facing Industry 4.0 or 5.0 challenges.

Through this platform, it is hoped that more quality human capital, especially in the field of IoT, automation, healthcare, education and industrial security, can be developed.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

PARTNER

CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

PARTNER

Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

PARTNER

HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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