PETALING JAYA, April 23 (Bernama) -- Speaking in front of the public can be a daunting task, let alone communicating about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) related subjects. Due accolades and recognition should be accorded to the ten finalists of FameLab Malaysia and five top listed schools for School Lab Malaysia. Both FameLab and School Lab are Science Communication Competitions targeting two different age groups held together for the first time at Petaling Jaya Live Arts Centre.
Communicating science effectively and attractively to a non-scientific audience is an ongoing and growing requirements for researchers worldwide. There is a need to communicate effectively on how science and technology pervades our life. Through these programs, we hope to inspire future generations of scientists, increase public understanding of it, and justify public funding for their research.
These science communication competition are part of the nation’s commitment to encourage and promote interest in Science and Technology (S&T). It is also the flagship program of the Science to Action (S2A) initiatives, a national agenda to mainstream and popularise STEM in our bid to achieve the Vision 2020 attainment and beyond.
“Our aim is to create the opportunities and platforms for young people to express themselves and unearth their hidden talents in science communication. It’s not easy as it seems; even some experienced scientists have problems communicating their research in public. Subsequently, we also hope to nurture the youth to become ambassadors and champions for science. On the organisation, we bring together the best of the public and private sectors and NGOs from UK and Malaysia to ensure the success and global outreach for these programs. We are also thankful to the judges that includes TV celebrities and renowned scientists. Finally, we are truly proud and amazed by the hard work and quality presentations of our youth,” said Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman, President and Chief Executive Officer, MIGHT.
FameLab is a partnership between Cheltenham Festivals, British Council Malaysia and MIGHT. FameLab Malaysia is in its second year attracting applications from 42 individuals aged 18 – 37 years old nationwide. Participants will give a three-minute presentation in front of a jury panel that will decide the winner. The winner will go on to participate in the FameLab International Final at the Cheltenham Festivals in the UK in June.
This idea is further convalesce with lower secondary school students (Form 1-3) through School Lab, a programme under the purview of the Ministry of Education Malaysia. School Lab is a collaboration between British Council Malaysia, Ministry of Education Malaysia and MIGHT. This initiative aims to help students understand and appreciate the exciting challenges of science, develop critical and creative thinking skills, as well as gaining the confidence and skills required to present and demonstrate their understanding of scientific concepts.
296 teams from secondary schools nationwide registered for School Lab Malaysia and we received more than 100 video submissions in English or Malay. Winners stand a chance to win individual prizes and also a cash prize for the purchase of lab equipment for their school.
Finalists from FameLab and School Lab received special training from some of the best UK science communicators, including BBC presenter Dallas Campbell. Apart from that the School Lab finalist were also mentored by FameLab 2015 alumni. An initiative to ensure continuous sharing and learning process amongst them.
About FameLab FameLab was started by Cheltenham Science Festival in 2005 and has grown into a global phenomenon in partnership with the British Council. It is now the biggest science communication competition in the world, delivered in 30 countries.
It is a competition to find, develop and mentor young science and engineering communicators. The competition consists of national heats and finals, followed by an international final in the UK at Cheltenham Science Festival. Events are held in front of live audiences and often televised or streamed online.
The programme involves leading international media and communication trainers, world class judges from international science and media disciplines, and is with respected national partners including NASA (through Cheltenham Festivals) and CERN.
About School Lab School Lab is a science communication competition bringing the fun back into science by breaking down STEM concepts into short, simple presentations. Started as an innovative digital learning programme co-created by the British Council Greece and Scico with the support of Educational Radio television within the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs. Its main goal being to encourage school students to explore scientific concepts and facts and to communicate their understanding and ideas about science.
First introduced in 2013, the competition has been running yearly in Greece and been piloted in Malta, Cyprus and Ireland. 2016 is the first year that School Lab has been offered in Malaysia and it supports the student aspirations of Malaysian Education Blueprint to master Science and a range of important cognitive skills, including problem-solving, reasoning, creative thinking and innovation.
About Malaysia Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) The Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) is a notforprofit company limited by guarantee under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department. MIGHT, the implementing agency for Science to Action (S2A) national agenda, plays a key role in developing Malaysia’s high technology for business through its role as a thinktank, private-public consensus building and business nurturing platforms. It is an organisation built on the strength of public-private partnership with more than 100 members, both local and international, from industry, government and academia. For more information, please visit:
www.might.org.my About Cheltenham Festivals Cheltenham Festivals is the charitable organisation behind the town’s internationally acclaimed Jazz, Science, Music and Literature Festivals. Through cutting edge and creative programming,
Cheltenham’s four inspirational festivals have been at the forefront of the UK’s cultural scene since the inaugural Music Festival in 1945.
For more information, please visit:
www.cheltenhamfestivals.com About the British Council The British Council was founded to create a friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and the wider world. We call this work cultural relations.
We work in over 100 countries, connecting millions of people with the United Kingdom through programmes and services in the English language, the Arts, Education and Society. We believe these are the most effective means of engaging with others, and we have been doing this work since 1934.
In terms of our reach and impact, we are the world’s leading cultural relations organisation. Cultural relations is a component of international relations which focuses on developing people-to-people links and complements government-to-people and government-to-government contact.
Our operation in Malaysia extends across all of our programme areas and is delivered from a platform of three public facing offices and through a range of partners across the country.
For more information, please visit:
www.britishcouncil.org and
www.britishcouncil.my Source : Malaysia Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT)
For more information, please contact:
Name : Fatin Asmida Asman Executive
Group Communications,
Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT)
Telephone: 03 – 8315 7938
Mobile: 012-549 6504 asmida@might.org.my
MIGHT’s Official Website: www.might.org.my
MIGHT’s Official Twitter Page: www.twitter.com/mightmalaysia
MIGHT’s Official Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/mightmalaysia --BERNAMA
