Curtin Malaysia and SK Tudan collaborate to stage HIP Funtastic STEAM for primary school students

Miri –  26 October 2022 – Students and staff of the School of Pre-U and Continuing Education (SPACE) and Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics of the Faculty of Business of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) contributed to the success of the recent Highly Immersive Programme (HIP) Funtastic STEAM event at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Tudan recently.

In addition to students from SK Tudan, students from SK Lutong, SK Senadin and SJK (C) Chung Hua Tudan also took part in the event aimed at sparking the students’ curiosity and interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) subjects, as well as provide an immersive English language environment to improve the use of English among primary school students. Over 1200 students in years 1 to 6 attended and enjoyed the myriad of activities at the eight booths set up by the Curtin students and staff.

The event was a collaboration between SK Tudan and Curtin Malaysia as part of the Highly Immersive Programme (HIP) initiated by the Ministry of Education since 2016 and sponsored by Yayasan Sarawak and the parent-teacher association (PIBG) of SK Tudan.

The opening of the event was officiated by the school headmistress Jamilah Binti Mail, representative of Miri District Education Office (PPD Miri) Josclyn Lemok anak Empungan and Head of the Department of Science and Technology of SPACE, Hii Kiew Ling.

“STEAM education is important to develop students’ 21st Century skills which are very much needed in today’s ever-changing world, and it should be started earlier when kids are mentally and physically active,” said Hii in her opening speech.

The eight booths, namely Chemistry, Physics, Programming, Science Showcase, Arts, Finance, Mathematics, and Water Rocket Activity, featured innovative interactive activities that prompted the students to speak in English while fulfilling their interest in STEAM.

At the Chemistry Booth, students were introduced to the concepts of density and simple chemical reactions to produce a breath-taking lava lamp. At the Physics Booth, students were exposed to the tricks of centre of gravity and the concepts of making water rockets. At the Programming Booth, they learned basic coding and encoding in addition to algorithmic thinking, and at the Arts Booth, they learned how to take nice photos based on the rule of thirds

At the Mathematics Booth, the students got to apply basic operational mathematic calculations to win prizes. These mathematical skills were further expanded and applied at the Finance Booth where students were introduced the value of money through the board game Monopoly.

“As finance is a critical part of any project, staff of the Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics were on hand to help the students understand the value of money and why it is essential to save, invest and make budgets,” said lecturer Dr. Tanusree Chakravarty Mukherjee, who was joined by fellow lecturers Dr. Oladokun Nafiu Olaniyi, Alpha Anak Ngadan and Khin Than Myint.

Meanwhile, members of the Curtin Malaysia Institution of Electric and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Student Chapter showcased their Tesla Coil, Float Bulb and Real Time Object Detection activities to demonstrate the concept of electromagnetism to the students.

According to Director of SPACE, Dr. Fidella Tiew, the HIP Funtastic STEAM was a very fruitful event for both SK Tudan and Curtin Malaysia, serving its purpose of promoting STEAM and English to the students well. She said both institutions look forward to more collaborations for the benefit of the local community.

Information on Curtin Malaysia can be found on its website at www.curtin.edu.my, or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

Students and staff of Curtin Malaysia and SK Tudan pose for group photo

Curtin lecturers Cynthia Paul Sebli (right) and Michelle Phua (left) engaging with students at the Chemistry Booth

Lecturer Crystal Lau explaining the concepts behind water rockets

Lecturer Peter Jamba teaching students how to take nice photos at the Arts Booth