KUCHING, August 29: SMK Arang Road students proved they have what it takes in the field of robotics when they skilfully coordinated and manoeuvred their modified soccerbot to win the Robot Cup Competition at the two-day Sarawak Community Invention Engineering Competition and Exhibition (SCIENCE).
They beat 11 teams to reach the finals after intense rounds of qualifying soccer matches that required skilful navigation of the team’s soccerbot and robotic arm to score the winning goals.
Second place went to SMK Kuching High, while coming in third was Chung Hua Middle School No. 3.
Prizes were also given out to teams for the best SCIENCE project. For the lower secondary category, first place went to SMK St Teresa for its project ‘Magic Light’, followed by SMK St Thomas for its ‘Eco Compressor’ in second and SMK St Teresa again for ‘The Magic Box’ in third.
For the upper secondary category, first place went to SMK Kuching High for its project ‘Sunflower’, followed by SMK Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Gapor for its ‘Smart Container Reminder’ in second place and SMK Kuching High again for ‘Aquaponics’ in third place.
In his speech, Sarawak Energy’s vice-president (Research and Development) Dr Chen Shiun said new inventions could only be achieved with creative and curious minds, hard work and discipline.
“Through ‘Science by Sarawak Energy’, we hope to play a significant role in advancing education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics among secondary school children in Sarawak,” he said.
Chen added that the nature of this event was somewhat similar to Sarawak Energy’s annual Technology Day, which showcased the utility’s initiatives in advancing the use of electric vehicles, drones, smart grids and others.
“Platforms such as these are especially important in increasing awareness on technology advancement. Some 10 to 15 years ago, many people still did not believe that we can have electric cars on our roads. Today it is very possible,” he said.
Also present were Sarawak Energy vice-president (Hydro) Polycarp Wong, Sarawak Energy general manager (Corporate Communication) Peing Tajang, The Learning Curve (TLC) co-founder Kenneth Chai and Digital Economy Hub chief operating officer Aaron Chew.
Organised by TLC and sponsored by Sarawak Energy, the event was supported by the state government, Digital Economy Hub and CityONE Megamall.
Themed ‘Renewable and Sustainable Energy: Powering Young Minds’, SCIENCE aimed to encourage interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It also aimed to encourage the revolution of innovative ideas in the state.
The event brought together curious and inventive young minds to compete on inventiveness and presentation skills as well as test collaborative skills when three teams were formed to work on energy-related projects.
It also featured creations from the student teams, namely models of a hydroelectric dam, a solar powered charging station and an electric vehicle (EV) as well as talks, including introduction to robotics and careers in STEM, especially for women. Side events included flight simulations, interactive games and arts and craft sessions for children. — DayakDaily
