Science Workshop sparks student interest in chemistry and physics

Miri – 9 June 2017 – Over 30 students from Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Luak participated in a ‘Science Workshop’ organised by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Student Chapter of Curtin University, Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) at the university campus recently.

The workshop was part of the student chapter’s community outreach programme aimed at cultivating interest in engineering and science and encouraging students to pursue tertiary education following their secondary school studies. The ongoing programme is supported by the Foundation in Engineering and Science Department of the university’s Faculty of Engineering and Science.

The workshop, held in the Faculty’s chemistry laboratory, featured eight stations where the students were given demonstrations on the application of chemistry and physics theories by lecturers from the Foundation in Engineering and Science Department and got to try their hand at simple experiments. They were divided into groups of five and spent 10 to 15 minutes at each station.

Lecturer in physics and mathematics and Science Workshop team leader Lai Zhenyue said experiential learning is very effective in getting students interested in chemistry and physics.

“Imagine just learning theories – that would be no fun at all. We want students to see and experience the phenomenon of science, to get them really fascinated by chemistry and physics in action,” she remarked.

Associate lecturer Natallee Faith Kwan, one of the station facilitators and demonstrators, said all the students were genuinely interested and keenly participated in all the experiments. “I hope they learned a lot and discovered that science can be a lot of fun,” she commented.

Echoing Kwan’s comments, fellow lecturer Dr. Bridgid Chin, who is advisor to the Curtin Malaysia IChemE Student Chapter, said activities like the Science Workshop can be really fun and unforgettable experiences for students, demonstrating the practical application of theories learnt in the classroom and enhancing their overall learning experience.

Meanwhile, Gibson Tan Yao Sheng, organising chairperson of the IChemE Community Outreach Programme, said he hoped such activities under the programme will help raise awareness of the importance of education and inspire students to be critical thinkers and life-long learners.

To find out more about the Curtin Malaysia IChemE Student Chapter, visit its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CMIChemESC. For more information on Curtin Malaysia, visit its website (www.curtin.edu.my), its Facebook page (CurtinMalaysia), Twitter profile (curtinmalaysia), Google+ page (Curtin Malaysia), Instagram (curtinmalaysia) or YouTube channel (Curtin Malaysia).

Students trying their hand in ‘Dancing Colours’ experiment.

Workshop facilitator Evelyn Tan demonstrating chemical reaction in ‘Sugar Rainbow’ experiment.

Participants, student facilitators and Physics & Chemistry team from Foundation in Engineering and Science Department.