Malaysia's Science Talents Quest Through Famelab And School Lab Competition

PETALING JAYA, April 23 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), in partnership with Cheltenham Festivals and British Council Malaysia, has organised FameLab and School Lab, in its effort to find Malaysia's young science ambassadors.

Because communicating science effectively to a non-scientific audience is an ongoing requirement for researchers worldwide, these science competitions are part of the nation's commitment to encourage and promote interest in Science & Technology, said MIGHT in a statement today.

MIGHT president and Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman said their aim was to create the opportunities and platforms for young people to express themselves and unearth their hidden talents in science communication.

"We bring together the best of the public and private sectors and non-governmental organisation (NGO) from United Kingdom (UK) and Malaysia to ensure the success and global outreach for these programs," he said.

FameLab Malaysia is in its second year with 42 participants aged 18 to 37 years old nationwide.

The winner of the three-minute presentation of a jury of FameLab will continue to participate in the FameLab International Final at the Cheltenham Festivals in the UK come June.

Meanwhile, School Lab, a programme under the purview of the Ministry of Education is targeting lower secondary school students (Form 1-3) and aims to help students understand the exciting challenges of science as well as gaining the confidence and skills required to present their understanding of science concept.

Over 100 video submissions in both English and Malay has been received by School Lab from 296 teams from secondary schools nationwide and the winner will stand a chance to win individual prizes and cash for the purchase of lab equipment for their school.

In addition to that, finalists from FameLab and School Lab also received special training from some of the best UK science communicators and mentoring by FameLab 2015 alumni to ensure continuous sharing and learning process.

-- BERNAMA

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