Association of Science, Technology
and Innovation’s (ASTI) founder and president Dr Mohamed Yunus Yasin asserted
that one of the best ways to learn is to teach. A process and chemical engineer
by profession, Dr Yunus started volunteering as a teacher when he was pursuing
his doctorate in chemical engineering at the University of Cambridge.
“That was in 2000,” said the passionate
educator and freelance consultant who hails from Penang. “Then, I started ASTI
at the end of 2012.”
ASTI has nine programmes, of which,
four are held on an annual basis. They are:
1.
Science Fair for Young Children (SFYC)
The
Science Fair for Young Children is one of ASTI’s flagship programmes that is
held annually. It provides a platform for primary school students to showcase
their scientific projects and experiments. The fair encourages creativity,
critical thinking, and a hands-on approach to learning science. Participants
gain valuable experience in presenting their ideas and receive feedback from
experts in the field.
2.
Young Inventors Challenge (YIC)
The Young
Inventors Challenge is designed to nurture the inventive spirit among youth by
being effective problem solvers. This competition invites students from Form 1
to 5 to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems. Through this
challenge, participants learn the process of invention, from ideation to
prototyping, and gain insights into the importance of innovation in addressing
societal needs.
“Students
need to find a problem
to solve and build a prototype. There must be a maker element and it must be a
product. They have to create something, we want to empower them to solve
problems rather than just being observers” explained Dr Yunus, adding that the
theme for
YIC 2024 is currently in its 12th edition and will
be held online. “There will be online workshops and an online grand finale in
November showcasing the shortlisted teams with their inventions.
“There were a total of 326 applications from nine countries,
namely, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, China,
India and Sri Lanka. Out of these, 178 teams
have been shortlisted to submit their Invention Pitch Video together with a
project report that will be judged by a panel of judges,” said Dr Yunus.
3.
Young Technopreneur Challenge (YTC)
Building
on the success of the Young Inventors Challenge, the Young Technopreneur
Challenge, held annually, encourages students to turn their innovative ideas
into viable businesses. Whether it’s a traditional business or a social
enterprise, this programme helps participants understand the entrepreneurial
journey and the steps needed to bring their products to market. “This can be a conventional business
or social enterprise,” he said.
4.
ASTI Feynman Challenge
Launched
during the COVID-19 lockdown, the ASTI Feynman Challenge encourages students to
learn scientific concepts by teaching them. “Participants might explain
Newton’s Third Law through a story or create teaching tools to illustrate
complex ideas. This challenge promotes creativity and innovation in science
education,” said Dr Yunus.
5.
ASTI Leap Challenge (ALC)
Similar
to the Young Inventors Challenge, the ASTI Leap Challenge, encourages schools
to conduct innovation competitions for all their students and involves teams of
five students. This programme modules are designed to be easily accessible to
teachers, who can download the necessary materials and guide their students
through the challenge.
6.
Creative and Critical Thinking Camp (CCTC)
The Creative
and Critical Thinking Camp offers boot camps and workshops to help students
develop their creative and critical thinking skills. These camps last between
one and three days and provide an immersive environment where students can
engage in problem-solving activities and learn to approach challenges from
multiple perspectives.
7.
A-PLUS Programme
The A-PLUS
Programme focuses on teaching science concepts through hands-on activities that
focus on experimentation and activities based on the Malaysian school syllabus
for Years 1 to 6, including Form 1 to 5. ASTI develops modules and trains
teachers or parents to run these programmes in their schools. This initiative
ensures that students learn by doing, which enhances their understanding and
retention of scientific principles. The workshops are designed to
condense the concepts that would normally be taught in a year into one-to-three-day
activity-based workshops.
“As
opposed to just memorising facts and figures for exams, we have developed these
modules so that students can learn scientific concepts and principles in
an interesting way. A-PLUS
can also help students catch up with topics they may have missed during the
pandemic lockdown,” he said.
8.
Young Inventors’ Journal (YIJ)
YIJ is an online research journal that empowers people to
write well-researched papers detailing a solution for a problem they have
identified and feel strongly about. YIJ hopes to get young people introduced to
the discipline of writing, one of the best ways to practice critical thinking.
9.
Outreach Programmes
ASTI’s
outreach programmes aim to extend the benefits of its initiatives to
underserved communities. By partnering with schools and community organisations,
ASTI brings its educational programmes to a wider audience, ensuring that all
students have the opportunity to engage with science and technology.
When asked what should be done to
encourage more students to take up STEM subjects, Dr Yunus replied, “First, we
must make STEM subjects easy and relevant. The first step to science is
observation. Then, ask questions. If there are no activities and no experiments,
it becomes boring.
“We must also select and train the
right kind of school principals and teachers to solve this problem of declining
interest in STEM subjects and get our priorities right. The education system ought
to be learner-centric. Or else, we are just freefalling…,” he lamented.
Dr
Yunus was also awarded the best educator of the year in 2022 for the Nambikkai
Star Icon Awards in recognition of his contributions and dedication towards
STEM education enhancement in Malaysia.
He holds a
bachelor's degree in chemical and process engineering from the National
University of Malaysia and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the
University of Cambridge. Following that, he returned to Malaysia to work
for SIRIM Berhad and Khazanah Nasional. He has been working for more than 20
years in the areas of Sustainable and Business Development and Education and
has won multiple awards in these areas. He has been working for more than 20
years in the areas of Sustainable and Business Development and Education.
Through
Dr Yunus’ dedicated efforts, ASTI continues to inspire and empower the next
generation of innovators.