Stirring interest in science

A total of 22 students, including 20 primary and secondary school students and two UTAR students participated in a science camp organised by UTAR at Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple on 14 May 2022. On the day of the event, the Vesak Day Celebration 2022 was also held in the Dong Zen Temple.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the students were compelled to take the lessons through online classes. Therefore, the objective of the science camp was not only to nurture students’ interest in learning science, but also to restore their passion for science through practical experiments. On the other hand, UTAR students, who voluntarily participated in this activity, can enhance their abilities and skills such as creativity, leadership, communication and organisational skills as well as understand their roles in social responsibility.

The science camp featured line-up activities which included icebreakers, invisible ink and flying saucers. In addition to allowing participating students to learn about specific chemical reactions, the event also provided them the opportunity to deepen their understanding of science through hands-on experiments. 

The two UTAR students in charge of the event were third-year student Tan Xing Yun and fourth-year student Er Ji Siang. Tan said that during the activity, the students were particularly active when confronted with activities that interest them, especially the second activity—Invisible Ink. “Although some children tried and the paper got burned, they kept trying until they succeeded,” he said.

Er said that the participating students were enthusiastic and some quiet students also showed their enthusiasm for learning after the icebreaker game. Er, who is a Chinese-Indian, said that the students were surprised and curious that he could speak Chinese. The science camp was held in conjunction with the first day of the annual Cleansing Ritual（浴佛法会） at Fo Guang Shan Dong Temple. He mentioned that he was full of joy to be able to bathe the Buddha figure in person.