UTAR Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS) of Kampar Campus collaborated with SMJK Pei Yuan to organise “Program Karnival STEM— Science Fun Learning” at SMJK Pei Yuan, Kampar, Perak on 24 March 2023. Besides promoting the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), the event provided students with an opportunity to experience the real-world applications of STEM through hands-on experiments and demonstrations. Around 650 students, ranging from Form Three to Form Five, attended the event.

At the opening ceremony, SMJK Pei Yuan Principal Tang Poh Ling highlighted the school’s effort in strengthening STEM education while CFS Kampar Campus Director Ts Tan Lee Siew shared the significance of hands-on activity to instil the passion for learning among students. She ended her speech, hoping that the students will be inspired to learn more after the event.

The event also featured a special talk for Form Five students. It was delivered by CFS Kampar Campus academic Voon Kah Loon. Titled “The science behind Hollywood movies”, Voon explained some of the scientific concepts shown in Hollywood movies, such as the fundamentals of DNA and the recreation of dinosaurs in movies. He also shared his insights on the rabies virus. The talk concluded successfully; students responded well during the Q&A session.

In addition to the talk, booths were also set up at the school hall, covering experiments and demonstrations on Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and Information Technology. The activities were designed to encourage students to learn science and technology in a hands-on manner. Some of the activities included Math Bingo, Anatomy, Chromatography Flower, Centre of Gravity, and Hologram. The activities were well-received by the students. They found the experiments and demonstrations to be fascinating.

Overall, the event was a success. The students cited that they had a unique learning experience and expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to learn about STEM education in a fun and interactive manner.