IMU’s Science Discovery Challenge Goes Online

Life is full of surprises and 2020 is proving to be a year of many challenges, especially in light of the restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our everyday life was disrupted, and many conferences and competitions had to move online. As with many competitions that were conducted this year, IMU’s Science Discovery Challenge (SDC) in 2020 was also conducted virtually. Although making such a move would result in numerous organisational and technical challenges, conducting the event in this way would also have benefits, in its ability to improve the diversity of competitors by reaching out to a wider group of the students and to be environmentally friendly by reducing the carbon footprint of travelling. “Unlike previous years, for the first time since the inception of this Challenge in 2015, the organising committee had to grapple with the prospect of not having the event this year. Fortunately, this committee were undeterred and chose to take on the old adage of “The Show Must Go On” mantra and re-formatted the SDC from that of an engaging on-site competition to that of a safer, stay-at-home but equally challenging and competitive competition. Despite not being able to actively promote the event onsite at various secondary schools and pre-universities as in the previous years, successful digital marketing coupled with IMU’s eminence as the first private medical university to conduct a science competition, garnered over 4000 entries for the 1st round,” said Prof Chin Beek Yoke, Organising Chairman of the Challenge and Associate Dean, Research and External Affairs, School of Health Sciences, IMU. The Challenge consisted of a preliminary round of an online qualifying quiz which ran from 15 June 2020 to 16 August 2020. The preliminary round drew participants from all over Malaysia and from other countries in the world, which include Sri Lanka, Singapore, Egypt, Indonesia, India and Pakistan.

From the preliminary round, the top 400 participants competed for the top prize in the secondary school and pre-university categories on 29 August 2020 in a highly competitive final round, where questions were answered using the Kahoot platform.

The annual IMU Science Challenge is open to pre-university and secondary school students with the aim of equating Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics theories learned in the classroom to how they are applied to our everyday lives. By observing and participating in key scientific activities that are practised in their daily lives, students may then have an appreciation for its current and emergent potential and utility, and be inspired to take up a multitude of careers in healthcare. Ultimately, the objective of this event is to foster the interest of sciences among secondary school and pre-university students, aligned with the initiatives by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.

Winners of the IMU Science Discovery Challenge – Pre – University Category

Winners of the IMU Science Discovery Challenge – Secondary School Category

Congratulations to all the winners!