PENANG INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR 2022
SPEECH BY YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW
THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
PENANG INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR 2022
3rd December 2022 | Butterworth Arena
YB Prof. Dr. Ramasamy A/L Palanisamy
Deputy Chief Minister 2 of Penang
Dato’ Seri Wong Siew Hai
President of Malaysia Semiconductor Industry
Association
Dato’ Yoon Chon Leong
Director of Penang Science Cluster
Dato’ Ooi Peng Ee
CEO of Penang Science Cluster
Representatives and members of the industry, organisations and institutions,
Distinguished guests,
Members of the media,
Teachers, parents, students,
Ladies and gentlemen,
A very good afternoon to all.
It gives me great pleasure to be here today to officially launch the Penang International Science Fair 2022.
The Penang International Science Fair, or PISF, is a collaboration between the Penang State Government and the industries that form the backbone of the Penang Science Cluster (PSC). It is organized as part of PSC’s mission of “Inspiring Innovation”, which focuses on sparking interest in STEM and cultivating innovative mindsets in our young students through unique and stimulating hands-on activities.
For the first time in PISF’s history, we are holding the opening launch in Seberang Perai, right here in this new convention centre. Also, for the first time, PISF is being held in six different locations, commencing today at the Butterworth Arena and moving on to SMK Permai Indah, SMJK Sacred Heart, Arus Academy, ViTrox Academy on weekdays, and finally ending on Saturday, December 10th at the Penang Skills Development Centre or PSDC.
All in all, this year’s PISF will see 35 company exhibitors and 10 MakerLab schools participating to bring 10,000 workshop slots over 32 different experiments, 23 career talks, virtual factory tours and 3 major competitions, including the Coolest Projects Malaysia, where 600 projects were submitted from the various states in Malaysia, including entries from Vietnam and the Philippines.
I would like to thank and congratulate Penang Science Cluster for bringing this about, and for successfully organising the Penang International Science Fair once again, the tenth time since its inception in 2011.
The presence of industrial companies is without a doubt the most appealing aspect of PISF, and I would like to take this opportunity to also thank the pillar companies of Penang Science Cluster, as well as all other companies such as Bosch, Boston Scientific, Cytron, Micron, and many more, for their participation this year. Not to mention, thank you to the organisations that are involved, including Arus Academy, EducationUSA, FutureLab, and Penang STEM, to name a few.
All these companies, organisations and MakerLab schools have come together once again to put on a great show in this year’s Penang International Science Fair to educate and inspire our next generation. So, a big thank you to all of you.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As Dato Ooi mentioned in his speech, the PISF is the culmination of the many programmes launched and executed by Penang Science Cluster in partnership with the industry throughout the year. And, as 2022 comes to a close, I am inspired by what we have done collectively over the year to inspire our young students in science and technology.
At the same time, I recognize that the task of educating our children before us is enormous, made even more so by the pandemic. A recent US study released in September evidenced the pandemic's devastating effects on American schoolchildren, with 9-year-olds' math and reading performance dropping to levels seen two decades ago. It is not a stretch of the imagination to believe that Malaysia is in the same dire situation, which could have far-reaching consequences for future generations of children.
As a result, the Penang State Government intends to redouble our efforts to overcome this setback. And, as we move forward, I invite more of our industry friends, organizations and even individuals to join us in meeting this challenge head-on, and in spearheading the development and transformation of our young students into future talent.
For now, let us conclude on a positive and joyous note and kick off the festivities with the launching of the Penang International Science Fair 2022!
With that, congratulations to the Penang Science Cluster and everyone involved for another successful Penang International Science Fair!
Thank you.