A group of five students participated in the International Science and Technology Symposium in Penang and showcased their science project on Virtual Reality and Empathy Machine using the Google Cardboard. The students had an enriching experience learning about Science and Technology from the various lectures, workshops and learning journeys. They also interacted with students from other countries and benefitted from this holistic learning experience that went beyond the classroom.

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Here are their reflections:

I really learnt a lot from this meaningful trip. I’m glad I got to make some Chinese and Japanese friends and also got to interact with other students from all over Asia. I learnt the importance of being aware of other cultures and knowing other languages. I also realised that when I grow up, this is the kind of global environment I will be working in, which is why it is important to learn other languages and culture now.

For the science carnival, there were a lot of people crowding around our booth and I was amazed by how my teammates handled them. I was really nervous at first because we had to use Chinese, which I wasn’t confident in, but I eventually got the hang of it and began to speak more fluently. After the whole carnival, the whole team felt very satisfied with ourselves and our work. Through this experience, I learnt that I need to be more confident and engaging.

- Mah Xiao Yu (3E4)

For the science carnival, I learnt how to reach out and engage with strangers to introduce my project. I learnt the many ways to converse and be engaging even with the language barrier between us and the students. I also learnt how to respond quickly to various questions and reactions about our project.

During the symposium, I made friends who taught me about their cultures. I also met people who allowed me to understand more about communication and allowed me to socialise and step out of my comfort zone. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip and will always remember this pleasant experience of making friends from all over Asia.

- Joycelyn Goh (3E4)

I learnt from the symposium that many schools are going beyond the textbook and we need to have passion in order to be able to do well in Science. I will try to join more competitions in order to gain more experience in Science and Technology. During the science carnival, I realised that I did not know how to handle the crowd properly and I needed to be more confident in what I do and to keep learning. I will also take up more of such opportunities to improve myself. I am grateful for this opportunity and thankful for the help and guidance that we received.

- Phua Ying Ying (3E4)

During the science carnival, I learnt to be more confident. After communicating with the students who mostly could only understand Chinese, my command of Chinese has improved. I would like to be more confident as I only started interacting at the booth 30 minutes after the carnival started and after being encouraged by the Secondary 3s.

- Kathleen Sim (2E2)

During the science carnival, I contributed to the team by folding the post-its containing the people’s responses into heart shapes and attaching it onto the poster. I learnt that confidence is important no matter what I do. Participating in this symposium allowed me to bond with students from other countries and learn about their cultures.

- Zoey Lau (2E4)