Young Scientists in the Making

Jun 03, 10:53 PM

Current Headlines: By Suzieana Uda Nagu

BUDDING scientists tell SUZIEANA UDA NAGU that a well-developed research culture in schools is crucial for nurturing young talents in science and engineering.

At the Chandler Unified School district in Phoenix, Arizona, the United States schoolgirls and schoolboys get an early start in science.

From the time they attend kindergarten, young Americans in the Chandler area are taught the inquiry process of conducting a scientific experiment; they learn to test problems and weigh the findings.

By the time they are in high school, they are primed for prestigious national and international science competitions - such as the recent Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) - besides working alongside researchers in local institutions of higher learning .

Arthi Satyanarayan, 18, a senior at Hamilton High School located in the Chandler district, agrees that her school does an "excellent job on fuelling a student's interest in science".

She adds that the school also allows students to look at not just the superficialities of science, but also every aspect of the scientific impulse (see story on H3).

"The experiment-based curriculum allows us to get a more hands- on experience of science as well as to understand a concept by our own means," says Satyanarayan, who won third prize at the recent Intel ISEF 2007 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for her project Association of Sibling Rivalry on Psychological Outcomes of Motivation and Emotion.

Other schools in America are not as committed as Hamilton High to promoting science literacy and the research culture.

In Cody R Campbell's opinion, they are "too few" Hamilton Highs.

"It is unfortunate that a lot of American schools do not make it compulsory for students to be involved in research," says the 15- year-old student from Imlay City High School in Michigan.

Fourth graders (nine or 10-year-olds) in many American schools are required to come up with science projects and that is the only time that the practice is compulsory.

That did not deter Campbell from conducting experiments on his own. In Fourth Grade, Campbell entered his project on bulletproof vests in a science fair organised by his school. He tested the best fabric for ballistic vests and the effort won him a US$150 (RM515) cash prize. There was no stopping Campbell now and he has kept up his interest in research.

His latest project titled Got Gas? Hydrogen Production from Sucrose using Microbes won him a second place and a US$1,500 scholarship at the Flint Area Science Fair in Michigan. It also qualified him as a finalist in Intel ISEF 2007.

Campbell hopes to see more schools taking active measures to engage young people in conducting research as the benefits outweigh the time and effort put into projects.

"Participating in science fairs is a great way to meet people and gain experience before going to college. It looks great on a college application, even if it does not get you a scholarship," says Campbell.

In Estonian Victor Alari's case, his high school project secured him a job at the Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia. So impressed was the university with Alari's talent in research that it hired the high school senior to work at its Marine Systems Institute.

"I love my job because it's my hobby. I like sailing or just going to the beach to watch the waves," says the 18-year-old.

At Intel ISEF 2007, Alari won an honourable mention award sponsored by the American Meteorological Society for his project on Wind Wave Measurements and Modelling in Kudema Bay, Estonian Archipelago.

He was the only finalist from Estonia at the recent "celebration of pre-college science and engineering".

Alari concedes that few Estonian youngsters are "involved in research and development".

However, the few projects that Estonian youngsters have come up with are of high standards. Alari's study, for example, has shed some light on the area of physical oceanography in Estonia.

"The project addresses new scientific aspects of wind waves, since wave properties in coastal areas are different from those in the ocean," says Alari.

Notwithstanding the programmes run by the Estonian Education Ministry and British Council, Alari thinks that science literacy is still underpromoted in Estonia.

"My school, for instance, is known for its maths and physics programmes, but it doesn't promote science much," he says.

This is also true of many developing countries represented at the recent Intel ISEF. Finalists from these countries tend to come from elite schools.

Triam Udom Suksa School in Thailand and Raffles Junior College and National Junior College, both in Singapore, won the top prizes in the Intel ISEF this year. These schools are acknowledged as prestigious schools in the two countries.

The trio from Thailand - Natnaree Siriwon, 17, Korawich Niyomsation, 18, and Nathaporn Supokaivanich, 18, - won two awards for their project on The Secret in Mimosa's Leaf Folding Pattern.

Mimosa is widely known as a plant which is sensitive to touch and heat. The students discovered a way to detect earthquakes by examining the plant's leaf-folding pattern.

The project is close to the students' heart in the light of the tsunami tragedy that devastated Thailand and other countries in Asia Pacific three years ago.

Apart from winning US$3,000 in cash in the Team Projects category, they received the European Union Contest For Young Scientists award, an all-expenses-paid trip to participate in a competition for young scientists in Valencia, Spain this September.

Korawich says the science curriculum at Triam Udom Suksa is "quite intensive". Schoolmate Nathaporn thinks that the curriculum supports his interest in science.

"There are regular experiments that back up the lessons. This helps enhance my understanding in the subject and also organises my thinking. The teaching content is also interrelated allowing students to link knowledge of one subject to another easily."

Schools such as Triam Udom Suksa are likely to receive funding for science-related activities.

Hamilton High's Satyanarayan basks in the well-developed research culture at her school which often funds scientific programmes that "allow students to engage in challenging, yet really fun experiments".

"We participate almost every year in science fairs," she adds.

Nevertheless, finalists from less celebrated schools have continued to excel in competitions such as Intel ISEF.

American Philip Streich, 16, a home-schooled farm boy from Wisconsin, epitomises the belief that, with the right support, brilliant minds can be nurtured anywhere.

Streich was honoured as one of three "best of the best" students at Intel ISEF 2007 for his discovery of carbon tubes - a new super- strong material - which he says is "strong enough to build a bridge to the moon".

Campbell calls on schools to emphasise the importance of research. Doing otherwise will only allow youths to "convince themselves that they do not have the time for research".

Completing a project need not be time-consuming, he says.

"You can do it over the weekend or in a few days. Most of the time, I do it after school or before sports practice," adds Campbell, who enjoys wrestling, baseball and golf.

suzie@nst.com.my

(c) 2007 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.