The International STEM Olympiad, ISTEMO 2019 is a program designed to help students experience and deepen their STEM project skills. Before students begin research, they are given the opportunity to create literature review on the research to be carried out. Students are then guided to conduct investigations, analyze data, make discussions and make conclusions. Students also need to prepare projects for use during the judgment on the last day of the ISTEMO program. Their projects will be evaluated and will receive their respective success awards. The judges will provide feedback on student achievement namely the strengths and weaknesses in terms of skills in the process of science and scientific thinking.

 

The university-level management program will be carried out by UPM committees while management with students will be conducted by the organizer. There will also be a joint management with the Ministry of Education, UPMSTEM, MARA Junior Science College (MRSM) and STEM Teachers Association of Malaysia. Besides students exposed to project presentation, they will also undergo a process of judgment on the project they are doing as a process evaluation. This process will be a platform for students to present their projects.

 

The process of providing their project exhibition also requires skills such as computer skills, handling skills and exhibition materials management, team skills and communication skills as well as enhancing their confidence in interaction through their project's arguments and presentations.

 

The advantage of this program is to continue providing direct training for students in conducting scientific research in accordance with the usual procedures undertaken by scientists, in line with the desire to increase entry participants in the scientific world of the competition. Seeding interest in science research amongst students so they can choose career-related knowledge, technology, engineering and mathematics. Can create cultural research among students. This program can also stimulate student’s creativity and innovation as well as boost self-confidence. It is also a platform for local scientists to channel their expertise more effectively to students and teachers as well as to provide students and teachers the opportunity to learn the right research techniques.

 

The impact of this program on the students, in particular, is certainly related to their skills to carry out the research process in any field of STEM research. The knowledge gained through this program can help them conduct a better research process in the future. Their experience will be applied at the school level as they conduct experiments primarily for science, physics, chemistry, biology, inventions, life skills and other subjects related to the STEM field towards National agenda.

 

The hope is that one day the program will be implemented in accordance with the zone of Sabah Zone at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sawarak Zone at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, East Zone at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu and North Zone at Universiti Sains Malaysia while Universiti Putra Malaysia represents Central Zone and South Zone. With this kind of program, the STEM agenda is streamlined throughout the country