IET UNITEN sheds light on Solar Energy to Secondary School Students in SMKA Maahad Hamidah

STEM education is back again in the hand of IET UNITEN on Campus with the mind of introducing the concept of Solar Energy to secondary students in hopes to increase the students’ interest toward the Engineering field. Thanks to modern technological advancement, the future is filled with innovative technologies for comfort. Therefore, STEM education is really important for today’s generation to learn and gain much information and knowledge about the modern future.

IET UNITEN on Campus with the collaboration of Yayasan Canselor UNITEN (YCU) had organized a Solar Kit Workshop on October 29, 2018, from 8.00am to 1.00pm in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Maahad Hamidiah, which had catered a total number of 123 form 3 students. In this workshop, the students are given hands-on experience to construct the various design of products which power by solar with the guidance of IET UNITEN on Campus’s event facilitators.

The event started with an introduction of the event by our emcee of the day, Revathy Alagaraisamy, final year student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, in which she warmed up the students with the concept of solar power as well as introduced the team of IET UNITEN on Campus to the students and teachers who were there. After that, Fiona Sharon Hilary, event director of the workshop, gave an opening speech to brief students about STEM and its importance. Teo Kai Kuang, Vice President of IET UNITEN On Campus, also made an appearance to explain technical information as well as STEM in detail.

Taking off from the opening ceremony, the solar kits workshop started and the students were taught to assemble all six designs of the complete solar kits with the guidance of event facilitators. All six designs which included two different planes, solar airboat, solar car, solar windmill, and solar puppy were assembled successfully by the students. As a healthy competition, students would soon be tested as to which team would be able to assemble all six designs the fastest. During the competition, many students cooperated and exercised the spirit of teamwork, healthy competitiveness and leadership.

After the competition ended, Miss Lee Hui Jing, a representative from UNITEN’s Electrical Power department, presented the closing speech along with Mr. MD Yusof Bin Rahim, the principal of SMKA Maahad Hamidiah’s School. He expressed his appreciation that IET UNITEN On Campus came to the school to teach the students about Solar Power through the solar kit workshop. He felt satisfied seeing that the students had learned a lot from this workshop and encouraged IET UNITEN on Campus to conduct similar in the coming future.
Puan Rohayati, a science teacher from SMKA Maahad Hamidiah felt grateful to IET UNITEN On Campus for reaching out to the school and conducting the solar kits workshop for the students of SMKA Maahad Hamidiah. She even expressed a personal \”thank-you\” for conducting a \”happening\” event and hopes that IET UNITEN on Campus would come again in the future to organize an event during the school’s Science and Math week next year.
Fiona Sharon Hilary, director of the event felt satisfied that the workshop went smoothly and is glad to see that SMKA Maahad Hamidiah’s students were interested and passionate in all the sessions conducted in the workshop. For sure, there will be more of these events in the future from IET UNITEN on Campus as STEM is one of the many ways where IET UNITEN on Campus can give back to the community through their engineering knowledge.

Written by: Fiona Sharon