KUCHING: Science Castle Malaysia 2025 opened up a platform for over 500 students from schools across Sarawak to showcase their research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Project leader, Muhammad Basril Muhammad Asri, said this year marked the first time the event included participation from primary schools.
Recalling his 2016 visit to Lundu, he noted that students in rural areas had strong potential, but often lacked opportunities to present their ideas and innovations.
“Science Castle has always been for secondary schools. This is the first time we’ve accepted participation from primary schools because when we opened it up in Sarawak, it turned out many primary schools also had good research projects.
“I believe in equality in education. We don’t set a specific theme. As long as the project is related to science and technology, we accept it because we want to nurture interest from an early stage,” he said.
He told reporters this after the conclusion of Science Castle Malaysia 2025 held at the Waterfront Hotel here today.
The event, part of an ongoing education initiative between Leave a Nest Malaysia (LVNSMY) and Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Bhd, featured a total of 56 teams presenting their projects under three categories: Poster Presentation, Oral Presentation, and Splash Presentation.
Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Bhd Executive Director and Chief Production Officer, Yong Kum Cheng, said Sarawak’s rich natural resources offer students the opportunity to explore ideas on how to transform raw materials into high-value products.
He said that this aligned well with the company’s slogan: ‘Eat Well, Live Well’.
“These kinds of ideas benefit society, not just economically, but also environmentally and socially.
“We brought this event to Sarawak to ensure every school, whether from Kuching, Sibu, or rural areas, can come together to learn and explore technology and innovation.
“To become an advanced country, technology is crucial. Sarawakian students, whether from urban or rural backgrounds, have great ideas, very innovative ones, and they are not afraid to share them. That’s the essence of Science Castle,” he said.
A total of 14 awards were presented during the closing ceremony.
Selected teams from this year’s Science Castle Malaysia will go on to represent the country at Science Castle Asia 2025 at Multimedia University (MMU) Cyberjaya, joining student researchers from across the region.
In addition, a special award sponsored by the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) will be given to the most outstanding team, who will then represent Malaysia at Science Castle World in Tokyo, Japan, at the end of this year.
