September 29 Deadline for SRC STEM Olympiad

Students interested in entering the inaugural Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Olympiad have until September 29 to submit their applications.

Persons may apply individually or in groups not exceeding five persons.

Being staged by the Scientific Research Council (SRC), under the theme ‘STEM Unlocked: Opening doors to limitless possibilities’, the competition is part of the Council’s mandate to popularise science and technology.

Students from across the nation are invited to develop a proposal for a solution that mitigates one effect of climate change.

The proposal must respond to the challenge: ‘Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our times. Climate change is already happening – temperatures are rising, drought and wildfires are starting to occur more frequently, rainfall patterns are shifting, glaciers and snow are melting and the global mean sea level is rising’.

Speaking in a recent interview with JIS News, Manager of the Information Services Division of the SRC, Elijah Green, said that “this challenge is significant because it highlights the different impacts climate change has been having across the world with the rising temperatures, drought, etc.”.

“So, we are trying to see how best we can get persons to be aware of this information and find solutions to solve this problem,” he noted.

Information Technology Officer of the SRC, Leigia Hall, said the Olympiad also seeks to activate students’ creativity and pique their interest in STEM subjects and practices.

“We realise that a lot of our students tend to not want to do STEM [subjects] because it is seemingly too difficult or might be a bore. So, while we are highlighting this very significant issue, we want to get the students involved and be active learners and agents in the change,” Ms. Hall said.

Students are encouraged to follow the SRC’s social media pages for more information on how to submit their entries online.

The winner will be named on November 8, which will be observed as International STEM Day.