STEM WEEK 2025: Building Strong Bones A.D Bright Minds At SK Jawi

SK JAWI, September 9 2025

On 9–10 September 2025, Sekolah Kebangsaan Jawi in Pulau Pinang came alive with curiosity and excitement as it hosted STEM Week 2025. All students, from Standard 1 to Standard 6, took part in two days of hands-on activities designed to make science and mathematics fun, creative, and meaningful. The program was facilitated by the Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), with support from Vitality Health Ventures.

The facilitation team included Dr. Siti Hawa Ngalim and Dr. Nurdiana Zainol, assisted by Master’s students Nurul Asykin Mat Pauzi and Nur Izzati Razali, Doctoral students Lumintang Johanna Nathania and Zhoken Wulipa, together with Industry Representative Vishanth Rathakrishnan from Vitality Health Ventures. Their diverse backgrounds created a dynamic mix of expertise that enriched the learning experience for the students.

Three Booths, One Theme

Over two days, students rotated across three interactive booths designed around the theme of musculoskeletal health. The activities highlighted its common diseases, rehabilitation approaches, medical applications, and anatomy from the macroscopic level down to the microscopic scale.

Students experienced exercise sessions, tested their grip strength using a Digital Hand Dynamometer, and engaged with virtual reality (VR) simulations to explore movement. At the biodigital station, they learned skeletal anatomy while practicing spelling, medical terminology, and English vocabulary. Demonstrations on light and imaging technologies explained how principles of reflection and refraction are applied in medicine, from X-rays to fluorescent microscopy. Meanwhile, experiments with Epsom salt and vinegar illustrated how bone mineral make-up and strength depend on nutrition, giving students a tangible understanding of why calcium and other minerals are vital for growth.

To reinforce learning, students also took part in colour-coded art activities, where they solved science and math questions and matched answers to colours to complete drawings. This integration of art into science transformed abstract concepts into creative, hands-on experiences that built both knowledge and confidence.

Sustaining Trust and Building Networks

This invitation from SK Jawi was particularly meaningful, as it reflected the school’s confidence in AMDI after the successful MOSTI STI 100³ program in 2024, also led by Dr. Siti Hawa. The continuity demonstrated sustainability in community engagement, with the school eager to deepen its collaboration with AMDI.

The program also showcased sustainability in human resources. Although colleagues at AMDI, Dr. Siti Hawa and Dr. Nurdiana only began working closely during the Fulbright Specialist Program on Bone Health–Bioeconomy, particularly through its stakeholder engagement session, this STEM initiative created new opportunities to strengthen internal partnerships, mentor postgraduate students, and extend collaborations with industry partners such as Vitality.

A Milestone Partnership

Adding to the significance of the event, SK Jawi and AMDI formalised their collaboration through an MOU signing ceremony. The agreement, signed by Headmaster Mohd Azmi bin Mat Husin and Dr. Siti Hawa Ngalim, marked a commitment to empower more STEM studies and initiatives at SK Jawi in the years ahead. This milestone reflects a shared vision of nurturing scientific curiosity from an early age while building bridges between schools, academia, and industry.

A Mission Beyond the Classroom

STEM Week 2025 at SK Jawi showed how outreach can be both educational and inspiring. By focusing on musculoskeletal health and its diseases, rehabilitation, medical applications, and anatomy across scales, the program blended science, mathematics, and art in ways that nurtured creativity, confidence, and joy in learning. More than just a two-day event, it demonstrated how school STEM programs can evolve into mission-oriented platforms that connect academia, community, and industry, leaving a lasting impact on young students while paving the way for future collaborations.