| Azaraimy HH |
A TEAM of Bruneian students from Sayyidina Ali Secondary School (SMSA) did the school and their country proud by being placed third in both the ‘research paper’ and ‘research presentation’ categories of the annual STEP-NUS Sunburst Brain Camp 2018.
The STEP-NUS Sunburst Brain Camp 2018, which concluded on June 9, is a neuroscience-related educational programme open to students from ASEAN member countries. It is organised by Singapore Technologies Endowment Programme (STEP) in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The four lower six students representing Brunei in the programme were Ahmad Hamizan bin Muhammad Azian, Muhammad Syaamil Fahkri bin Matussin, Nurizzqah binti Bungsu, and Chung Yu Yan. Teacher Mikhail Gregory Abdullah Teo accompanied the students.
The students participated in workshops and conducted research on brain related topics, and presented a scientific paper on stroke, an illness of the brain.
Besides presenting their research paper, the students also attended scientific lectures and met up with experts in the field. They visited the Centre for Life Sciences (CeLS) and Science Centre, participated in the ‘Brain Adventure’ at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, and visited the Flower Dome conservatory centre.
The camp concluded with a presentation of awards to the groups which produced the top three research papers and research presentations.
Muhammad Syaamil Fahkri, 17, told the Bulletin that the team had not expected to win third place in both the research paper and research presentation categories.
“We just tried our best. We were surprised to have won the awards, as the deliberations made by the other students from the other countries were all very good,” he said. “The camp was an engaging experience and we learnt a lot in the field of neuroscience from the experts. The concepts we encountered were quite complex and interesting.”
He added, “The enriching experiences we had increased our interest in neuroscience and gave us inspiration to perhaps pursue further studies in the field. It will definitely benefit us in our studies.”