Students from the Philippine Science High School-Central Luzon Campus (PSHS-CLC) participated in the 2016 Asia-Pacific Forum for Science Talented (APFST) held in Taipei City, Taiwan last July 19-24, 2016. Mr. Jed Aries F. Castro, a Special Science Teacher from the campus, accompanied the students, namely Galen Noel Nifas, Maria Janine Juachon, and Jethroi Mendoza.
A total of 82 students and 23 teachers from Denmark, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam participated in the event.
The K to 12 Administration of Taiwan’s Ministry of Education hosted the APFST, while the National Taiwan Normal University organized the said event. The six-day occasion focused on the theme “Problem Solving of Future Scientists.”
The forum was composed of cultural presentations per country, plenary sessions, field trip, teachers’ forum, and contests for the students. The event provided the participants with opportunities to brainstorm ideas, work collaboratively and creatively, and meet new friends and share cultures.
There were 8 transnational teams formed during the hands-on project making contest. These teams were tasked to propose an innovative project based on their learning experiences in their field trip.
The teams proposed their projects and made prototypes out of these. The team Galen Noel Nifas was part of won the “Grand Award” and “Popularity Award” for their project dubbed as “Smart Windows.” The project was a prototype of two-sided blinds, composed of solar panel and reflector, which can be installed in large buildings and skyscrapers. The project, according to the group, could solve the increasing energy consumption of people.
In addition, the team Maria Janine Juachon was part of received the “Performance Award” for presenting their project called “Solar Maximizer.” Lastly, the team of Jethroi Mendoza presented their “Portable Reverse Osmosis” project.
Another highlight of the event was the forum for the teachers. Mr. Jed Aries F. Castro, together with Dr. Angelo Olvido of PSHS Western Visayas Campus, presented some of the teaching practices of PSHS in developing the problem solving skills of the students.
The event was a memorable learning experience to all the PSHS delegates, imparting the students with the knowledge on the culture of other countries, newly found friendships, and enhanced problem solving skills.
