PH learners receive awards at SEAMEO Science Olympiad

Wazzup Pilipinas!?




Filipino learners from two schools bagged awards at the 2nd Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Science Olympiad (SEAOSO) held at the Penang, Malaysia earlier this month.

Competing against at least 26 groups from 11 countries in Southeast Asia, Colegio de San Agustin Makati (CSA-Makati) and Saint Louis University (SLU) from Baguio City won the Secondary School (13-18 years old) and Primary School (7-12 years old) category, respectively.

CSA-Makati was hailed as the Overall Champion and Best Completer Finisher Awardee in their category while the delegation from SLU-Baguio received the Best Completer Finisher Award.

The learners from CSA-Makati were represented by Rafael Felipe Viterbo, Eunyou Park, Lakan Diwa Fuentes, and Jodi Vien Mariano.

Meanwhile, SLU-Baguio delegates were composed of Jamie S. Espejo, Erin Shane D. Gumanlaw, Yuhan Nayri T. Padyosan, Paul Gabriele M. Bautista, Greysean A. Ngolab, Rayne Earl H. Diaron, Lyndsay Avy E. Malibiran, Danille Thereze S. Amansec, and Lara Annika Paula E. Namoca.

The SEASO competition was composed of four levels. The first and second were individual Science and Math written exams. The third was a STEM Challenge, a group practical exam, where they were asked to create a tower that could hold a soda can. Groups were judged with parameters of cost, stability, mobility, time of completion, and height. The final level was an oral presentation of the finished product, wherein each group had to market/sell their work to a panel of judges.

SEAOSO aims to stimulate scientific thinking and knowledge exploration amongst students at secondary school levels by applying knowledge to real-life technological problem-solving skills to address multiple issues, including sustainable development.

Furthermore, it encourages young learners to pursue scientific knowledge and increases their awareness about the relationship between various science fields in their daily lives, while aiming to foster camaraderie and networking among these young learners during the event.

The event has also provided career orientation to the participants, which will encourage the latter in choosing various professions under Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand.

The SEAMEO Science Olympiad (SEASO) 2023 is a unique platform of inspiration and scientific knowledge stimulation for future scientists and science academicians all over Southeast Asia and beyond.