I worked very hard last year to co-found UWCSEA East’s first STEM club. It gives me great pride to see the sessions run so smoothly as friends and I, put in a lot of effort into planning each session. We have designed our club to bring high school together via their shared interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. We discuss different topics and concepts every week, especially those in the news. This aims to help us keep abreast with the times, use our critical thinking skills, and allows us to have an outlet for our thoughts. For example, the first session was about eugenics, which led to a very insightful debate on not just the possibility of its prominence of it in the future, but also its ethical implications.

I am excited to introduce to our members, the concept of ‘bitcoin’ next week. In this day and age, a lot of trading (of goods and services) occurs via the internet, hence the concept of having a digital ‘currency’ of sorts is a very interesting one, especially considering the controversy that surrounds its ethics, and the underground nature of bitcoin.

All the topics we discuss are of global significance. Be it bitcoin, or eugenics, or any other such topic, it is often these concepts that drive the way in which humanity progresses. They affect our lives everyday, be it in the form of the (GMO) food we eat, or the digital life we engage in. However, discussion regarding such topics, amongst an already aware community has limited impact on others. Actions do speak louder than words, and the action we want to take, is to spread awareness, and impart our own acquired knowledge to others, through a writing platform. Hence, in the latter half of the year, ie, Season 3 and 4, the club members will be expressing their interest in their ideas, via a creative medium, ie, writing. As a new club, we do not have the financial capability to fund a magazine, hence we thought it would be better to express our ideas via a website. This would make it more accessible to us (writers) and well us to potential readers.

STEM Club has given me a lot of opportunities to strengthen my leadership skills, as I organise the sessions and manage the members during these sessions. Collaborating with the other co founders and keeping alive a strong communication network is key in this. STEM club has also increased my knowledge in these areas, which is very beneficial as this is something i want to pursue in life, later on. It has also given me the chance to interact with a lot of other people across the whole of high school, who share similar interests. I hope STEM club is able to withstand time, and can snowball into a bigger club.

For more information contact: hsstemclub@gmail.com and view the  STEM club introduction Presentation

The latest session on Ethical Hacking, which was organised and led by me, can be viewed here.

These of some photographs of the same session:

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Learning Outcomes discussed:

LO1 – Identifying your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth

LO2 – Demonstrate that you have undertaken, developing new skills in the process

LO5 – Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

LO6 – Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

LO7 – Recognise and consider the ethics of your choices an actions