TENS of thousands of visitors, from students and parents to exhibitors, thronged the Setia SPICE Arena in Bayan Lepas during the opening of the Penang International Science Fair 2023 today.
The fair this year went beyond its usual boundaries as there were teams from Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, India, Vietnam and Zimbabwe participating in 11 captivating competitions.
PISF is jointly organised by the Penang government and the Penang Science Cluster (PSC).
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said PISF is not merely a science exhibition but a convergence of minds, a celebration of the relentless pursuit of knowledge and a platform to nurture the seeds of curiosity among our youth, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
“As we embark on this enlightening journey over the next two days, we are honoured to host 54 exemplary companies, each a beacon of technological prowess.
“These industry giants, including Agilent Technologies, B. Braun, Intel Technology, and many more, have not only lent their support but have become the driving force behind the grandeur of this year’s PISF.
“Their dedication to innovation and education is commendable, and I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each one of them,” Chow said in his speech before officiating the opening of the PISF 2023 earlier this morning.
This year’s PISF features 54 company exhibitors showcasing and explaining the science, technology and innovation behind their high-tech products.
These companies, along with 26 Penang Makerlab schools, are offering over 20,000 workshop slots of 76 different STEM varieties to students from Penang and eight other states in the country.
Chow, in his speech, also noted that the students participating in this year’s PISF came as far south as Johor.
Meanwhile, PSC chief executive officer Datuk Ooi Peng Ee commended the exhibiting companies for their active participation in the fair year after year without fail despite being in a tough business environment.
“The PSC leaders owe it all to the industry leaders who have always made sure this fair was organised every year for the benefit of our young scientists in the making,” Ooi said during his speech.
Relatively, despite having a new board at the PSC now, Ooi remains hopeful that under Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo, the state-owned entity will scale new heights for the future of the children in Penang.
Jagdeep was also present to participate in the opening earlier, as well as Seri Delima assemblyman Connie Tan Hooi Peng, Sungai Puyu assemblyman Phee Syn Tze, Pulau Tikus assemblyman Joshua Woo Sze Zeng and the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) mayor Datuk A. Rajendran.
Ooi, during his speech, also briefly shared about the PSC’s notable achievements thus far, such as training primary and secondary schools in Penang to master the art of coding as beginners.
“We can now proudly say that 146 schools in Penang are running coding workshops and competitions independently.
“This is a proud moment for us because, since day one, we have been striving for our programmes to be scalable and sustainable.
“We hope to continue with our efforts to drive innovation among the young minds not only in Penang but throughout the country to ensure they are all industry-ready and equipped with sought-after skills to meet the growing and competitive era ahead of us,” Ooi added.
Chow and other representatives from the state were later taken on a tour of several booths that were put up during the fair at the arena.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Siew Chia En
Video by Law Suun Ting