A plane made from sponge, a hugging cat and a digital music mixer – these are just some of the intriguing projects that students at SIM IA have been working on as part of their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curriculum. These projects provide students with a hands-on approach to learning, enabling them to deepen their understanding of the subjects that they study. Here, the students share their thoughts and reflections on their projects and how it drives them to be creative innovators.

Name: Huynh Chanh Truc
Year of Study: Year 8
Age: 14
Country: Vietnam

Soaring High In Creativity

I made a model of a F-22 Raptor RC plane by designing the various parts and assembled into the plane with a remote controller. The RC plane is made from a type of sponge called ‘Deprone’. This plane is usually used very often in military training, racing and emergency. I intentionally made this plane model as I wanted to explore and learn more about nature and the environment around us. I have spent more than one month on this project and I have learned more about concepts such as electricity, machine, model building, force, wind and geography.

Name: Song Xinyao
Year of Study: Year 9
Age: 16
Country: China

Making Music That Moves

Our team is working on a music mixer. We aim to create a digital mixer to blend two or more different songs to create new music. We are also working with another team that is creating a DJ table to combine our ideas. I am personally working on the cover of the music mixer and I am trying to use different kinds of materials to make the cover interesting.

I think the most interesting thing about this project is that we constantly learn new knowledge that come from our personal interests. I particularly enjoy the designing part of the project as I constantly challenge myself to improve the design.

I take great pride in coming up with the design of the mixer cover. During this design phase, the STEM teachers help us find ways to make the project unique. While I am learning to design the cover, I am constantly wondering how best to make the music mixer stand out. I think this programme stretches me in terms of my creativity and thinking ability as I need to do research and make my ideas come alive.

Name: Luo Yingrou
Year of Study: Year 9
Age: 15
Country: China

Sending Warm Hugs

Our group is designing a hugging machine. The reason we are working on this hugging machine is because we want to make students in our school feel welcome and have an enjoyable learning experience as part of SIM IA. With this invention, we also hope students can gain comfort and energy to learn more knowledge and enjoy themselves in our school.

As for the design of the machine, we intentionally created it to look like a cute huggable cat. The machine is in a fixed position and is as big as a teenager (1.60m). We also made the hands of the machine very soft and cuddly.

The most interesting part of this project is learning how to prototype our ideas. At first, we devised different ways to understand the mechanisms that were needed for “hugging”. Despite the initial challenge, we decided to use wool and spring to make the hands of the machine close faster than before.

I think STEM is a useful curriculum for us. We learnt how to solve problems in the best way quickly and test ideas by prototyping. We also learnt to recognise that problem-solving is a very important skill in our life. As a team, we need to persist and constantly encourage one another in order for us to be successful. More importantly, we need to use the knowledge that we have learned through Science and Mathematics to solve new problems. This knowledge is not just for passing our examinations but also, it is applicable in our daily lives.