The Jetnasium buzzed with excitement and curiosity as middle and high school students eagerly shared their projects on Nov. 8. DIS hosted the annual STEM Fair. An experiment in progress, Science National Honor Society (SNHS) members organized the event for the first time.
The organization of the STEM Fair involved numerous challenges for SNHS. Ms. Lualhati, the advisor for SNHS and the main organizer, viewed the change as an opportunity to ensure the tradition continued seamlessly. “The primary reason SNHS hosted the STEM Fair this year is because the science teachers who organized it last year left, and it would have been very difficult for the new teachers to take on such a big responsibility. I asked for SNHS’s help so I could handle the teacher-related tasks, while SNHS assisted with other responsibilities,” Ms. Lualhati said.
Although SNHS members remained enthusiastic about the opportunity, a swamp of work awaited them. “The officers and Ms. Lualhati were all so busy. We had to plan the schedule and categorize all the projects into different time slots for the event. So we had a lot of work to do. But I think eventually it turned out very well,” SNHS secretary Vivian Lee in 11th grade said.
Confidentiality presented another hurdle. As student hosts, SNHS staff lacked access to certain files and information. The barrier to crucial information significantly slowed down progress. “Many documents were accessible only for the teachers as we put high importance on confidentiality. So I did not disclose many documents to SNHS. We had to set boundaries,” Ms.Lualhati said.
In turn, to fill in all these empty gaps, Ms. Lualhati, with the help of other science department teachers Mr. Crewe and Mr. Hortezuela, oversaw all protocol, including judging schedules, contacting parent judges, and finalizing the list of participants. “I really did my best because I felt like it’s all on my shoulders. But then I am really so happy that SNHS joined me,” Ms. Lualhati said.
Thanks to these efforts, people left the competition satisfied. “I’m so happy that I’m getting positive results and comments, especially from Mr. Jolly when he said this year’s STEM Fair was very organized and excellent. Hearing that from him, I felt as if all the hardships that we underwent all washed away,” Ms. Lualhati said.
The teachers also shared a similar sentiment: “I hope that SNHS can continue doing this next year too. Everything went so smoothly thanks to the SNHS members. Any time I was struggling to find my way, a member always showed up to help me,” middle and high school math teacher and judge Ms. Wang said.
On the day of the event, the participants filled the fair with scientific learning. “There were a lot of creative projects and everyone was preparing so much. And then I think the overall quality of the projects were really high. I really appreciate many projects showing their creativity and their confidence, especially when they present to many people. I admired their attitude,” Ms. Wang said.
However, the judges faced a time crunch and struggled to deliver feedback to the participants. “While it’s so fun to engage with the students and see their passion and their hard work, it would be nicer if there was a minute in between. I didn’t get to ask as many questions as I would have liked because there was a little bit less time for it. If there was more time, I could give some positive feedback and constructive criticism in between but I like the setup,” judge Matthew Mangione said.
Participants expressed their positive views towards the experience. “My project is about an environmental pollutant called PFOA. It stands for Perfluorooctanoic acid and I checked how it accelerates cellular aging. My favorite part was when the judges understood the urgency of the issue through my presentation,” said Sankeeth Udayakumar, the runner-up of high school biology.
As judges recognize the potential for growth, next year brings significant changes as Ms. Lualhati retires. “I’m very sentimental about leaving because this STEM Fair was my baby. But so far, knowing that everything turned out pretty well, I’m so satisfied with knowing I did something good before leaving,” Ms. Lualhati said.
Through the dedication of DIS students, as both organizers and participants, the tradition of the STEM Fair continues. “I think the overall STEM Fair process went very smooth and clean. Next year, I am confident we can improve on the flaws that we had this year. I’m hopeful that the STEM fair will continue to inspire and encourage all the students in the coming years,” Lee said. The winners prepare to wear medals around their necks at the South Korea Association of International Schools STEM Fair at DIS on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 DIS Stem Fair:
MS Biology
1st place: Emily Woo
2nd place: Jules Youn
MS Chemistry
1st place: Ann Oh
2nd place: Olivia Park
MS Computer Science/Engineering
1st place: Elin Koo
2nd place: Christine Ahn
MS Environmental/Plant Science
1st place: Sean Kim
2nd place: Esther Kang
MS Physics/Astronomy:
1st place: Minju Koo
2nd place: Christina Kim
High School Biology
1st place: Christopher Ryu
2nd place: Sankeeth Udayakumar
HS Chemistry
1st place: Jerome Kwon
2nd place: MInji Kim
HS Computer/Engineering
1st place: CJ Park and Yujun Piao
2nd place: Oliver Park and Haydn Mangione
HS Environmental/Plant Science
1st place: Jio Kim
2nd place: Thomas Kim
HS Math
1st place: Amy Shim and Maria Park
2nd place: Tommy Jang and Kevin Lim
HS Physics and Astronomy
1st place: Mika Lee and Michelle Kim
2nd place: Kaylie Jeong and Claire Kim
HS Sociology and Psychology
1st place: William and Alex Seo
2nd place: Lian Seok
