Year 8 Design and Technology students from the Australian International School Malaysia (AISM) took part in the South East Asia F1 in Schools Finals recently in what was an an exciting and educational experience. The competition held at Garden International School, saw participation of over 70 students from five international schools in Kuala Lumpur. The three teams that represented AISM won the top prizes in four of the six categories. During the knockout stages, AISM successfully dominated the competition by holding all four semi-final positions.
F1 in Schools is a global multi-disciplinary challenge with over 40 countries and 20 million students taking part annually. Teams of students are required to deploy CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) software to collaborate, design, analyse, manufacture, test and then race miniature compressed air powered balsa wood and foam Formula 1 car. The programme is sanctioned by the F1 commercial rights holder, Formula One Management Limited and provides a great way to learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) related subjects in an exciting way.
The challenge inspires students to use Information Technology (IT) to learn about physics, aerodynamics, design, manufacture, branding, graphics, sponsorship, marketing, leadership/teamwork, media skills and financial strategy and apply them in a practical, imaginative and competitive way.
AISM was presented with the Fastest Car Award, Engineering Award, Knock-Out Award, Team Identity award and also second overall best team with the XLR8W Award among three teams of 18 students. As this is the first year AISM is entering F1 in Schools, it was a truly memorable experience for the students as they shared the excitement with other teams from AISM as well as their mentor Mr Fergus Tighe. "F1 in Schools was an incredible experience as it taught me how to use industrial standard technology to bring my idea's around aerodynamics, science and maths to life in a meaningful way", said Year 9 student, Rishi Krishnamurthi.
As F1 in Schools moves into the future they will continue to expand as the largest and most successful school based STEM program in the world. To have AISM students succeed in this distinguished platform, it is evident that the school is brimming with talented higher-order thinkers who are encouraged to extend, explore and excel to their fullest potential.
