UWS STEMFEST 2025

I've had a strong interest in STEM especially in the field of life science. So, when I got an email from the school asking to join the UWS stem fest, I instantly signed the registration form. I felt like it was an opportunity to explore my interest and the different types of fields available in STEM.

Before attending I had limited knowledge on what this fest was all about. All I knew was that it was an opportunity for young women to discover careers in STEM. However, this all changed when Mdm Indranee rajah came to give her speech. She shared the importance on why we should pursue careers in stem and to be confident individuals. I also later learnt that only 29% of individuals in the STEM workforce are women! I was shocked by that number and realized that this festival was to create an awareness and to encourage women to join STEM.

The first activity we had was the speed mentoring. All the groups will have 3 mentors for a total of 20 mins each and we were allowed to ask any questions related to what they did. My first mentor worked in Microsoft. He uses AI to help arrange Microsoft's finances which is interesting as I didn't know that was possible. He also explained how his education journey was like, switching from finance to tech and now incorporating both in his job. My second mentor was really interesting as she changed careers multiple times. She took a diploma in design and went to an ad agency to design ads. However, she didn't feel fulfilled in that job and during covid, she started her own business in helping crane contractors to write to the government to help claim their money. ( i didn't even know such a thing existed lol). However, she felt a bit lonely in that job as it was only her in the company, so she switched to her current job in sing pass to help businessmen and the finance workers come to a common goal. One crazy fact that she told me was that she applied her current job 15 times before she got in!!!! Now she is happy in where she is, but she told me that she would still join other companies to broaden her job scope. My third mentor is from the US (Boston specifically) and he programs answers ChatGPT generates. He was actually in the field of biology but had no interest in it so we switch to tech and realized that he had an interest in math after signing up for a random internship at a tech company. He said that it is important not grasp every opportunity available and to try new things as we might discover something new that sparks an interest in us.

After the mentoring, me and my friends had tea break with delicious muffins, sandwiches and tea provided to us. We then went to visit the different types of booths available. There were so many booths like NTU (powers), Abbott, Apex group etc. The NTU booth was my favorite. There were many different schools, but the school of biological science caught my attention. They created a way to keep houses cool after being inspired by the skin of the elephant. The elephant skin is textured and was created in a way to keep it cool. Research had found a way to replicate the elephant skin by using mushrooms and placing them on tiles. Hey found out that it indeed kept the houses more cooler! Another booth was the Abbott booth ehere we learnt why they add emulsifiers in their milk and we had a life demonstration on how the emulsifiers break down oil.

We then had a workshop, and I had chosen the climate ideation workshop. We learned about how our products don't usually get recycled after use. So, we thought of ways to stop this cycle by using products that are more biodegradable and environmentally friendly. Overall, this workshop made me more aware of my consumption of certain products and made me more aware about the ways to make more environmentally friendly decisions.

The day ended with a lucky draw for a pair of F1 tickets (I LOVEEE F1).However, I didn't manage to get it. Overall, I had a wonderful and fulfilling time. It made me more interested in learning how tech and bio can come together. I would 100% come again next year.