MAKATI SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL PARTICIPATES IN THE FIRST ASEAN YOUTH SCIENCE SUMMIT

UNEDITED SAMPLE NEWS ARTICLE
By Zatia Denise Danao Gammad
IV - Madame Marie Curie


Having the theme of “Power Up for the Future through Science and Technology,” the 2008 ASEAN Youth Science Summit (AYSS) gathered science-inclined delegates from 12 countries for the purpose of providing a venue for the next leaders to discuss some relevant scientific and global issues with the end view of promoting peaceful agreements among Southeast Asian nations. The AYSS was held last July 8-10, 2008 at the Traders Hotel in Manila. Accompanied by Ms Esperanza Retorbar Sabangan, Makati Science High School fourth year elective science teacher, Marian Denise Glipo Basallote and Zatia Denise Danao Gammad of IV- Madame Marie Curie were two of the Philippine delegates for this two-day event.

Organized by the Department of Science and Technology, the AYSS is a complementary activity of the ASEAN Science and Technology Week Celebration. The summit oriented the delegates, along with their teachers, on the parliamentary ways of handling problems that affect nations on a regional and global scale. It focused on specific issues that apply to the youth’s experiences and inclinations. These issues were categorized to topics such as: Spatial Science: The View from Above, Extreme Games, Going Nuclear, and GourMet Food. Plenary speakers from Malaysia, Thailand, and other participating countries discussed the abstract of each topic which served as the main footstep in making the resolution by the ASEAN delegates in the parallel sessions. In these sessions, parallel speakers, which are the delegates themselves, prepared their own powerpoint presentations about their view on these global-related issues and how it affects their country’s progress.

On the other hand, there was a parallel session held for the teachers concerning them the best practices in using information technology in teaching science and mathematics to students and the effects of computer games on learning or behavior of students. In this said session, the election of the ASEAN’s teachers association was made in which Ms Sabangan was elected secretary.

In line with its mandate to raise awareness of ASEAN youth, the ASEAN Foundation developed an innovative computer video game called “ASEAN Quest.” Two representatives from each participating country were given the chance to play this educational game and compete with each other for the prize of the exclusive game itself. The game consists of informative activities such as playing the national anthems of the ASEAN countries, viewing ASEAN heritage sites, and reading ASEAN documents which will make the youth become more aware of their capacity to act on present and future problems and solicit their commitment and participation towards addressing such problems now and in the future.