Text by: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Japareng Lalung
Pictures: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Japareng Lalung, Fasya Abdull Hamid, Nur Jahan Ahmad, Nur Syazwana Hamzah, Marlina Abdul Halim, Law Heng Chuan, Asyirah Abdul Rahim and Siti Rahyla Rahmat
BUTTERWORTH, Oct 19, 2026 — The School of Industrial Technology (PPTI), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), took center stage in championing school-level STEM education by spearheading an impactful polar science outreach programme titled "Pemerkasaan Literasi Sains dan Teknologi Melalui Pembelajaran Tentang Antartika" (Empowering Science and Technology Literacy Through Antarctic Learning) at SMJKC Chung Ling Butterworth today.
Organised in conjunction with Antarctica Day 2026, the workshop was tailored specifically for 45 Form 3 students from SMJKC Chung Ling and SMK Dato Onn during their post-examination period, strategically aiming to demystify applied science and inspire them to choose the Science stream when entering Form 4 next year. Supported by funding from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) via the Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation (YPASM) alongside an outright grant from the Penang State Executive Council (MMK) for Human Capital Development, Science and Technology, the initiative showcased how the PPTI actively connects higher-education research with community education to drive the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
Underpinning the PPTI’s dedication to environmental science, technology transfer, and sustainability, the project was spearheaded by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Japareng Lalung, who also serves as the Coordinator of the Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Penang under USM's Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS). Demonstrating the multi-departmental synergy nurtured at USM, the PPTI team, which also features project members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yusri Bin Yusup and Ts. Dr. Mohd Saiful Bin Samsudin collaborated with academic partners across fields to embody SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The event was warmly hosted by SMJKC Chung Ling head teacher, Pn. Lim Lian Yolk, and attended by key USM delegates, including Nur Syazwana binti Hamzah from the Division of Industry and Community Network (BJIM), Dr. Siti Rahyla Rahmat from the School of Social Sciences, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Asyirah Abdul Rahim from the School of Humanities.
The session commenced with a keynote presentation by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Japareng Lalung entitled "The Story of Antarctica, the Plastic Ocean," drawing directly from his polar scientific expedition to Rothera Research Station in Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey under the backing of YPASM and Polar@USM. Highlighting the PPTI’s focus on environmental technology, solid waste management, and environmental microbiology, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Japareng shared firsthand research on how climate fluctuations and anthropogenic waste impact Earth's most fragile environments. His presentation demonstrated to the Form 3 cohort how industrial and environmental technologies provide the precise analytical tools needed to understand historical climate cycles, investigate carbon dynamics, and solve pervasive modern challenges like marine microplastic contamination.
Translating academic theory into hands-on investigative learning, the PPTI facilitators guided students through three specialized STEM laboratory modules. In Module 1, focused on Antarctic ice cores and climate reconstruction, students simulated the work of environmental scientists by analysing stratified artificial ice cores, identifying volcanic ash layers, varying snow densities, and trapped atmospheric gas bubbles to understand how historical carbon dioxide fluctuations correlate with past temperatures across glacial and interglacial eras. In Module 2, exploring ice melting and sea-level rise, students tested physical ocean-and-land models based on Archimedes’ displacement principle, proving experimentally that while floating sea ice does not change water levels upon melting, the melting of land-based glaciers adds new volume that directly threatens coastal settlements like Penang with severe sea-level rise. In Module 3, entitled "Save the Penguin & Ocean Plastic Pollution," students advanced the targets of SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) through a dynamic obstacle course, simulating the foraging challenges of marine wildlife trapped by floating debris and plastic rings before establishing personal 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) commitments to curb single-use plastics.
The outreach initiative has now entered its digital storytelling phase, where students are working in teams to edit and produce a five- to eight-minute scientific documentary chronicling their laboratory experiments, conceptual findings, and sustainability reflections. With final video submissions due in one week, the projects will be evaluated on scientific accuracy, visual creativity, and clarity ahead of the Antarctica Day awards ceremony, where top schools will compete for Champion, Runner-up, and Third Place honours. Through this initiative, the PPTI, USM, reaffirmed its leadership in environmental technology and STEM advocacy, successfully leveraging high-impact polar science during the post-examination window to spark a lasting passion for the upper-secondary Science stream among Penang's future innovators.