The first row vibrated with nervous energy, a stark contrast to the row behind. With speakers quietly mouthing their scripts and audience members slowly filling in, it was time for the second round of the third annual STEM Talks held at Nakornpayap International School on Friday June 5th at the Harmony Theater.
The STEM talks event is an endeavor of knowledge, with students getting the opportunity to hone their skills of research, writing, memorization, time management, and public speaking. With the last STEM talk happening in February, only a select few of those speakers were chosen to advance to round 2: The Inter-School STEM Talks. International Schools from all around Chiang Mai were invited to participate with SISB, UCIS, and CMIS joining NIS for this first iteration. Judges were also representative of the various schools.
The future of contact lenses was explored by Julie (G10) who explained the simplicity of Ortho-K, contact lenses worn overnight to gently reshape the cornea and correct nearsightedness. Her goal was to show that science doesn’t just exist in our textbooks, it’s all around us. It can be gentle, easy, and beneficial without you having to do anything but wake up in the morning. With just a few millimeters difference to her cornea, Julie’s vision is temporarily yet significantly improved. Another goal of hers was a personal one, to improve her ability to talk on stage. This is exactly what STEM talks is all about, trying new things and challenging yourself.
In the Harmony Theatre, the room’s energy fluctuated between excitement and nonchalance. The tiny bit of apathy from the audience was easily drowned out by the students who were interested and invested. Someone who caught the entire room’s attention and kept it was Adriana Yao from grade 10 who used images of Mr. Jack Robinson and Mr. Colin Mercer in her presentation (with their consent of course). With the help of these images as well as her enthusiastic tone, she presented the mysteries of black holes to a captivated audience.
Our science department, led by Mr. Colin Mercer and Dr. Insha Javaid founded the STEM Talks and were obviously very excited for another year of riveting talks.
Behind the scenes was our graduating senior Lola Schoenlaub, someone who may not get enough recognition for the effort put into planning STEM talks. Lola has MC’d every single STEM talk held at NIS but reducing her title to merely a host would be unjust. Lola has helped coordinate every event, advised many speakers, and made sure everything got done on time. After asking her how long it took to build STEM talks, she said, “It was definitely a three year process.” After the first few STEM talks, they have definitely perfected the formula but there is always room for growth so it’s constantly improving. Since this is Lola’s last time coordinating a STEM Talk, her closing speech moved everyone in the audience but especially touched her fellow graduating seniors.
Thank You Lola, The Beating Heart of STEM Talks
And when all was said and done, Lola asked for her last drum roll before announcing our first place winner, Adriana Yao. The auditorium erupted with cheers and excitement as if the audience was living vicariously through her. Adriana’s come back story was an inspirational one, with her not giving up and coming back every year for another shot at victory. Her joy was contagious as she jumped on stage and accepted her award.
There’s only so much one can learn from a classroom. The real skills come from going out there, challenging yourself, and most importantly, not giving up.
Magazine Photo Credits: Talaw Maidment, Alex Washington, Katelyn Loomis, and Eric Sha