Under their subject Capstone Project, the Grade 12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students acted like real scientists and inventors as they came up with inventions and research projects that brought out their creativity and innovativeness, this semester.
According to Miss Girlie L. Perdon, their research adviser, Capstone Project is beneficial for them for it showcased their scientific ability and innovativeness and it served as a simulation activity for their future career. “Capstone Project helps them realize what they really want and experience what their future careers would be like,” she said.
The Grade 12 students were divided according to their career preference forming three groups: the Engineering Group, the Medicine Group, and the Computer Science Group. The Engineering Group came up with three projects: a table made up of cement mixed with partial additives like coconut husk and rice husk, a small chair made up of newspaper wood mixed with coconut husk, and soil stabilizer for road construction.
Meanwhile, the Medicine Group experimented on the effectiveness of the three combinations of herbal plants (i.e., lemon grass, oregano, and honey; lemon grass and guava; lemon grass, aloe vera, and turmeric) on initiating microbial inhibition. After proving their effectiveness, they produced hand sanitizer and liquid hand soap.
Lastly, the Computer Science Group created a program for electronic voting, which can be used during the Supreme Student Government (SSG) Election.
Different from the qualitative and quantitative research that they had taken already in the previous semesters, Capstone Project requires the students to come up with an output or invention which will be presented in a paper afterwards.
Capstone Project was patterned to the international standards being observed in Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), an international competition being joined by high school and middle school students around the world with their inventions and research projects.
The STEM students found the activity helpful as they pursue college. “It helped us to work on real laboratory setup. It really gave us a background on what would be our setting in college for it served as a training ground for us,” Cylla Mae P. Michael shared, a Grade 12 student who worked under the Medicine Group.
The Exhibit and the Final Defense
As part of their Capstone Project, the Grade 12 STEM students organized an exhibit of their products in Room 106, March 1 and 2.
Attended by the Junior High School (JHS) students, the exhibit allowed the spectators to try by themselves the products created by the STEM students. Aside from giving them a glimpse on what they would experience in Senior High School (SHS), the exhibit also aimed to encourage them to take part in research and to become inventors like them.
“Na-motivate po ako sa pagre-research na kung natapos nila kahit mahirap, kaya ko rin. Marami akong natutunang mga bagong kaalaman doon. Nae-excite na po ako sa Senior High School,” Justine Andrea G. Panlaqui, a Grade 10 student, said in an interview.
As the final stage of their Capstone Project, the STEM students presented their outputs before a group of panelists including their research adviser, Ms. Perdon on March 5 and 6. For the Engineering group, the other panelists were Engr. Leonardo V. Surio, Dean of the College of Environmental Design and Engineering of Baliuag University (BU); Mrs. Rowena SJ. Jumaquio, the Senior High School (SHS) Coordinator of MDSF and the Student Well-Being Officer; and Mrs. Ma. Carmela S. Ong, the Assistant Principal for Preschool.
Meanwhile, the Medicine Group was critiqued by Dr. Pag-asa B. Bagolor, a Dermatologist from Body Concepts Dermatology and Medical Clinic; Mr. Stephen Butch C. Duay, a professor from Bulacan State University (BulSU) Bustos Campus; and Mrs. Ong.
Lastly, the Computer Science Group presented their output to Dr. Albert C. Santos, Dean of BulSU Bustos Campus; Mrs. Rochelle C. Aure, a Computer teacher from MDSF; and Mrs. Ong.
“I was really impressed. Everyone went beyond our expectations. It is what we really want our students to do all throughout the school year—to plan, to create, and to execute. We just don’t want our students to learn inside the four walls of the classroom but we want them to really go outside the world to learn and apply what they have learned inside,” Ms. Ong expressed.
