MEDIA RELEASE
The Academy of Sciences Malaysia has revived an old favourite method of communicating science in the effort to increase the take up of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the next generation.
What was formerly known as estidotmy, a collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and Utusan Malaysia, is now e-estidotmy, a virtual platform to promote the sciences. The website is a collaborative effort between the Academy, the Young Scientists Network- the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM), Science Media Centre Malaysia, National STEM Association and Pusat STEM Negara.
This platform is a fresh take on the popular magazine among school children for the decade it was available in newsstands. Throughout the decade that estidotmy was available, from 2002 to 2012, there were a total of 114 issues covering a wide range of STEM topics.
The Academy of Sciences Malaysia President, Professor Datuk Dr Asma Ismail said that the Academy was moved to act to revive the magazine after realising the dwindling interest in STEM among youth.
“We need more youth to fall in love with the sciences; to realise the magic that lies behind the microscope or code and see just how the meticulous work can have great impact on the community.
“The e-estidotmy site will allow not just school children but also anyone interested in learning more about STEM to grow their knowledge bank about the fluid area that is the sciences. This will influence them in the long-term as we need more youth to be involved in the sciences as that will be the base of future economic strength for the nation,” she said.
Science Media Centre Malaysia co-founder, Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan, is excited about the revival of estidotmy and being part of the implementing team and editorial board. As a science communicator she sees this as an excellent platform for parents to make science part of household discussion.
“I was a big fan of estidotmy and today I am esctatic to be part of the implementing team and the editorial board. It is a privilege to be working in a tool that will shape the future STEM talent of Malaysia,” said Dr Mahaletchumy.
Dr Mahaletchumy has always been passionate about bridging science and society and sees e-estidotmy as a perfect tool to expose not just students but also teachers and the general public to the latest scientific developments, technologies and STEM personalities.
For Zamir Mohyedin, a physicist at Universiti Teknologi MARA, news about the re-emergence of estidotmy brought about a sense of nostalgia.
“Growing up, estidotmy was something I never missed out on reading. The magazine was the reason I developed an interest in the sciences.
“The content, which covered developments in the local and global scientific scene, was written in an easy manner in Bahasa Malaysia which made it easy for youth like myself to understand.
“I hope with its comeback, it will provide content and context for the developments of the sciences to the community,” he said.
The revived science communication initiative; now branded as e-estidotmy; was launched by YB Khairy Jamaluddin, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation today during the closing ceremony of Minggu Sains Negara (MSN). MSN is an initiative to increase the public’s understanding of the importance of science, technology and innovation (STI) in their daily lives; to attract the interest and increase the number of students who enrol in STEM courses and to appreciate and recognise the contributions and successes in the sciences.
To explore the content on the site, please head to esti.my.
Watch the official launch video of Esti.my here:
**All previous posts about COVID-19 here: https://sciencemediacentremalaysia.com/tag/covid-19/
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