Developing changemakers through innovation
By Communications Team and Anika Singh '24
9 November 2022
In our Gift of Stories series, we share more about our community’s spirit of giving, one story at a time. Join us as we discover how #UWCSEAGiving makes a difference.
Innovation initiatives at UWCSEA provide students the opportunity to work with like-minded people with similar interests but diverse perspectives, and support a fertile environment in which they can collaborate and learn. Across the College, with the IDEAS Hub on Dover and Innovation@EAST, students are encouraged to take their original concepts from ideation to launch, creating a platform for them to explore and develop an innovator's mindset outside of the classroom, whilst keeping the UWC mission at the forefront of their thinking. Students are empowered to create innovative products, services and systems that provide solutions to real-world problems and needs within their community.
In this story, we hear from Anika Singh '24, an avid innovator who has benefited from the College’s innovation ecosystem.
"My initial experience with innovation was five years ago in an after school activity at the community lab. For a very naive and somewhat clueless Grade 6 student with no exposure to design at all, walking into that environment was surreal. The fancy and intimidating machines from CNC routers and laser cutters to 3D printers were utterly fascinating to me, and my interest in innovation stemmed from here. Over the years, I started to get more involved within the space of Design Technology and innovation, and this only accelerated during my High School years where I had more freedom and exposure to different opportunities. For me personally, innovation makes up a very significant part of my ‘UWCSEA experience’. One, because of the sheer amount of time spent there, but also because of the immeasurable amount of learning and engagement that occurs in that space.
In Innovation, the main projects I currently participate in are First Robotics Club (FRC) and the Great Lunar Expedition for Everyone (GLEE), an initiative hosted by NASA for the upcoming Artemis lunar mission. Previously I participated in the Engineering Innovation Challenge (EIC) hosted by the Science Center and NUS, where we made a water purification device using UV-C light to be used in developing countries. Currently in FRC we are working on building a robot which aims and shoots a ball into a hoop. I've learnt a lot through my experiences in Innovation particularly collaborating with others, overcoming challenges, and working towards a goal which the path may not seem that clear or straightforward."
An ecosystem that encourages innovation and personal growth
UWCSEA provides students with not only tangible resources, such as a safe space to work, but also the necessary tools and equipment, and guidance from teachers and industry professionals. An example of this is through our partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to run the DeepRacer League where our students have access to an array of Machine Learning and Reinforcement Learning educational resources, culminating in an inter-college challenge that involves building, programming and racing autonomous 1/18th scale race cars. Similarly, speaking about her experience being part of a robotics project, Anika talks about how “Innovation@EAST was useful in both the resources and spaces it provided for us to be able to work, as well as teacher expertise which guided us throughout the process.”
An ecosystem that encourages local outreach and cross fertilisation of ideas
Students also have the chance to connect with other schools, fostering a community mindset and building essential skills such as teamwork, communication and collaboration. Examples of this include the robotics hackathon with Stamford American International School and Lego outreach programme with local kindergarten students.
An ecosystem for innovators of all ages
Due to the diverse range of clubs and activities on offer, there are ample opportunities for students across grade levels. All students at the College are encouraged to join innovation activities, paving the way for them to develop knowledge and skills to get involved in STEM-related fields. High School Students can take part in more advanced challenges such as The Singapore Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition. The FIRST Lego League is open to Middle School students and challenges such as the robotics hackathon are open to Junior School students.
What I really love about innovation is that there really isn't any limit to what you can do – from sustainability to service, as well as science and engineering. Personally, I think innovation gave me an avenue to channel my thinking and creativity and combine so many different aspects of my learning which heightened my whole school experience.
– Anika Singh '24
Hyundai Biomimicity Hackathon
Participating in the Biomimicity challenge was a huge learning curve as the team faced numerous challenges, pushing us to develop solutions to real-world problems. But at the end of the two months, we all came away with new skills and were inspired to continue working to make a better world.
– Shruthi, Grade 11 student
Innovation@EAST worked alongside the IDEAS Hub on Dover Campus and Hyundai Motor Group to create a hackathon programme designed explicitly for UWCSEA students by the Hyundai and KIA teams, with the participation of the Rhode Island School of Design. The theme of the hackathon was 'Tech Meets Nature: The Sustainability Challenge’, and students learnt about innovative, technological and sustainability-related developments, and had the opportunity to gain real-world insights from renowned experts. The workshops concluded with the teams pitching their solutions to a panel of judges at the Ideas Hub.
Innovation and classroom learning interconnections
Such an environment where students are encouraged to tinker, build and experiment, while also thinking critically about problems they encounter along the way, helps them not only outside of the classroom but also within their academic pursuits, creating lifelong holistic learners. As Anika puts it “the link between innovation and classroom learning is interconnected.” Students not only need to apply their knowledge and theoretical understanding of concepts developed in the classroom to innovation projects, but also need to be able to reapply skills picked up from innovation such as creativity and problem-solving back to the classroom.
The College’s Innovation ecosystem provides students with an immeasurable amount of learning and engagement, building a solid foundation that prepares them to be innovators, changemakers and thought leaders of the future. Students of all ages are encouraged to internalise an innovator’s mindset, think critically and to connect and collaborate with their local community as they seek to create solutions to real-world issues.
#UWCSEAGiving represents a future with possibilities and potential, inspiring the younger generation to be the change they want to see in the world. Community gifts fund programmes like the Innovation@EAST and Dover Campus Ideas Hub.
Help us provide opportunities for our students.