(Bandar Seri Begawan, 12th) At the 2025 APEC Youth STEM Conference held in South Korea, five students from Brunei stood out for their exceptional performance, receiving multiple honors and bringing glory to their country.
The conference took place from the 6th to the 9th of this month at KAIST in Busan and Daejeon. Participating students formed multinational teams to present their research achievements to regional experts, educators, and peers.
Lee Jing Jing from Sultan Polytechnic Institute and her team won the highest honor—the “Future STEM Leader Award”—for their research topic “Data-driven Framework for Assessing and Sustaining Mangrove Coastal Defense Systems,” guided by Dr. Jong Anh Chun from the APEC Climate Center.
Thian Siao Fen @ Samantha from Tutong Sixth Form Centre (PTET) and her team earned the “APEC Innovation Award” for their study “Reducing Turbidity and Ionic Pollutants in Water Treatment Using Natural Coagulant from Dragon Fruit,” under the guidance of Professor Safira Candra Asih of the University of Indonesia.
Teo Kai Lun, also from PTET, and his team received the “APEC Connectivity Award” with their topic “Impact of Eco-friendly Feeds on Fish Digestive Efficiency and Metabolic Physiology,” guided by Professor Bo-Cheng Lee of National Taiwan Ocean University.
Mohamed Nabil bin Mohamed Hairol from the Prince’s College and his team also received the “APEC Connectivity Award.” Their project, “Combating Natural Disasters—Improving Flood Early Warning System Effectiveness and Reducing Impact Area Using Artificial Intelligence,” was recognized.
Additionally, Nursyamimi binti Nur Azme from Meragang Sixth Form Centre and her team won the same award for their project “Mapping Thermally Sensitive Symbiodinium to Predict Coral Bleaching Risks in the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand,” guided by Professor Neil Sahota of the University of California.
These five students were selected from 26 young participants across 11 APEC economies. Since January this year, they have participated in the months-long 16th APEC Cross-Guidance Research Initiative and were selected to attend the South Korea conference after a rigorous assessment.
This year's conference, themed “Youth-led STEM Solutions: Strengthening Climate Resilience and Building a Prosperous, Connected Asia Pacific,” aimed to cultivate future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and promote international collaboration.
The event was co-hosted by the APEC Center for Science Talents and the Ministry of Science and ICT of Korea, with Bruneian student participation coordinated by the Special Education Section’s Centre for the Development of Gifted Education (EDGE) under the Ministry of Education.
Lee Jing Jing from Sultan Polytechnic Institute and her team won the highest honor—the “Future STEM Leader Award”—for their research topic “Data-driven Framework for Assessing and Sustaining Mangrove Coastal Defense Systems,” guided by Dr. Jong Anh Chun from the APEC Climate Center.
Thian Siao Fen @ Samantha from Tutong Sixth Form Centre (PTET) and her team earned the “APEC Innovation Award” for their study “Reducing Turbidity and Ionic Pollutants in Water Treatment Using Natural Coagulant from Dragon Fruit,” under the guidance of Professor Safira Candra Asih of the University of Indonesia.
Teo Kai Lun, also from PTET, and his team received the “APEC Connectivity Award” with their topic “Impact of Eco-friendly Feeds on Fish Digestive Efficiency and Metabolic Physiology,” guided by Professor Bo-Cheng Lee of National Taiwan Ocean University.
Mohamed Nabil bin Mohamed Hairol from the Prince’s College and his team also received the “APEC Connectivity Award.” Their project, “Combating Natural Disasters—Improving Flood Early Warning System Effectiveness and Reducing Impact Area Using Artificial Intelligence,” was recognized.
Additionally, Nursyamimi binti Nur Azme from Meragang Sixth Form Centre and her team won the same award for their project “Mapping Thermally Sensitive Symbiodinium to Predict Coral Bleaching Risks in the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand,” guided by Professor Neil Sahota of the University of California.
These five students were selected from 26 young participants across 11 APEC economies. Since January this year, they have participated in the months-long 16th APEC Cross-Guidance Research Initiative and were selected to attend the South Korea conference after a rigorous assessment.
This year's conference, themed “Youth-led STEM Solutions: Strengthening Climate Resilience and Building a Prosperous, Connected Asia Pacific,” aimed to cultivate future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and promote international collaboration.
The event was co-hosted by the APEC Center for Science Talents and the Ministry of Science and ICT of Korea, with Bruneian student participation coordinated by the Special Education Section’s Centre for the Development of Gifted Education (EDGE) under the Ministry of Education.