Home MSU-IIT’s Grade 9 Students stand tall among 30 Winning Teams at Southeast Asia STEM Fair in Bangkok

MSU-IIT’s Grade 9 Students stand tall among 30 Winning Teams at Southeast Asia STEM Fair in Bangkok

msu iit grade 9 stduents bag 300 usd in stem competition in bangkok

BANGKOK, THAILAND — A team of Grade 9 students from MSU-IIT’s Integrated Developmental School (IDS) made the Philippines proud as they emerged among the 30 winning teams in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Project Competition held during the 2023 Southeast Asia STEM Fair and Exposition in Bangkok, Thailand. 

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for STEM Education (SEAMEO STEM Ed) hosted the event held on March 10-11, 2023, at the Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel.

The SEAMEO STEM Education Centre hosted the event to showcase young learners from member countries’ talents in projects that illustrate the application of STEM learning to solve problems or challenges in their daily lives or communities. The competition saw the participation of 370 projects from different countries in the Southeast Asian region.

The MSU-IIT IDS Grade 9 students’ project caught the judges’ attention, and they were impressed with the team’s concept due to its simplicity, affordability, and potential impact. 



Project TIBACRU was developed by four junior high school students from IDS, Ricah Mey Dela Cruz, Ahmad Nur Barambangan, Rachelle Kayeleen Tiu, and Jeca Ayesha Chua.

The team aimed to address food poverty by creating an aquaponics system to grow vegetables and raise fish in urban areas. They improved the design by working in a lab, collaborating with STEM institutions, and learning about the issue through documentaries and talking to underprivileged communities. They developed a cost-effective, replicable, and energy-efficient solution.

The IDS team was led throughout the project development by Mr. Gilden Maecah M. Migalang, who was also a parallel session speaker at the event. 

Being the sole Mindanao team to get to the final round, the group flew to Bangkok, Thailand, where they presented their idea. The team plans to keep pushing forward with their project in the hopes that one day they will make a substantial contribution to ending hunger.



The event highlighted the importance of STEM education in addressing real-world problems and challenges. It also showcased the talent and creativity of young learners in the Southeast Asian region in utilizing STEM learning to make a difference in their communities.

See the event’s official post here:

 – WhatALife!/Jayve



Sources: (1), (2)


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