Kamil Khalili garnered Outstanding Student Award in Academic and Intellectual Development Cluster for STEM category for the year 2019

Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP)’s Mechanical and Automotive Engineering undergraduate Kamil Khalili Haji Abdullah’s deep interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and active involvement in various STEM-related programmes earned him the Outstanding Student Award in Academic and Intellectual Development Cluster for STEM category for the year 2019.
He believed that interest in STEM should be nurtured among children at school and they should be encouraged to take part in STEM programmes.
Kamil Khalili had been involved in projects such as ‘mySTEM Mentor’ and Pahang National Hackathon and Foxhunting that were held throughout the year in 2019.
“All students should be given the opportunity to try and pursue STEM subjects, regardless of their background.
“STEM can be an enjoyable thing to be learned and applied. It can be a hobby or a career especially in preparing for the Industrial Revolution 4.0.
“Effective methods to support STEM education can be achieved by providing better funding for things such as transportations and resources involving electronic components or laptops as well as trainings for project mentors.
“These steps can help improve teaching skills so students can have better understanding of STEM,” he said.
Apart from being a mentor and facilitator in STEM-related programmes, the Kuala Lipis-born undergraduate was also involved in producing kits and teaching modules in robotic technology and basic computer programming languages.
Kamil Khalili also received support and encouragement from UMP lecturers who gave him the opportunity to explore STEM and he was now in the middle of completing a framework of a guide book for beginners using Raspberry Pi, targeting school children.
The book is about programming and robotic, detailing on the widely used python programming while the robotic aspect highlights the movement and control methods of wheeled robots.
Kamil Khalili’s other honours included a champion in Yo! Innovation Competition organised by private television station TV3 Malaysia in 2012 and a bronze medal in the Invention, Innovation and Design Exposition (IIDEX) in the same year.

By: Siti Nurfarmy Ibrahim, Public Relations And Media Unit