Science week targets rural participation
National Science Week (MSN) is reaching out to students in rural and remote areas through the MSN carnival, Kembara Sains Borneo and Rehlah Sains programmes.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said the programme aimed to spark students' interest in science and technology, particularly among those with limited access to these fields.
'Thirty rural schools in Sabah and Sarawak have been selected for this initiative, which is expected to benefit around 30,000 students,' he said after launching National Science Week 2025 in Kota Samarahan, Sarawak.
In his speech, Chang said MSN, now in its eighth edition, reflected the ministry's commitment to embedding science, technology and innovation into the daily lives of all Malaysians.
He added that the initiative would be extended to grassroots communities through the implementation of on-ground programmes throughout Malaysia, as reported by Bernama.
Themed 'Democratising Science, Humanising Technology, Mainstreaming Innovation', MSN 2025 emphasises inclusive participation in advancing scientific innovation in step with rapid technological progress, and runs until the end of the year.
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P. gombakia was officially named in 2015 by entomologist Lesly Ballantyne at the Natural History Museum in London, based on the first specimen of the species collected in 1921 from the area now known as Genting Sempah in Gombak, Selangor. Tan said the firefly specimen he collected last October was initially assumed to be of a species from the genus Colophotia, which is commonly found in Bukit Kiara. But later when he examined it closely on Jan 9, it looked different. "So I took some photos through the microscope and sent them to my academic supervisor Dr Wan Faridah (Akmal Jusoh). After discussions, we found out it was actually a bent-winged P. gombakia (from a different genus),' he told Bernama recently. Tan said he, together with Dr Wan Faridah - a firefly taxonomist and senior lecturer in Biodiversity and Conservation at Monash University Malaysia - returned to Bukit Kiara to do more research. 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