Chan Kit Junn (fifth from left) is joined by his teammates from The Solvers, Syed Qaleef Danial Al-Edrus (centre) and Wong Sh Mayn (sixth from right), alongside judges, and representatives of Shell and SMK Puncak Jalil.
IN a thrilling display of innovation and teamwork, The Solvers from SMK Bandar Puncak Jalil emerged as state champions at the recent Shell NXplorers 2024 Peninsular Malaysia Challenge.
This prestigious competition – spearheaded by Shell – equips young minds with the skills and methodologies needed to collaborate and devise solutions for real-world challenges related to the food-water-energy nexus.
Sharing the limelight with the winning team, was The Elemental Innovators from SMK Aminuddin Baki, who secured the title of first runner-up.
Both teams will now represent Peninsular Malaysia at the upcoming national Shell NXplorers Malaysia challenge, set to take place later this year.
Fostering tomorrow’s innovators
The event saw a heartening display of creativity and dedication from all the participating teams.
Shell Malaysia Upstream general manager of projects Norizah Othman expressed her admiration for the students’ ingenuity.
“I am genuinely impressed by the innovative solutions presented by all our finalists today. This demonstrates that promoting STEM education early on plays a crucial role in shaping tomorrow's leaders who are committed to contributing to a sustainable future.”
She further added, “We at Shell are committed to investing in our youth and providing them with the necessary skills and tools, while nurturing future innovators and engineers through Shell NXplorers Malaysia.”
Winning innovation
The Solvers, made up of Chan Kit Junn, Syed Qaleef Danial Al-Edrus and Wong Sh Mayn, clinched the state title with their groundbreaking innovation, EASYPASS.
This cutting-edge toll system is designed to revolutionise toll access through automated licence plate recognition, offering drivers a seamless, hassle-free experience.
“We developed this idea after discovering that people spend up to 44 hours a month stuck in traffic, especially during peak hours and holidays,” explained the team.
EASYPASS is an advanced toll collection system integrated with a mobile app, enabling a barrier-free passage for users.
It leverages Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to efficiently capture licence plate numbers, offering a smooth and streamlined toll experience.
The Solvers, featuring Kit Junn (left), Sh Mayn (center), and Syed Qaleef (right), proudly demonstrate the groundbreaking capabilities of their cutting-edge innovation, EASYPASS.
"What makes our solution unique is that it relies entirely on mobile phones, making it highly accessible to everyone, especially those struggling with traffic congestion at toll booths," they added.
Reflecting on their journey through Shell NXplorers, Kit Junn shared, “We’ve gained invaluable technical skills like coding and enhanced our interpersonal skills, particularly in persuasion. These experiences have prepared us well for future challenges.”
Team member Syed Qaleef added that he experienced a boost in confidence and acquired critical thinking skills during the course of the programme, while Sh May shared that the experience taught her about learning the importance of teamwork and problem-solving.
Good solutions, better world
Meanwhile, The Elemental Innovators from SMK Aminuddin Baki captivated the judges with their creation, SMART PANTRY.
The trio, consisting of Dishha Palanivello, Shazrina Shereen Mohd Sazri, and Arvind Arumugam, developed an Arduino-based app that monitors and maintains optimal conditions for food storage to ensure food quality and safety.
The app also offers suggestions on how to use or preserve food that is approaching its expiration date, helping to reduce waste and promote smarter food management.
The idea came to Shazrina while helping her mother organise the pantry and noticing how much food was being thrown away.
It hit her just how wasteful it was—not only for the environment but also for the financial cost of tossing out perfectly good food.
“Our project has two key components: an app that tracks food expiry dates in a calendar format, and hardware to monitor temperature and humidity.
“The aim here is to reduce food waste, lower food poisoning cases from consuming expired items, and increase cost savings for users,” the team added.
(Fifth from left onwards) Dishha, Arvind and Shazrinaof SMK Aminuddin Baki were named runnersup in the recent Shell NXplorers thanks to their winning invention SMART PANTRY.
Dishha reflected on their two-year Shell NXplorers journey, emphasising how perseverance and teamwork drove their project forward.
Arvind, who initially hesitated to join the challenge, now celebrates his growth in STEM.
“I wasn’t too eager to join at first, but over time, I began to enjoy STEM and started participating in various STEM tournaments.
“Initially, I didn’t win, which was disappointing, but as I improved my projects and pitching skills, I started seeing better results,” he said.
For Shazrina, who was introduced to Shell NXplorers by her sister, guidance from mentors has been crucial.
“At first, I felt clueless about what to do since it was my first experience with something like this. However, with the support of my teammates, Shell mentors, and teachers, I was able to overcome the challenges I faced throughout my journey,” she noted.
Recognising excellence
With the support of the Education Ministry, Shell NXplorers Malaysia engaged over 890 secondary school students from 26 schools across the nation.
These students had the opportunity to experience hands-on STEM learning, with a strong emphasis on technology.
This year in Peninsular Malaysia, 80 teams comprising of more than 240 students participated in the programme, which also featured peer-to-peer sharing to expand knowledge to a broader community of approximately 1,000 students across all participating schools.
As The Solvers and The Elemental Innovators prepare for the national competition, all eyes will be on their continued journey of discovery, learning, and innovation, as they strive to make their schools and state proud.
