Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and Petrosains, The Discovery Centre have teamed up to launch a two-part Virtual STEM Series – The Vision of an Electric Future and Sustainable Mobility for Tomorrow programme with the goal to inspire secondary level and tertiary students to proactively think about responsible energy planning towards sustainable and safer living.
CEO and President of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, Sagree Sardien said, “In a rapidly evolving world, a sustainable future must be envisioned and ensured via responsible energy planning and development globally. The need for sustainable technological advances is now more revolutionary than ever. It will shape the course of our lives well into the future.
Ambition 2039 defines Mercedes-Benz’s path to sustainable mobility as we pursue the goal of a carbon-neutral fleet of new vehicles from 2039 across the entire value chain.
“With the electric future rapidly approaching, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is excited to collaborate with Petrosains to conduct the virtual STEM series through the Petrosains e-Design Thinking Process (PeDTP). It is guaranteed to enlighten the younger generations about the importance of sustainable mobility, and how we can accomplish it,” she added.
Chief Executive Officer of Petrosains Sdn Bhd, Ezarisma Azni Mohamad said, “Advances in energy breakthroughs and Internet of Things (IoT), among others, are the way forward towards finding sustainable solutions to the way we live and work, in harmony with nature and its resources.
Any disruption of this equilibrium leads to environmental and societal challenges that directly affect health and well-being, as well as economic sustainability.
The Virtual STEM Series aligns to the very heart of what we do at Petrosains – to inspire experiential learning in science and technology among our young people, as part of our nation-building efforts towards enabling a future workforce that can establish solutions towards better and safer living standards.
In this regard, the Virtual STEM Series is specially curated to develop High Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) to nurture critical and creative thinking skills among students,” he concluded.
The Vision of an Electric Future programme will premier with an expert talk session on the vision of an electric future, covering future technology, efforts in combating climate change and sustainable living. An onboarding session to Petrosains e-Design Thinking Process (PeDTP) which is specifically designed for this topic will follow.
The second part of the series, Sustainable Mobility for Tomorrow, will also entail a sharing session by a panel of experts, followed by the Petrosains e-Design Thinking Process (PeDTP) on-boarding session.
Participants will then be required to produce a lean/tangible prototype and make a pitch in the Ideas Presentation Challenge.
The learning content and challenge requirements are developed and customised to meet 4 SDG indicators:
| SDG | Goal | Target |
| 4: Quality Education | Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all | 4.7: Ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development through education for sustainable and shared progress |
| 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all | 7.1: Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services |
| 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable | 11.2: Provide access to safe, affordable and sustainable transport system for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations and children |
| 13: Climate Action | Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact | 13.3: Improve education, awareness and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning |
The Virtual STEM Series will officially kicked-off on Tuesday, the 15th of February, with a 2-day Meet The Expert Session. This will be followed by two mentoring sessions between the 18th and the 25th of February, to be followed by Graduation Day on Thursday, the 4th of March.
Participants will be judged on a host of criteria, including Problem Understanding, Clarity of the Proposed Solution, Validation of the Proposed Solution with Users, Validation of the Proposed Solution, Lean Prototype and Storytelling.
Three group winners will be selected from the secondary students’ category (100 participants) while 5 group winners will be selected from among tertiary students (50 participants). Each winner will receive a plaque and a digital certificate. Winners in the tertiary category will earn a six-month internship spot with Mercedes-Benz Malaysia.
Leading the future of mobility with Ambition 2039
This year, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has begun ramping its local EV strategy with a holistic approach to drive the future of mobility in Malaysia. All efforts will be channelled towards implementing, strengthening, and amplifying local EV readiness starting with the soon to be introduced EQ range.
Mercedes-Benz has a global Ambition 2039 to accelerate its transformation to an all-electric future, from “Electric first” to “Electric only” and towards a zero-emission future. From 2039, only production materials that are CO2-neutral at all stages of the value chain will be allowed through the Mercedes-Benz factory gates.
