MIIS students win top prize at the International Science Enterprise Challenge

(From left) Miranda Bernadette Panaguiton, Alannah Kirsten Mitra, Sabine Chiongbian, Mathena Rain Rodas, Gianina Marie Gabrielle Reyes, Francine Mae Mamba, and Glenn Angelo Joven

High school students from the Multiple Intelligence International School (MIIS) bagged the top prize at the International Science Enterprise Challenge (ISEC) 2015 held recently, besting other schools from Singapore, Japan, Russia, Guam, Indonesia, Mongolia, Thailand, and Turkey. Kaisei High School in Japan was second place

The MIIS students who competed were Sabine Chiongbian, Glenn Angelo Joven, Francine Mae Mamba, Alannah Kirsten Mitra, Miranda Bernadette Panaguiton, Gianina Marie Gabrielle Reyes, and Mathena Rain Rodas.

A 24-hour competition for high school students from all over the world, ISEC challenges the participants’ knowledge and skills in both science and business to come up with a sustainable solution to a particular problem. The challenge is announced the same day to teams composed of three to nine members. Within 24 hours, the students have to come up with prototype, a business plan and a 3-minute video to be presented to an international board of judges. The Surya Institute and United in Diversity in Indonesia, together with the Young Entrepreneur Center in Singapore, started ISEC (then called ASEAN Science Enterprise Challenge) in 2009.

The MI students with their winning entry BioBox. (From left) Miranda Bernadette Panaguiton, Gianina Marie Gabrielle Reyes, Glenn Angelo Joven, Sabine Chiongbian, Mathena Rain Rodas, Francine Mae Mamba, and Alannah Kirsten Mitra.

For their winning entry, the MIIS students submitted a BioBox, which provides an easy, efficient way to conserve and save water, money and space. It utilizes and combines the concepts of vertical farming, terrariums, dome collectors, and water tables. Terrariums simulate the water cycle, thus making it a self-sufficient ecosystem that recycles and reuses water as well. Dome collectors gather and store rainwater for uses such as drinking, bathing, washing, watering, and the likes. Water tables collect excess water that seeps into the ground from rain and runoff. By combining all these concepts together, BioBox creates an efficient use of water while creating an organic, natural, and eco-friendly way to farm. Some crops that can be farmed in the BioBox are cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, garden cress, bok choy, brocolli, brussel sprouts, and similar green leafy vegetables.

“We are thankful and very proud of our students for bringing another honor to MIIS. This is truly a testament to what the MI school has been initiating to help prepare Filipino kids to be globally competitive and future ready. By using their multiple intelligences, our youth indeed has what it takes to engage the international community with their innovative, creative, and socially relevant ideas,” says Joy Canon-Abaquin, Founding Directress of the Multiple Intelligence International School.

Early this year, MIIS won Global 3rd place in the 14th Global Enterprise Challenge. The MIIS team competed against 28 teams from 13 countries from the US, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific.