Bringing back the ‘soul’ to STEM

MANY years ago, Akademik Sains Malaysia organised a timely conference themed “Injecting the soul in R&D” in Kuching. At that time, the idea of STREAM was already floated as an expansion to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), which was coined earlier from SMET. The latt...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Abdul Razak, Dzulkifli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/72354/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/72354/1/72354_Bringing%20back%20the%20%E2%80%98soul%E2%80%99%20.pdf
_version_ 1848787599723855872
author Abdul Razak, Dzulkifli
author_facet Abdul Razak, Dzulkifli
author_sort Abdul Razak, Dzulkifli
building IIUM Repository
collection Online Access
description MANY years ago, Akademik Sains Malaysia organised a timely conference themed “Injecting the soul in R&D” in Kuching. At that time, the idea of STREAM was already floated as an expansion to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), which was coined earlier from SMET. The latter did not pick up allegedly due to some offensive meaning in other cultures. I am appreciative of the cultural sensitivity as a reason for the change but this is exactly the issue I have with STEM at the very fundamental level. The acronym sounds so cold and clinical that it is almost inhuman. It is devoid of the “soul” that has to be injected again.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T17:27:30Z
format Article
id iium-72354
institution International Islamic University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
language English
last_indexed 2025-11-14T17:27:30Z
publishDate 2019
publisher Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling iium-723542020-03-16T02:55:06Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/72354/ Bringing back the ‘soul’ to STEM Abdul Razak, Dzulkifli LB Theory and practice of education MANY years ago, Akademik Sains Malaysia organised a timely conference themed “Injecting the soul in R&D” in Kuching. At that time, the idea of STREAM was already floated as an expansion to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), which was coined earlier from SMET. The latter did not pick up allegedly due to some offensive meaning in other cultures. I am appreciative of the cultural sensitivity as a reason for the change but this is exactly the issue I have with STEM at the very fundamental level. The acronym sounds so cold and clinical that it is almost inhuman. It is devoid of the “soul” that has to be injected again. Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd 2019-03-05 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/72354/1/72354_Bringing%20back%20the%20%E2%80%98soul%E2%80%99%20.pdf Abdul Razak, Dzulkifli (2019) Bringing back the ‘soul’ to STEM. The Sun Daily. https://www.thesundaily.my/opinion/bringing-back-the-soul-to-stem-HE644191
spellingShingle LB Theory and practice of education
Abdul Razak, Dzulkifli
Bringing back the ‘soul’ to STEM
title Bringing back the ‘soul’ to STEM
title_full Bringing back the ‘soul’ to STEM
title_fullStr Bringing back the ‘soul’ to STEM
title_full_unstemmed Bringing back the ‘soul’ to STEM
title_short Bringing back the ‘soul’ to STEM
title_sort bringing back the ‘soul’ to stem
topic LB Theory and practice of education
url http://irep.iium.edu.my/72354/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/72354/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/72354/1/72354_Bringing%20back%20the%20%E2%80%98soul%E2%80%99%20.pdf