Written by Amanda Ong
On November 8th, CIE-SEA held its annual Math Competition and Science Fun event, welcoming more than 42 students. The event consisted of two parts: a 50-minute math competition designed to challenge students’ problem-solving skills and logical thinking individually, and a Science Fun competition that encouraged students in grades 3–8 to tackle an engineering challenge in teams.
Feedback from a parent : “This was our first time to attend CIE event and it was amazing. My son really enjoyed every part of it and he even got to win a medal! Thanks again so much for organizing such a great event for our Chinese community, we hope to join you in a near future. “
This year’s science competition challenged students to replicate a traditional Chinese wooden arch bridge. These bridges, found primarily in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, are UNESCO World Heritage sites known for their unique construction—built entirely without single nail. Students were tasked with recreating this engineering marvel using wooden popsicle sticks to develop their reverse-engineering skills. Their goal was to build a self-supporting arch using nine wooden sticks. The room buzzed with activity as groups collaborated, tested, and redesigned their structures, learning firsthand about structural integrity and engineering balance.
Students watched this video with translation to learn Chinese Ancient wooden bridge history and building architecture,
In addition to the competitions, two education seminars were held, “Early College Planning: How to Start in Elementary and Middle School” and “Math Path to the Ivy League”, which parents of students were invited to attend.
Alongside the competition, three FTC robotics teams — Sushi Squad 14179, Quality Control 21229, and Robot Eclipse 11138 — were present to introduce students to robotics and encourage them to try driving a robot. Students’ eyes lit up as they took the controls of the teams’ advanced, competition-ready robots, navigating them through a small obstacle course. Teams shared their own experiences in robotics, inspiring the next generation of engineers and programmers.
Special thanks go to our sponsors, Solomon International School and Achievian, whose generous support made this event possible.
CIE-SEA congratulates all the winners of the math competition and applauds every student for their creativity and teamwork in the science challenge.
This year, we chose two special medals, Xiang Yun style and 2008 Beijing Olympic style.
