PETALING JAYA, Oct 29 — With a strong support system at home and a highly imaginative workforce behind her, Fedora Zulkifli’s job couldn’t be any better.
The chief executive officer of Petrosains, The Discovery Centre, said that the positive and vibrant energy that surrounds the science centre, located at Suria KLCC, resonates within her and makes her job so much more enjoyable.
“At the science centre, when you come out of the office, you hear the laughter, you see the twinkle in the eyes of the children and their families. The energy is just so different here at Petrosains,” said Fedora in an interview with Malay Mail.
“It kind of resonates you know? People who see me lately always say that I look so happy, and that’s because I love to hear and see the joy of the guests here.”
She added that the buoyant and upbeat energy that surrounds the centre also helps with work, as it aids the stimulation of creative ideas from the Petrosains team, as they strive to inspire youth about the wonders of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Petrosains was initially established in 1999, as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative by Petronas, to give back to the public and promote STEM.
Fedora has been at the helm of Petrosains for the past year and said that the liveliness of the centre also helps her balance work and home life, as the leading lady is also a proud mother of two children and uses the positive energy from work to also benefit her personal life.
“The energy helps, it really drives me at the organisation and also helps me channel that positive energy at home,” said Fedora.
But, being a CEO, there are a lot of responsibilities that come with the job, as she spends a lot of time at the office, going to meetings and engaging with her team and stakeholders.
Managing those duties, while being a mom at the same time, is no easy feat, as Fedora credits her loving family for supporting her and allowing her to carry out her duties with ease.
“Being a working mom, I must say I am fortunate and blessed with a great support system at home, my husband and family are very supportive of me,” said Fedora.
“That allows me to give me 100 per cent at work because I am assured that my kids and my family are well taken care of at home.”
Even with her busy schedule, Fedora always makes sure that the quality of time spent with her kids trumps the quantity as she sends her kids to school every morning, and makes sure that the weekends are all about them.
At Petrosains, Fedora and the team aim to create wonder and inspire people, especially youth, with interactive, experiential and hands-on exhibits and activities to make learning fun.
Being an informal learning institute, Fedora said that their goal was to encourage the new generation to be more involved in STEM and see that despite the perception that it is a difficult field to pursue, it can be very enjoyable and fun.
“Our role is to popularise it (STEM). We are a platform to inspire learning and the future talents, so we want to create the excitement and manage the sentiment or perception that STEM is tough and boring,” said Fedora.
“We are trying to tell everyone that it is actually so interesting, and can be fun and entertaining.”
She added that their role to promote STEM in the country was of the utmost importance because of the talent Malaysia possesses, and the potential that they can achieve.
“We have our talent, from as young as seven years old. Malaysian talents are just as world-class as everybody else across the globe.”
“We had an International Science and Drama competition this year and Malaysia won against other countries in Asia like Singapore and China, so there is a lot of hope for the potential these kids have.”
Their efforts have come to light, now more than ever, as Petrosains is currently in the phase of a “transformation” as it aims to reinvent itself amid the impending fourth industrial revolution (IR 4.0), and hopes to keep the centre relevant and interesting for visitors and the public.
One way that the Petrosains team aims to do that is by continuing on with their annual Petrosains Science Festival (PSF), where they will combine elements of STEM, sprinkled with entertainment, to build the public’s excitement.
This year, the PSF, which will be the sixth edition of the festival, is more of a celebration than a giant STEM workshop, as it coincides with Petrosains’ 20th year anniversary.
Building up to the festival, the Petrosains team has been busy at work as they have conducted multiple science workshops at their Petrosains Playsmart’s across the country at Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuching and Johor Bahru.
This year’s PSF, which is the biggest science festival in the nation, will be held from November 1 to 3 at KLCC and is focused on celebrating STEM and giving back to the public who have supported Petrosains for the past 20 years.
The festival has a “Meet the Future” theme which aims to educate and prepare the public for the rapid developments of IR 4.0 with stimulating workshops and entertaining activities.
“The festival, which is free to the public, will integrate elements of learning and entertainment,” said Fedora.
“We will have science shows and workshops at the Esplanade, which are designed to be interesting and fun, in a way that has not been taught in school.
“We want to make science accessible for everyone, giving access to people so that they can understand and appreciate the subject better.”
The sixth edition of the PSF will also have special movie screening at the Esplanade, accompanied with guest performances by Malaysian singer Faizal Tahir and rapper Aman Ra.
“It’s one way of us to say thank you to everyone who has supported us for the past 20 years, we want everyone to be part of this journey,” said Fedora.
“We were set up to give back to the public, as a CSR branch of Petronas, so we really hope that people will come and be a part of this.”
