Singaporean Student Reaches Semi-Finals of Global Science Competition With Video on Mechanical Cellular Engineering
Updated: Sep 16
A Singaporean student is in the running to win a college scholarship in a global science competition.
Jasmine Eyal, a 16-year-old student, is currently one of the 30 semi-finalists competing in the annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge competition and has the chance to win her US$400,000 worth of prizes, including a college scholarship and a new science lab for her school.
Founded in 2015, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global science video contest that encourages students to create engaging and imaginative videos that demonstrate difficult scientific concepts and theories in the physical or life sciences.
Eyal’s video tries to explain the concept of mechanical cellular engineering by connecting it to the making of rock-and-roll music. She said that her grandma – her Popo – who has Type 1 diabetes and thus suffers from near-endless insulin injections, inspired her to make the video.
“When I came across an article on how sound waves (like those from rock-and-roll) could one day replace these injections through mechanogenetic cellular engineering, I was instantly eager to learn more,” she told us. “The idea of this innovation making such a huge impact on people’s lives, including my grandma’s, really motivated me.”
Eyal said that the making of her video was not without some challenges. The biggest of which was making mechanogenetic cellular engineering accessible to everyone, regardless of their background in science.
She explained that she experimented with several storylines in an attempt to excite her audiences, while enlightening them at the same time. After multiple iterations, she landed on a metaphor that compares mechanogenetic cellular engineering to the performance of a highly trained rock band, which she feels makes the complex science concept easier to understand.
Besides that, she said coordinating her shoot was also a challenge. “Wearing the hats of writer, director, and actor was difficult already, not to mention the technological hurdles, language barriers, and 13-hour time zone difference,” she said. “The ‘video call’ you see in my video is actually separate shots of my grandma and me, synchronised and overlaid with the call interface to make it look realistic.”
Eyal hopes that her video can spark curiosity and show the public how groundbreaking discoveries in science can change lives.
“I hope my video inspires viewers around the world to explore more scientific breakthroughs and helps them see just how exciting these innovations can be,” she said.
Winning the global challenge would be an incredible opportunity, Eyal said. The college scholarship would support her education endeavours and allow her to continue pursuing her passion for STEM. She also plans to collaborate with the Breakthrough Junior Challenge team to identify a school that could greatly benefit from the $100,000 Breakthrough Science Lab prize.
“Empowering young minds through education and science is something I care deeply about, and this prize would be an incredible way to give back and make a lasting impact,” she said.
Even if she doesn’t win, she said that there have already been so many rewarding aspects of the challenge. Chief of which, she said, has been the overwhelming support she’s received from people across the world. Another highlight was the opportunity to connect with Professor Bill Sullivan, who authored the article that inspired her video.
“Additionally, a local Singaporean taco shop, Señor Taco, kindly allowed me to film my band scenes before they opened for the day. And, of course, my grandma Popo’s enthusiasm was Infectious – she was so excited to be a part of the project and to bring her personality into the video.”
The finalists’ videos are already up on YouTube and Facebook, and the general public can vote for a people’s choice winner in the Popular Vote Challenge between now and 20 September.
Eyal is one of two Singapore semi-finalists, along with Mikayla Young whose video focuses on CRISPR gene editing.
Singaporean student Jasmine Eyal is currently one of the 30 semi-finalists competing in the annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge competition
Her video on mechanical cellular engineering has the chance to win her US$400,000 worth of prizes, including a college scholarship.
Eyal is one of two Singapore semi-finalists, along with Mikayla Young whose video focuses on CRISPR gene editing.