It was indeed a wonderful surprise for HELP students Nicole Kiew, Max Yong and James Lau when they won the grand prize of RM 5,000 for their Best Idea Award for the SOS Challenge under the Tune Group of Companies. Nicole and Max are currently pursuing the American Degree Program (ADP) while James is completing his A-levels. In addition to the grand prize of RM 5,000, the trio also received a one-year personal accident insurance and a three-month internship with Tune Protect.
The simple but effective navigation app, Tune Walk, allows pedestrians to be guided from Point A to Point B through the safest routes on foot. All pedestrian crossings, proper footpaths and high risk areas are highlighted to help pedestrians stay safe.
Tune Walk, according to Nicole, was designed to cover a variety of uses, which include assisting pedestrians and allowing users of the app and local municipal councils to update themselves on areas for improvements.
According to all three, they are avid users of public transport and initially thought the app would be useful to tourists who are facing difficulty in locating the easiest route to a given location.
“Pedestrians are really the most vulnerable group of people in comparison to those who drive cars. Being frequent pedestrians ourselves, we felt this was an app that was very important and relatable to people including tourists,” said James.
Nicole said she had joined many competitions and enjoyed the adrenalin rush it gave her and this was her biggest win so far.
The trio had to submit a video of the SOS app and while James produced the storyboard, the voiceover was done by Nicole, with James in charge of editing.
Dr Gerard Boey, Head of the Department for the American Degree Program (ADP) at HELP said ADP students were encouraged to use the 4Cs ie Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication in their studies and he was pleased that Nicole and Max had successfully won the grand prize in the Tune Group competition.
“We encourage ADP students to participate as much as possible in the classroom and to engage with other students in discussions and class assignments. The ADP system of studies is an interactive one and encourages participation rather than rote learning,” said Gerard.
The SOS Challenge was developed in partnership with the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC), the Road Safety Department Malaysia (JKKR) and Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
