Highlights
Congrats to the winners of National Science challenge 2008:
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1st prize: Raffles Institution team with GOH, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Education
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2nd prize: Raffles Girls School team
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3rd prize: River Valley High team
NATIONAL SCIENCE CHALLENGE 2008 (NSC 2008)
Tune in to the National Science Challenge on Channel 5, every Thursday from 28 Aug – 9 Oct, 7:30pm.
In it’s fifth year (since Jan 2002), the NSC is organised by A*STAR and the Science Centre as a series of exciting science competition to search for the brightest young minds in Singapore. The half- hour televised game show merges both outdoor and indoor science challenges to spark an interest in science amongst students as well as members of public. It aims to promote science education and foster creativity through fun and exciting science learning experiences for both participants and audience.
Congratulations to thefollowing schools that have emerged as the top 12 teams after the Qualifying Round :
- St. Joseph's Institution
- Victoria School
- River Valley High School
- Catholic High School
- NUS High School of Maths & Science
- Bukit Panjang Government High School
- Hwa Chong Institution
- Raffles Institution
- Nanyang Girls' High School
- Anglo Chinese School (Independent)
- Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
- Commonwealth Secondary School
SINGAPORE’S BIGGEST SCIENCE FESTIVAL KICKS OFF WITH THE POPULAR THREE-DAY CARNIVAL X-PERIMENT!
science.08, launched in 2001, will be held from 15 August to 30 September 2008. It is set to attract about 80,000 participants with more than 120 events, activities, talks and workshops island-wide. Themed “Fast Forward: The Science of Speed”, science.08 boasts a spectrum of activities which revolve around the dynamics of speed and the speed of scientific innovations that impact the world around us.
The six-week-long science.08, organised jointly by A*STAR and the Science Centre Singapore (SCS) returns with intriguing scientific developments and discoveries. It will kick off with the popular three-day science carnival X-periment! from 15 to 17 August 2008 at Marina Square.
X-periment
Fifteen organisations will be showcasing their exhibits at Marina Square Central Atrium at X-periment. Booths by A*STAR RIs include:
-- 299 792 458 meters/second by DSI
-- Enzymatic Production of Biodiesel by ICES
-- Assistive Social Robotics by I2R
-- Ring Deformations in Photonic Crystal by IME
-- Speedy Surfaces by IMRE
-- The Evolutionary Adaptation of Animals to Speed by IMCB
-- Digital Factory Fast Forward by SIMTech
Visit www.sciencemonth.org.sg for the full list and details of science.08 activities.
The Philip Yeo prize was inaugurated in 2007 to recognize noteworthy achievements and contributions of our A*STAR scholars in research. The award also serves as a motivation to all scholars to strive for excellence and innovation. This prize is open to all incumbent A*STAR NSS and AGS scholars. The selection is based on the quality of their first or main authored papers in premium journals.
A dinner event was organized on 13th August to present the 2008 Philip Yeo Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Research. The 2008 Prize winners were Dr Jonathan Loh from GIS and Dr Tony Quek from I2R.
A total of 23 scholars submitted over 40 publications to A*STAR for consideration by the Philip Yeo Prize Judging Panel. In addition, the various A*STAR Research Institutes nominated a further 12 scholars who submitted a total of 24 publications. From this extensive list of nominees and publications, the Judging Panel lead by Dr Brenner and comprising Professor Chong Tow Chong, Prof Lee Eng Hin and Prof Miranda Yap had the hard task of narrowing down the choice to the two ultimate winners.
The 2008 Philip Yeo Prize winners were cited for the excellent research work. Dr Tony Quek, a NSS scholar, graduated with a PhD from MIT in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Currently a researcher at I2R, his winning article is entitled “The Analysis of UWB Transmitted-Reference Communication Systems in Dense Multi-path Channels”. It was published in 2005 in the IEEE Journal of Selected Areas of Communication.
The other Prize winner, Dr Jonathan Loh, is an AGS scholar who graduated with a PhD in Molecular Biology from NUS. He is currently doing his post-doc stint at the Daley Laboratory at Harvard University in USA. His winning article is entitled “The Oct4 and Nanog Transcription Network Regulates Pluripotency in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells 15”. It was published in 2006 in Nature Genetic.
Chairman, A*STAR presented both winners with a prize certificate and a $5,000 award each . The prize money was sponsored by Dr Sydney Brenner.
Short speeches made by the winners, Dr Tony Quek and Dr Jonathan Loh.
From the left to the right: Dr Tony Quek, Mr Philip Yeo, A*STAR Chairman Lim Chuan Poh, Dr Jonathan Loh, Dr Sydney Brenner
Dr Tony Quek and Dr Jonathan Loh
Spreading laughter with toys at the Sony Creative Science Award 2008
More than 3000 entries from 108 primary schools were submitted for Sony Creative Science Award 2008. In it’s 11 th year, the toy making competition aims to foster and promote creativity among primary school students. The guest-of-honour was RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Education & Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts.
The SCSA competition comprises two award categories: the ScizKid Award in which each toy needs to demonstrate at least one scientific principle and the WhizKid Award which carries the theme of ‘Make Me Laugh’ this year. Each toy in this category must also use at least one spring to generate motion. The first prize for the ScizKid Award (Primary 3-6) went to Cynthia Lee of Bukit View Primary School
19 teachers were also awarded with the Blue Ribbon Award and one teacher with Diamond Award for inspiring students in this competition.
Eddie Goldstein (See Appendix B), a renowned American science educator and entertainer from the Denver Museum
SCSA is jointly organized by Science Centre Singapore and the Sony Group of Companies in Singapore, with support from the Ministry of Education and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew with Lam Xiang Qi and Ong Jia Jun from Xishan Primary School. Their toy “Three Little Monkeys” won third prize for Whizkid category.
Cynthia Lee Weng Yan from Bukit View Primary School
Fong Kei Sen from Punggol Primary School
304 young people received scholarships or awards at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Scholarship Award Ceremony 2008 on Friday, 25 Jul 2008, at Biopolis. Acting Minister for Manpower, Mr Gan Kim Yong, was the guest-of-honour at the event.
101 scholars received the National Science Scholarships (NSS) or A*STAR Graduate Scholarships (AGS) to pursue their Bachelor and PhDs studies this year.
104 Singaporean junior college students, and 99 international students studying in local secondary schools, received the A*STAR JC Science Award and YRAP award to further develop their interest in research.
Minister Gan also announced three new programmes at the event:
- The A*STAR Science Award (Upper Secondary) provides an early start for Singaporean students to explore their interest in science.
- The A*STAR Oxford partnership gives scholars a twin experience of doctoral studies at A*STAR and Oxford.
- The A*STAR International Fellowship offers top NUS and NTU PhD graduates international post-doctoral experience.
Please click the links to read:
Hear what some of our scholars of class 2008 say about A*STAR Scholarship Awards Ceremony (SAC):
“The SAC brings together people with a common goal - the passion and pursuit of Science” – Liemhetcharat Somchaya , NSS(PhD), Class of 2008
“The SAC may be considered the inaugural milestone in one's scientific career - it signifies the completion of a basic level of education and beginning of the next phase of higher learning.” – Kelvin See Zhenwei, AGS, Class of 2008
“The diversified performances put up by different groups of scholars made the SAC an unforgettable experience for all. In the same way, while all of us will branch out into various fields of science, I am certain that we will all have a hand in helping to shape a better world!” – Serene Chen Weiyan, NSS(BS), Class of 2008
“This event celebrates A*STAR's commitment in developing Singapore's scientific community.” - Chiu Jiawei, NSS(PhD), Class of 2008
“A myriad of emotions, joy as well as the expectation of rising up to this new challenge in my life, as I sat through the SAC. It is a moment to cherish and relish, as well as an opportune time to prepare myself and rise up to the challenges ahead” - Shakeela Banu D/O Mohamed Asrafali, AGS, Class of 2008
A*STAR Scholarship Awards Ceremony photo gallery
“When you start in your respective fields after graduation, you will encounter many difficulties and obstacles, and it is only after unyielding perseverance, patience and determination will you taste the fruits of success. It may sound daunting, but I believe you will be able to live up to the challenge.”
Mr Gan Kim Yong, Acting Minister for Manpower, Guest-of-Honour for A*STAR Scholarship Awards Ceremony
Class of 2008: NSS (BS)
Class of 2008: NSS (PhD)
Class of 2008: AGS
YRAP scholars
JC Science Awardees
Street dance performance by Class of 2008: NSS (BS)
STOMP performance by Class of 2008: NSS (BS)
Dance performance by Class of 2008: NSS (PhD)
Choral performance by Class of 2008: NSS (BS)
“Research appeals to me with its intellectual challenges and dynamism, and past research projects have strengthened my conviction that this is what I want.”
Chang Nong Shin Amelia, Valedictory speaker, NSS(BS) 2008
Thirty-four A*STAR Graduate Scholars proudly received their PhDs at NUS commencement and NTU convocation ceremonies in July 2008. They were amongst the first cohort to be awarded the A*STAR Graduate Scholarships introduced in 2003.
A*STAR Chairman Mr. Lim Chuan Poh, who was the Guest Speaker at the NUS Graduate School Commencement Ceremony, inspired the first batch of graduates with his thoughts on pursuing a PhD and the growing Research & Development thrusts in Singapore. Chairman Lim also noted how the A*STAR Graduate Scholarship (AGS) programme has catalysed the PhD enrollment at local universities.
Mr Lim also encouraged greater international collaborations in order to sustain Singapore’s position as a global R&D hub. He introduced the A*STAR International Fellowship (AIF) that will provide top Singaporean PhD graduates from NUS or NTU with two years of overseas post-doctoral opportunities before returning to an A*STAR Research Institute. This complements the overseas post-doc opportunities open to AGS scholars to deepen their research and widen their international scientific networks.
With the joyous moments captured in the pictures below, we like to wish our newly minted PhDs an exciting and fruitful scientific journey ahead.
Tan Kah Kee Young Inventor’s Award (21 June 2008)
The Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors’ Award aims to foster creative and innovative thinking among young Singaporeans by recognising their efforts to develop innovative and practical products that may have good commercial potential. Since its establishment in 1986, the competition attracts many participants submitting a broad range of projects. The newly created Junior Student Section attracted 300 entries from students below 13 years old. Other sections in the total of 1065 entries include Student, Open and Defence Science.
Many of the inventions, especially those from primary and secondary school students are based on the students’ keen observation and encounters in day-to-day situations. “Creativity and innovation in the field of Science and Technology has become an integral part of our lives. How we leverage on science and technology will shape and define the future. Economic growth will be innovation-driven rather than efficiency-driven. Therefore, the ability to develop and sustain a vibrant system of innovation is crucial to the success of a nation,” said Mr Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Defence.
Garden crawlies invade 3 shopping malls
A giant tarantula, praying mantis, Carpenter ants and the Emperor scorpion were among the garden crawlies that invaded IMM, Junction 8 and Plaza Singapura during the June school holidays.
Some 48,000 children and members of the public had a close encounter with these bugs, learning about how insects fly, eat and see through the hands-on sessions, stage performances, and displays at ‘Science in the Mall’ activities and mini-exhibits.
Science in the Mall is one of the many exciting outreach programmes organised by A*STAR and Science Centre for young kids to touch and learn science in a fascinating way. With the partnership and partial sponsorship from Capital Mall and DuPont, this year’s Science in the Mall was the largest and longest to be held in three shopping malls over 14 days from 29 May to 11 June 2008
Snippets of activities at Science in the Mall “X-ploring Garden Crawlies”
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International Science and Engineering Fair 2008 (ISEF)2008 winners
Congratulations to our four
Zhao Ye and Zhai Weichao from NUS High of Mathematics and Science
The team won the First Award of $3,000 in the Team Project Category and Third Award of $300 (Special Award from Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society) with their project "Nanofabrication with Focused Sunlight".
Yin Jianyang David from
He had obtained Third Award of $1,000 in the category of Engineering: Materials and Bioengineering with his project "Hard-Templating Synthesis and Characterization of Mesoporous and Electrically Conductive Carbon Nanofibers".
Lim Yi Hui from
She has won the Fourth award of $500 (Grand Award) in the category of Chemistry with her project "Iron Catalyst of Polymeric Schiff Bases for Ethylene Polymerization".
From Left to Right: Yin Jianyang, David; Zhao Ye; Zhai Weichao; Lim Yi Hui
