2.         As a curtain-raiser for Science.07, Xperiment! is a three-day science carnival which brings research out of the labs and to the general public, allowing both the young and old, the expert and the  man-in-the-street to have a glimpse of the kind of research that Singapore’s research institutes and Institutes of Higher Learning are engaged in.

THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF R & D

3.         With its lack of natural resources, Singapore’s must leverage on our human capital and the wealth of knowledge and talent in our midst.  Recognising this, Singapore is making a concerted effort and already seeing some success in our endeavour to grow R&D and innovation as a new engine of growth.  Science is, therefore, an essential pillar for many industries in Singapore.  Indeed, Singapore has succeeded in many industry sectors like Electronics, Chemicals, Biomedical Sciences and Info-Communications and one of the key reasons is because of our strong base in science and technology.  Singapore is also emerging as a major node for R&D, with strengths in areas like stem cell, data storage and interactive and digital media.

4.         The private sector has also invested significantly in R&D in Singapore.  Major chemical and pharmaceutical companies have set up their R&D centres here, such as Mitsui Chemicals which will be establishing its first overseas petrochemical R&D centre in Singapore, and GlaxoSmithKline, which recently announced the opening of its new $20 million medicinal chemistry lab at its R&D facility in Biopolis.

FOSTERING AN INTEREST IN SCIENCE

5.         Given our economic and strategic thrusts of fostering talents in science and R & D, it is imperative that we expose our students from young, provide them with a nurturing environment and the means and stimulus to discover, explore and develop their scientific talents.  The core objective of these efforts is the inculcation of a strong and sustained interest among our youths to pursue science.

6.         In line with this mission, the Ministry of Education, A*STAR and the Singapore Science Centre provide many opportunities for students to hone their creativity and innovation skills, and to be exposed to R & D.  These include curricular and enrichment activities at schools, out-of-classroom programmes like the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF) and the annual A*STAR Talent Search.  I understand that there are also many programmes where students, and their parents, can get to know more about science and research such as the “Science in the Mall” series of activities and regular “Meet-the-Scientist” sessions at the Science Centre.

OUR YOUTHS WHO EXCELLED IN SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

7.         I am heartened to note that these efforts have borne fruit. Our students’ skills and calibre as scientists are not only evident in the quality of their work and projects submitted in national competitions, but have also been recognised internationally.  For instance, our students obtained one First Award and one Second Award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2007 (ISEF) in May.  This is Singapore’s best performance in its seven years of participation in this competition, which is widely regarded as the Olympics of science competitions.

8.         Amelia Chang Nong Shin from Raffles Junior College won the First Award in the category of Medicine and Health Sciences for developing a novel approach in applications for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis of Duchenne[4] Muscular Dystrophy.  The findings from her work will enhance the sensitivity of current diagnostic techniques and can be applied for the diagnosis of other genetic disorders.  A team comprising Sewa Du Ying and Navin Brian Ramakrishna from National Junior College, meanwhile, won the Second Award in the category of Cellular and Molecular Biology for studying the involvement of two proteins essential for cell movement.  They were able to deepen the understanding of processes occurring when cancer cells spread in the body, as well as wound healing.