Speeches
Speech by RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, at the Sony Creative Science Awards Presentation Ceremony on Wednesday, 30th July 2008, at 9.00am at the Science Centre
Dr Chew Tuan Chiong,
Chief Executive,
Singapore Science Centre
Mr Kazuo Nakai,
Managing Director,
Sony Electronics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
Dr Lim Ser Yong,
Executive Director,
Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech),
A*STAR
Ladies and gentlemen
Boys and girls
Good morning
I am delighted to join you at the eleventh Sony Creative Science Awards Presentation Ceremony today. This is the first time I am attending this unique competition, which challenges our young students to create educational toys that are fun to play with, and at the same time, illustrate science concepts. It is always fascinating to see how children use their imagination at play and I look forward to viewing their creations later.
Since the competition started in 1998, more than 30,000 students have taken part and created many interesting and unique toys. This year, more than 30001 toys have been submitted from students in 108 primary schools. I am sure the judges had lots of fun but also great difficulty in selecting the winning toys.
Buying a toy is easy if you have money. Inventing and making a toy is much harder. The process of inventing a toy involves a lot of patience, curiosity, creative and analytical thinking. These are essential skills in any innovation process. They are also important qualities if we want to excel in science. While these are skills that can be taught, they are best developed when you exercise these skills. The Sony Creative Science Awards Competition is a fun and interesting way to promote, nurture and exercise these skills.
The theme for the 2008 WhizKid Award category is “Make Me Laugh”. Participants are expected to create toys using at least one spring to generate motion. This requires participants to stretch their imagination, and challenge themselves to produce toys that are unique and can amuse others.
I note that this is only the second time in the past four years that an entry from Primary Two students has been shortlisted in the WhizKid category. The toy, “Three Little Monkeys”, created by Lam Xiang Qi and Ong Jia Jun from Xishan Primary School, features three monkeys, each supported by one spring. Through simple movements, the faces of the three monkeys can change. I understand that the judges were deeply impressed by the students’ creative use of springs, their understanding of how their toy works, and their ability to explain what they did during the process of making the toy.
Not only are the participants involved in the competition, teachers and parents have also been enthusiastically assisting the students in building their toys. Schools have organized their own workshops to encourage the children to think out of the box, and to look at things from different angles. Teachers and parents have also helped the participants make their toys more sturdy and presentable. It is encouraging to see educators, parents and students working closely on a common cause.
To recognize teachers who have spurred their students on in the competition, the organisers have been handing out the SCSA Blue Ribbon Awards since 2005. Since its introduction, 81 teachers have been presented with the SCSA Blue Ribbon. You will be able to see this Honour Roll at the exhibition later.
This year, the organisers have introduced the Diamond Award, to further acknowledge and recognize teachers who are a source of constant inspiration to their students. I would like to congratulate the very first recipient, Ms Ong Chui Hoon of Zhonghua Primary School, who has had two Blue Ribbon Awards already under her belt. Thank you for showingthe way on how teachers can enthuse and inspire their students.
Conclusion
For a competition to run continuously for 11 years and to find a fresh theme or challenge each year is an achievement in itself. The dedication and commitment of the organizers, namely, Sony Group of Companies in Singapore, the Science Centre, and A*Star, has been invaluable in sustaining the competition and injecting new ideas to make each year’s competition better than the last. May I offer my congratulations for a job well done, in providing our students with this opportunity to have fun, challenge themselves and showcase their talents.
And to all the winners of the Sony Creative Science Award, congratulations. For the rest of the participants, do not give up. Always remember this - Thomas Edison invented the light bulb only after hundreds of failed attempts! As he once said, “We now know a thousand ways how not to build a light bulb”, so I urge all of you to continue your quest to invent the next innovative toy because you will be learning a lot while having fun.
Thank you.