Guest-of-Honour Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence
Dr Tan Kim Siew, Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) and Chairman, DSO National Laboratories
Mr Wee Heng Tin, Chairman, Science Centre Singapore
Distinguished guests, principals, teachers, students, ladies and gentlemen.
Good afternoon and welcome to the Award Presentation Ceremony of the Amazing Science-X Challenge, or ASXC for short.
The ASXC marks another collaborative effort between the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Science, DSO and the Science Centre Singapore. This inaugural nation-wide competition, held in conjunction with NUS Science Faculty's 80th Anniversary, underscores our three organisations' commitment in spurring the interests of the next generation in science.
So what is the Amazing Science-X Challenge about? In this competition, participants in all categories are challenged to create a stand-alone Xhibit. The Xhibits should Xplain a scientific concept or phenomenon in the area of the physical sciences, for example physics, chemistry, geophysics and so forth. These Xhibits should engage and Xcite their intended audience with regards to the many colourful and insightful aspects of science, similar to those in the Science Centre. From the sublime and beautiful, to the quizzical and non-intuitive, the possibilities for Xploration are endless! Thus the alphabet "X" in ASXC corresponds to X-hibit, X-perience, X-cite, X-plore and X-plain!
The ASXC is part of DSO's Amazing Series of Competitions. Other competitions include the Singapore Amazing Machine Competition (SAMC) and the Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition (SAFMC). The positive response to all three competitions has been very heartening.
As with SAMC and SAFMC, ASXC participants are expected to creatively apply their scientific know-how to design and build an exhibit. It adds a unique dimension to this Amazing Series of Competitions, as ASXC seeks for not just any exhibit, but the most interesting exhibit that best explains a phenomenon in physical science.
The winning formula to this competition is in audience engagement, where one's exhibit is able to capture the audience's imagination in demonstrating the marvels of science with fascinating sights and sounds. In short, ASXC is looking for THE exhibit with THE X-factor.
This is our nation's search for Singapore's most talked about scientific showcase. No simple feat indeed, as teams are certainly required to think out-of-the-box. Their exhibit must be engaging, entertaining and also educational at the same time.
To better prepare the teams for their challenges, Science X-workshops and clinics were organised in the months leading up to September. Helmed by industry professionals from both Science Centre and NUS, teams were given valuable insights on how to incorporate interesting science phenomenon into uniquely designed exhibits.
We hope ASXC has not only been a fun experience for its participants, but also an enriching learning journey in igniting creative sparks and making their passion for science come even more alive!
I wish you an enjoyable afternoon. Thank you. |