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| Hands-on activities brings the Science lesson alive! |
The Singapore Science
Festival 2013, held from July 19 to August 4, is Singapore’s largest annual
science event. Taglined, “Science is
Fun,” the Science Fest has over 70 exciting events, activities and exhibitions
to showcase science in an attractive, experiential and relevant way to everyday
life. In addition to a host of
activities, it will also feature world-class speakers and science performers
from the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore. This year’s Science Fest will be its biggest
yet with mega events and exhibitions held at various locations throughout the
city state and are expected to attract a larger turnout than last year.
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Ken Faquhar, renowned science entertainer will
perform tricks and explain the science behind each trick |
The Festival will kick off on
July 19 with the launch of X-periment!,
a weekend science carnival at Marina Square, where visitors can get the
opportunity to participate in hands-on activities, meet local scientists and
witness the innovations by A*STAR research institutes, local companies and
scientific companies. The STAR Lecture, targeted at 13 to 16-year
old students, approaches the teaching of science to youths in an engaging and
entertaining way. Dr Peter Wothers,
Teaching Fellow at the University of Cambridge, will delve into the chemistry
of the world around us through his show, “The Modern Alchemist” while
internationally renowned science entertainer Ken Faquhar will perform circus
tricks and explain the science behind each trick.
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Mega size grasshopper and other creatures at the
Megabugs Return! exhibition |
The anchor event of this year’s
Science Fest is Megabugs Returns!, an
exhibition of animatronics of mega proportions at the Singapore Science Centre
from now till August 18. Visitors will
be transported to an imaginary world where they are “shrunk” as they come
face-to-face with 3-metre tall insects and garden creatures like grasshopper,
praying mantis, butterfly, beetle, ant, cockroach and centipede. The exhibition also features a showcase of
live insects and rare specimens.
A first-of-its-kind 3-day
Science Street Fair at the Singapore Science Centre will be packed with food,
games, shows, workshops, competitions and many exciting activities in 120
stalls set up throughout the 8 zones in the Science Centre. Another crowd favourite is the Singapore Mini
Maker Faire where makers of all ages will showcase their range of creative
projects in science, arts, crafts, engineering and technology.
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Students showing of their talents at the Science
Buskers Festival last year |
At the Science Buskers Festival, participants from all walks of life are
encouraged to show off their creativity in communicating science in a fun and
creative manner. Participants will do a
“show-and-tell” on any science topic in the most engaging way and visitors will
have a chance to vote for their favourite buskers.
Over in the Art Science Museum, Marina Bay
Sands, visitors can travel back in time to unravel the science of ancient
Egyptian burial practices in the Mummy:
Secrets of the Tomb Exhibition. This
exhibition showcases 6 mummies and more than 100 artifacts including the
statuette of the Egyptian god Amun-Ra from between 664 – 305 BC. The centerpiece of this exhibition is
Nesperennub, a temple priest who lived 3,000 years ago.
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A section of the Kids Science Fest in 2012
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“This year’s festival
promises to be bigger and better, with more partners from the private and
public sector, launch of new events and the return of crowd favourites like the
X-periment!, STAR Lectures and the Mini
Maker Faire,” said Associate Professor Lim Tit Meng, Chief Executive of the
Singapore Science Centre. “We believe
the larger scale of this year’s festival will provide added depth to help
visitors discover the wonders of science in a fun and engaging manner,” he
added.
Commenting on the
significance of the Festival, Dr Lim Khiang Wee, Executive Director of the
A*STAR Graduate Academy said, “Through this festival, we hope many will see the
value of science and be inspired towards careers in scientific research to
improve the quality of life. The various
festival events underscore how science can be a fun and rewarding field with
untold potential that holds real life relevance in everything we do.”
A version of this article was published in The New Straits Times, Johor Streets on 23 July 2013
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