Science is Fun

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.

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.

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.

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.

A section of the Kids Science Fest in 2012
 

“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.”

The Singapore Science Festival is jointly organised by the Science Centre Singapore, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Cityneon.  For more info and venue details, visit website: www.sciencefest.sg or go to Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/singaporesciencefest

A version of this article was published in The New Straits Times, Johor Streets on 23 July 2013