The Singapore Science Festival 2013 kicked off on July 19 at Marina Square with the launch of X-periment! by Guest-of-Honour Mr Lim Chuan Poh,
Chairman, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
This science festival is an annual celebrationof the latest scientific innovations, new technologies and cutting edge research and engineering. Taglined ‘Science is Fun’, the nation’s largest annual science event collectively celebrates and showcases science in an attractive, experiential, and relevant manner to everyday life.
This year, the festival ran from July 19 to August 4 2013; it is co-sponsored by A*STAR and Science Centre Singapore. The festival featured close to 70 different exciting events, activities, and exhibitions island-wide. The festival will feature world-class speakers and science performers from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom.
Some of the festival highlights include:
1) X-periment! – X-periment! is headlined by internationally renowned science entertainer, Dr Ken Farquhar, who will be performing his entertaining “Science Circus Show” that demonstrates the science behind some of the common circus feats performed by acrobats across the world. Visitors of X-periment! will also discover the importance of scientific research to Singapore’s economy by witnessing 1st hand some of the most recent innovative discoveries and learn how they contribute to our society.
2) Star Lecture – co-sponsored by Procter&Gamble and targeted at students from ages 13-18 years old. The star lecture attempts to teach science to youth in an engaging and relevant manner; perfectly fitting into the theme “Science is fun”.
3) Singapore Mini Maker Faire – celebrating the spirit of innovation and DIY crafts, this fair is sponsored by Intel. Inventors, hobbyists, crafters and artists from all over Singapore and abroad will gather to demonstrate their projects, share their skills, conduct workshops and even sell their work.
4) Science Buskers Festival – held in conjunction with the Singapore Mini Maker Faire at the Scape Warehouse. This is an event that encompasses the idea of developing an individual’s communication skills through the use of science in a creative and stylish manner
This festival is aimed at promoting interaction between the scientific community and the general public. This is an important step to order to inspire young Singaporeans to become passionate about science and subsequently pursue a career in it!
