Some 80 students from around the globe will be putting on their thinking caps to compete in a five-day science competition.
This year’s Singapore International Science Challenge will see budding scientists create projects centered around the theme of water.
Speaking at the event’s launch on Monday, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said: “In Singapore, as elsewhere, water is a scarce and precious resource. Hence, conserving and valuing our water resources should be everyone’s responsibility.
“Governments around the world are also trying to find alternatives to dwindling stocks of fresh water.”
He added that international collaboration between students is critical, as research is increasingly being done on a global scale.
He said: “The best work that we do in research today is not just done by a particular person or a very small team, but it is increasingly going to be done on a globalised level because the challenges, the most vital challenges that we face going forward are of a globalised nature.”
This year, a Fieldwork Challenge has been introduced to take students beyond the confines of a science lab. They will go to Kallang River to study hydrology and water footprints.
Students will also be given opportunities to give lectures and publish their work.
Carol Tay, a participant, said: “Maybe the next step is to reduce the quantity of water that we take in by increasing the quality of water. So, we are looking at water purification techniques, or maybe certain desalination techniques.”
Harman Augustus Johll, organiser of the Singapore International Science Challenge, said: “We feel that it is important for students to actually engage participants at different levels. At the same time, publishing their work gives them a little more confidence and impetus to move on.”
For the first time, the event will also feature a keynote presentation by Nobel Laureate Professor Yuan Tseh Lee, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986.
