Speech by Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, at the Amazing Science-X Challenge Award Presentation Ceremony

Principals and Teachers,Students,Ladies and Gentlemen,Good Afternoon.

Powered by Imaginative Science

Welcome to the Amazing Science-X Challenge or ASXC for short. This is the second time it is being organised by DSO National Laboratories, the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Science and Science Centre Singapore, and I am glad to see that this joint effort to ignite a passion for science among our youth is bearing fruit. This year's 125 participating teams represent an 80 percent increase from last year. The number of participating schools has also doubled. I would like to commend the organisers for bringing the world of science to our young people like you, and for nurturing the spirit of discovery and innovation. These efforts are important because as a whole of government, we continue to place emphasis in building technological capabilities in our people and systems. Economically, we continue to shift towards industries that have high value add, whether in the services or manufacturing. Educationally, we still require our students at all levels to place emphasis on Science & Technology or S&T subjects. For defence, we leverage off technological platforms to extend our reach and increase our effectiveness. Our defence ecosystem, including that of scientists in DSO and DSTA require highly trained and motivated scientists to overcome our inherent limitations as a small nation, both geographically and numerically.

For schools and Institutes of Higher Learning, we are ensuring that we provide a more holistic development for our students. However this does not mean a de-emphasis on Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics subjects. Indeed, these processes are complementary. Albert Einstein once said, "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions". Einstein was convinced that science is based on imaginative power and that scientific creation is the culmination of imagination. History supports Einstein's belief. Powerful consequences are the result of people asking "why?" or "why not?", and using S&T to make the improbable possible. The discovery of electricity, outer-space or deep sea exploration, and the numerous devices that have revolutionised our way of life over the past century - cars, planes, lasers, the internet, digital cameras and, most recently, the iPhone and iPad - are all examples of imaginative creativity made possible only by rigorous applied science.

However, we should bear in mind that most of these life-changing inventions have very humble beginnings, and often, their true potential in practical application was not realised until much later. When Theodore Maiman developed the first working laser in 1960, nobody knew what to do with it. Today, man's ingenuity and imagination has led to the laser becoming an indispensible, often overlooked, part of daily life. There is a tremendous diversity of applications from laser pointers and DVD players, to more complex usage in laser surgery, astronomy and quantum information processing. The possible applications and uses of lasers are limited again only by our imagination. Culture of Innovation and ExplorationFor Singapore, we need to build a culture of innovation and exploration. We must encourage our people to try new ideas and not fear failure. As Thomas Edison, the "father of the electric lightbulb" once quipped, "To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk". In this context, the Amazing Science-X Challenge, or ASXC, is a good programme and provides our young with the opportunity to test and showcase their imagination and creativity. Productivity-driven Discoveries and IndustriesThis culture of innovation and exploration is critical if we are to succeed in transforming into a high value-added productivity-driven economy. These changes are already underway, as Singapore continues to attract industries that require highly-trained scientists and engineers. Our gross expenditure on research and development stands at almost 3% of GDP today. As we keep up these investments, we must also continue to attract our fair share of global industries and scientific talent to Singapore. We have been successful thus far. Our R&D efforts in clean energy technologies have drawn several leading companies to Singapore. GE Water has made significant investments to set up corporate labs within NUS to serve as test-beds for innovation.

Rolls-Royce has also launched its state-of-the-art Fuel Cell Systems Process Engineering and Verification Facility at NTU. Besides establishing Singapore as a hub to develop and test bed new technologies, these MNCs" presence will also help turn our investments in R&D into real applications that plough back dividends into our economy. On the defence technology side, DSO collaborates with DSTA to offer prestigious scholarships to groom future scientists and engineers.

When they join DSO and DSTA, they are empowered to develop technologies that sharpen the cutting edge of Singapore's defence capabilities. DSO also works closely with our universities, polytechnics and A*STAR research institutes on defence related R&D programmes.

Conclusion

Today marks the end of your ASXC journey, and judging from the many creative exhibits on display, it looks like you had a lot of fun through the exercise of fertile imagination. On this note, let me offer my heartiest congratulations to all participants and winners. Always remember that you should never underestimate the power of your imagination, your ability to uncover the marvels of science and inspire others to do the same. Thank you.