Board Members and Management of DSTA and DSO,

Our YDSP participants,

School Leaders,

Parents, Friends

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very good afternoon. I am delighted to hear that the YDSP or the Young Defence Scientists Programme, continues to attract strong participation among our students and youths who share a common passion for STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

On this, I extend my congratulations to all the participants of the programme for having successfully completed your programme journey. I hope that you have enjoyed your time with the YDSP and I certainly look forward to visiting the project booths later to learn more about your experiences and the good work as you undertook the various projects.

Recap of YDSP's Achievements

Since its inception in 1992, the YDSP has been seeding interest in our youth in the application of STEM knowledge towards solutions to tackle security challenges. The YDSP offers experiential learning opportunities for our students, including exposure to cutting-edge technologies with defence applications, as well as to the experts behind these exciting technologies. And as part of the YDSP, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and DSO National Laboratories (DSO) organise a series of internships, research attachments, and science workshops for our students under this programme every year.

Over the course of the past 12 months, DSTA and DSO have conducted four-month long Research@YDSP internships for 77 students, across a wide range of topics, which included aerodynamics, user experience design, unmanned systems, AI, cybersecurity, and many more. We have received positive feedback from our participants that the internship expanded their worldview on the potential application of technology to solve real-world challenges. As an outcome of these internships, many students expressed that they are now more confident in taking on new challenges with their newfound knowledge.

I would like to highlight the achievements of two of our Research@YDSP students, Goh Rou Hui Ashley and Felicia Tan Ee Shan. Guided by their DSO mentor, they developed a model framework to fact-check images and text on social media to combat potential misinformation. The framework clinched the Silver award at the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF), a national competition affiliated to the prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

The DSTA also ran two physical five-day YDSP Science and Technology Camps for close to 170 students across 18 schools. The camps provided theoretical knowledge and hands-on opportunities to code and develop applications in the areas of AI, Machine Learning and Drones. Students worked in groups to showcase their projects on the use of generative AI in military applications, and to maneuver their drones to complete a search and recover mission through a mapped maze. They also had the opportunity to interact closely with our DSTA engineers.

In addition, DSO held the World of Science event over a one-month period, and engaged close to 190 students across a wide range of advanced technological subjects, including Cryptography and Quantum. Students had a chance to participate in physical workshops, to conduct experiments, and to go on exciting field trips. Through these activities, they got to learn directly from DSO's technical experts who generously shared their deep knowledge.

Importance of Talents to Seize Technology Opportunities and Overcome Threats

Given the rapid pace of technological innovations. it is absolutely crucial that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) continues to tap on cutting-edge technology to achieve an operational edge. It is only possible to do this if we are able to attract talents who have strong passion for technology and engineering to contribute to our Defence Technology Community, and through platforms like the YDSP, we hope to inspire bright young minds like yourselves to be part of Singapore's next generation of defence scientists and engineers.

Being part of YDSP provides a glimpse of a fulfilling career in DSTA and DSO. Many in the Defence Technology Community started at platforms like this, in an audience like yourselves. One example is Ang Ray Yan, a cybersecurity engineer with the DSTA. Fueled by his passion for programming and technology since young, Ray Yan participated in various YDSP activities, which gave him insights into the exciting work of defence engineers. Another example is Felicia Tai, an image radar engineer currently with DSO's Sensors Division. Intrigued by math and science since young, she participated in DSO's World of Science and Research@YDSP, which provided opportunities for her to see theories come to life through hands-on experiences and challenging research projects. Both Ray Yan and Felicia's positive experiences at the YDSP spurred them on to take up the DSTA scholarship. It is my hope that you too will be inspired through the YDSP, and join many others like Ray Yan and Felicia to be part of the Defence Technology Community and play your part to help shape the future of Singapore's defence.

Conclusion

In furtherance of that aim and as part of this congress, scholarships are also awarded to recognise students who have achieved outstanding academic results and demonstrated strong passion in science and technology. A big congratulations to our new YDSP and DSTA Junior College Scholars.

Finally, I wish to thank the mentors, school leaders, parents and friends for supporting and nurturing our next generation of scientists and engineers.

I hope that have found your experience meaningful. I wish everyone a pleasant afternoon. Thank you.