As parents, we sometimes lament about how to prepare our children for the future when we ourselves are uncertain about what the future holds.
Well, one thing for certain which the future will depend on would be the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM in short. In fact, look around us today and we’ll see that STEM is very much powering our daily lives – the way we work, play and communicate. One effective way to enthuse our children in STEM is by letting them see how the concepts of STEM are applied in everyday lives.
Singapore Science Festival 2016
Jointly organised by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Science Centre Singapore, Singaporeans can look forward to more than 30 activities taking place across the island until 5 August 2016. The Festival is expected to attract around 165,000 visitors.This year’s Festival celebrates Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics building blocks to achieve Singapore’s aspirations to become the world’s first Smart Nation.Themed Build Your Smart Future, the fun-filled festival celebrates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as the building blocks to create a Smart Nation, which will create infinite opportunities to improve lives.
Key Programmes:
15 – 17 July: X-periment! at VivoCity
16 – 17 July: Science Buskers Festival at VivoCity
22 – 31 July: Visual SG at Science Centre Singapore
2 – 4 August: STAR Lecture: How to Survive in Space, at Caldecott Broadcast Centre
X-periment:
X-periment! is a three-day carnival celebrating the latest developments and research in science and technology. There will be interactive innovations, experiments by local researchers and science demonstrations by some of Singapore’s leading research and tertiary institutions. The marquee event of the Singapore Science Festival, X-periment! brings to life the important role science plays in our daily lives and captures the imagination of the young, creating unforgettable experiences that encourage an interest in science through creativity, exploration and fun.
When, Where: 15, 16 and 17 July
VivoCity Level One, Central Court
Opening Hours:
11am-10pm
Admission: Free
Great for:Families with young children, tertiary students, science enthusiasts
Highlights include:
• Performance by The Flight Brothers from US-based The Franklin Institute
• Smart scavengers to clean up oil spills
• An invisible raincoat
• The latest in the fight against Dengue Fever
• An integrated mapping tool
Feature: The Flight Brothers – Science Shows by The Franklin Institute
From the dawn of man to the sophistication of modern rocketry the Flight Brothers will jaunt through the ages and introduce you to a few of the important people who have brought us to where we are today. Topics will include the four forces of flight as well as air pressure, Bernoulli’s principle, and action and reaction.
The Flight Brothers show times:
15 July – 2.30pm, 5.30pm and 7.30pm
16 & 17 July – 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
Feature: Hydrophobic coating—An invisible raincoat that keeps water at bay
When rain falls on a lotus leaf, rain droplets roll off instead of wetting and sticking to the surface of leaf. Scientists have discovered, with the help of powerful microscopes, a very thin layer of tiny waxy structures (one tenth the diameter of human’s hair) on the surface of lotus leaf is responsible for this phenomenon. The invisible “raincoat” that keeps a lotus leaf dry in rain can be mimicked in many ways. In this demonstration, we coated a shoe with our special water-repelling material that keeps shoes and feet dry even when sprayed with water.
Taking centre stage over the weekend is the Science Buskers Festival, which combines science and street entertainment as 34 groups of students from primary schools through to adults showcase experiments including erupting volcanoes, self-made planes, gravity defying tricks and crystallised Christmas trees. Judging will take place on Sunday between 11am-3pm.
Science Buskers
The Science Buskers Festival is a fun and colourful way for the young to learn and cultivate an interest in Science and develop new skills. The Science Buskers Festival combines science with street entertainment with participants from primary age through to adult performing creative and spectacular “show-and-tell” experiments.
When: Where: Time: 16 and 17 July 2016 VivoCity Level One,
11am – 6pm
Admission: Free
Great for: Families with young children, tertiary students, science enthusiasts
Busketeers
14 year olds Audrey Teo Syn Ee, Cheyenne Chesney and Darshanaa Veeraputeran from Anglo- Chinese School (International) will demonstrate the magic of science in density and magnetism. Monsters J.R 11 year olds Rachel Ng Yun Xuan and Goh Zhi Xuan Janieve from CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace love think big about science. They’ve got a pepper pool and a mud pool, both of which provide some interesting scenarios.
Awesome Scientists
10 year olds Senthilkumar Illakkiya, Nehru Sachin, Lim Yi Chen from Chua Chu Kang Primary School will defy gravity with their inverted glass of water.
Visual SG
Now in its third year, Visual SG is Southeast Asia’s signature Visualisation Festival that marries art and science through visually-rich pieces and experiences. Both a serious study and playful showcase, Visual SG presents a full-on visual spectacle of data through the lens of artistic and creative expression.
Held from 22 to 31 July 2016, exhibitions range from virtually unwrapping an Egyptian mummy, painting a Van Gogh on water, to sending a virtual kiss that can be felt by the recipient.
This year’s theme is Beauty in Patterns, among the highlights are guest lectures from international guests:
- Prof Anders Ynnerman is the creator of the ‘Inside Explorer’ table that allows people to unwrap an Egyptian mummy.
- Adrian Cheok explores mixed reality to incorporate all senses into multimedia.
- Carter Emmart combines science with digital graphics to create a digital 3D map of the universe taking people to frontiers never reached.
- Patricia Vickers-Rich and Thomas Rich, with artist Peter Trusler who combine palaeontology with art.
- Garip Ay, an artist from Turkey, who uses an ancient technique known as Ebru, to create vibrant images using paint on water.
Feature: Inside Explorer Touch Table
Developed by Interspectral AB from Norrköping, Sweden, this interactive table can explore an Egyptian mummy as a whole or zoom in to see specific features in detail, such as carving marks on the sarcophagus. It can also remove the outer casings, unwrap the mummy, and peel off layers from the body to reveal anatomy and artifacts wrapped together with the body.
What: Visual SG
When: 22 – 31 July 2016
Where: Various venues. For further information go to http://www.sciencefest.sg/partner-events/
STAR Lecture: – How to Survive in Space by Dr. Kevin Fong
Go on a space adventure with world expert in space medicine, Dr Kevin Fong, as he takes you on a journey into low earth orbit and beyond at this year’s Star Lecture – How to Survive in Space.
Drawing on Dr Fong’s interest in space medicine and extreme environments, learn about the physiological challenges of human space missions and how science, medicine and engineering work hand-in-hand to answer our biggest questions about Life, Earth and The Universe.
When: 2,3 and 4 August 2016
Time: 3.30pm – 5.30pm
Where: Mediacorp Caldecott Broadcast Centre, Andrew Road, Singapore 299939
Admission: Pre-registration required.
Free for registered school groups. Limited tickets are available to the public at $10 each. Purchase tickets at www.regonline.sg/starlecture
Great for: Students aged 13-18, tertiary students and science enthusiasts
Adding to the festivities is the One-North Festival from 2 to 6 August 2016. Organised by A*STAR and JTC, the festival will feature talks on research, creativity and enterprise, innovation demos, workshops and other activities. More info at: www.sciencefest.sg
Looks very interesting! I think kids of all ages have something for there here.
Yes very much so. I love the fact that so much thought and effort has been put inside.
Such a great educational festival for the young ones. My kids are still too young this year. I hope they continue to organise it every year.
I’m sure it will get bigger and better as the years go by. It is already quite an established and popular festival so….by the time your kids are old enough, I’m sure it will be truly out of this world! Thanks for dropping by.
Thanks for sharing it and surely my son will love anything and everything related to Science and experiments.
Hope you have some time to catch some of its last few talks and exhibitions. Thanks!
I love it that students from different schools are involved in the festival! Kids teaching kids = the best.
Yes, nothing like peer teaching for effective learning – for both parties! Thanks for dropping by!
I love that there are so many of these “cheem” programmes to expose kids to!
Yes…and hopefully won’t be so ‘cheek’ after they have gained some interest to it! Hence the beauty of this festival.
I have read about the Science Buskers at Vivocity and it was such a pity that we missed it. I think my boy will really enjoy the hands-on activities and hopefully the students there will be able to answer his many whys.
Hi Jolin, thanks for dropping by. I think there’s still some other activities / talks this coming weekend if not do keep a lookout for it next year, it’s an annual event.
We missed the Science Buskers at Vivo and all the program sound so interesting and so many hands-on experience. I’m sure these showcases and experiments changes the perception of Science for our children especially when some of these are conducted by kids themselves.
Wished I had come across this earlier. Some of the activities at Vivocity looked great. Hope I have the time to try out other activities with my children.
Ugh! I missed this! I love it when organisers put in effort to bring Science down to a suitable level to capture the interest of our young ones. Hope they run this again next year!
I’m sure they will! It’s been going on for a few years already. Thanks for dropping by!