50 Years of Science in Singapore

The following sections are included:

• Foreword
• Preface
• Contents
• About the Contributors

When Singapore gained its independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965 rather suddenly and dramatically, the immediate focus of our leaders was our survival as a new nation with no natural resources. One of the prime tools which could enable us to leverage our way into economic survival would be science, which was quickly seen by them as a necessary prerequisite for industrial and technological progress.

The following sections are included:

• Preamble
• Background
• R&D?
• Moving Up the Value Chain
• Birth of NSTB
• Starting Almost from Scratch
• National Technology Plan
• Key Thrusts of NTP
• Fiscal Incentives and Grants
• R&D Manpower Development
• Research Institutes and Centres
• Commercialisation of Research
• Technology Infrastructure
• Beyond the First Year
• Conclusion
• References

The following sections are included:

• BUILDING AN ASIAN INNOVATION CAPITAL
• ONE-NORTH
• BIOPOLIS
• FUSIONPOLIS
• NEW CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
• THE FUTURE

The following sections are included:

• About the National Research Foundation
• NRF’s Beginnings: Building Our RIE Capabilities
• NRF’s Continued Mission: Ramping up Efforts in RIE
• Outcomes: Yielding Returns From Our R&D Efforts
• Looking Ahead: Transforming Singapore Through Research, Innovation and Enterprise
• Conclusion
• References

The following sections are included:

• Raffles College
• The University of Malaya
• The University of Singapore
• Nanyang University
• The National University of Singapore
• Expansion of the Science Deanery
• Computer Science and Computational Science
• Materials Science
• The SRP, USRP and the Special Programme in Science
• The Zoological Reference Collection
• TMSI and the School of Biological Sciences
• Clinical Pharmacy
• The Diamond Jubilee Celebration
• Computational Finance
• CRISP and SSLS
• The Growth of the Faculty
• Towards the Millennium
• 70th Anniversary of the Faculty and the IMS
• Centre for Financial Engineering
• Quantum Information and CIBA
• Computational Biology and NUSNNI
• CQT and Science Communication
• Mechanobiology and Environmental Studies
• The Centre for Advanced 2D Materials and the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
• References

The following sections are included:

• Research in Mathematics
• The Department and its Graduates
• Outreach Programmes
• A Regional Centre
• References

In tandem with the development of Singapore as a nation, mathematics in Singapore underwent a dramatic transformation in the first 50 years of the country’s history. What follows is a brief account, based on both my own recollection and inputs from colleagues, of the events that shaped the current state of mathematics in Singapore.

The following sections are included:

• The Pre-War Period
• The Years Immediately after the War
• The Early Years of the University of Malaya
• The Sixties to the Eighties at the University of Singapore
• The Merger to form the National University of Singapore
• The Nineties and Beyond

Another milestone in the evolvement of the Department of Chemistry has been reached when an institution now known as the National University of Singapore celebrates its 60th anniversary (diamond jubilee) in December 1989. This review covers the development and progress of the department since 1928 and is divided into three broad periods: 1929 to 1965, 1965 to 1980 and 1980 to the present.

The Botany Department was established in the year 1949, the same year that the University of Malaya was founded in Singapore. Its first Professor was R E Holttum (Fig. 1) who is now retired and living in Kew, England. I was among the first batch of students reading botany as one of 4 science subjects (the other subjects then available were Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics), in the first year, called the Preliminary year in those days. Why was it called by that name? The reason was that those of us who entered the University in October 1949 came straight in after passing our Senior Cambridge examinations (equivalent to present day ‘O' Ievel).

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Facilities
• Teaching Programmes
• Research Programme
• Staff and Student Profiles
• Projections for the Future
• References

The history of the Department of Biological Science begins with the two foundings of Singapore and is inexorably linked to the development of the nation into a modern economic power, the transformation of a colonial medical school into a world-class research university, and evolution of biology science, from DNA structure to genomics and proteomics. On the one hand, the department can claim a research legacy inherited directly from Sir Stamford Raffles. On the other hand, our academic traditions originate with Singapore as a Crown Colony, through to its founding as a Republic, and the establishment of the National University of Singapore. During its brief 67-year history, Biological Sciences has kept a forward looking direction in education and research. This chapter will tell the story of the department in three parts, its constant reinvention into the department today and the people who led it, the development of the curriculum and its education mission, and finally the transformation into a research-intensive department through its Museums, Institutes, Centers, and Core Facilities.

A widely accepted symbol of pharmacy is the bowl of Hygeia with the serpent of Epidaurus entwined around its stem, its head elegantly poised above it. Hygeia is the Greek goddess of health and the daughter of Aesculapius, one of the Greek Gods of medicine. Serpents depict healing in the ancient world and from some accounts, were free-ranging in the temple dedicated to Aesculapius in the city of Epidaurus, the ruins of which remain today. This symbolism positions pharmacy squarely as a profession dedicated to maintaining and restoring health. Unlike medical doctors whose symbol also depicts a serpent entwined around the staff of Aesculapius, the healing comes from a bowl, presumably filled with a restorative potion. Thus, the root word of pharmacy is “pharmakon” which in Greek translates to a cure but ironically can also be interpreted as a poison or magical charm, depending on the context in which it is used. Cures are essentially titrated poisons, a point succinctly emphasized by the Renaissance alchemist Paracelsus (“What is not a poison? Only the dose allows anything not to be poisonous”) and the 18th century English physician William Withering who elegantly juxtaposed the two when he wrote “Poisons in small doses are the best medicines and the best medicines in too large doses are poisons.” As for the magical element in our cures, recall the old adage that astutely admonished healers to treat the patient and not the disease. This is an oblique reference to the placebo effect, one of the strangest phenomenon in medical science, where patients respond to their expectations of recovery, even when given an inert treatment. Clearly, there is much more to a “pill” that meets the eye. The priest-practitioners or shamans who brewed (questionable) potions for their hopeful patients appealed to their religiosity while the mediaeval apothecary with his armamentarium of henbane, opium and arsenicals cured some but killed many. Those were certainly more exciting times.

The following sections are included:

• The Budding Stage (1968–1974)
• The Expansion Stage (1975–1983)
• The Changing and Fast Expanding Stage (1983–1985)
• A Steady State Department (1986–1997)
• School of Computing (1998–now)
• Degree Programmes Offered by the School
• Innovation and Startup Activities
• Executive Education
• Teaching Excellence
• Excellence in Research
• World-Class Standing of the School

The following sections are included:

• A Seed Sown
• The First Sprout
• Growing Landscape
• Addition of Further Species
• A New Shoot from The First Seed
• A Flourishing Garden
• Acknowledgements
• References

In 2015, Singapore celebrates its 50th birthday. At the same time, the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), established in July 2005, celebrates its ten years of achievement. IAS at NTU has been formed to identify and push strategic research areas at NTU with appropriate research programs supplemented with high-level international conferences and workshops. These conferences and workshops are organised with the help of eminent scientists to provide NTU’s science and technology initiatives with a "Nobel boost": establishing the hallmarks of science at the highest level. Since then, IAS has also organised several successful graduate schools and outreach activities. To shape the strategic directions of the Institute, IAS is advised and guided by a committee of world-renowned scientists, including 11 Nobel Laureates and a Fields Medallist. Mr George Yeo, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, is the Patron of IAS.

The setting up of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences (IMS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is a dream come true for the mathematical community in Singapore. The idea of setting up a mathematical institute in Singapore dates back to the 1980’s following the enormous successes of two mathematical institutes established in the United States with funding from the National Science Foundation. These were the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) at Berkeley and the Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications (IMA) at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis.

The following sections are included:

• The Idea of a Synchrotron for Singapore
• Experimental Physics Research at NUS
• The Helios Synchrotrons
• A Synchrotron Storage Ring for NUS?
• Applying to NSTB for Funding
• The Importance of both Basic and Applied Research
• Preparing the Preliminary Report for NSTB
• Our Visit to IBM at Burlington and East Fishkill
• The Budget for the Proposal
• The Paper for the NSTB Board Meeting
• Approval of the Paper by NSTB
• Contract with Oxford Instruments
• The Building and the Groundbreaking Ceremony
• The Building Tenders and Budget Deficit
• The Steering Committee and the Press Release
• The Pro-tem Management Committee
• The Columns of the SSLS Building
• My Position as P.I. of the Project
• Beam Line Development and the Temasek Professorship
• GST and Other Problems
• Appointment of Management Board for SSLS
• Application for Licence from Radiation Protection Institute
• Appointment of SSLS Director
• Final Acceptance and Commissioning of Helios-2
• The New Management Board
• Beam Line Development at SSLS
• Mark Breese Takes Over as Director
• References

The Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing, better known as CRISP, is a university-level research centre of the National University of Singapore (NUS) which was established in the early 1990s as a centre for the reception and processing of images received from earth observation satellites. It is well-known in the region as the source of many of the satellite images which have revealed details of both natural and man-made disasters, such as the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 and the fires in Indonesia which have caused widespread hazy conditions in much of South-East Asia.

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Genesis of NUSNNI
• NUSNNI Activities
• Success Stories
• NUSNNI-NanoCore: From 2009
• References

Today Singapore is recognised as a world-player in the fast-moving field of quantum technologies. This is thanks to the country’s investment in the Centre for Quantum Technologies, established in 2007 at the National University of Singapore as the first national Research Centre of Excellence.

The following sections are included:

• Beginnings of 2D Research in Singapore: NUS Surface Science Laboratory (1986–2005) [A Wee]
• From Diamond to Graphene (1998–2010) [KP Loh]
• From Graphene to 2D Materials/GRC to CA2DM (2010-Present) [AH Castro Neto]
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Marine Biology Since 1965
• Contribution of Marine Biology to Singapore
• Marine Biology in the Next Fifty Years
• References

The Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) is one of a kind — a groundbreaker.It arose from the need to have a multi-disciplinary research team to scientificallyaddress the diverse yet interconnected problems and opportunities faced by Singapore’s coastal waters. Singapore is an island nation on the equator, withone of the world’s busiest shipping industries and has one of the most advancedcoastal development strategies, and yet it’s located in one of the richest regions inthe world for marine biodiversity: how do you reconcile these factors to benefitthe maximum number of people and accommodate their diverse interests?

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Establishing a New Institute in an Untested Field
• A New Formula for Successful Research
• A Model of Interdisciplinary Research
• Centralised Facilities
• Establishing International Collaborations
• Training Future Scientists
• Engaging the Community
• Mechanobiology has Emerged at the Interface of Biology and Physics
• Basic Research Programmes
• Technological Innovations that Drive Today’s Research
• Looking Forward
• Reference

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• After Independence
• Math Reforms in the ’70s
• Back to Basics
• New Initiatives
• Mathematics Syllabus 2013
• The Pentagon Framework (1990)
• CDIS Textbooks in the ’80s
• Gifted Education
• Differentiated Syllabuses
• Teacher Education
• Conclusion
• References

The following sections are included:

• The Beginning (1968–69)
• Science Centre in the 1970s
• Science Centre 10th Anniversary: Expansion
• Science Centre 20th Anniversary: Revamp
• Science Centre’s Third Decade: Fortification
• Science Centre’s Fourth decade: Transformation
• Reinvention Strategy
• Fulfilling the Science Centre Mission Through Endearing Means
• Young Scientist Badge Scheme
• Singapore Science & Engineering Fair (SSEF)
• Concluding Remarks
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• A Rafflesian Legacy
• Becoming the Raffles Museum
• Halcyon Days
• The Interregnum of War
• Becoming the National Museum
• Science and Technology or Natural History?
• Carving Out the Natural History Collection
• The Zoological Reference Collection 1970–1977
• Moving To Bukit Timah
• Back from the Brink: 1977–1987
• Holding the Fort … Amidst Shifting Sands
• Enter the Malayan Nature Society … and Nancy Byramji
• Off to Nanyang University
• Safe at Last
• A Kent Ridge Homecoming
• The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research
• Becoming the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research
• From RMBR to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
• A Natural History Museum … At Last
• The Mystery Donor
• Raising the Funds
• References

Learned societies in the sciences have a long history of activism in the western world. However, it took quite some time for them to take root in Asia. This chapter traces the origins of the scientific society movement in Singapore and the genesis of the major societies in the sciences there. Two key aspects in the movement stand out—one is the emphasis on the ‘invisible college’ model and the other is the dependence on a voluntary cadre to drive the movement. It is argued that despite this model of governance and operation, with its attendant limitations and shortcomings, it is a framework which has been effective in the Singapore context, as can be seen from the track record of the various scientific societies in Singapore. An important development in the scientific society movement in the country, which does not seem to have occured in other countries, is the coming together of the various societies under the aegis of an umbrella organisation. Some reasons for this interesting development are advanced.

The essays and articles in this volume have given us a good picture of how science, and the scientific community have developed in Singapore over the 50 years since its dramatic emergence as an independent nation in 1965. From virtually nothing, an active and credible scientific research sector has been built up in academia, government and industry which has made its mark internationally in several key areas of research.

The following sections is included:

• Index