Dr Chew Tuan Chiong, Director & Chief Executive, Singapore Science Centre

Principals, teachers and students

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am pleased to be here today to officiate at the Opening Ceremony of "The Amazing Electron" Exhibition.

"The Amazing Electron" Exhibition is organised as part of the Singapore Science Centre’s programme which aims to stimulate greater interest in science and technology among students, educators and the public community at large. The visually-interesting displays have been carefully selected and created to get the scientific concepts across to visitors in a participatory and fun way.

In addition, in line with the aims of the Ministry for Community Development and Sports, the Exhibition serves as a good avenue for families to strengthen and renew their bonds, by engaging them in the fun of learning together through various creative and hands-on activities in science and technology.

The world of discovery and inventions is filled with strange and amazing stories – stories of luck and accident, of ingenuity and imagination, and of sheer genius. In 1897, J.J. Thompson discovered the electron, a very tiny particle which forms an essential part of all atoms, leading to a new revolution in micro-miniaturisation and electronics that has affected both life and industry.

The most notable inventions centering around the electron and spanning the centuries include: Franklin’s lightning rod, Volta’s voltaic pile, Faraday’s electric generator, Bell’s telephone, Edison’s electric bulb, Rontgen’s X-rays, Marconi’s radio, Fleming’s thermionic valve, Logie Baird’s TV, Christian’s RADAR, Shockley’s transistor, Kilby’s Integrated Circuit, to Maiman’s LASER – and many others.

Amongst these, the impact of the electron through the microchip is the greatest. The microchip, linked to the broadband network, is the driver for the politics and economy of today. More than 6 billion chips are out there: from the lock of your hotel room to genetic diagnostic machines as well as the electron microscope. Live TV pictures of human suffering change the foreign policy of governments. Live radiologists at remote stations reading high-resolution CAT scans advise rural physicians. Satellite pictures alert security forces of coming weather storms. The list goes on.

I understand that "The Amazing Electron" Exhibition attempts to let visitors find out how the inventions which we often take for granted were first stumbled upon, as well as create an awareness of the tremendous impact of the electron and its effects in everyday life situations.

Given the current economic and health situation in the world, there exists an urgent need to expedite cross-disciplinary research in science, engineering and medicine. By making use of existing equipment, like the electron microscope and genetic diagnostic machines, coupled with leading edge technologies, we can propel forward to come up with new products like SARS identification kits and so on, which are in great demand. This will enable Singapore to thrive even in an economic downturn, as today’s discoveries will lead to the breakthroughs of tomorrow.

I am confident that, true to its purpose, "The Amazing Electron" Exhibition will be of particular relevance in our modern world, where the most common circumstances can lead to the most life-altering discovery, and where fact and fantasy meet at the forefront of science and technology.

It is my wish that this Exhibition will help to inspire our youths, the hope of Singapore’s future generations, to be bold in the field of scientific exploration and make truly amazing discoveries in the various disciplines of science and technology.

I would like to commend the Singapore Science Centre for working together with "The Amazing Electron" Exhibition Advisory Committee, whose members come from the tertiary institutions and industry, to make this event a reality.

Thank you.

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