Winners Of The Asian Scientist Writing Prize 2017 Announced

A total of 26 winners received their prizes at the Asian Scientist Writing Prize 2017 held at the Science Centre Singapore.

AsianScientist (July 7, 2017) – Twenty-six winners received awards worth over S$16,000 at the second Asian Scientist Writing Prize 2017, which was held today at the Science Centre Singapore. The top six prizes were handed out by the guest of honour, Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills), Mr Ong Ye Kung.

Sponsored by World Scientific Publishing Company and co-organized by Asian Scientist Magazine and Science Centre Singapore, the Asian Scientist Writing Prize is a biennial science writing competition that seeks to recognize outstanding science writers in the region.

The inaugural competition in 2015 received submissions from writers all across Asia, including China, India, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand. This year, the organizers received 227 entries, extending their reach to writers in Cambodia and Vietnam.

The top three winners in the Open category received S$5,000, S$3,000 and S$2,000 in cash prizes. In addition, the first place winner of the Open category, Ms. Tara Thean, a research associate at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, walked away with a 3D/2N stay at the Banyan Tree Bintan Villa Resort, courtesy of the Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts.

“We were very impressed with the quality of the entries this year,” said Assistant Professor Juliana Chan, editor-in-chief of Asian Scientist Magazine, who chaired the judging panel. “Not only were the essays engaging and informative, but they also made the technical subject matter accessible to the layman.”

“We hope that the Asian Scientist Writing Prize will encourage more people—scientists and non-scientists alike—to think more about how scientific advances affect us, as well as kick start a wider discussion about science and society,” Asst Prof Chan said.

Apart from the top three prizes in the Open and Youth categories, ten Merit Award winners each received S$500 worth of book vouchers from World Scientific Publishing Company, while each of the ten Honorable Mention awardees received a personalized certificate. Winners of the Science Centre Singapore Youth Writing Prize, a special category for participants aged 13-18, received personalized trophies and a total of S$1,000 in cash prizes.

“Science and technology are important components of nation building, and they have to be communicated effectively to everyone. We have in place effective learning opportunities that can empower the younger generation, and this creative science writing competition helps to inculcate a stronger sense of curiosity,” said Associate Professor Lim Tit Meng, chief executive of Science Centre Singapore.

“We applaud the efforts of outstanding individuals and would like to encourage more teenagers to join us in making science and technology relevant and accessible. We hope that this competition will inspire more students to step up and do their part to improve our future through science and technology,” Assoc Prof Lim added.

The winners were selected by a panel of five judges including Assistant Professor Chan; Associate Professor Lim; Dr. Benjamin Seet, executive director of the Biomedical Research Council at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR); Professor Steven Miller, vice provost (research) of Singapore Management University (SMU); and Mrs Doreen Phua, managing director of World Scientific Publishing Company.

The Asian Scientist Writing Prize 2017 is supported by the following organizations: A*STAR, SMU, National University of Singapore (NUS), National Youth Council (NYC), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech), SGInnovate, and the Science & Development Network (Scidev.net).




Winners of the Asian Scientist Writing Prize 2017

  1. Blue Noise by Tara Thean
  2. Ms. Tara Thean is a research associate at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. The Malaysian writer graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in ecology and evolutionary biology. Her article, Blue Noise, highlighted the often overlooked issue of noise pollution in the ocean

  3. The Red Tides of Death by Daphne Ng Hui Ping
  4. Dr. Daphne Ng, is a research fellow at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The self-professed “microbiology nut” wrote about the science of harmful algal blooms that have hit Asia in recent years in her article titled The Red Tides of Death.

  5. Illuminating the Deep, Dark World of Subterranean Ants by Mark Wong
  6. Mr. Mark Wong is a manager at Singapore’s National Parks Board. His article, Illuminating the Deep, Dark World of Subterranean Ants, brought readers into the unseen world of strange, soil-dwelling ants. From his Instagram account, @ants_of_singapore, Mark shares close-up photographs of Singapore’s ants.



Winners of the Science Centre Singapore Youth Writing Prize 2017

  1. Grains Of Hope by Tan Yong Yi
  2. A student at NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, Mr. Tan Yong Yi examined how genetic engineering can help rice farmers across Asia.

  3. Artificial Empathy: The Next Frontier by Christopher Lum
  4. Mr. Christopher Lum, a student at Hwa Chong Institution, wrote about the development of artificial intelligence that can understand human feelings.

  5. OCD: The Killing Joke by Lim Ting Wei
  6. Ms. Lim Ting Wei, also a student at NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, discussed the impact of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in Asia and the research that is being done to shed light on the disease.



Merit Award Winners

  1. Mr. Luis Wilfrido Atienza, a writer from the Philippines.
  2. Dr. Jeremy Chan Soon Kiat, a research officer at the School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
  3. Dr. Richard de Grijs, a professor of Astrophysics and Astronomy, Peking University, China.
  4. Mr. Mikael Angelo Santos Francisco, a writer and editor from the Philippines.
  5. Ms. Gayathri Karthik, a research intern at the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory in Singapore.
  6. Ms. Samantha Kwah Jun Mei, a part-time administrative assistant in Singapore.
  7. Ms. Anupama Prakash, a graduate student at the Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore.
  8. Ms. Spoorthy Raman, a science journalist at the Science Media Centre of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
  9. Ms. Sai Harshini Tekur, a graduate student at the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, Pune.
  10. Dr. Samaporn Teeravechyan, a researcher at the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Thailand.

Honorable Mentions

  1. Mr. Phillip Keane, a graduate student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
  2. Ms. Edith Koh Hsing Dee, a graduate student from National University of Singapore. Edith is currently pursuing her Masters at the Australian National University.
  3. Dr. Law Yao Hua, a freelance science writer based in Malaysia.
  4. Dr. Jonathan Leong, a lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
  5. Mr. Mohan Sundara Rajan, a journalist and freelance science writer based in India.
  6. Mr. Mark Ivan Roblas, a government employee at the Science Education Institute in the Philippines.
  7. Mr. Luke Anthony Tan, a philosophy undergraduate student at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
  8. Ms. Mariesa Teo, a student at the Benenden School, UK.
  9. Mr. Wang Shichen, a student at Temasek Junior College, Singapore.
  10. Ms. Vong Weng Chan, a graduate student from the Food Science and Technology programme at the National University of Singapore.



Publication of winning entries

In 2015, the winning entries were published in Bugs & Quarks, a book covering everything from the human body to the natural world. Besides www.asianscientist.com, Bugs & Quarks can also be purchased at bookstores across Singapore such as Popular Bookstore, MPH, Times Bookstores and Kinokuniya.

This year, Ms. Thean’s winning entry was published in the July 2017 issue of Asian Scientist Magazine. All entrants will be considered for inclusion in a new book to be published under the Asian Scientist imprint later this year.


Guest Appearance by Dr. Jorge Cham, Creator of PhD Comics

The awards ceremony also featured a special guest speaker Dr. Jorge Cham, creator of PHD Comics (Piled, Higher and Deeper), a popular web comic series on life (or the lack thereof) in academia.

Dr. Cham gave an inspirational speech that encouraged all writers to continue pursuing science communications, drawing from his own personal experience as a science communicator across multiple media platforms over the last 20 years.


About Science Centre Singapore

Science Centre Singapore, a non-formal educational institution and leading regional Science Centre, brings out the wonders of science, technology, engineering and mathematics through its unique blend of exhibitions, educational programmes and events. A custodian of creativity and innovation, Science Centre Singapore has captured the evolution of scientific developments for nearly four decades.

The Centre and its partners have played a pivotal role in transforming the way students and the public interact with and learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Since 1997, the Centre has welcomed over 30 million visitors and inspired them with more than 1,000 exhibits spread across 14 exhibition galleries and outdoor exhibition spaces.

The Centre’s group of attractions include Omni-Theatre, Snow City and KidsSTOP™. The Omni-Theatre is an immersive dual-technology edutainment destination fitted with Southeast Asia’s largest seamless dome screen and featuring the latest and brightest 8k digital fulldome system in the world. Snow City is Singapore’s only permanent indoor snow centre offering an Arctic inspired experience at Singapore’s first ice gallery and snow chamber. KidsSTOP™ – Where every child gets to Imagine, Experience, Discover and Dream – is Singapore’s first children’s science centre offering an enriching experience through purposeful play for children aged 18 months to 8 years old.

For more information, please visit www.science.edu.sg


About Asian Scientist Publishing Pte Ltd

Asian Scientist Publishing Pte. Ltd. was founded in 2011 as the definitive source of news and information for the Asian scientific community. In 2014, the company launched its flagship quarterly print magazine. Notable people to have appeared between the pages of Asian Scientist Magazine include Nobel Laureate Shinya Yamanaka and Dr. Wang Jun, co-founder of BGI and iCarbonX. It has more than 100,000 fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information about Asian Scientist Magazine, visit https://www.asianscientist.com

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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

Asian Scientist Magazine is an award-winning science and technology magazine that highlights R&D news stories from Asia to a global audience. The magazine is published by Singapore-headquartered Wildtype Media Group.

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