Mysteries of science unveiled in Singapore museum

Press, 2 November 1982, Page 25

Mysteries of science unveiled in Singapore museum

By

ANNE BLOXHAM

Visitors in search of things to do in Singapore should visit the Science Centre with its fascinating display of 500 exhibits. Animated displays, which visitors are encouraged to operate, reveal the intricacies of a vast range of technological and biological wonders. The inner mysteries of the telephone, computer, television microwave transmission, jet engine, the principle of flight, the harnessing of solar energy, and the human cell are but a few that are unravelled with easy-to-understand working models. The centre offers good value, the token admission fee $1 (about 65 cents New Zealand currency) providing a fun-filled learning experience. Gone is the admonition so familiar to young, inquiring minds — “Don’t touch.” Instead, visitors of all ages are encouraged to play with the exhibits — to push, pull, wind, squeeze the controls that set the displays in action. The official Singapore Guide Book recommends the centre to “science buffs.” But in my opinion it would be appreciated

by anyone with a phobia about science induced by negative schoolday memories of dissected frogs and baffling formulae. Many New Zealand visitors are pleasantly surprised to discover that science can be fun; yet judging by the excited reaction of the local schoolchildren to mechanically caused waves or lightning, Singaporeans do not need such enlightenment, having already developed an affectionate regard for the science and technology upon which their future depends. A multitude of excellent films on aviation, the physical sciences and life sciences are screened each morning and afternoon at no extra charge. The centre’s operating costs are financed by the Singapore Government while the displays are donated by major corporations such as Singapore Airlines, Sanyo, ICI and BP. The five-year-old centre, the first of its kind in South-East Asia, is located in Jurong, just across the lake from the Chinese and Japanese Gardens. It is open to the public every week from Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays. The taxi fare is about SS6.