MEDIA RELEASE

Managing our Fragile Earth through Science

• Be involved and have fun with environmental science at the 1^st Science Camp
• Don’t just hear it from the experts. Share your ideas and views on conservation with them at Eureka.07 Symposium

Singapore, 31 August 2007 – Environmental issues such as climate change and global warming have captured the attention of people worldwide and have inspired more debate and action.  This has sparked a global effort to save our beloved mother earth.

Science Camp 2007 and Eureka.07 Symposium are two initiatives by Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) School of Applied Science for Singapore Science Month.  Both initiatives act as a way to reach out to the youths to educate them on how they can join in the fight against today’s current environmental issues. Participants will use the power of science and the human imagination to further understand their role and capability in saving our planet.

Dr Terence Chong, Director, School of Applied Science, “The purpose of the Science Camp and Eureka is to create a platform for today’s youth to share ideas on how each of us can play a part in conserving and protecting the earth resources through science.”

Science Camp 2007

Targeted at secondary students of all ages who have a strong passion for the environment, Science Camp 2007 will run from 3 to 5 September 2007 with its theme ‘Preserve, Conserve and Serve’ at Republic Poly.  The camp will play host to a fun filled and educational 3 days and 2 nights where participants will learn issues on environmental science and how it impact lives, technology and the economy through interesting hands-on environmental workshops and exciting field trips to bustling ecosystems near our island.

The key highlight of the camp is the Science Enterprise Challenge. It is the first of its kind with aims to encourage participants to think of a viable eco-friendly business idea through their knowledge of science. The competition boasts an attractive top prize of $500 but mainly serves to bring out new and gifted minds might one day be the future heroes of our global rescue mission.

Campers will not be alone in this mind opening experience, as they will be joined by some of the very best of the scientific community. Participants will engage and share their ideas to further to expand their ground for their scientific endeavours.

The Science Camp 2007 is co-organised by Singapore Environment Council with the support of Singapore Science Centre and sponsored by Agilent Technologies and Giraffe Funds (North-West CDC and National Environment Agency).  For more information on the camp, please log on to www.rp.sg/nsc.

Eureka.07 Symposium

Running for the 4^th successive year, RP is once again proud to organize Eureka symposium.  The symposium will be held at RP campus on Saturday, 5 September 2007 from 8am to 5pm.  Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and Mayor, South West CDC will grace the event.

Opened to students from secondary schools and tertiary institutes, this year theme ‘Managing Our Fragile Earth’’ is aligned to RP’s effort in conservation. 

The symposium serves as a platform for students to learn from various experts and to raise collective awareness in the direction in which science is heading to.

Distinguished speakers will discuss, share and exchange knowledge on issues involving science’s part in conserving and protecting the earth’s resources.  Mr. Saud Siddique, Executive VP of Hyflux and Dr. Shawn Lum , VP of Nature Society will be two of the prestigious names speaking.

There’ll also be environmental workshops, an exhibit on sustainability and the screening of “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore, a film that warns of the pending REAL disaster of global warming.

For more information on Eureka.07 symposium, please log on to http://www.rp.sg/eureka.

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About Republic Polytechnic

The first educational institution in Singapore to adopt the Problem-Based Learning approach for all its diploma programme, Republic Polytechnic has five schools and two centres offering twenty nine diploma courses in Information & Communications Technology, Engineering, Applied Science, Technology for the Arts, Sports, Health & Leisure, Innovation and Enterprise, and Culture and Communication. Republic Polytechnic is committed to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurial learning in an environment that develops problem-solving process skills and a life-long learning attitude. Its holistic, broad-based curriculum, covering culture, enterprise development and cognitive processes, prepares students for an active and meaningful role in society. Republic Polytechnic strives for excellence by achieving various national and international accreditations, including People Developer Standards, ISO9001, ISO14001, OHSAS 18001, Singapore Quality Class, Singapore Innovation Class, and the Singapore Health Awards (Gold). For more information, visit http://www.rp.sg

For media enquiries and students interviews, please contact:

Benjamin Chow (Mr)
Administrative Officer, Office of Corporate Communications, Republic Polytechnic
Tel: 6510 3251                                          
Email: benjamin_chow@rp.sg

Emma Sue (Ms)
Senior PR Consultant, Office of Corporate Communications, Republic Polytechnic
Hp: 9735 7760  Tel: 6222 8968              
Email: emma_sue@rp.sg, emma@ibrand.com.sg