SPEECH BY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG PENANG INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR 2016 ON 12 NOVEMBER 2016 SPICE, PENANG
I am very happy to be here today to open the Penang International Science Fair.
The Penang International Science Fair (PISF) is a collaboration between the Penang State Government and the industries that form the backbone of the Penang Science Cluster (PSC). It is organized as part of the PSC’s mission of “Inspiring Innovation”, which focuses on developing young minds and exposing them to science and engineering through a unique, stimulating and innovative experience.
This is truly a unique event in Malaysia – attracting so much interest that it has to be held in a sports stadium. Many high tech companies are participating to showcase and explain the science and technology behind their products through fun and hands-on workshops. And we have probably the largest number of workshops in the world! Over the 2 days, there are over 15,000 workshop slots from over 30 types for students to experience and have fun learning. This is the way science should be learnt – through hands-on experiments!
There are 3 exciting competitions in robotics and software coding. There is an interesting Makerfest, showcasing hobbyists and makers proudly sharing their creations and their enthusiasm.
We expect to draw an expected crowd of at least 60,000 visitors. This is the largest international science fair in Malaysia – so large that it is the only one held in a sports stadium.
I would like to thank Penang Science Cluster who have successfully organized 4 international sized and quality science fairs here in Penang since 2009, and this coming Science Fair will be the largest ever.
I must thank the Pillar companies of Penang Science Cluster, the multi-nationals, local companies and institutions that have come together year after year to make Penang International Science Fair a roaring success. PSC’s Pillar multi-national companies are normally competitors for human talent, but they come together through the Penang Science Cluster for a common good – to educate our next generation and build a pipeline of world-class talent needed for continued growth in Penang.
PSC, as you all know by now, is a Private, Public, Partnership; set up as a non-profit, tax-exempt, organisation, with strong support from the Penang State Government and the MNCs in Penang.
PSC’s latest initiative is to establish science cafes in every population centres in Penang to promote the learning of STEM (Science, Technology, English & Mathematics) subjects in a fun and innovative way and to support the growth of the maker movement in Penang.
The Penang State Government hopes to build up Penang as a Centre of Excellence for science and technology in Malaysia. It is through science education projects like this we can build up the new generation of scientists, nurture the budding technopreneur and inventions to fully participate in the 4th Industrial Revolution of Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things (IoT) and e-commerce. Let us focus on building human talent and public infrastructure to help Penang become an international and intelligent city. Together we can be stronger.
LIM GUAN ENG