Nobel Scientists are like the celebrities of the scientific world. They are recognised for their unique contributions to Science based on ground breaking impact to the existing field of knowledge. They are akin to your Harry Potters of Hogwarts. As rare and magical as they might be, it is even more difficult to have a group of them aggregated at one place.

Cue sunny Singapore and our reputation for making things happen. For eight years running our National Research Foundation has curated the Global Young Scientists Summit, or GYSS in short. GYSS is a mirror of similar talks that happen in Europe. It serves as a platform to gather scientific luminaries in Singapore to inspire next generation scientists as well as spark new ideas and innovations. Thankfully, the conversations are not limited to those who are scientifically inclined, GYSS is open to anyone who is interested.

So what conversations would take place over the four days from 14 to 17 January? Will there be questions that will offer us a glimpse into the world of the Nobel Scientists and their contemporaries? One thing is for certain, the theme will centre around the concept of “Advancing Science, Creating Technologies for a Better World”. This speaks to the essence of science, a recurring theme that resonates with me. Science is not meant to be carried out in isolation as most of us might think. Instead, the effects of satisfying our curiosity and trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe through research sometimes has far reaching impact on those whose lives we aim to make better.

This means that we need dialogue to ensure that people are aware of the litany of issues we are presently faced with and the solutions that science aims to bring to bear. I’m excited to see how increasing collaborations between scientific disciplines will bring about leaps in research and down stream applications. As a biologist myself, I am particularly intrigued by the lecture on personalised medicine. I’ll be attending this lecture entitled “The Revolution of Personalised Medicine: Are we going to cure all diseases and at what price?” Keep watching this space for our coverage on the session.

Written by Eugene Wambeck