The one-north Festival opened at Fusionopolis One yesterday around the theme of sustainability.
The event, which ends today, features exhibition booths, science demonstrations, talks, interactive displays and activities. It is held in conjunction with the Singapore Science Festival.
One of the booths explores insect-farming systems for protein production while a "Magic Lab" set up by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's (A*Star) Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences allows children aged from six to 12 to make their own slime.
Talks are on a range of themes with speakers from the private and public sectors.
They include Dr Loh Xian Jun, a senior scientist from A*Star, discussing newly biodegradable materials for green technology; Dr Sandhya Sriram, co-founder of Shiok Meats, talking about seafood grown from cells with no animals; and A*Star researcher Lim Yee Fun, who looked at innovative systems that can help cool Singapore without contributing to carbon emissions or consuming excessive energy.
Professor Lisa Ng, executive director of A*Star Graduate Academy, said the festival has a clear mission: "We want the public to know about what will happen in their futures (shaped by climate change), so we know what we can do now to ensure our security."
The Senior Minister of State for Transport and Communications and Information, Dr Janil Puthucheary, said at the opening ceremony that it is important to cultivate an ecosystem of innovation, research and business in Singapore to tackle the challenges of climate change and environmental sustainability.
He later presented prizes to the winners of the Innovation Pitch Competition 2019, co-organised by A*Star and Essec Business School.
The competition encouraged students from polytechnics, junior colleges and independent and international schools to pitch business ideas that would create a sustainable living environment.
A team from St Joseph's Institution (SJI) International that suggested a way to convert food waste and cooking oil into biofuel, fertiliser and glycerin took the top prize.
SJI International students Kyle Tan and Tara Kripalani, both 18, said the competition helped deepen their appreciation for making their big ideas actionable. Mr Tan said: "When we have to look at the issue in terms of feasibility, and really try to outline the idea to someone else, it really makes a difference to how much detail we put into it."
