The inaugural NTU Science Discovery Camp – designed for pre-university students with a keen interest in chemistry, physics or mathematics – took place from 12-14 June 2024. Designed to immerse student participants in a rich world of science through a blend of lectures, hands-on lab activities, and social interaction, the 3D2N residential camp provided participants a glimpse of the NTU Science experience, with a taste of university life.
The NTU Science Discovery Camp was more than an educational experience; it was a journey of discovery, collaboration, and personal growth. By blending academic rigor with social engagement, each participant left with not only a deeper understanding of science but also new memories and friends in a transformative camp experience.
Read about the Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics camp experiences – shared by our very own Student Ambassadors – below.
Chemistry
On Day 1, participants were split into 6 groups named after famous chemists: Avogadro, Bunsen, Curie, Dalton, Mendeleev, and Rutherford. In the participants’ first lecture, Asst Prof Philip Grant gave an overview of organic chemistry. They then went for their first hands-on lab session of the camp: Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), where participants had to determine the active ingredients inside unknown powder samples from various analgesic tablets. Over dinner, participants interacted with the Student Ambassadors (SAs) to find out more about NTU.
On Day 2, Assoc Prof Soo Han Sen shared his research on upcycling plastics to other useful chemicals. In the two lab sessions that day, participants carried out the Fluoride Ion-Selective Electrode (ISE) experiment, and the Fehling’s Test for Reducing Sugars experiment. In the Fluoride ISE experiment, the students had to determine the amount of fluoride present in different toothpaste samples and water. In the Fehling’s Test for Reducing Sugars, the students had to check for the presence of reducing sugar in different types of fruits and juices (e.g., onion, lemon, apple). Asst Prof Lee Hiang Kwee then talked about Material Chemistry for Sustainable Energy, presenting his works on semiconductor photocatalysts.
On the last day, the morning started with a lecture by Dr Lu Yunpeng, explaining his works on Graphical Neural Network (GNN) to predict a chemical’s properties. The students then had their last lab session of the camp, which was a colourful Grignard Reaction, where they synthesized 2 different types of dyes (purple and green). In the camp’s final lecture, Assoc Prof Loh Zhi Heng shared his research on ultrafast spectroscopy, with his “photography” at a whopping 1,000,000,000,000,000 frames per second. The Chemistry camp was ended off with a lab visit to CCEB Nanyang Drive, where participants were shown different types of food fermentation, and another Food Waste Conversion demonstration.
Written by Lee Jinn-Kye
Physics
Participants were divided into six groups — Planck, Oppenheimer, Maxwell, Bohr, Einstein, and Heisenberg — to foster a sense of identity and teamwork. With 32 participants and 6 student helpers, the camp offered a comprehensive and engaging experience.
The camp’s physics program featured a diverse range of lectures designed to make complex topics accessible and engaging. Participants explored cutting-edge areas such as solar cells, quantum systems, and spin-based computing, gaining insights into real-world applications and challenges tackled by physicists today. Delivered by NTU physics faculty, these sessions provided deeper insight into forefront areas outside the normal curriculum of students.
A key component of the camp were hands-on lab activities that provided a venue for experiential learning. From guiding a laser through a maze and making it bend, fabricating nanostructures in a clean room, to moving individual atoms with a magnetic field, as well as launching liquid nitrogen rockets, these activities not only enhanced understanding but also introduced participants to coding with Python—a first for many.
Evenings were dedicated to social activities organized by the student helpers, creating opportunities for participants to bond, explore NTU’s campus, as well as stargazing. In the latter students tried their hand at using a telescope to spot stellar objects, view the craters of the moon, and identify star systems and clusters.
Written by Low Jing Hui
Mathematics
Participants were divided into four groups — Euler, Fermat, Gauss, and Hilbert — each named after prominent mathematicians.
Throughout the camp, participants attended lectures on topics such as Parrondo’s Paradox, an Introduction to Statistics and Machine Learning, and optimization models, all taught by our professors from the Mathematics faculty. Interactive elements were incorporated in some lectures, including decrypting messages using shift and affine ciphers through modulo arithmetic. The different groups competed against each other in an Amazing Race-style challenge.
In the evening, participants enjoyed games organized by our friendly student helpers. These games included the popular Estimathon and other physical games, aimed at improving camaraderie among the groups. The residential aspect of the camp excited participants the most, as they stayed in our University Halls and experienced hall life for a few days. To help enhance their experience, the student ambassadors opened the Hall’s Recreational Room, allowing participants to play board games with their peers.
Overall, the camp provided participants with a taste of the world of mathematics and a preview of university life. The participants gathered a realm of scientific knowledge that sparked their curious minds and formed meaningful relationships that they will remember for the rest of their lives!
Written by Marcus Lau