Singapore Science Centre: MDA, Science Centre to promote interactive & digital media

By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: It's the technology behind what's available on the Internet, mobile phones and video games.

Interactive and digital media (IDM) has changed the way we communicate.

And in a new push to get young people in Singapore to be more in tune with this emerging technology, the Singapore Science Centre will cooperate with the Media Development Authority (MDA) on various projects.

The MDA and the Singapore Science Centre Board (SCB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for such collaboration on Wednesday.

A significant collaboration laid out in the MOU is the set-up of two permanent educational labs at the Science Centre focused on encouraging students to create IDM content.

MDA will explore supporting these state-of-the-art virtual labs, which will enable students to design, test and develop prototypes, with an emphasis on special effects and animation.

The labs, to cost about $1.2 million each, will be set up by June next year.

Dr Chew Tuan Chiong, chief executive of Singapore Science Centre, said: "Students will be given the opportunity....to experiment in animation, in producing things that use the latest digital techniques. This is one way to unlock the potential of the mind as well as capabilities of computers, digital technology, sound equipment, visualization and so on."

More initiatives will be rolled out in the years ahead, including the production of documentaries and showcasing IDM innovations at MDA's new office at Fusionopolis.

Hopefully, these initiatives will encourage students to take up careers in the IDM industry.

Dr Christopher Chia, IDA's chief executive officer, said: "According to surveys, the IDM industry today is worth about one trillion US dollars. It's anticipated that by 2015, it will hit about 2.3 trillion US dollars, that's 2.3 times growth in just the next 7 to 8 years."

Industry watchers say Singapore has the technology in place. What it needs now is for practitioners to be more proficient in design and research.

And that means they must be able to merge science, art and business. - CNA/ir