The Young Scientist Award

This award is organised by the Singapore National Academy of Science and supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research. The YSA is presented to young researchers, aged 35 years or below, who are actively engaged in R&D in Singapore, and who have shown great potential to be world-class researchers in their fields of expertise. Recipients receive a trophy, certificate of commendation and a prize of S$12,500. Dr Adrian David Cheok Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore Citation "For his research on human-computer interfaces and interaction using mixed reality and information media." Dr Cheok's research focuses on augmented human intelligence and creativity, using mixed reality and information media. Included in this work are advanced real time image processing techniques which allow this human-computer interaction to occur. Using mixed reality, the digital world can be extended into the user's physical world, through the use of head-mounted see-through displays, where the user's real world view can be overlaid with 3-D computer graphics, text, video, audio and speech. Dr Cheok's pioneering research on real-time live human capture and viewpoint generation for mixed reality has led to the development of the world's first real time 3-D live mixed reality interaction system. This technology has opened up exciting new possibilities for industry in the areas of multimedia and human-computer interaction. Applications can be made in a wide variety of areas, such as education, architecture, military, medicine, training, sports, computer games, tourism, video conferencing, entertainment, and human welfare. This work has received recognition from the international media, leading international museums, and centers of new media. Dr Cheok's work has attracted nearly $4 million dollars of funding in the last three years, including funding from DSTA Singapore and the National Arts Council, Singapore. For his research on human-computer interfaces and interaction using mixed reality and information media, Dr Adrian David Cheok is awarded the Young Scientist Award 2003. Dr Desmond Rodney Lim Chin Siong Photonics Concepts Pte Ltd, Singapore, Subsidiary of LNL Technologies INC (USA) Citation "For his research on monolithically integrated photonic and optoelectronic chips for communications and computing applications." Dr Lim's research focuses on microphotonics devices which can be readily integrated with electronics, and the methods by which they can be made. He focuses largely on the silicon platform because he believes that this would be the first platform in which microphotonics is likely to make a big impact. Together with his collaborators at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, LNL Technologies, and the Institute of Microelectronics (Singapore), Dr Lim's achievements includes the development of the first integrated mode converter to couple light from optical fiber to sub-micron optical waveguides; the development of the smallest low-loss microbends and one of the smallest multi-channel demulitplexor at telecommunications wavelengths; and the attainment of the first <1dB/cm loss in high index contrast sub-micron optical waveguides at telecommunications wavelengths These research advances are likely to result in faster and cheaper computers as well as lower cost communications which, in turn, will make video-on-demand commercially viable. Dr Lim founded LNL Technologies to commercialize these technologies by making them fully compatible with IC fabrication. For his research on monolithically integrated photonic and optoelectronic chips for communications and computing applications, Dr Desmond Rodney Lim Chin Siong is awarded the Young Scientist Award 2003. Dr Low Boon Chuan Department of Biological Sciences National University of Singapore Citation "For his research on signaling mechanism of cells." Dr Low's research contributes to the identification of novel signaling proteins, or parts of proteins called "domains" that are important in controlling cell dynamics such as changes in cell shape and cell movement. These events can further govern various cell fates such as cell division, cell growth, cell death and formation of tissues or development of organs. Dr Low discovered one novel protein domain termed "BCH domain". He also pioneers studies that demonstrate the effects of BCH domain on signaling for cell dynamics via interaction with key molecular switches in the cell. Using biochemical, molecular, cellular, proteomics and bioinformatics tools, his original work showcase such unique protein domain as novel checkpoints for cell dynamics control. His discovery raises great prospects that proteins carrying BCH domains could serve as new targets for manipulating cell fates by drug or peptide-based intervention. For his research on signaling mechanism of cells, Dr Low Boon Chuan is awarded the Young Scientist Award 2003.