2014 Event

Sign up for NUS High School's free 2014 science workshops, where Upper Secondary and JC students explore Nobel Prize-winning experiments in Physics and Biology.

Last updated on 11 July 2026

Exploring Physics the Nobel Way

Exploring Science the Nobel Way

We will be organising the ‘Nobel Experiment in Physics’ workshops in 2014, targeted at Upper Secondary to Junior College students. The key idea in these workshops is to enable students to appreciate the thinking of Physics Nobel Laureates during the process of experimentation that led to their paradigm-shifting discoveries. The workshops will be fully subsidized by NUS High School for West Zone Schools.

Details of the workshops that will be run are as follows:

Nobel Experiment in Physics 2014 workshops: details and schedules

Workshop Title
Cloud Chamber	Photoelectric Effect	Opticks
Description	Charged particles, such as alpha and beta particles, are all around us – but not visible to the naked eye. In order to study these elementary particles in more detail, nuclear physicists have come up with the cloud chamber. In a supersaturated enclosed condition, charged particles will leave distinctive tracks in the “mist”, which are caused by the ionisation of the vapour. In this workshop, students will learn the theory behind the cloud chamber and about elementary particles in greater detail. There will also be a hands-on session where students will construct their own cloud chamber using materials such as acrylic containers and isopropyl alcohol. They will then learn to identify the particles based on the distinctive tracks in the supersaturated mist.	In the past, scientists were uncertain about whether light was a particle or a wave. The wave theory gained popularity due to Young’s double-slit experiment and Maxwell’s equations, which seemed to show conclusively that light was a wave. However, the photoelectric effect, as observed by Hertz and Lenard, supported the theory that light was also a particle. Einstein proposed that the photoelectric effect was caused by quanta of light, called photons. The photoelectric effect became an important foundation of quantum mechanics. In this workshop, students will get to conduct the photoelectric experiment, and observe the relationships between light intensity, frequency, current and voltage. They will also learn to derive the value of Planck’s constant using data obtained from the experiment.	The world has become a smaller place in this modern-day age of high-speed technology and fast-paced communications. Fiber optics – in which light is reflected inside plastic or glass fibers – forms the basic structure of our telecommunications system. In this workshop, students will begin with the basics of light and learn about light properties such as reflection and refraction through our unique optics sets. This will reinforce what students have learnt in their upper secondary syllabus on optics. Students will also get to carry out experiments investigating critical angles and attenuation rates, which forms the basis for fiber optics technology. Some useful applications of optical fibers in our everyday life will also be introduced.
Duration	2 hours	3 hours	3 hours
Dates* (Year 2014)	30th August	23rd August	13th Sept
Vacancies	(15)	(Full)	(11)
Times*	9 am – 11 am	9 am – 12 pm	9 am – 12 pm
Venue	NUS High School
Class Size	20 students
Course Fee	Fully subsidized
Target Level	Upper Secondary to Junior College		Secondary school

*Flexible dates (Saturday mornings) can be arranged for schools which have sign-ups of more than 15 students (maximum 20).

We hope that you will encourage your students to participate in these workshops, which can complement or supplement the science curriculum in your school. NUS High School also supports schools that wish to run these workshops on their own school. Workshops for teachers and laboratory technicians can be arranged.

Please feel free to contact us at davinci@highsch.nus.edu.sg if your school has any queries. Thank you.

Registration

You can register your students for the workshop through:
1. Emailing this form (opens in new tab) to davinci@highsch.nus.edu.sg

Registration Instructions

1. Please fill in all the information required.
2. The teacher IC/s will be the main point/s of contact for the group.
3. A reference no. will be given after confirmation of registration through an email.
4. Registration forms must be submitted 2 weeks prior to the commencement of the course for dates which have been fixed by NUS High.
5. If you would like to request an alternative date, please submit your forms 1 month prior to the date requested.

Cancellation instructions

Any cancellations or amendments must be made 1 week prior to the commencement of the course via telephone (6516 8648).

Note: A teacher chaperon must be present during the day of the workshop.

Exploring Biology the Nobel Way

We will be organising the “Exploring Biology the Nobel Way” workshops in 2014, targeted at Upper Secondary to Junior College students. The key idea in these workshops is to enable students to appreciate the thinking of Nobel Laureates in the field of Physiology and Medicine during the process of experimentation that led to their paradigm-shifting discoveries. The workshops will be fully subsidized by NUS High School for all schools.

Details of the workshops that will be run are as follows:

Exploring Biology the Nobel Way 2014 workshops: details and schedules

Workshop Title
Blood Groups	One Gene, One Enzyme	RNAi
Description	In the early 1900s, blood transfusion was in still in its infancy, despite having been practised since 1667. Some transfusions worked successfully, and others resulted in agglutination, leaving doctors scratching their heads. Some doctors thought that agglutination was the result of disease. However, Landsteiner, by mixing his blood with that of his colleagues, realised that agglutination could occur even when mixing the blood of 2 healthy individuals, and so discovered the ABO blood group system. This initiated the “blood revolution”, whose principles we apply, and often take for granted, today. Landsteiner won the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In this workshop, students will revisit the theory behind the determination of different blood groups, under different blood group systems. Students will also get a chance to put themselves into Landsteiner’s shoes and replicate his Nobel-winning experiment, as well as try out some of its applications to modern life in a hands-on manner.	In the early 1900s, scientists knew that genes were behind the phenotypes observed; it was how these genes contributed to the manifestation of different phenotypes that was a mystery. The first ever postulation that gene function was related to metabolic pathways was ignored for over 40 years, perhaps due to the lack of clear evidence collected in a methodical manner. However, an immaculately designed experiment in the 1950s demonstrated that each mutation resulted in the loss of activity of one enzyme. This was termed the “One Gene, One Enzyme” hypothesis; and the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Beadle and Tatum for their discovery “that genes act by regulating definite chemical events”. In this workshop, students will get a chance to carry out an experiment with pink bread mould which lends support to the “One Gene, One Enzyme” hypothesis. They will also revisit the basis for the “One Gene, One Enzyme” hypothesis, and discuss the reasons for its revision in recent years.	In 1990, Jorgensen, a researcher at the University of Arizona, wanted to make petunias a deeper purple. He injected purple petunia flowers with the gene for pigment coloration. Surprisingly, the flowers bloomed white! Instead of the pigment-producing genes complementing each other to produce a deeper purple, they seemed to have interacted and turned themselves off. Fire and Mello later discovered the reason why – and won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in the process, for their “discovery of RNA interference – gene silencing by double-stranded RNA”. In this workshop, students will investigate the phenomenon of RNAi with the nematode worm C.elegans, using a protocol similar to the one carried out by Fire and Mello. They will induce RNAi by feeding worms with bacteria containing double-stranded RNA. They will discuss how the perception of the roles of RNA has broadened: from RNA being necessary in the process of turning genes on, to also being capable of turning genes off.
Duration	4 hours	2 hours + 2 hours	2 hours + 3 hours
Dates (Year 2014)	23^rdAugust	20^th & 27^thSept	10^th& 11^thSept
Vacancies	(Full)	(18)	(18)
Times	8:30 am – 12:30 pm	9 am – 11 am	10^thSept: 2 pm – 4 pm 11^thSept: 9 am – 12 pm
Venue	NUS High School
Class Size	20 students
Course Fee	Fully subsidized
Target Level	Upper Secondary students	Upper Secondary – JC students

Please feel free to contact us at davinci@highsch.nus.edu.sg if your school has any queries. Thank you.

Registration

You can register your students for the workshop through:
1. Emailing this [form] to davinci@highsch.nus.edu.sg, cc: ruth_chan@highsch.nus.edu.sg

Registration Instructions

Cancellation instructions

Any cancellations or amendments must be made 1 week prior to the commencement of the course via telephone (6516 8648).

Note: A teacher chaperon must be present during the day of the workshop. We would be glad to share with you how you can implement these experiments in your own schools.