Da Vinci, The Genius, exhibition, Science Centre, Singapore.

Leonardo Da Vinci is coming to Singapore. More precisely, the "Da Vinci, the Genius" exhibition is opening on the 16th May 2009 at the Science Centre. When I heard this news, I was both surprised and unsurprised. I shall explain.

I was surprised because I had suggested just such an exhibition to the Singaporean arts authorities a few years ago and got snubbed. I was unsurprised because I had suggested just such an exhibition to the Singaporean arts authorities a few years ago - and got snubbed.

The story is a curious one. Some gentlemen emailed me out the blue, with a project to build some of Leonardo Da Vinci's wonderful machines and exhibit them around the world: could I help in bringing it to Singapore, they asked me?

Now, I wondered, too, why they had asked me...but, nevertheless I did contact some people in Singapore regarding whether they would be interested in an exhibition of the work of Leonardo Da Vinci. I duly had a meeting with some arts people at the National Museum. To cut a short conversation even shorter, they said that Leonardo Da Vinci was not for them (perhaps he was just not enough of an artist, to interest representatives of Singapore's government art body?) - however, they suggested that I should try the Singapore Science Centre. Ah. Clearly, they thought Leonardo Da Vinci more of a scientist, than an artist, and did not want him in the Art Museum, as I had proposed.

There was a problem in their suggestion. I was already in contact with the Science Centre regarding my son, Ainan. In fact, the person I was supposedly in contact with was in charge of events - so I presume, he would, in fact, have been just the right person to contact regarding Leonardo Da Vinci. That, however, was the problem. You see, he already wasn't replying to my emails and phone calls, regarding the matter of my son. I had held a meeting with him and some of his colleagues and many big promises were made and hopes raised. Yet, when I wrote to realize some of those hopes, my mails were just ignored. I wrote quite a few times and called quite a few times - but only ever got silence.

Thus, I had a difficulty with the suggestion that I should contact the Science Centre, since the very man who would be responsible for setting up a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition there, had I brought it to him, is the very man who was busily ignoring my attempts at contact. Therefore, I did what I thought most appropriate: I did nothing further to raise the issue of a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition in Singapore.

Surprise, surprise...several years later, they have brought in just such an exhibition. I am left to wonder whether the people at the National Museum queried the Science Centre people about whether I had contacted them...and then set the whole thing in motion themselves.

Anyway, it is good that a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition is finally coming to Singapore - even if only readers of this blog will know that I made just such a proposal to the arts authorities several years ago. It is possible that that proposal is what has led to this exhibition, however dilatorily. I suppose I will never know...

Nevertheless, I shall make a point of attending the exhibition when it opens. It is pleasing to think that people still care about the thinking of a man who lived 500 years ago. All hope is not lost in Man, when some still appreciate those who have been creative, in the past.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to:http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)

A partial eclipse of the Sun.

We took our three sons to see a partial eclipse of the Sun, on Tuesday 27th January 2009.

From about 4.30 pm the Sun, in Singapore, began to be partially occluded. For the occasion, we went to the Science Centre, with the intention of viewing it through the telescopes, there, at the on-site Observatory.

Before viewing the eclipse, we went around the Science Centre with the boys. They were very excited and the three of them showed each other the exhibits, with great enthusiasm, interacting with them, curiously. It was their sense of excitement that impressed me. For them, the whole Science Centre is a kind of adventure, filled with strange experiences. They ran around seeking the most interesting exhibits, Tiarnan, in particular, and rather sweetly, climbing up onto them for a better look.

Tiarnan has been asking to go the Science centre for some time - which is quite an unusual request for the two year old he was, to start making. He was most keen on the idea. Finally, we took him, on the day of the eclipse.

When it came time to go to the Observatory, our eyes were met with the most unexpected queue, considering that it was Chinese New Year. The large room adjacent to the telescopes was filled with people eager to catch a glimpse of the eclipse, through the telescopes. There were three scopes and hundreds of people - so, seeing that, we abandoned the idea of viewing the Sun in that way at all.

Syahidah had been given special dark glasses ("optical density 5") for viewing the Sun directly, but I didn't want the boys to risk using them, in case they were tempted to take them off, while viewing (or they slipped). Luckily, there was a projection screen set up with a feed from the largest scope.

There was no need to look through the scopes at all. Our view would be just as good in front of the screen - and that is where we sat on the concrete steps, as if in some Roman auditorium.

By the time we arrived, the Moon was already partially covering the Sun. About a fifth of it was gone, as if a giant with very close set teeth had taken a bite out of it.

We explained to Tiarnan and Fintan that it was an eclipse and how it worked.

Tiarnan stood up and pointed at the projection screen: "This is the Sun." he said, turning to me, as if lecturing and "This is the Moon."

He understood alright.

The boys were very interested at first, sitting, studying the screen and watching the Moon slowly progressing across the Sun, covering more and more.

Ainan pointed out what appeared to be sunspots. They were darker blotches on the face of the Sun. Now, whether they were sunspots or not, I do not know - but they did look like them.

Syahidah sneaked out to look directly at the Sun, through her glasses.

"It is very small.", she observed, somewhat surprised, on her return. I didn't do the same, but stayed with the kids.

Ainan sat throughout, beside me, watching as the Sun was gobbled up. By 5.49 pm, it had reached a maximum eclipse of 80 % or so.

Fintan and Tiarnan divided their time between sitting with us and watching for a few minutes at a time, and running around the auditorium, treating it as an impromptu playground.

It was a good day. The best part of it was seeing how well the brothers worked together in their explorations and how excited they were to do so. I think all of them found it an interesting experience.

As for the partial eclipse, I think it made an impression on them all - even little Tiarnan.

It is not the only eclipse Ainan has experienced - he once was present at a total eclipse - but that is a whole other story (and a lot more funny). Perhaps I will write of it another day, or in another place.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)

Reserved silence and social maturity

I had the privilege to observe Ainan, yesterday, in an impromptu classroom situation.

It was at a Science Show in the Mall event. These are events put on by the Science Centre and ASTAR - Singapore's Agency for Science Technology and Research (I think that is how it goes).

It was an all afternoon affair, but it was the end of it, that drew my attention.

Ainan sat with perhaps 50 other kids, listening to the presenters who were asking scientific questions of the audience. At every question, one, two or three kids would raise their hands, their faces straining to be the one chosen to answer. Ainan, however, was much cooler than that. He sat, with his mother and, instead of raising his arm would lean over to her and relay the answer to her.

I was some distance away but I could read the answers on his lips. Then another child would be chosen to answer. They would go up, answer the question into a mike, then receive a prize. Ainan, however, didn't rise to this particular bait - prize or no prize, he never let his arm rise into the air. He just leant over and answered each of the perhaps twenty questions to his mother. He made no effort to draw the presenters attention to himself, he didn't shout out an answer nor raise his arm.

I thought this very revealing. It seems that Ainan has learnt the social value of discretion. What benefit would come to him from answering all the questions? He would learn nothing more - but he might alienate the other children. So, what did he do instead? He answered none of them publicly - yet I could see that he knew the answers. He was taking a more discrete path.

I found myself impressed by this. It seems that he has acquired a certain social wisdom in the past year. He has learnt that it is better to be discrete than to shout out one's knowledge. He is more likely to have friends that way, and more likely to be accepted. He has, it seems, no need for the ego boost that comes from being seen to be the one who knows. He, instead, prefers to know that he knows - and to let his mother know, too. That is enough for him.

Ainan is, it seems, learning how to adjust to the social world rather more effectively than I had hoped. Relatively few gifted children learn to be this discrete, so early on - after all Ainan is yet only 7. It is a hopeful sign, therefore, that he will be able to navigate the social issues ahead that he shall no doubt face.

I wonder how many teachers, however, would understand the quiet child, who knows but doesn't show that he knows? Most would misunderstand, of course. Yet, what he would lose from the teacher, he would gain from his fellows: so it might, indeed, be a fair trade. It is no good having one teacher on your side, when to do so, you lose 40 kids. That doesn't seem wise. Ainan has chosen the socially more enriching path. A reserved silence is what one can expect from this particular gifted child in the classroom.

What do you have to do to find out what's on his mind? Have a quiet chat with him, away from the multitude of observers. Then he will let his guard down.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and eleven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and four months, and Tiarnan, twenty-one months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

Singaporean Public Education: Science Show In The Mall

Last Sunday, Ainan Celeste Cawley, six and Fintan Nadym Cawley, three, enjoyed something rather unusual: a science show in a shopping mall, in Singapore.

Singapore is a very competitive nation. One of their major areas of competition is science. In an effort to bring science to the people (since the people may not come to the science), the Science Centre of Singapore, organized a form of travelling science: Science at the Mall. What this involves is rather simple, but effective. It is, in effect, a theatrical show based around a scientific theme, and it takes place in the atrium of a shopping mall. Two performers, on stage, would take the audience through various experiments, in an entertaining manner, slipping them a gentle dose of science along the way. This was science as entertainment: nothing hard, just good, easy fun. It is an interesting marketing of science, actually, to make it into not a cerebral activity, but an entertaining one.

Alongside the daily shows - repeated throughout the day - were a set of activities for the children. This allowed the parents - us - to leave our children for a couple of hours, to shop in peace, while they busied themselves with scientific play. There were also several machine based demonstrations that the children could interact with. The subject of the day was materials science - and the machines demonstrated various aspects of materials: impact hardness, flame testing on burning, properties of friction - etc. All of it was already familiar to Ainan but I think he enjoyed seeing it in the context of a shopping mall, and being able to do it with his younger brother, Fintan, for whom it was new.

All this took place in United Square shopping centre (quite a pleasant place). The event was sponsored by AStar - the Singaporean Agency for Science, Technology and Research; Dupont (they provided special glass for a demonstration of glass that would not shatter into many pieces); and the Science Centre of Singapore.

The children seemed to enjoy it as most stayed for several hours, interacting with the exhibits, watching shows, making ionic structures and playing with science.

(If you would like to read about the scientific child prodigy, Ainan Celeste Cawley, six and his gifted brothers, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html for a tour. I also write of gifted children, gifted adults, child prodigy, child genius, savant - in particular mathematical savant - and the creatively gifted, among others.)