29 Jul 2020
A total of 95 defence scholarships were awarded to students from a diverse range of educational backgrounds at the virtual Defence Scholarship Awards Ceremony held on 29 July 2020.
In a livestream, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen noted a “record interest to work in MINDEF and SAF” and that the quality of the scholarship recipients had been maintained, if not enhanced, as the number of applications also hit a record with close to 2,000 applicants.
He also highlighted how MINDEF, the SAF, and the Defence Technology Community including DSTA have contributed to the nation’s fight against COVID-19, to illustrate the kind of organisations the recipients would eventually join – one that did not give up, but instead “broke a massive challenge into digestible parts, marshalled resources to deal with each, and contained the problem”.
He added: “When you return after completing your formal education, you will join us in dealing with these real life challenges for Singapore. It is a high calling and one that can fill your days in MINDEF, SAF, DSTA and DSO with great satisfaction knowing that your contributions keep our loved ones safe from harm and Singapore as a sovereign nation.”
During the ceremony, the DSTA Scholarship was awarded to 36 recipients. The ceremony also saw the presentation of the SAF Scholarship to seven recipients, the Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholarship (Engineering) – Defence and Security to five recipients, the SAF Merit Scholarship to 17 recipients, the SAF Engineering Scholarship to five recipients, Defence Merit Scholarship to 18 recipients and the SAF Medicine Scholarship to 7 recipients, and the DSTA Scholarship to 36 recipients.
One of the DSTA Scholars was Edward Ng, 21, a self-taught coder who believes in the possibilities of technology. During National Service, he witnessed first-hand how emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things could be harnessed to guard against threats and enhance mission effectiveness, which drove him to pursue his interest further.
“With my passion in cybersecurity and computing, I want to tap advanced technologies to innovate and contribute to bolstering Singapore’s defence in cyberspace,” said Edward, who will be pursuing a degree in Information Security at the National University of Singapore.
Hear more from the other recipients of the DSTA Scholarship here!