14 Aug 2023
Driven by their passion for science and technology, 34 budding youths will be embarking on a new chapter in their lives with the DSTA Scholarship. They were among the 97 recipients at this year’s Defence Scholarship Awards Ceremony, all of whom demonstrated academic excellence and stellar leadership qualities.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen emphasised the importance of Singapore’s preparedness in adapting to the ever-evolving security landscape, noting that our ability to “face present and future challenges needs unity of mind, heart and effort” needs to be built by the leaders of the future generation.
Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Heng at the Defence Scholarship Awards Ceremony.
Introduced in 2000, the DSTA Scholarship allows aspiring students opportunities to pursue undergraduate studies in science and engineering at renowned universities both locally and internationally. Upon completion of their studies, they will get the chance to explore multiple career pathways in DSTA, DSO National Laboratories or the Centre for Strategic InfoComm Technologies.
DSTA Scholarship recipients with Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) Melvyn Ong, DSTA Chief Executive Mervyn Tan (front row, third and fourth from right respectively), and members of DSTA management.
DSTA Scholarship recipient See Man Teng, who is currently pursuing computer science in the National University of Singapore, shared that her internship experience with C3 Development Programme Centre at DSTA solidified her decision to take up the scholarship. She was part of an AI Engineering project that worked with new technologies such as Large Language Models to create AI applications and virtual assistants.
“During my internship, I was exposed to different areas of developing a virtual assistant, from UI/UX design to prompt engineering. I’m grateful to my peers and mentor, who provided a very welcoming and nurturing environment for me to learn and grow.”
Upon graduation, Man Teng is keen to be involved in developing systems and solutions to safeguard our nation’s security. “Whether it is creating advanced AI-based algorithms for threat detection, implementing robust cybersecurity measures, or designing efficient defence systems, I want to leverage my skills and knowledge to contribute to the protection and well-being of our society.”
Man Teng (front row, third from right) with other scholarship recipients and guests at the ceremony.
The ceremony also saw the presentation of the SAF scholarship to six recipients; the Public Service Commission Scholarship to five recipients; the SAF Merit Scholarship to 22 recipients; the SAF Engineering Scholarship to five recipients; the Defence Merit Scholarship to 17 recipients; and the SAF Medicine Scholarship to eight recipients.
Keen to hop on the DSTA Scholarship journey? Find out more here.