SingAstro

Hi i think u got me wrong. I know that white elephants mean something old/ antique. But i thought that the observatories here would always try to upgrade their telescopes or other equipments thats why. Sorry for phrasing my qns wrongly.

Hi,

White elephant is an idiom for expensive, nice-to-look-at stuff, but essentially useless in function. I am saying this in the context of serious astronomical research. Taking nice pics of "rainbow" of stars through a nice diffraction grating is not serious astronomical research for goodness sake.

I think VinSnr is implying that if you have been aware of the way Singapore works, you should know that any topic that does not make money will not be offered in universities here.

Sorry for being harsh here, but as a PhD in theoretical physics student here in NUS, I know I may end up sweeping the streets after I get my degree.

Sorry for being harsh here, but as a PhD in theoretical physics student here in NUS, I know I may end up sweeping the streets after I get my degree.

Hi Dr. Lee, that is very discouraging
I was a physics student as well and doing pretty well in Singapore

Hehe, prospects are very good for experimental physics. So yes, most people doing physics are indeed having good prospects.

ok thanks for the reply. I also planned to do physics in university too, haha if only i could get in. Thanks once again.

parvin wrote:ok thanks for the reply. I also planned to do physics in university too, haha if only i could get in. Thanks once again.

any option for you to go overseas? Chances of astronomy as a career is pretty viable in US

Hi parvin,

Alot of discouraging signs here... I somehow think astronomy as a career is possible in Singapore. With the Passion many of us have, we usually "disgust" astronomy in another form... For me, reaching out to younger generations of people and get them interested in this hobby... well, you will never know one day NASA send one singaporean to space =x

Jin Peng wrote:Hi parvin,

Alot of discouraging signs here... I somehow think astronomy as a career is possible in Singapore. With the Passion many of us have, we usually "disgust" astronomy in another form... For me, reaching out to younger generations of people and get them interested in this hobby... well, you will never know one day NASA send one singaporean to space =x

That's possible only if that Singaporean is in US and probably working for NASA. ( Or, like the Msia government, they pay and sponsor for an Msian astronaut. But don't think spore will do that).

I have to agree with Vincent here. The government runs itself like a corporation, which means profit and loss.

Even something which is 'pure science' like biology has been transformed into an industry where the focus is on finding new drugs to cure diseases so that it can be commercialized and generate profits.

Unless Astronomers can find a way to generate substantial profits, I doubt the government will be interested.

Even in US science funding for astronomy in 2008 has been quite tight.

Jin Peng wrote:well, you will never know one day NASA send one singaporean to space =x

you mean as a space travel participant like the malaysian?