Dressed in lab coats, safety goggles, and gloves, students from Greenridge Primary School and St. Anthony’s Primary School gathered at Merck’s office in Singapore and became scientists for a day. They built their own electrical circuit, tested the electrical conductivities of graphite and graphene, and simulated how medicines are purified through the company’s Curiosity Labs lesson.

Through this, they discovered graphene's applications in electronics and material science and learnt about biologic therapy production – which are treatments made from living cells or organisms. And this helped them understand why developing better treatments matters for patients. More than just science lessons, the visit gave students a glimpse into the human impact behind scientific research.

This authentic learning experience would not have been possible without many months of planning and communication, deliberately designing a curriculum to bring out curiosity and a genuine love for science.

Students and teachers from both primary schools at the Merck Singapore site.

A partnership borne from a shared vision

Mdm Flora Ong and Mrs Esther Choo – Principals of Greenridge Primary and St. Anthony’s Primary, respectively – co-led the partnership with Merck. They share a vision to nurture future-ready learners by giving students opportunities to explore real-world science applications and interact with scientist in the industry. Finding the right partnership, however, is not straightforward. This is where MOE’s Partnerships Engagement Office (PEO) came into the picture.

“We work to understand schools' needs and bring the right schools and industry partners together. These partnerships are meaningful and sustainable, and offer relevant and authentic learning experiences for our students,” says Ms Foo Mong San, Senior Manager, Partnerships Engagement Office.

Merck’s commitment to STEM education was a good fit for a collaboration, as their programmes are modelled to be inclusive and accessible. Through the company’s SPARK global volunteer programme, they bring hands-on science and education to students around the world. 

Attendees from PEO, Greenridge Primary, St. Anthony’s Primary, and Merck at a meeting at the start of the partnership.

Greenridge Primary and St. Anthony’s Primary could access Merck’s catalogues of Curiosity Lab lessons, giving them the flexibility to choose what would work best for their students.

Students from both Primary Schools become scientists for a day during Merck’s Curiosity Labs lessons.

Designing a thoughtful and useful curriculum

Adapting advanced lessons to primary school levels is not easy. The schools and Merck sifted through topics, worksheets, and experimental activities. They eventually settled on two lessons for the students: Graphene and Biologic Therapies. These topics connected strongly to the schools’ Applied Learning Programmes through computational thinking, problem-solving, iterative design, and learning how science improves lives.

“We live in an age where AI can provide students the knowledge they need. But students still need the right environment, skills and values to practise and apply that knowledge in the real world,” says Mdm Ong.

To prepare students before the visit, a trial hands-on session was first held at Greenridge Primary School’s Makerspace. Students explored the unique properties of graphene. This then helped them link what they learnt to the experiments they would do during the Curiosity Labs lessons later on.

Trial lesson with Merck team and teachers from Greenidge Primary and St. Anthony’s Primary at Greenridge Primary’s Makerspace named COVE.

During the site visit, teachers from both schools also helped facilitate collaborative discussion. They encouraged students to think deeply rather than remembering it as a fun day out.

Neo Jia Yi, a P5 student from Greenridge Primary School, reflects, “One challenge we faced was working together as a team. We overcame it by listening to one another's ideas and cooperating throughout the experiment.”

“This was a great opportunity for our students to learn critical, adaptive and inventive thinking skills. We wanted students from both schools to collaborate, practise active listening, mesh their ideas together, and ultimately learn to negotiate with one another," said Ms Wong Lai Lin, Head of Department (Science) at St. Anthony's Primary School.

Opportunities for every student

Both schools wanted every student to benefit from the partnership.

Greenridge Primary held a Science Carnival open to all students and gave everyone a chance to explore the Curiosity Labs at Home experiment booths and interact with STEM professionals from Merck.

Greenridge Primary’s curious minds discover wonders at the Science Carnival.

St. Anthony's Primary School, meantime, plans to bring the Curiosity Labs experience to their Environmental Science Club, Environmental Ambassadors and the entire Primary 3 cohort during their APEX (Anthonian Positive Experience) week.

For the onsite visit to Merck, students from their E2K Science programme were selected, as their teachers felt they could be challenged beyond the school’s curriculum.

“Our E2K Programme students have the academic ability to be stretched further through hands-on scientific exploration and investigation”, said Ms Vivienne Yap, Head of Department (ICT) at Greenridge Primary School.

Students were taken by the 3D printed materials and saw the bio fermentation processes up close. It was an experience they would not get in school, and it even helped spark some of them to aspire to become research scientists. Their reactions and responses made the organisers feel that all the work that has gone into making sure the partnership was a success was all worth it.

After the visit, teachers also encouraged the students to revisit the experiments at home and draw their own conclusions, with the hope that these young minds would go on to inspire their peers.

“I was able to ask questions that helped me to think deeply about how I can transfer the knowledge I learnt in class to the real-world,” says Amanda Sharon Adiputra, a P5 student from St. Anthony's Primary School.

Students and teachers from Greenridge Primary and St. Anthony’s Primary at Merck’s Singapore site.

"This partnership with Merck is the beginning of a long-term journey to nurture curious minds, develop future-ready competencies in our Anthonians, and inspire the next generation of scientists," says Mrs Choo.

For Merck, working with PEO and the schools has allowed them to execute their programme in a more structured way. They also managed to build relationships with schools and coordinate events throughout the year.

Ms Linda Zhang, Managing Director of Merck Singapore says, “We will continue to run SPARK and Curiosity Labs events with MOE primary schools, and we are actively exploring additional opportunities for bringing more science education programming to the region.”

Photos courtesy of: Greenridge Primary School and St. Anthony’s Primary School