Minister for Foreign Affairs BG George Yeo visits the Raffles Museum

The RMBR hosted the Minister for Foreign Affairs, BG George Yeo (extreme left), for a quick tour of the Gallery and facilities. He was accompanied by Professor Leo Tan (second from left), Professor Tommy Koh (centre), Professor Andrew Wee, Dean of the Faculty of Science (second from right) and Professor Peter Ng (extreme right).

The Minister was shown a specimen of a moth that he had previously sent to the RMBR for identification purposes in 1992. Here he is pictured with Ms. Lua H. K., one of our curators. He was rather amused by the fact that after all these years, the moth looks little different from the day he found it. This underlines the RMBR’s role as a depository and custodian of the Nation’s biodiversity, oftentimes collected by the most unlikley of persons!

Kent Carpenter

Kent is an old friend of Peter Ng and Swee Hee from way back in 1995 during the FAO workshop in Manila, Philippines, which lead to the publication of the “FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific” series of identification guides. He is visiting us for a few days en route to Perth to attend the 8th Indo Pacific Fish Conference (IPFC).

Chris & Kevin Webb with Dr Ralf Britz

Chris (centre) & Kevin Webb (right) are aquarists from the UK who specialise in keeping and breeding air-breathing fishes like bettas (fighting fishes) and gouramies. They are members of the Anabantoid Association of Great Britain.

They were here to attend Aquarama 2009, the 11th International Ornamental Fish & Accessories Exhibition held at Suntec City from 28 to 31 May 2009. They made a brief stop at the museum to visit some of our staff, and Dr. Ralf Britz.

Ye Hein Htet with Dr. Ralf Britz

Ye Hein Htet (right), seen here with Dr. Ralf Britz, is an exporter of aquarium fish from Myanmar.

He is here to attend Aquarama 2009, the 11th International Ornamental Fish & Accessories Exhibition held at Suntec City from 28 to 31 May 2009.

He made a brief stop at the museum to visit some of our staff, and Dr. Ralf Britz.

“Plans to expand museum at NUS,” Professor Peter Ng replies. The Straits Times (Forum page), 05 June 2009

http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_386075.html

I REFER to Mr Jaya Kumar Narayanan’s letter on Tuesday, ‘Museum needs more space, better access’ and would like to thank him for his positive comments on the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research at the National University of Singapore.

Held on May 24, the recent International Museum Day organised by the National Heritage Board provided the museum with a rare opportunity to share our extensive research collection of flora and fauna with the public. The response was overwhelming – the museum hosted some 3,000 visitors that day. This was a record turnout in one day and the museum’s staff and resources were stretched thin. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.

The university recognises that the museum serves as a valuable resource for biodiversity research and helps to generate interest among the public on important issues of ecology, conservation and the environment we live in. To give the museum the opportunity to expand, there are plans for a new building that could house the museum, together with other teaching and research laboratories at the Faculty of Science. We hope to address the issues of accessibility and space in the near future, so more people can enjoy and appreciate Singapore’s rich natural heritage at the museum.

Professor Peter Ng Director,
Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research
National University of Singapore

Our treasure. The Straits Times, 05 June 2009

http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_386066.html

‘NHB should not delegate to NUS the duty of conserving and showcasing our natural history heritage.’

MS JANE LIM: ‘The National Heritage Board (NHB) should strongly consider a Singapore Museum of Natural History in planning to build new museums in the Civic District. The museum districts in Washington and London have immensely popular museums of natural history. NHB can work in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS) so the public can easily access our valuable heritage. It should not delegate to NUS the duty of conserving and showcasing our natural history heritage. I have fond childhood memories of the flora and fauna exhibits at the old National Museum of Singapore. Our kids should grow up knowing the natural beauty of our urban city state.’

Photo contest: Zooming in on biodiversity

Natural history needs more room (The Straits Times, 4 June 2009, Page B8)

Click above for larger image

“Museum needs more space, better access,” by Jaya Kumar Narayanan. The Straits Times (Forum page), 02 Jun 2009

“On May 24, a Sunday, my family and I were at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research at the National University of Singapore (NUS). It was fascinating to discover that Singapore has such a wide diversity of flora and fauna.

Due to extensive media coverage, many people were there, including old folk in wheelchairs and babies in strollers. Some of the older generation were excited to share kampung stories and their encounters with animals such as flying foxes and monitor lizards.

However, the museum is too small for public viewing. Also, the location is also out of the way for most people and inaccessible to the public – especially for those without their own transport – as it is within NUS grounds. Added to that, some people had difficulty reaching the museum due to lack of directional signs.

Guides mentioned that less than 1 per cent of the collection, which is mostly used for research purposes, was on display. I believe more could be displayed if not for space constraints.

Although there were activities for children, the museum lacks the sort of interactivity that most museums have – for example, an electronic touch panel or even a video wall. There should be large and simple signs for children to read.

The guides were wonderful in introducing us to the museum in terms of flora and fauna classification and diversity, as well as places to visit in Singapore to explore nature. However, they were pretty short-handed in managing guiding sessions, patrolling the specimens and helping out with Q&A.

Singapore may have no dinosaur bones, but we have the resources to showcase the rich and diverse natural history of Singapore and South-east Asia.”

Jaya Kumar Narayanan

Rupert Collins

Originally from the United Kingdom, Rupert is a keen aquarist, and this interest in ichthyology led him to complete an MSc in Taxonomy and Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum and Imperial College, London.

His main research interest is with the species level taxonomy and systematics of freshwater fishes, including many of those popular in the aquarium trade. He is currently based at the Bio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln University, New Zealand, researching molecular ornamental fish identification techniques for biosecurity applications.

His visit to the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research has been to gather aquarium fish specimens for DNA analysis, and to link up with other ichthyologists.