HE is a familiar face at international swimming competitions.
But soon, all eyes will be on 18-year-old national swimmer Nicholas Tan when he gets all dressed up instead of soaking wet.
He will present his science research paper at two international science conferences alongside established scientists from around the globe.
First stop is the 2007 World Congress in Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Applied Computing (Worldcomp 07) in Las Vegas next week.
Then the World Congress on Engineering 2007 (WCE 2007) in London the week after that.
About 2,000 researchers worldwide are expected to attend Worldcomp 07, and more than 1,000 are expected at WCE 2007.
It is heavy-duty, but Nicholas is used to performing under pressure.
At both conferences, he will be presenting his paper on safer stem-cell growth methods. At the WCE 2007, his paper is also nominated for the Best Paper award.
The award is presented to the author who presents the most original, significant, correct and clear scientific paper at the conference.
Now in national service, the former Raffles Junior College student said: 'I was just trying my luck (when I submitted the paper). I didn't think I would be selected to present at both conferences, especially since most of the other presenters have doctorates and other qualifications.'
At the conferences, Nicholas will give a 20-minute presentation on his paper, which he wrote after a one-month research stint with the Bioinformatics Institute, A*Star (BII) last October.
There, he worked on a project which explored ways to grow mesenchymal stem cells under conditions that are safe for clinical trials.
A mesenchymal stem cell is a type of stem cell commonly obtained from bone marrow.
Instead of the usual laboratory experiments, Nicholas used computer software to analyse biological data and predict biological events.
Dr Vivek Tanavde, Nicholas' mentor during his research stint, said of his paper: 'Being nominated for the Best Paper award at WCE 2007, in competition with established researchers and PhD students, is a rare and commendable achievement for an 18-year-old.'
Interestingly, Nicholas did not study biology in JC. He took physics, chemistry, economics and mathematics.
He said: 'My project didn't just involve biology - it was interdisciplinary and involved mathematics.'
His interest in research, he said, was piqued by the research education programme in his alma mater, Raffles Institution.
SWIMMING COMES FIRST
However, swimming has always been his first love. And he did not want to compromise on that in school.
Managing his time was sometimes a challenge because of his training schedule and the occasional clash between competition and exam periods.
He said: 'It was an exercise in self-discipline - I had to make sure that I finished all my work on schedule.'
On a regular school day, he would be up by 4.45am for swimming sessions. He would then go to school, head for another training session in the afternoon and reach home at about 6.30pm.
'I hardly did any revision on schoolwork on weekdays,' he said. 'The most I could do was finish the tutorials and other homework - I just tried my best to absorb whatever I could in classes,' he said.
Nicholas hopes to read medicine in university, but for now, swimming is still his priority and he has limited time to pursue his research interests.
'I'm just trying to brush up on my presentation skills for the conferences,' he said.
Source:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg
He's an ace in the pool & lab 
Linear Mode
