Public understanding of science and technology lags well behind public interest in these fields in most industrialised countries, according to two new studies disclosed at the recently held Symposium on Public Understanding of Science and Technology in Tokyo. It was agreed that the purpose of boosting public understanding is not just to ensure bigger research budgets but to "cultivate sound common sense'. Meanwhile, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement tested the aptitude of 150,000 eighth-grade students in mathematics and science in 41 countries. Singaporean students topped both the tests.