Shaping Future Talent

Bringing science to youths

The Faculty and our partners run pre-undergraduate research programmes, competitions, workshops, school visits, talks and the Faculty Open House to promote interest in science and encourage students to read science at NUS.

34th e-Science Research Congress 2022

The 34th edition of the event was held online on 29 April 2022. It drew over 270 students who had the opportunity to work alongside scientists on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) research. This year, the Congress featured a panel discussion on the theme of sustainability in water and the environment. There was also a video showcase of the research findings of 99 students from 16 junior colleges and Integrated Programme schools. At the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair in March 2022, 15 projects received awards, including three gold, six silver, five bronze, one merit and one special award.

Illustratum

Do you see physics through a different lens? This is the question posed by ‘Illustratum’, a hallway physics contest which saw 54 teams comprising 150 secondary school students come together to illustrate physics concepts and discoveries in their own way. Some wrote applications and blogs, some came armed with videos, many created exhibits, a few put up skits and at least one wrote a children’s book. The competition was organised for the first time by NUS’ Department of Physics and Science Centre Singapore. On 8 July 2022, students were presented awards for their hard work, creativity and craftsmanship.

ArtScience Museum (ASM) collaboration

The Faculty’s Young Educators in Science (YES) worked with ASM to inspire 300 visitors with activities illustrating the intersection of art and mathematics. In June and September 2022, they offered art-science workshops where visitors experimented with colouring maps, discovered how origami plays a role in space flight, pondered on the wonders behind the variants of the Möbius strip and uncovered the basics of cryptography. YES is also collaborating with the Ministry of Education to jointly create some mathematics-anchored applied learning activities for junior college and pre-university students.

Temasek Foundation-NUS Youths for SG: Building a Shared Future

Under a new programme series developed by NUS’ School of Continuing and Lifelong Education and supported by Temasek Foundation, the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) and NUS’ Department of Physics ran three workshops in 2022 to introduce youths to the exciting field of quantum computing. In the two-day course, students learned about quantum physics and its applications and tried their hand at Python coding to make a quantum random number generator.

QCamp

From 6 to 10 June 2022, CQT hosted 36 students from 13 schools in Singapore as part of QCamp, its summer school on quantum physics and quantum technologies. The students, aged 16 to 18, were selected from over 60 applicants. They attended lectures, tutorials and a field trip, which introduced them to topics such as cryptography, Schrödinger’s equation, quantum computing, entanglement and the history of quantum physics.

Developing future-ready graduates

The College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS), which marks a deep emphasis on an interdisciplinary, student-led learning experience, admitted its inaugural cohort of more than 2,300 students in Academic Year 2021/2022.

To further train students on the ability to draw connections and connect insights across multiple disciplines at a higher level, CHS introduced various modules cutting across different disciplines under the pillars of Scientific Inquiry II and Interdisciplinary Modules I and II.

We also formalised mappings between the CHS Common Curriculum and other NUS colleges, schools and special programmes, such as the Special Programme in Science, NUS College and other Residential Colleges, to open up more pathways for broad-based education through double degrees and / or special programmes across NUS.

Undergraduate research

Our students get to work on cutting-edge research in their respective fields of study.

Experiential learning

We offer students diverse experiential learning opportunities, where they get to apply theories learned in the classroom to real-world situations.

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Global Education

Our Study Abroad Programmes open the door to a global learning experience. Our students gain exposure to different academic environments and cultures, thereby broadening their intellectual and global outlook.

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“Going overseas during the pandemic taught me how to be more independent and to take good care of my health.”

Should chemists focus on saving the earth? Or improve lives? Are there trade-offs? These were some of the burning questions Year 3 Chemistry student SEAH Song Jie brought with him on his journey of discovery at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. There, he found some of the answers – and new perspectives. For instance, in a module on global chemical sustainability, he learned that chemists focus on new breakthroughs for humankind, though these may not be correspondingly beneficial for the environment.

He also enjoyed the ‘fika’ (coffee break) culture in Sweden and made friends through volleyball sessions.

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“I wanted to learn more about the startup ecosystem…and be a part of driving disruption and transformation in sustainability for positive change.”

An internship stint piqued Zavier LOW’s interest in entrepreneurship in the sustainability space. The Year 4 Pharmaceutical Science student signed up for NOC Stockholm, where he interned at startup Mindler, a digital mental health provider, while studying at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden.

He took modules covering different aspects of entrepreneurship such as market validation, met startup founders, saw up close the city’s social responsibility initiatives and conducted market research for Mindler to support its expansion plans. The experience reinforced his conviction to embark on entrepreneurship in the future.

Zavier received the Philip Yeo Grant (2021) which is awarded to budding student entrepreneurs.

Credit: Ryan Ong

Concurrent Degree Programme (CDP)

“I hope to be actively involved in animal welfare, particularly in improving the quality of life of animals living in dense housing.”

Year 3 student Ryan ONG has a steadfast love for animals. To fulfil his dream to become a veterinarian, he is reading the BSc (Life Sciences) from NUS and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Melbourne, the first course of its kind in Singapore.

Ryan’s studies cut across basic, clinical and applied research, pharmacology and public health, preparing him to manage multifaceted issues that stem from the inextricable link between animals and people. These include the prevention of foodborne diseases, disease surveillance and control, and animal wellbeing and health, to name a few.

Credit: Shawn Liew

NUS-Grandes Écoles French Double Degree Programme (FDDP)

“This prestigious programme has very rigorous mathematical foundations…and it also develops my outlook as a global citizen.”

Year 3 Physics student Shawn LIEW wanted to gain a global immersion experience where students learn from the best of academics in Singapore and France. Therefore, he enrolled at École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées (ENSTA Paris) where he had broad exposure to many different topics, ranging from complex analysis to fluid mechanics.

Though ENSTA Paris courses are short and intense, he found the workload manageable. Through his studies, he not only picked up French, but he had the opportunity to explore a new culture and country.

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“Many assumptions I had about the world were completely blown away.”

Year 1 Life Sciences student OH Jun Ning joined the virtual STEER programme to Africa in December 2021 to learn how faraway regions develop sustainable biosystems.

She gained insights into Sub-Saharan Africa’s socio-cultural-political-economic environments, management of natural resources, as well as its rich heritage and cultures through webinars, networking sessions and online cultural visits. She was especially taken with the use of virtual reality headsets to explore the sights and sounds of Cape Coast Castle, as well as the opportunity to sample African food.

Providing inclusive and accessible education

Our financial aid schemes and the generosity of our benefactors have far-reaching impact. These initiatives provide equal opportunities to students of all backgrounds and enable them to fully benefit from NUS’ holistic educational experience.

Scholarship

Bursary

The Science Student Fund (SSF) was established in 2008 to enable financially disadvantaged students to pursue their studies without worries.

Bursary

The Science Student Overseas Exposure Fund (SSOEF) was set up in 2006 to enable financially disadvantaged students to participate in overseas programmes.

We also support our students to help them fulfil their aspirations, in academics and beyond.

Promoting a culture of lifelong learning

Postgraduate programmes

Our postgraduate programmes continued to draw strong interest. We received around 4,500 applications and enrolled over 1,100 candidates in our Master’s and PhD programmes. Currently, we offer a suite of 14 industry-relevant Master’s and seven PhD degree programmes across our quantitative and experimental majors, all of them supporting full- and part-time candidatures.

Continuing education and training (CET) programmes

We offer over 150 CET modules to enable adult learners to upskill and reskill for the fast-changing workplace. Many of our CET modules are stackable towards certificates, graduate diplomas and Master’s degrees on specialised themes relevant to skills development.

Shaping Future Talent

Shaping Future Talent

Bringing science to youths

34th e-Science Research Congress 2022

Illustratum

ArtScience Museum (ASM) collaboration

Temasek Foundation-NUS Youths for SG: Building a Shared Future

QCamp

Developing future-ready graduates

Undergraduate research

Experiential learning

Global Education

Student Exchange Programme

NUS Overseas Colleges Programme (NOC)

Concurrent Degree Programme (CDP)

NUS-Grandes Écoles French Double Degree Programme (FDDP)

NUS Study Trips for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER)

Providing inclusive and accessible education

Scholarship

Bursary

Bursary

Promoting a culture of lifelong learning

Postgraduate programmes

Continuing education and training (CET) programmes

Year in Review

Shaping Future Solutions