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Love Through Lenses
Four students from the NUS-LEAD programme
sought to promote intergenerational family
bonding through their community project,
“Love Through Lenses”. They brought together
different groups in the local community to put up
a photography exhibition on the topic at Tampines
Central Community Club from 18 to 20 February.
Prior to the exhibition, the students had organised
a photography workshop for 11 youths from
the Tampines Ville Residents’ Committee Youth
Chapter, where they were taught basic DSLR
photography skills by award-winning photographer
Mr Willy Foo. Putting their knowledge and skills
(From left) NUS scholars Idris Woo, Cheryl Tay, Lubin Tan
and Hen Yi Xuan who organised “Love Through Lenses”
into practice, the youths captured various shots
around the island, accompanied by facilitators from
the Hwa Chong Photographic Society and NUS.
A selection of the photographs taken were then
showcased at the “Love Through Lenses” exhibition.
Throughout the project, they received invaluable
help and support from SPLAT!, a community arts
movement directed at reintegrating youths-at-risk
into society. SPLAT! was founded by NUS social work
student, Dominic Lim.
Singapore Minister for Education Mr Heng Swee
Keat, who was also an Advisor to Tampines
Grassroots Organisations, graced the exhibition’s
launch. Speaking at the event, he said that “Love
Through Lenses” was a very meaningful project as it
involved youths and adults sharing skills and values,
and promoted the need for intergenerational
family bonding. In the face of many changes
and challenges in Singapore’s social landscape,
he underscored the importance of a spirit of
responsibility and community which he felt the
project amply demonstrated.
The NUS-LEAD Programme, introduced by the NUS
Career Centre and Office of Admissions, aims to
develop NUS scholars into well-rounded leaders in
society through leadership training which includes
a hands-on project with a Voluntary Welfare
Organisation.
KDF gift enables diabetes research to
make headway
KNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISE
8
It’s a small team with a big dream – to find a cell
or gene therapy for diabetes, which affects over 10
per cent of the Singapore adult population, and
is a key cause of severe kidney disease requiring
dialysis.
Supported by a gift from the Kidney Dialysis
Foundation (KDF), NUS researchers Dr Gan Shu Uin
and Professor Lee Kok Oon, under the leadership of
a pioneer in organ transplantation, Sir Roy Calne,
recently achieved some surprising success in their
search for a gene and cell therapy for diabetes:
using human cells to treat diabetes in mice.
The NUS team has been collaborating with
Professor M Ghoneim from the University of
Mansoura in Egypt and Professor Kon Oi Lian
from the National Cancer Centre Singapore. Prof
Ghoneim’s team in Egypt is the first to demonstrate
the use of human cells to cure diabetes in mice.
KNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISE n MARCH 2012 VOLUME 11 NO. 08
Editor: Fua Lee Na
Distribution Manager: Matthew Seah
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Moving forward, the team intends to treat diabetic
dogs and hopefully, move towards a possible
treatment for human beings.
Sir Roy said: “If we can cure a diabetic dog, I think
that the argument for clinical trials for people
would be very strong.”
The study involving dogs will be carried out in
collaboration with veterinarian Dr Robert Foale,
who is an expert in diabetes in dogs, and Professor
Andrew Lever from the University of Cambridge.
The gift from KDF has been the lifeblood of this
project. With KDF pledging their support for
another three years, the team is gearing up to
enter the next phase of their research, with dogs.
As Prof Lee said, “This was an unusual approach
and without the gift, it would have been dead
long ago.”
To know more about making a gift to NUS, please call Ms Ho Yuen Kwan at 6516 5755 or
email askdvo@nus.edu.sg
Cover photo: Education Minister Mr Heng Swee Keat (centre) with two new graduates.