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APRIL 2012
A Publication of National University of Singapore
Singapore’s Deputy
Prime Minister
engages
students
at forum

New trustees on NUS Board
Four new members joined the NUS Board of
Trustees in April 2012. They are Professor Chan
Heng Chee, Singapore’s Ambassador to the United
States; Mr Andrew M Lim, Partner of Allen &
Gledhill LLP; Mr Davinder Singh, Senior Counsel
and Chief Executive Officer of Drew & Napier
LLC; and Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, Member of the
Presidential Council for Minority Rights and former
Speaker of Parliament.
NUS Board Chairman Mr Wong Ngit Liong, who is
also Chief Executive Officer of Venture Corporation
Ltd, said: “It is my privilege to welcome Heng
Chee, Andrew, Davinder and Abdullah to the NUS
Board. Together, they bring with them a wealth
of experience, expertise and in-depth knowledge
from their respective fields that will help us steer
and guide NUS as it continues on
its trajectory towards becoming a
leading global university centred
in Asia.”
the University. He said the NUS community had
benefitted tremendously from their visionary
leadership, foresight and wisdom.
They are Mr Hsieh Fu Hua, Chairman of Fullerton
Fund Management Company Ltd; Professor Edison
Liu, President and Chief Executive Officer of The
Jackson Laboratory; LG (NS) Ng Yat Chung, Group
President and Chief Executive Officer of Neptune
Orient Lines Ltd; and Mr Lucien Wong, Managing
Partner of Allen & Gledhill LLP.
Appointed by the Minister for Education,
the 23-member NUS Board of Trustees
comprises eminent business leaders, academics,
entrepreneurs, and professionals from the public
and private sectors.
Mr Wong also expressed
gratitude, on behalf of the Board
and NUS, to four former trustees
who had stepped down recently
for their many years of dedicated
service and contributions to
(From left) New NUS Board Members Prof Chan, Mr Lim, Mr Singh and Mr Abdullah
KNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISE
2
ASEAN university leaders gather for
intellectual exchange
About 60 university presidents and senior leaders
from 17 Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) universities participated in the inaugural
Temasek Foundation-NUS Programme for
Leadership in University Management from 5 to
9 March at NUS.
The new initiative, supported by Temasek
Foundation (TF) through a grant of about
S$700,000 over two years, aims to bring together
university leaders to share, generate and advance
breakthrough ideas and practices for the
management of Asian universities. Topics discussed
at the meeting included higher education in the
21st century; managing change at the university;
faculty appointment, development and retention;
educational philosophy and curriculum reform;
internationalisation; and quality assurance
framework.
Prof Tan (right) presenting Mr Cheong with a token of
appreciation at the TF-NUS programme’s launch
Asian universities are at a
very exciting phase of their
development, with unique new
opportunities associated with
the rapid rise of Asia. To excel,
Asian universities must develop
strong expertise in governance,
academic leadership and
management.
– Prof Tan
Speaking at the programme’s launch, NUS
President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan said: “We
hope this programme can be the catalyst for
exciting and productive change for all of us, as we
chart our individual courses towards excellence.”
He expressed the University’s gratitude to TF for
its strong and unstinting support, and thanked
TF Deputy Chairman Ms Jennie Chua and Chief
Executive Officer Mr Benedict Cheong for gracing
the event.
Calling NUS “a valued partner” in TF’s quest to
build and sustain a prosperous and peaceful
Asia of the future, Mr Cheong said: “We have
partnered NUS in 12 distinctive programmes, all
designed to bring about the institutionalisation
of learning and a long-term positive impact on
communities in Asia in areas such as education,
health care and public management.”

DPM Tharman’s vision of an
inclusive Singapore
Ensuring that no Singaporean gets left behind
is not just about the government redistributing
resources to help the poor. Deputy Prime Minister
Tharman Shanmugaratnam shared his deep
insights and high aspirations for an inclusive
Singapore with over 200 students at the Kent Ridge
Ministerial Forum 2012 held on 4 April in NUS’
University Town.
Rather than the government providing benefits
for every disadvantaged group, DPM Tharman felt
that a society where everyone has a fair chance of
succeeding is dependent upon everyone playing
their part. He said: “We’ve got to make sure that
everyone shares in the social culture of aspiring.
Wherever you start, aspire to do better. And if we
can achieve that social culture and keep it going,
no one will be left behind.”
He also noted that an inclusive society will only
blossom if we cultivate the spirit of responsibility
and community. Besides having a truly learning
nation where everyone keeps improving, he
stressed the need for Singaporeans to look after
their families and also help others in the local
community to move up.
The government needs to step up its social policies
but also make sure they are sustainable, he said.
Its mission, he pointed out, is not just to build but
also to sustain a fair and inclusive society for our
children’s generation and their children, without
increasing the burden of the next generation.
DPM Tharman’s sharing set the stage for a
stimulating 90-minute dialogue that ensued with
the student audience who had many burning
questions to ask him. About 130 questions were
submitted online even before the start of the
forum. The students voiced concerns over the
impact of government policies on education, job
security, salaries, housing, transport and the quality
of life. A range of people groups were touched on,
DPM Tharman addressed the topic of “No Singaporean
Left Behind”
including the Malay community, the middle class,
blue collar workers, foreign talents, single mothers,
AIDS patients, and gifted individuals who were
academically weak.
DPM Tharman, who is also Minister for Finance
and Manpower, gave thoughtful and perceptive
responses, explaining the thinking and approaches
to these complex issues with great clarity.
The annual Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum is
organised by the NUS Students’ Political Association
with the aim of cultivating awareness and
interest in political issues of social and economic
importance. The thought-provoking questions
raised at this year’s forum were indicative of the
more politically conscious and engaged tertiary
student community in Singapore today.
Some of DPM Tharman’s comments on …
Influx of foreign talents
“Most of our economy is about
competition with others for a slice of the
global market. So even if you don’t have
foreigners here with you, you are still
competing with foreigners somewhere
else.… If you don’t provide opportunities
in Singapore for enterprises to be globalclass
and highly competitive and for
Singaporeans to work in the best teams,
we will lose more Singaporeans.”
Rising cynicism towards
government policies
“It is important for us to
retain a relationship of
trust between whoever is
the elected government
and the people.… We
have to engage a lot more,
take nothing for granted
and win adherence … by
involving Singaporeans.”
Education initiatives
“We are expanding tertiary opportunities
right across the system, including university
places … not just the same style but
different types of education … Education
must remain our central approach of
ensuring that everyone does better.”
This year’s ministerial forum
saw a more participative
young audience with bold and
thought-provoking questions
Quality of questions
“You asked very good
questions and it shows that
you are thinking actively
about the type of society
we should be.”
APRIL 2012
3

Department of Political Science
celebrates its golden jubilee
In 1961, NUS’ political science department was
established at the then University of Malaya with
merely two faculty members and an inaugural
class of about 40 students. Today, the department
has close to 40 academic staff and 80 honours
graduates a year. The total enrolment of political
science modules this year is nearly 4,000.
At its 50th anniversary dinner on 30 March 2012,
Head of Department Professor Terry Nardin said:
“In some ways, the history of the department
mirrors that of NUS and Singapore itself. Having
encountered many challenges over the decades,
it has matured into one that is recognised
internationally as among the best in Asia.” Besides
its history and current status, he also shared the
department’s plans and hopes for the future with
the 250 students, faculty and alumni in attendance.
Also speaking at the event was Guest-of-Honour
Professor Chan Heng Chee, Ambassador of
Singapore to the United States. She was among
the first batch of political science students in the
department, the first Singaporean on its staff
team, and Head of Department from 1985 to 1987.
Relating her personal experiences as a student,
lecturer and practitioner, she said: “It was not until
I became a diplomat that I found I had to marry
political science with operational requirements,
and that was when I really appreciated the uses of
political science and also its limits.”
Prof Chan found her training and
experience as a political scientist to be
excellent preparation for her job as
Singapore’s Permanent Representative
to the United Nations from 1989 to
1991 and diplomat for almost 16
years in Washington, DC. In these
capacities, she also gained practical
insights such as the importance of
personal relationships and people skills,
the entrepreneurial dimension of a
diplomat’s role, and the astute use of
technology in the practice of politics
and diplomacy.
KNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISE
4
(From left) Assoc Prof Hussin Mutalib, Prof Chan and Prof Nardin during
the cake-cutting ceremony
Seeking solutions to water issues
In conjunction with World Water Day on 22 March,
NUS Global Asia Institute (NUS-GAI) held a
dialogue session as part of its speaker series, with
engineering expert Professor Lui Pao Chuen. He
spoke on the topic of possible solutions to water
shortage and flooding in Singapore.
With increased annual rainfall beyond the capacity
that the nation’s drainage system could cope with,
Prof Lui proposed harvesting storm water with
shafts and tunnels to build underground reservoirs
in rock caverns 100 metres beneath the surface. Not
only would such channelling of storm water help in
flood alleviation, he thought the reservoirs could
also serve as storehouses for freshwater in the
event of drought, thus reducing dependence on
energy for water treatment.
An Adjunct Professor at the NUS Faculty of
Engineering since 1990, Prof Lui is the Advisor to
the National Research Foundation, a department
under the Prime Minister’s Office. In 2012, he was
appointed by the Ministry of National Development
as Advisor of the Underground Master Plan Task
Force.
The gala dinner was a culmination
of a series of golden jubilee events,
including a forum on the general
elections and mock parliament
sittings helmed by students, organised
respectively by its alumni and the
Political Science Society.
His presentation was followed by a panel discussion
featuring Professor K E Seetharam, NUS-GAI
Director who is a renowned water policy expert;
and Professor Chan Eng Soon, engineering faculty’s
Dean. Prof Chan is also the Chairman of the Expert
Panel on Drainage Design and Flood Protection
Measures, appointed by the Ministry of the
Environment and Water Resources.
Prof Lui sharing his novel solutions to water shortage and
flooding in Singapore

NUS Open House 2012
– window to opportunities for change
“A transformative education that nurtures thinking
individuals who are alive to opportunities to make
a difference, are valued members and leaders of
society, and global citizens effective in diverse
settings” – this is a key thrust of NUS’ mission and
what the University seeks to offer prospective
students. In line with this, NUS’ admissions campaign
tagline this year was aptly titled “The Change is
Me”.
Opportunities for advancement and change were
indeed a key attraction that drew close to 17,000
prospective students and their families to the NUS
Open House on 17 and 18 March. As one of the
leading universities in the region with more than
100 years of history, NUS has developed a diverse
and comprehensive range of quality education and
research programmes, making it a choice option
among prospective students.
(2nd and 3rd persons from left) NUS President Prof Tan
Chorh Chuan and Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and
Provost Prof Tan Eng Chye at the medicine school booth
As expected, the admissions and
faculty talks that ran throughout
both days captured the most
interest. The audiences were
fascinated by the breadth of
subject choices and learning
opportunities such as overseas
exchange programmes and
internships. The attendees also
capitalised on the occasion
to seek advice from faculty
members and make enquires at
information booths set up by
NUS’ 12 undergraduate faculties
and schools.
Two new highlights this year
were the Yale-NUS College
(Yale-NUS) and University Town’s Enthusiastic student visitors waving the Open House brochures
(UTown) Angsana College
admissions activities. Yale-NUS, Singapore’s first
residential liberal arts college, will welcome its
inaugural batch of undergraduates in 2013, and is
already making waves among prospective students
locally and abroad. Its publicity initiatives in the
past few months, which have drawn immense
enthusiasm, included tea sessions, an exhibition,
mock lectures and sharing sessions by illustrious
alumni of Yale University and prominent industry
leaders.
Also on the drive to attract suitable student
candidates was Angsana College, the third and
latest residential college at UTown, which will open
this August. The campus tours to UTown during
Open House gave visitors an onsite experience of
its conducive study, living and interactive spaces,
beyond what an online virtual tour could simulate.
There were also tours to Bukit Timah Campus where
Law School held its Open House. For tours around
the main Kent Ridge Campus, an exciting new
stop was N-House (ENterprise House). A distinctive
enterpreneurial hub within the Prince George’s Park
Residences for sharing, networking and mentoring
activities, N-House houses students and interns
Keen interest from prospective students at Yale-NUS’
information booth
who have participated in the NUS Overseas
Colleges and innovative Local Enterprise Achiever
Development (iLEAD) programmes.
The Open House highlights also included a
Student Life Exhibition organised by the NUS
Students’ Union, which showcased a variety of
sports, community service, arts and culture as well
as special interest groups.
APRIL 2012
5

KNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISE
ACCOLADES
6
NUS rises in world reputation
NUS clinched the 23rd spot in the 2012 World
Reputation Rankings published recently by Times
Higher Education (THE), advancing four places from
its 27th position last year. The results also reflected
its strong showing among Asian universities – NUS
was third, after University of Tokyo and Kyoto
University.
The 2012 reputation rankings, which complement
the World University Rankings, were based on
the world’s largest academic reputation survey of
17,554 experienced academics from 137 countries.
NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan said:
“We are delighted to be placed among the leading
• Fourth year Industrial Design student Mr Darren
Yeo won the top prize at the Mapletree Business
City’s (MBC) “Design in the City” outdoor
furniture competition. He outshone 63 others
with his cloud-inspired design named “Laputa”.
Darren’s winning entry was a cloud-inspired furniture
design
Besides a cash prize of S$12,000, Darren also
received a much coveted internship with
internationally renowned product designer
Mr Toshiyuki Kita in Osaka, Japan, co-sponsored
by Mapletree and DesignSingapore Council. His
winning entry will be fabricated and installed
publicly at MBC.
• Ms Selene Chew won the Netexplo Grand Prix
2012 for “BlindSpot”, a smart cane for the
visually handicapped that she created for her
final year thesis. The first Asian and youngest
winner in the award’s history, she was honoured
at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) headquarters in
Paris on 15 March.
earpiece
phone
smart
cane
The innovative cane encompasses a Bluetooth earpiece
and a detachable phone
universities in the world and in Asia, and with the
recognition given to NUS’ world-class education
and research.” He found this to be a strong
endorsement of the University’s continued efforts
to pioneer educational innovations that provide a
top quality education; global student exchange and
internship opportunities; as well as its cutting-edge
research.
Attributing NUS’ strong performance to its talented
faculty, staff, students and alumni, Prof Tan said
that their dynamism and commitment are pivotal
to the University’s efforts to be global in vision,
goals and quality, and with special expertise,
insights and connections in Asia.
BlindSpot is a white cane with a built-in mobile
phone, ultrasound sensor and tactile navigator.
It can detect hanging objects and ground
obstacles as well as friends and family members
in the vicinity. A Bluetooth earpiece connected
to the cane and a navigation interface help
connect and guide the user to meet them.
Additionally, the foldaway, rechargeable cane
can be converted into a mobile phone when the
user is at home.
The recent NUS graduate is currently working
at the University’s Design Incubation Centre to
further develop the product.
• FiETT, an NUS Enterprise incubatee company, was
one of the five winners of the DEMOguru Award
at the inaugural DEMOAsia event in March. The
company was recognised for its outstanding
presentation of ISGLOVES TM , its signature product.
ISGLOVES TM is the only double-layered touch screen
gloves-cum-mittens in the market
FiETT was founded by four NUS students –
Ms Charmain Tan from the Faculty of Science,
Ms Cia Zhi Yun from the School of Design and
Environment, and Mr Fitzkhoon Liang and
Mr Tan Yan Liang from the Faculty of
Engineering. Three of the students had
participated in the NUS Overseas Colleges
programme.
ISGLOVES TM , which is made of special conductive
materials, allows the wearer to operate touch
screen devices such as smart phones and tablet
computers that rely on faint electrical signals
from the fingers. Additionally, with a unique
design for trapping heat between the fingers,
ISGLOVES TM can also double up as mittens.

Decades-old chemical conundrum
demystified
A multinational research team led by Assistant
Professor Kim Chu-Young from NUS’ Department
of Biological Sciences unravelled a chemical mystery
that had confounded both chemists and biologists
for decades. They discovered how a soil bacterium,
Streptomyces lasaliensis, is able to convert an
epoxide into a six-membered cyclic ether during
synthesis of lasalocid, a natural polyether antibiotic.
Their insights into this surprising chemical
transformation that was deemed kinetically
unfavourable were presented in a paper published
in Nature on 5 March.
expected to contain a five-membered ring instead
of the observed six-membered ring, according to
“Baldwin’s Rules for Ring Closure”.
With a deeper understanding of the unique
Lsd19 enzyme’s protein structure and critical role
in catalysing the formation of two cyclic ether
moieties that are part of the lasalocid structure, the
researchers could shed light on the phenomenon.
Photo: Dr Kinya Hotta
The crystal structure of Lsd19 determined at 1.59 Å
resolution (PDB ID: 3RGA). The X-ray diffraction data
was collected at beam line 7-1 of Stanford Synchrotron
Radiation Lightsource
Dr Kim working in the X-ray Crystallography Laboratory of
NUS’ Department of Biological Sciences
Through the use of powerful X-rays, the team
comprising researchers from NUS, University
of Oxford, Hokkaido University, University of
Shizuoka, Stanford University and University of
California at Los Angeles, could decipher how
the antibiotic-producing S. lasaliensis defies a
longstanding set of chemical rules. Lasalocid was
New research centre to address
industrial carbon footprint
The University of Cambridge will partner NUS and
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to set
up a new research centre in Singapore under the
National Research Foundation’s (NRF) Campus for
Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise
(CREATE) programme.
Drawing on expertise across the three universities
and Singapore’s Institute for Chemical and
Engineering Science, the centre serves to advance
the “Cambridge Centre for Carbon Reduction
in Chemical Technology (C4T)” programme. It
will focus on minimising the carbon footprint of
industrial-scale chemical processes through stateof-the-art
experimental analysis and computational
modelling research. The team will explore ways
of improving energy efficiency and strategies for
carbon capture and use in the petrochemical and
refining technologies.
“Given the magnitude of the challenge and
the need for urgent action to address climate
“Our study has broad implications because the
six-membered cyclic ether is a common structural
feature found in hundreds of drug molecules
produced by nature,” said Dr Kim. “We have
analysed the genes of six other organisms that
produce similar polyether drugs and we are now
confident that the biosynthetic strategy we have
uncovered is also used by those organisms.”
The new understanding of how nature synthesises
the six-membered rings may enable chemists to
develop new methods to produce more effective
and affordable polyether drugs available to the
public.
change, it is timely that a world-leading, enduring
collaboration has been established to undertake
fundamental and applied research aimed at
reducing the carbon footprint of Singapore’s
refining, chemicals and power generation sectors,”
said Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge,
Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz.
NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan said that
the University has made significant efforts over the
last few years to develop ideas for reducing the
carbon footprint of the chemicals industry sector
which is vitally important to Singapore’s economy.
He added: “NUS has committed its top experts
in the relevant fields to this C4T programme and
looks forward to contributing with Cambridge and
NTU to the reduction of CO 2 emissions and a more
sustainable chemicals industry for the future.”
The centre, to be established by 2013, will be based
at the CREATE premises in NUS University Town,
with laboratory space in NUS and NTU.
APRIL 2012
7

Tan Chin Tuan Foundation supports
Chinese studies at Yale-NUS
The model of liberal arts education
at Yale-NUS College (Yale-NUS), a
landmark collaboration between
Yale University and NUS, will
be distinctive in many aspects.
In addition to the traditional
emphasis on Western thinkers and
philosophers, it will be enriched with
Asian perspectives and experiences
as well as opportunities for crosscultural
and comparative learning.
Supporting this cause, the Tan Chin
Tuan Foundation has pledged to give S$5 million
for a Professorship in China and Chinese Studies
and a Programme in Chinese Culture and
Civilisation for undergraduate students.
“The Tan Chin Tuan Foundation is a longstanding
leader in philanthropy that creates a broad
societal impact. NUS is very grateful to be able to
partner the Foundation to nurture leaders with
the intellectual qualities and the multidimensional
perspectives so crucial for Asia and the world,”
said Yale-NUS Governing Board Member and NUS
President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan.
The Foundation’s Deputy
Chairman Ms Chew Gek Khim
said: “We hope that our gift
to Yale-NUS will instill a sense
of history and tradition in our
local and regional communities,
making an education in
Singapore and the region
unique. Our Foundation will
link Yale-NUS with other
institutions supporting Chinese
studies, and should enable
Yale-NUS to have a pivotal role
in perpetuating knowledge and understanding
of China, as well as the study in Singapore of
Chinese history, culture and civilisation.”
Prof Hansen giving her first
public lecture as visiting Tan
Chin Tuan Professor
Professor Valerie Hansen, a well-known expert in
Chinese History at Yale University, was the first
visiting Tan Chin Tuan Professor. She delivered
a public lecture on “Contending Superpowers:
the Defeat of China” at NUS on 3 April, which
touched on the triumph of the Kitan over the
Chinese during the Song Dynasty resulting in a
globalised world in 1004 that much resembled
today’s world.
Championing fight against malaria
She found it unacceptable that so many people
suffer and die from such a preventable and
treatable disease. That was why Her Royal
Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium became
the Special Representative of the Roll Back Malaria
(RBM) Partnership.
Speaking as Guest-of-Honour at a special forum
on the fight against malaria held on 11 April at
NUS, she shared that malaria kills nearly 700,000
people a year despite progress, including one child
each minute; and that Asia accounts for the second
highest malaria burden, outside of Africa.
“The work being conducted here at NUS gives
me hope. I’m impressed to see your innovative
research which leads to a better understanding of
this disease and to new methods for combatting
it,” she said.
The RBM, United Nation’s coordinating body for
the global fight against malaria, is a co-organiser
of the forum, together with NUS and UBS. Over
the past decade, the UBS Optimus Foundation
has provided about 5 million Swiss francs (about
S$6.8 million) in support of this cause. It focuses
on funding innovative efforts to prevent children
from being infected with malaria and to improve
management of children suffering from the
disease.
The forum is part of the NUS Greater Good Series
supported by Newsman Realty, which features
talks by leading minds on topics related to
philanthropy.
KNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISE
8
Recognising the formidable task in preventing,
treating and eradicating malaria, NUS Deputy
President (Academic Affairs) and Provost Professor
Tan Eng Chye said: “It is thus truly an honour to
host the Roll Back Malaria delegation, and to pay
tribute to their longstanding work to provide a
coordinated global response to this disease, and to
encourage greater commitment to global malaria
control efforts.”
KNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISE n APRIL 2012 VOLUME 11 NO. 09
Editor: Fua Lee Na
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HRH Princess Astrid with NUS Chairman Mr Wong Ngit
Liong at the special forum
For further information on the NUS Greater Good Series, contact Jeanne Ng at jeanne.ng@nus.edu.sg.
Cover photo: Education Minister Mr Heng Swee Keat (centre) with two new graduates.