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Knowledge Enterprise 2005
http://newshub.nus.edu.sg/ke/0601/articles/pg08.htm
Page 1 of 3
3/8/2007
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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Editor’s Roundup
New Appointments
Promotions
Newcomers
Best Education Course Provider
for the 4th year
Medicines to combat barnacles
and algae
SUE, a true story
CIO Award for NUS
Teaming up with St Jude to
fight childhood cancer
NUS mooters win top honours
Dark soya sauce, good for you
NEWS BITES: Roaring to top
10 in design
Vision, passion and
compassion
Love and aspiration in the 50s
Dare to be different
An old Silk Route revisited
Preparing ASEAN youths for
the new century
One from the heart
NUS greenies win awards… and
a swim with gentle giants
On wings of excellence
NUS in Tri-University Alliance
for deeper collaboration
MM Lee at Tri-University
Colloquium in Korea
A sense of place
back to KE home
Love and aspiration in the 50s
-Lo Tien Yin
THEY ENJOYED the songs – and perhaps the memories brought back
by the musical of Singapore set in Bukit Timah Campus of the 50’s.
Man of Letters, presented by the Centre For the Arts, opened on 18
May to a packed hall. The occasion was graced by NUS Chancellor and
Singapore ’s President Mr S R Nathan, himself an NUS alumnus who
graduated in 1954. Among the audience were many other members of
the alumni – including one who had specially flown back just for the
musical.
BACK TO THE 50’s: Robin Goh
plays medical student Ming who
falls in love with Roseanne
(Emma Yong). The musical’s gala
night was attended by many
prominent alumni; among them,
President S R Nathan and Mrs
Nathan (below, with cast and Mr
Dick Lee, front, extreme right;
Mr Wong Ngit Liong, Chairman,
NUS Board of Trustees and Mrs
Wong, extreme right); and
Professor Arthur Lim, 5th from
left, second row).
The spotlight also fell on the executive producer for the musical,
ophthalmologist Professor Arthur Lim, an alumnus whose work From A
Doctor’s Diary published in 1999, had inspired the musical. He took to
the stage with co-producer Ms Susie Koh to introduce the musical to
the audience after Mr Wong Ngit Liong, Chairman of the NUS Board of
Trustees gave the opening address.
E
Dick Lee’s first romantic musical, Man of Letters was directed by
Sydney-based Darren Yap and starred Robin Goh, Emma Yong, George
Chan, Gani Abdul Karim, Celine Rosa Tan, Lim Kay Siu and Neo Swee
Lin in the lead roles. The musical dramatised the love affair of three
university students as they pursue their hopes and dreams. Its run
ended on 21 May.

Knowledge Enterprise 2005
http://newshub.nus.edu.sg/ke/0601/articles/pg08.htm
Page 2 of 3
3/8/2007
Dare to be different
SHE WAS the first woman from the Asia Pacific region to be elected a
corresponding member of the International Academy of Production
Engineering, CIRP, one of the most exclusive associations for
manufacturing researchers in the world. Associate Professor Ong Soh
Khim, a faculty member with the Department of Mechanical
Engineering and also a Nominated Member of Parliament, was also
honoured recently by the Junior Chamber of Singapore as one of the 10
Outstanding Young Persons of Singapore 2006. Knowledge Enterprise
catches up with her:
OUTSTANDING YOUNG PERSON: Associate Professor Ong
Soh Khim (left) with Minister for Community Development,
Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan who presented
the awards in March.
Which incident in your life would you describe as the most
significant
This would be the first award I received, the M Eugene Merchant
Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award presented by the US
Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 2004.
I did not realise that I was good enough to compete with young
researchers and academics worldwide in this field! I was the first
woman in ASEAN to receive the award and being a true product of NUS
(I did my undergraduate and PhD degrees at NUS) this confirmed my
perception that “made-in-Singapore” is as good as any made in
developed countries.
What’s the best thing about being an academic
Life as an academic is exciting as one is forever interacting with the
young and dynamic. It makes you forget your age and rejuvenates
your stamina and knowledge. I have always been inspired by top
professors who have taught me. I have been hoping that one day I
could also do likewise. I have aspired to be an academic since my
undergraduate days.
What is the most challenging thing you have ever done
It was to submit a nomination form for the Nominated Member of
Parliament with support from friends and family members. I thought at
least I should go for the experience of being interviewed by Ministers
and Members of Parliament.
What or who inspire you most
I am inspired by capable men and women... people who dare to go
against the norm and yet make good sense... people who dare to be
different, people who are mavericks.

Knowledge Enterprise 2005
http://newshub.nus.edu.sg/ke/0601/articles/pg08.htm
Page 3 of 3
3/8/2007
An old Silk Road revisited
BORDERLANDS and frontiers fascinate Assistant Professor Yang Bin.
But it has been a challenge as there is often a paucity of documentation
on the history of borderlands. Dr Yang who has recently joined the
Department of History, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, has been
studying the history of Yunnan , a border province in Southwest China .
In his paper, Horses, Silver, and Cowries: Yunnan in Global Perspective
published by Journal of World History (Volume 15 No. 3), he
demonstrated the global significance of Yunnan and re-drew the map of
early Eurasian communication. Focusing on commercial items such as
horses, silver and cowries, he re-traced the Southwest Silk Road . He
gave a new global perspective to the importance of Yunnan by
illustrating how Yunnan had shaped neighbouring societies.
NEW PERSPECTIVE:
Dr Yang Bin gives a
new global slant to
history of the
silkroute.
Dr Yang’s thesis was awarded the 2004 Gutenberg-E Prize by the
American Historical Association (AHA). The AHA commended Dr Yang’s
effort in its March 2006 issue of Perspectives: “Yang takes a global and
long-term perspective on a local past. Criticising China-centric studies
of southwestern China , he looks from Yunnan outward, locating the
region’s central role in the Southwest Silk Road , and its
transformations in terms of economy, administration, populations, and
sense of ethnic identity. He seeks to show that a world history
approach is stronger at explaining local dynamics than a national
approach. The arguments are provocative, original, and engaging, and
he is remarkably successful in covering such an extended period.”
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