SibliNgS - Singapore Polytechnic

February2013SiblingsWill my sister spill the beans about mein SP? Brothers and sisters studying inSP have some good advice to share!From Nepalto ParisSP students take on the world!New andjust for youFacilities to add oomphto your learning.OpenHouse andEngineeringShow 2013Highlights

A Subsidiary of Bvleon Investment GroupDear SP Student,CelebratingHi All theBESTin the comingexaminations!The SPirit TeamI hope you all had a good vacation and now back with a renewed zest to tackle the last semester. Forme, 2013 was certainly a brand new beginning. I stepped into Singapore Polytechnic – my new workplace which will be a second home.What was my first impression of SP? The campus is full of vigour and vibrancy – all thanks to the over15,500 of you studying here. In my initial interactions with some of you, I was impressed by your passionand dedication to what you are doing and pursuing.I hope 2013 will be a year of celebrations for all of you. Whether you are in your third year preparing for thefinal hurdle, or a freshman who has just started the SP journey, I hope you will find reasons to celebrate.For those who have put in your best shot to see your final-year project to fruition, you deserve acelebration. You do not need a big party to celebrate. You can write a blog that documents your projectcompletion or have a meal with your project mates. These are but simple ways to share your joy withothers. Later in life, after you embark on your full-time career, these little moments of SP will become fondand treasured memories.We started 2013 with our annual SP Open House. The event itself was a celebration with a myriad ofsounds and colours around the campus. We played host to many visitors on campus, comprising G.C.E. ‘O’level school leavers, secondary school students, parents and industry partners. Whether they were hereto learn more about their desired diploma course or just to soak in the open-house atmosphere, all of youhad collectively played a part to make a deep impact!We impressed our visitors with the creative innovations at the Engineering Show. We demonstrated thevibrancy of SP with a host of exciting CCAs like archery, cycling, cheerleading, singing and dancing.The senior students shared passionately their SP experience and achievements with future students.Be proud that many of them made the choice and will soon join SP because of what you have showedor told them.In the months to come, I look forward to interacting and chatting with you. I want to understand youraspirations and see how SP can help you realise your dreams. I hope you will passionately, candidlyand generously share your views of SP with me, be it our strengths or areas for improvement.May each of you have an exciting and fulfilling year in 2013. Remember, With SP, It’s So Possible.Happy reading!Tan Choon ShianPrincipal and CEOSingapore Polytechnic“Excellence is not a singular act, but ahabit. You are what you repeatedly do.”- Shaquille O’NealThe SPirit TeamAdvisor: Yvonne Chan Editor-in-Chief: Andy Kwan Assistant Editors: Candice Yam, Benjamin MoeyStudent and Alumni Contributors: Lee Hong Ray, Sam Chin, Lee Jian Wei (Photography).SPirit is a quarterly publication published by the Department of Corporate Communications, Singapore Polytechnic.All rights reserved. No information herein should be reproduced without the permission of Singapore Polytechnic.All information correct at time of printing.For editorial or advertising enquiries, please email spirit_editor@sp.edu.sg or call 6772-1742.Magazine designed bySirius Art Advertising Pte Ltd.03

Sharing PhotosSP InYour Eye…On any other day, the building that stands in front of you looksjust like another building. Not for some of you though. SP has comealive through the creative lens of your smartphones and cameras.SP+EYE, a social media initiative that ran alongside the SP OpenHouse’s creative campaign strategy, received more than 750 entries.The photo entries, displayed on aspirations.sg, the Open Housemicrosite, gave a visual representation of the SP campus and thelearning journey to our potential students. And what a life there is atSP, as these pictures would tell you!05

SO POSSIBLEOpen SesameBuilt Environment had their hands fullplanning the campus tours, bazaar anddistribution of goodie bags, among otherroles. Students from all schools were alsorecruited to provide counselling on theirdiploma courses and many others playedtour guides to their school facilities.Cheerleaders, cyclists, rock climbers,cheerleaders, singers and dancers addedto the vibrancy of the event with theirdemonstrations and performances.More than 15,000 people comprisingG/C.E. ‘O’ level school leavers, secondaryschool students and parents thronged theopen plaza and the course counsellingbooths to check out the 50 diploma coursesthat SP offers. SPirit brings you a photospread of the hustle and bustle of SPOpen House 2013!Once again, SP doors were openedto the public at the Open House heldin early January. The annual eventinvolved months of preparation by SPstaff and students who took up variousroles in the planning and execution. TheStudent Agency, a living lab under the SPDesign School, took the lead in mappingout the creative strategy which includedprint advertisements and outdoor banners.Second-year event management studentsfrom the School of Architecture and the07

SO POSSIBLEEngineeringCuriosityThey say curiosity killed the cat. But it wascuriosity that also begot an impressiveshowcase of engineering innovations at theEngineering Show 2013. True enough, from theimpressive array of displays that were also thefinal-year projects of third-year students, SP isindeed the place where curiosity is nurturedand cultivated. Our engineeringstudents have ventured beyond whatwas taught to them by exploring newideas to build things that could makea difference in our lives. From solarpoweredinnovations to unmannedaerial vehicles, there was no lack of“Wows” from the show’s visitors.brings you a round-up of theprojects by our young engineeringwonders!09

With SP, it’s So PossibleThe WorldAll their bags are packed, they are ready to go!Some to Shanghai, others to Paris, London and Tokyo.He took the road less travelled in Nepal, while she visited Psy’s hometown in Seoul.Whatever and wherever, all they did was for a common goal.To be shown the world and watch their visions grow.In preparing them to become world-ready graduates, SP students are given plenty ofopportunities to participate in overseas programmes. From immersion programmes to communityservice trips; competitions to industrial attachments, they leave their marks in the major capitalsof the world, and also the lesser known villages. They return with brand new perspectives of theworld, and the eagerness to taken on fresh challenges, even on a global scale. Read our specialfeature on some of the unique overseas trips that SP students embark on.Los Angeles, USAThree weeks in the United Statesbut they wished it could be longer.For the 24 students from School ofArchitecture & the Built Environment,School of Mechanical & AeronauticalEngineering, School of Chemical &Life Sciences, and School of Electrical& Electronic Engineering, the YouthCreativity, Innovation and SustainableLeadership Workshop cum Study Tourwas an eye opener in every sense ofthe word.They visited the top universitieson the west coast, such as theUniversity of California Berkeley andStanford University. There were sitevisits to the Google headquartersand the Computer History Museum,the world’s largest history museumat Silicon Valley. The highlight wasa two-week leadership workshop atStanford University.One student said after the trip: “TheDubai and Abu Dhabi,United Arab EmiratesThe School of Architecture & the Built Environment students had an amazingArabian adventure. They drank coffee and ate dinner in the desert, and evenrode camels!workshop was very enriching and verydifferent from the school curriculum. Ienjoyed the personal interaction with thementors and the professors at StanfordUniversity. Their openness and willingnessto share touched me personally andhelped me to grow as a complete person.Their pointers and lessons were especiallyuseful and applicable.”All this was part of a five-day trip to the Emirates to understand Arabian cultureand architectural style. They visited incredible architectural works such as the BurjKhalifa (world’s tallest building), the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and the AtlantisThe Palm Hotel (a hotel filled with marine-themed sculptures, art and aquariums).They also had talks with various officials and hotel owners who shared knowledgeabout the United Arab Emirates and the hospitality business. The most exciting partof their journey was their half-day trip into the desert for dinner and entertainment!One student from the Diploma in Integrated Events and Project Management(DEPM) was deeply impressed by the incredible quality of Arabian service. She said:“The service was brilliant! Managers would come and chat with you warmly, as ifyou weren’t a customer but a close friend coming over to their house to stay. Andit’s the same for the rest of the staff. They treat everyone with the same welcomingmanner. Arab hotels sell an entire package of grandeur and hospitality.”11

With SP, it’s So PossibleFrance andFinlandSP Business School studentstaking the Diploma in Tourismand Resort Management (DTRM)have opportunities to shoot off toevery corner of the world for theirinternships. There, they work invarious tourism establishments andperform a wide variety of tasks,such as cooking, cleaning and officeadministration, to understand howthe tourism business functions as awhole!Max Plank Institute,Mainz, GermanyThis year, some of them jetted offto France and stayed in a provincecalled Burgundy, where they workedin a hotel, a museum and a tourismoffice. After their internship finished,they took the chance to travel allthe way across Europe to places likeItaly and London!Research is a very important aspect in the study of lifesciences. Students from the School of Chemical andLife Sciences certainly have most enviable researchinternship opportunities. Over the past three years,students from the Diploma in Biomedical Science(DBS), Diploma in Biotechnology (DBT) and Diplomain Applied Chemistry with Pharmaceutical Science(DACP) have conducted research projects alongsideprofessors at the best universities in the world.These include Cornell, Harvard, Imperial College,Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford andYale. This year, two students went to the Max PlanckInstitute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany, thesame institution that Einstein attended! One of them,Fong Weijie, even continued to work with the Germansfor his final-year project upon his return.Back in Singapore, our students benefitted fromscientific research work with Dr Jonathan Loh, an SPbiotechnology alumnus who is now an award-winningscientist with A*STAR.Some of the students who went to Finland got theirfirst-ever look at falling snow in their lives! Theyworked in a hotel where they cooked, cleaned, andwaited at tables. While they were there, they alsomade short trips to countries like Sweden, France andBelgium!Besides Europe, Business School students also landedin countries like China, Hong Kong, Thailand, UnitedStates and Vietnam for various overseas immersionand industrial attachment programmes.13

With SP, it’s So PossibleSan Francisco, USAand Tokyo, JapanLondon, United Kingdomand Seoul, South KoreaShimmering water and an orangeevening sky framed the majesticGolden Gate Bridge that greetedSchool of Digital Media & InfocommTechnology (DMIT) students as theyentered San Francisco. The city isone the leading financial and culturalcenters of the USA, and housesseveral high-profile digital media andanimation companies. Our studentstoured the studios and talked to thestaff of Lucasfilm, Adobe and Pixar!Another group of four DMIT studentswas invited for a sponsored trip to thesame city where they took part in theOracle Thinkquest 2012 Competitionand came in second.Students loved the hearty and fullflavours of the food in San Fran.Jeremiah Ang says: “The food wasgreat! Once we had lunch at a cafeand I had a meal of chicken wings,pasta, and beef cheeks! It was a setmeal for two… but I gobbled it alldown by myself!”Other DMIT students flew to excitingcities like London, Paris, Los Angelesand Tokyo! Muhammad Hilmi AbdulRahim, a big Final Fantasy gamingfan, got the experience of a lifetimein Tokyo. He and his course matesattended the Tokyo Game Show2012, where they watched and playeddemos for new games to be releasedin 2013. They also had time to visit thestudios of top game companies suchas Square Enix and Namco Bandai!Diploma in Interior Design (DID) studentshad an all-encompassing design experienceduring their trip to Seoul. Working togetherwith the warm and friendly students fromthe Kaywon School of Art and Design,they analysed street market stores withthe intention of making fresh and creativedesigns for these stores. The studentschatted with store owners and researchedmarket conditions. With this knowledge,they applied their own creative flair todesign eye-catching and vivid storeconcepts!A Brit-fuelled exhibition borne of theinspirations and visual collections froman earlier trip. This time round, studentsfrom The Student Agency were in themotherland of the English. Surroundedby tea-lovers and the browning leaves offall, the Diploma in Visual Communicationand Media Design students exhibited theirdesigns right in the heart of the LondonCollege of Communication. They madetheir mark at the London Design Festival2012 with a reprise of London's Calling: TheExhibition, held at SCAPE last year. Londonwas welcoming, encouraging and royal!They savoured the once-in-a-lifetime chanceto exhibit experimental and interactiveworks to an international audience andreturned to Singapore inspired, and ready totake on the world. Jolly good!15

With SP, it’s So PossibleHarvard University,Massachusetts, USAEvery year, students from the SPOutstanding Talent (SPOT) Programmemake trips to either Harvard orPrinceton universities for the UnitedNations Model Conference. Thisis a four-day international relationssimulation for high school and tertiarystudents around the world. Theygain insights into the workings of theUnited Nations and the dynamics ofinternational relations by assumingthe roles of UN representatives andmembers of other international bodies.They debate on issues that confrontworld leaders and draft resolutions inresponse to these global issues.While there, the SPOT students, whocome from the different SP Schools,also get to visit the Harvard campus,talk with undergraduates there,tour the campus as well as attendadmissions information sessions. Trulya unique and exciting opportunity forthem to be immersed in the Harvardexperience.As the only students taking the Diploma in AppliedDrama and Psychology (DADP) in Southeast Asia –they get to take study breaks overseas to work andlearn from theatre practitioners in different countries.In 2012, they spent eight days at the Theatre Camp withMakhampom Theatre, a group that teaches theatre andcircus skills to young people from a marginalised ethniccommunity in Northern Thailand. They participated inworkshops that focused on exploring theatre as a toolfor community cultural development and Thai theatreart forms. There was also a visit to the local ethniccommunity where they interacted with the youngpeople’s theatre group there.Besides Thailand, DADP students also went to theUnited Kingdom to attend a three-week long coursecalled Methods of Devising Performance Course atthe Central School of Speech and Drama, Universityof London. They learned artists’ specialisationssuch as physical theatre, masks, autobiographicalperformance, ecological performance, clowning andverbatim theatre. It was also an opportunity to explorethe skills, processes and concepts of making anddevising performances.Chiang Mai, Thailandand London, UK17

With SP, it’s So PossibleTaipei,TaiwanMembers of Gusto!, SP’s cheerleadingteam, went for an intense weeklongtraining session in Taipei. There,they trained with teams from theuniversities, as well as MONSTER, acheerleading team open to the generalpublic. These experienced teams sharedskills that brought Gusto’s abilities toa new level. Our cheerleaders learnednew techniques and even formed theirfirst 3-3-5 pyramid consisting of threepeople at the base, three people at thesecond tier and five on the third tier!Gusto! also combed the streets ofTaipei, visiting hotspots like Taipei101 and the Simenting night market.They even summoned up the courageto execute impromptu stunts on thestreets! There was some time for themto get a nice, warm soak in the hotsprings with their Taiwan hosts too.Gusto! is the national cheerleadingchampion two years in a row. They werethe champion team at the SingaporeNational Cheerleading Championship in2011 and 2012. Some members wereinvited to represent Singapore at theCheerleading Asian Invitational Open2012 held in Tokyo.Team SP has done incredibly well at the SIFE Singaporecompetition. Since 2008, the SP SIFE Team has won the localchampionship consecutively, except for 2012 when they took abreak. Winning the local leg won them the rights to representSingapore at the SIFE World Cup which hastaken them to places as nearby as KualaLumpur and as far away as Berlin. This year,the team went to Washington. Although theydid not win the international championship,they reaped invaluable once-in-a-lifetimeexperiences through their participation.SIFE, which stands for Student In FreeEnterprise, is an international non-profitorganisation that works with businessleaders and tertiary institutions to engagestudents in social enterprise projects andhelp them to become socially responsible leaders in theircommunities. The SIFE World Cup is a platform for students tocompete first on a national level, and then on an internationalstage if they advance to the international finals. Projects on bothlevels are judged by business leaders.Sukka Valli, India andWashington, USAThe SP SIFE students havecreated social enterpriseprojects in India, Indonesiaand the Philippines whichhave benefitted hundreds ofnatives in these countries. InIndia for example, they built agreenhouse to speed up the growth of saplings whichwere later sold by the villagers to generate income.Note: SIFE has been rebranded as Enactus since Oct 2012.19

With SP, it’s So PossibleShanxi,ChinaKids in a Shanxi village were treatedto a dazzling display of dance andmusic by students from the School ofArchitecture & the Built Environment(ABE). They entertained the little oneswith performances like the Gangnamstyle dance and a magic show lacedwith fire eating! There was even anadorable segment where the kids weretaught the proper method of washinghands. ABE students also sharedknowledge about water conservationand sanitation, taught English andhelped to paint and construct facilitiesfor the village!Yu Xiangzhi, a SP student who is alsoa freelance magician, was deeplyimpacted by a conversation he had withone of the children: “When we askedhim, ‘Do you want to go out to the citywhen you grow up?’ he answered no.We were all surprised by what he said.His answer was that he would missthe village, as it was where he grew upand where his parents are living as wellas his friends. His words left a deepimpression in my heart. I think none ofus would want to live in the village forour whole life, because we are alwaysyearning for better things. Yet, this boyreally treasured and appreciated all thathe had. I feel his words showed me thatwe should really appreciate what wehave, live our lives to the fullest, andstop complaining over small matters!”Nargakot,NepalThey gathered together for a trip to a village in the Nargakotprovince in Nepal. The aim of this group of SP studentsfrom different schools was to learn more about Nepaleseculture and living as they helped out with various tasksaround the village. The 18 students built foundations andwalls for a new classroom building. They also taught Mathsand Science to the children there and interacted with themby playing games.Some students felt that they learned more than what theyhad taught, and received more than they had given. As onestudent puts it: “Nepal has broadened my perspective oflife and taught me to appreciate the basic necessities wehave back home. The trip made me treasure friendshipsmore and be more observant of the environment andsurroundings I’m in.”21

Critical ✚ DiplomaticSiblingsWith its long history, it’s notuncommon to have familymembers who are studying in orhave graduated from SP. We havestudents whose parents are also SPgraduates. Within the various SPSchools, there’s a strong presenceof students with siblings in thesame school. They have sat throughthe same classes, eaten in thesame food courts and studied underthe same lecturers. Some make thechoice to study here together, whileothers tell all they know to theiryounger siblings and let them maketheir own choice. SPirit checks outthe siblings in the SP BusinessSchool to find out more.Sisters Zara and Amanda are like oil and water. Zara likesrunning and swimming whereas Amanda likes music andreading. Amanda is critical and direct, whereas Zara is morediplomatic and agreeable. Though they get along, their onlyother common activity besides watching TV is quarreling witheach other when things get heated. They’re not even fromthe same course. Zara is in the Diploma in Tourism andResort Management (DTRM) whereas Amanda is taking theDiploma in International Business (DIB).However, despite their differences, the two sistersappreciate each other’s strong points. Zara admires Amanda’sintelligence and persistence in studying whereas Amandalikes that her sister is diplomatic and can really get along wellwith others.Both of them enjoy their days in SP. Amanda loves playingpercussion instruments with the SP Symphonic Band. ForZara, however, it’s the people that make all the difference.“SP is one of the few polys where your class has the samestudents for all three years,” says Zara. “Over here, weare with the same classmates throughout and that reallyhelps us to bond together. I’m really close to a lot of myclassmates, and they’ve been like pillars of support for methroughout my three years of study!”Love Food ✚Love FunThio Eng Chuan (second from right)and his younger brother Eng Leong (farright) with friends and their lecturer MsMelisa Lim (centre).Diploma inBusinessAdministration(DBA) studentThio Eng Chuanloved his timein SP from startto finish. Heenjoyed themany differentfood outlets in SP, such as McDonalds, Starbucks,Burger King, KFC and Ya Kun Kaya Toast. Moreimportant to him however, were the lecturers whoshaped his life. Eng Chuan says, “My lecturers MsMelisa Lim, Mr Tang Kah Heong, Ms Olivia Koh,and Mr Antony Ranasinghe definitely helped mea lot throughout my second and third years. Theysupported me tirelessly and gave me much adviceabout further studies.” Eng Chuan completedhis SP journey with great results that earnedhim a place in Nanyang Technological Universityto pursue a double degree in Accountancy andBusiness.His brother Eng Leong, now a second-year DBAstudent, enjoys the life here as well. For him, itis the facilities that engage him the most. “Ourfacilities are all up-to-date,” says Eng Leong,“Besides the usual sports facilities, there are alsopool tables, karaoke rooms and music rooms forjamming! The Dover MRT station is also right nextto SP, making it really easy to get to!”Sisters Zara (top) and AmandaChoo have a love-hate relationshipwith each other but a love-loverelationship with SP!Cheery ✚CHeeryOne has graduatedfrom the Diplomain Accountancy(DAC) whereasthe other is stillin the first year ofthe same course.Sisters Tan MinMin and Tan Min Hui have a passionfor accountancy. They both believe thatTan Min Min (left)with her youngersister Tan Min Huiaccountancy is a stable career and highlyvaluedin many companies. Aside fromthe love for numbers, both of them alsoshare common hobbies like cooking,baking, and watching The VampireDiaries.Min Min is now furthering her studies inAccountancy and Finance at SingaporeInstitute of Management (Universityof London programme). Both of themspoke in unison when asked about whatthey liked about SP - the people and thefood. Min Min says, “We like the foodin Food Court 6, especially the chickenrice and Malay food stalls. It’s reallycheap and yummy!” Min Hui adds: “Theenvironment, lecturers and friends herehave made my SP days really fun andmemorable. although I’ve only spent onesemester here, I’m already enjoying thecompany and pace of studying life in SP!”SP business lecturer Mr Ryan Tan attended SiakHuey Wen’s (left) graduation in 2012. On his rightis Siak Sing Hao.Question✚ AdviceNear the end of his final yearin secondary school, Sing Haosought the advice of his oldersister Huey Wen on where to gonext. Huey Wen gave his questionsome thought, and in the end,she encouraged him to join herown course - the Diploma inFinancial Informatics (DFI) atSP. “I advised him to chooseDFI as his first choice,” saysHuey Wen.” It’s a course thatprovides students with bothhard and soft skills. The courseallows us to specialise in eitherInformation Technology (IT) orFinance and both are invaluable ifwe work in banks in future.” Shealso considered his love of cocurricularactivities and interactingwith people, and told him thatthere are many fun events at SPBusiness School.Her advice has worked well forthe younger one. Sing Hao sayshe finds both studies and studentlife in SP to be very engaging: “Ithink DFI is a very special course.Other business courses focusmore on business, but ours has alarge IT element as well. Modulesthat teach JAVA and HTML codingwill give me a rather uniqueadvantage in the workplace. Imade a lot of great friends hereand I always enjoy organisingcamps and other Business Schoolevents together with them!”23

Merry ✚ Merry= Merrier!Desmond andSophia with theirlittle sister Jerrainein their home.The Tan brothersgoofing off duringChinese New Year!Tan Jun Hao (left)with older brotherChun Wee at theformer’s SpecialistCadet Schoolgraduation.Focused ✚ GroundedMerry and good-humored siblingsDesmond and Sophia Lin look backat their SP days with fond memories.Both graduated from the Diplomain Banking & Finance (DBKF) andchose to join Singapore ManagementUniversity. While Desmond stillhas to finish NS before he enrolls,Sophia has already graduated andis now working for BHP Billiton, anAustralian mining firm.What made you take up DBKF in SP?Desmond: I was attracted to therigorous course work offered byDBKF. The modules ranging fromBanking Law to Financial Planningand International Trade are all veryapplicable to the industry. Afterhearing from my friends about thegreat SP culture and environment, Idecided to study DBKF there.Sophia, did you ever give anyadvice to your younger brotherwhen he was choosing schoolsafter ‘O’ Levels?Sophia: For sure. I provided him witha chunk of advice on the differencesbetween junior colleges andpolytechnics as I had experienced botheducational routes. I encouraged himto join SP as I felt that his learning stylewould allow him to excel and enjoystudent life in the polytechnic.What was the one thing that youboth enjoyed about life in the SPBusiness School?Desmond and Sophia: (Unanimously)Projects! Haha!Sophia: I think we both enjoyed themerciless torture of projects becauseit allowed us to build good friendshipsduring the process.Desmond: Yup, I have to agree withmy sis on that because you literally gothrough thick and thin together.Describe your SP days in general.Desmond: I don’t remember a daywhen I was ever free. If I was notattending lectures or tutorials, I wouldbe busy with projects, participating inco-curricular activities or just chillingwith my friends in the library. Eventhough the stress level was daunting attimes, it made my polytechnic life muchmore fun and memorable.Overall, did you enjoy your timeat SP?Sophia: Yes! Especially those countlesshours spent with my friends doingprojects, chilling out in Food Court 6 andbeing involved in overseas communityprojects together.Desmond: Definitely! I enjoyed everymoment of my time in SP!Winners in SP: Sophia won the Language& Communications Award and the AlumniScholarship award; Desmond clinched theAssociate Wealth Planner Scholarship and the LeeFoundation Bursary.For Tan Jun Hao and Tan Chun Wee,junior colleges were the norm aftersecondary school. Going to polyrequired a leap of faith. However,that leap was no problem for the twobrothers. With focused minds and astrong idea of what they wanted in life,they took that leap and made the choiceto join SP.At the age of 16, Tan Jun Hao wasalready very clear about his goals. “Itwas a leap of faith choosing the polyroute,” says Jun Hao, who joinedSP from Gan Eng Seng SecondarySchool, “because back then thejunior college route was the norm.However, I already knew that I wantedsomething different from the rest, andI felt that SP would be able to giveme that. I decided to choose eitherBusiness Administration, Accountancyor Banking and Finance in SP becausethey were time-tested courses.”= DecisiveJun Hao’s older brother, who came fromVictoria School, had simpler concernsbut he too chose SP after ‘O’ Levels.“At that time it was a simple idea ofgetting a good job with good pay,”Chun Wee says. “I felt that SP just hadthat reputation of providing a bettereducation. I was initially enrolled inanother polytechnic but made an appealto join SP.”Both of them eventually enrolled intothe Diploma in Banking and Finance(DBKF). During their three-year course,the Tan brothers found themselveschallenged and excited by their studies.“Studies in SP tax you just enough,”says Chun Wee. “You learn enoughfrom your course modules to godeeper and explore the topics you areinterested in. At the same time, youhave enough free space to developyour own interests and friendshipswith others.” Besides this, Chun Weealso felt that his lecturers made a greatimpact on his life. “There are severallecturers in SP who take a genuineinterest in your life. That makes youfeel more like a unique and cared-forindividual, rather than just anotherfaceless student in a school.”Today, Jun Hao is studying for a degreein Business Administration at theNational University of Singapore. ChunWee is at the Singapore ManagementUniversity, where he is studying for adegree in Economics with an additionalmajor in Finance. Both brothers feelthat while the future cannot be foretold,their education at SP has certainly giventhem a great head start. As Jun Haoputs it: “I think SP, or the poly educationin general, produces graduates that areresilient, practical and realistic. They arenot shy about trying and failing. Instead,they see failures as opportunities toimprove. The future is a big unknown,but I am certain that these values areessential and will be of great help to mein the years ahead.”25

Lovable ✚ Jovial= Inseparable!For top Diploma in Accountancy (DAC)graduates Tan Sze Rae and Tan Sze Min,the formula to success is simple math.Add in passion and discipline for bestresults!Twin graduatesfrom theDiploma inAccountancy– Tan Sze Rae(right) and TanSze Min.Lisa Chan (left) has been on the Dean’s Honour Roll list (a list for topperformingstudents) since her first year in SP. Sarah is currently workingas a financial analyst in Accenture, a global management consultancy firm.She was also on the Honour Roll list during her three years here.Sarah finds Lisa lovable. Lisa findsSarah jovial. Together, they are a pairof inseparable sisters who love manyof the same things. According to them,coming to SP was the “natural choice.”Lisa is currently a final-year student inthe Diploma in Accountancy (DAC).Sarah graduated from the same courseand is now a financial analyst in a globalmanagement consultancy firm.Hi Lisa and Sarah. We’ve heardthat you have a lot in commonwith each other. Tell us more?Lisa: We like to sing! We both have aninterest in music; we play the piano andlisten to pop music by artistes like AdamLambert, David Archuleta and Beyonce.I like Taylor Swift but she doesn’t,though.Sarah: Huh? No! I couldn’t standher songs for a very long time, butrecently I’ve started to find themcatchy, haha. I also think we werebrought up the same way, so we havesimilar beliefs and values.Would you say you both get alongwell because of that?Lisa: Yeah, maybe! We are really goodfriends. Although it’s natural that weargue a bit, most of the time we justhave a lot of fun together. And we’rereally close.Sarah: We don’t hide things from eachother. When we’re unhappy, we’ll justtell each other. And the good thingabout that is that we don’t keep it withinourselves and we make up very quickly.You both also made the samechoice to take the Diploma inAccountancy (DAC) course at SP.Why?Lisa: I took Principles of Accounting(PoA) in secondary school and I enjoyedit. I liked numbers so I decided onDAC… Actually since young I’ve alwayswanted to go to SP, haha. One reason isthat my dad’s a lecturer there. And well,it bears the name of our country.Sarah: I remember deciding basedon my impression of SP as being theLisa and Sarah with their mom anddad, Mr William Chan, a deputydirector in SP’s School of DigitalMedia and Infocomm Technology.most established polytechnic. And mydad has been there for as long as I canremember, so it just felt natural to gothere.Sarah, how is life in SP?Sarah: Polytechnic life is a bit moreliberal. You get to manage your owntime. Own time own target, youknow? But of course, you still haveresponsibilities and homework at theend of the day, just like any otherschool. It helped that most of mylecturers were good guides. I couldknock on their door any time and getadvice from them.If you had another youngersibling, what advice would yougive for choosing schools?Sarah: Choose something thatyou think you will enjoy. Don’t justpick something because of careerprospects. If you spend three yearsdoing something you hate, you’re justwasting your time. Find that balancebetween passion and practicality.Twins Tan Sze Rae and Tan Sze Minare a pair of gentle souls. Lecturersdescribe them as positive, quiet andmature. When you talk to them, theyare polite and soft-spoken. Both sistersreceived a string of awards during SPdays. Their outstanding results gotthem on the School’s Honour Roll forthree consecutive semesters, whichwon them both the Certificate ofCommendation and the SP BusinessSchool Achiever Award. Furthermore,both also received the Diploma withMerit Award. Their incredible trackrecord got them both places in NanyangTechnological University (NTU) to studyfor a Degree in Accountancy. Sze Raeeven clinched the Nanyang Scholarship!Studying (Passionately?) in SPHow many hours a day do you needto study to get top results year afteryear? For Sze Min and Sze Rae, theanswer is six.Outside of class, they would spendsix whole hours every day (includingweekends) to do revision. They wouldalso make it a point to write notesand summarise every chapter, onlystopping whenever project work gotThe Heng TeamPassion ✚ Discipline= Success!too demanding. Despite their toughschedule, they still found time to helpout in the SP Leo Club which organisesactivities to help the less fortunate.Where did they get the energy to doso much? Sze Min says that it camefrom a love of what they do: “Bothof us love numbers. When we scorewell in assignments, we feel a senseof satisfaction and achievement. Ithink that because we enjoy whatwe’re doing, we are motivated towork harder.”“Compared to other subjects,accounting just feels easier and morenatural,” says Sze Rae. “I think thatwhen you’re motivated by a subject,you just don’t feel so tired.”Dawn and Terence Heng graduated from SPBusiness School in 2004 and 2007 respectively.Terence took the Diploma in Accountancy(DAC) and Dawn chose the Diploma in Bankingand Finance (DBKF). Both of them were on theSchool’s Honour Roll during their SP days and theycontinued with their journey of excellence aftergraduation.Dawn went on to get her degree in BusinessAdministration at the National University ofSingapore and graduated as one of the top twomarketing students in her cohort. She is nowan Account Manager doing Advertising Sales atDiscovery Networks Asia.The twins also believe that good friends andlecturers helped a lot. They add: “Our lecturerswere very approachable and passionate aboutteaching, and we were inspired by them towork hard. We also had a bunch of loveablefriends who supported us throughout our threeyears in SP. The Business School was like onebig family where we had lots of fun, joy andlaughter!”Walk Your Own PathFor those who are mulling over which diplomacourse to study after their ‘O’ levels, Sze Minhas sage advice: “Choose what you really thinkyou’ll be interested in. You shouldn’t listentoo much to other people’s advice becauseultimately, it’s your own path that you’rewalking, not somebody else’s. When you reallylove what you do, you’ll be motivated to workhard and succeed!”Terence pursued a career with the Inland RevenueAuthority of Singapore (IRAS) as a tax officer aftergraduating from SP. He recently completed hisAssociation of Chartered Certified Accountants(ACCA) course.“SP has built a strongknowledge foundation for me to pursue acareer in accountancy through its enrichingand diverse modules.” - Terence“SP has taught me how to work smart,which is especially important in today’ssociety. I built up my self-confidence wheni was with SP, and learned to overcome myfear of speaking in front of a big audience.Basically, it’s where I grew up.” - Dawn27

Special PolyIt promised to be an exhilarating adventure for ‘O’ levelstudents to experience the amazing SP journey. Thepromise was kept for the hundreds of them who hadsigned up for Escapade, SP’s iconic event for thosewho just completed their ‘O’ level exams.But there was another group who experiencedrounds of high during the two-day 20-hour event –the SP Acers, student performers and helpers who,together with the (very tired!) SP staff, organisedthis year’s Escapade.Friendship bonds were quickly formed between thesecondary school students and the SP Acers, a specialgroup recruited by the School Relations section underthe Department of Corporate Communications. Formonths, they attended meetings and training sessionsto prepare for this iconic event and made sure theylooked after their charges, many of them from theiralma mater secondary school.29

Serving PassionatelyOur jubilant winners together withthen SP Principal Mr Tan Hang Cheong.Lydia YeeDiploma in Business Administration (DBA),Class of 2012NYAA Sections Achievements:Service - Served as the treasurer for SP Gusto! cheerleading team.Adventurous Journey - Snorkeling and abseiling off a cliff at the SPLeadership Programme (LEAP) camp at Pulau Sibu.Skills - Learned to cook Chinese and Western food.Physical Recreation - Ran in the 42km Sundown Marathon.Residential Project - Planned and executed recreational activitiesfor elderly folks in China during a community service trip.What was the most unforgettable experience out ofyour five components?Definitely abseiling! It’s something I’ve never tried before and itreally made me feel exhilarated. In cheerleading, I learned howto trust people with my life, but in abseiling, the only thing thatkept me alive was just a rope. A little scary because there wereplenty of rocks on the ground below the cliff, haha! At thattime, I could feel my heart beating really fast. But I must addthat the view was magnificent.Which component was the toughest for you?I think the Service component while doing cheerleading. Asleaders, we want to bring our team to the highest possiblelevel. So we had to make sacrifices by taking on paperwork, adminduties and doing reports. On top of that we still had to put in ourefforts as a team players and performers. It also got hard sometimeswhen I was caught between two sides in an issue, for examplebetween the students and the staff. Sometimes I felt misunderstoodand discouraged. But in the end, when a complicated issue isresolved, the feeling is quite sweet!What is the best lesson from your NYAA journey?Having the right mindset. NYAA has really taught me to perseverethrough difficult tasks and experiences. With the right mindset andwith goals in mind, I felt that I was able to go further than I normallywould have.40 Gold Stars for SP!Winners of the National YouthAchievement Gold Award(NYAA) don’t just get a medal.They make incredible memoriesoverseas and learn new skillsas well along the goldenjourney. To achieve the award,they have to complete fivecomponents of the programmeover a period of 18 months -Service, Adventurous Journey,Skills, Physical Recreation,and Residential Project. Thisyear, SP had 40 students andrecent graduates reaping 40 out of the 150 awards given out, faroutstripping those from the other polys. Lydia Yee and Zheng JiangPing share the most exciting parts of their journeys.NYAA Gold recipient Lydia Yee (farleft) and fellow SP students chattingwith President of the Republic ofSingapore, Dr Tony Tan (2nd fromright) and Minister for Education, MrHeng Swee Keat (far right).What was the most unforgettable experience outof your five components?I’ve got two. One is my residential project where we visiteda slum area and a school for kids in Bangladesh. A lot ofthe homes are just one-room flats with about 20-30 peoplein it. At night, they would all be cramped together to sharethe space. It kind of surprised me that they didn’t complain.They were satisfied and grateful for what they had. Thesecond unforgettable experience is white water-rafting. Itwas actually very exciting for us because we overturned ourboat thrice! Luckily we wore safety vests. When I started Iwas a little hungry, but when I finished, I was full with all thewater drank! It was really amazing. It seems funny when Ithink about it now but at that point in time it was really bad!Zheng Jiang PingFinal-year student, Diploma in Integrated Events andProject Management (DEPM)NYAA Sections Achievements:Service - Represented school as an SP Ambassador.Adventurous Journey - Climbed Mount Kinabalu and did whitewater-rafting in Malaysia.Skills - Completed a Diploma Plus module in InternationalHumanitarian Assistance.Physical Recreation - Ran in the Poly 50 event.Residential Project - Brought 150 computers to Bangladesh andtaught computer skills to the natives there.What is the best lesson for your NYAA journey?To me, I would say it’s meeting the people from different parts ofthe world who need help. I don’t know for sure if I’ll get the chanceto continuing doing overseas or local community work in future, butI will try my best to help those who need it.How does it feel to receive the NYAA Gold?It definitely feels great to receive this award. At the end of it, Itreasure most the unforgettable and indelible experiences gained.The award is a bonus to me but it is the journey that will forever bein my heart.31

Spooky PeopleDark SpiritsFor Halloween 2012, 17 SP students organised a haunted house event thatentertained locals and tourists both young and old for almost a month. TitledFrightFest 2012, they were commissioned by the Singapore Flyer to conceptualiseand execute this spooky project. has the details.This heart-pounding, flesh-numbingevent was put together by secondyearstudents from the Diploma inIntegrated Events and ProjectManagement (DEPM). As part oftheir coursework, they were taskedto collaborate with managementfrom the Singapore Flyer to create afun yet frightful Halloween event.Team manager Ng Shu Lingdisclosed that her DEPMteam got involved inalmost every part ofthe process. Theysourced for props,planned the eventstructure, madepresentations toclients and evenconducted castingin SP to findsuitable actorsfor the event.They also playeda huge part inthe creative design ofthe event. “Most ofthe highlights thatvisitors saw wereideas that we gaveto the Flyer Board,”says Shu Ling.“For costumes, wepicked out popularfigures from horrormovies such asSadako and TheExorcist.”Months of intensive preparation finallyculminated with visitors enteringthe dark forested passageways ofthe event enclosure and getting thescare of their lives as creatures withwarped, rotten flesh crawled out ofTV screens and burst out of boxes allaround them.It was hard work pulling together allthe necessary items and keeping things from fallingapart. “Planning is easy. Execution is tough,” says ShuLing. “We can throw in big ideas but must also face upto the reality of not meeting expectations.” However,the aftermath was more sweet than scary. The teamfelt rewarded when they saw parents and childrenlaughing and screaming together. Shu Ling says:“Many families came dressed in their own Halloweencostumes. It was great seeing the visitors having funbecause it meant all our hard work was well worth it.”33

Spellbinding PiecesWhen it comes to authentic learning, SP walks the talk. Thelaunch of a new fashion collection by SPELL – a retail living labat Changi Airport T3 managed entirely by students from the SPBusiness School – is a fine example of walking (almost literally!)the talk. With charm and verve, SP student models set the fashionrunway on fire as they catwalked their way to showcase theVerve Avenue Fall/Winter collection.The formal wear collection – SP student models paraded the formalwear collection with masks to enhance the aura of mystery and class.Business student Kylie Yuen (foreground) is also the 1st runner-up in TheNew Paper New Face 2012 competition. Parading with her is Yeo Kai Ling,the launch event’s fashion coordinator.Dancers from the SP Dancesport club spiced up thestage with a cha-cha number at the launch.In November, the SingaporePolytechnic Entrepreneurship LivingLab (SPELL) at Changi Airport Terminal3 celebrated its first anniversary witha fashion show that showcased anew collection exclusive to the retailoutlet – the Fall/Winter collectionfrom Verve Avenue, SPELL’s in-housefashion label. The entire event wasconceptualised and executed by SPstudents.The collection was created togetherby SP students and local fashiondesigner, Michelle Wong. According toA Show ofStudent models Maisie Chew and Tham Wan Ni made an impressionwith icy cool glares and unflappable confidence.Michelle, the collection was inspiredby Grey Gardens, an American moviestarring Jessica Lange and DrewBarrymore which is about two upperclasssocialites. The collection isinfluenced by the movie’s wardrobethat contains rich and bold jewel tonessuch as emerald green and ruby red.Charm &VerveTwelve students were involved in thecollection in several ways. Final-yearDiploma in Business InformationTechnology (DBIT) student KenliaAng says that “even coming up with asimple T-shirt needs many things suchas market research, industry suppliersand a comprehensive design process.”The students conducted all theseactivities and more. Each of themwas put in charge of a part of thedesign process for several pieces ofclothing. To make informed decisions,they studied both local fashion trendsand seasonal changes in fashionstyles. Based on the informationthey gathered, the students put forthideas to Michelle who used them asinspirations for her designs.The completed collection made itsdebut in style at a launch event atSPELL, in conjunction with the store’sfirst anniversary. Students modelledthe collection confidently on acatwalk outside the store front. Allthree styles in the collection wereshowcased - casual, smart andformal. The casual line consists ofmostly denim bottoms and lightlycoloredtops. The smart line has crispyet striking clothes for the office.The formal line boasts a series ofelegant gowns, dresses and dressshirts for formal parties and events.Lecturer Ms Mila Lim, who supervisedthe students for the event, remarkedthat the collection was targetedstrategically at working and travellingadults passing through Changi Airport.She was extremely pleased with theshow, given that many of the studentswere modelling for the first time. Shesays: “I think they all have risen to theoccasion. They performed splendidly,so I’m happy. And I think they’rehappy too!”Model Students, LiterallyFor most of the student models who walked the runway, theSPELL fashion show was both exciting and nerve-wracking.This event was their first-ever attempt at modelling in front offlashing camera lights and a huge crowd.Yeo Kai Ling, a final-year Diploma in BusinessAdministration (DBA) student, was the show’s fashioncoordinator and also one of the models. The experience toher was both eye-opening and rewarding, if not a little scaryas well. “I was really nervous!” she exclaims, “Just beforeI walked out on stage, I was shivering all over!” Despite herinitial nerves, however, Kai Ling certainly exuded poise andconfidence as she strutted out onto the runway.For final-year Diploma in Banking and Finance (DBKF)student Kylie Yuen, the runway was already familiar ground.Not too long ago, she came in second in The New Paper NewFace Competition. With the experience, she felt relativelymore relaxed in this non-competitive setting of fashion event.Kylie’s favourite parts of the collection were thecasual and formal lines: “I quite like the denimcollection in the casual line. There are more chancesfor me to wear them in school! But the formal wearsection has some really pretty dresses inside.”SPELLThe Singapore Polytechnic Entrepreneurship Living Lab(SPELL) is a fashion retail store in Changi Airport, Terminal3. It is a collaboration between SP Business Schooland Changi Airport Group that aims to give students anauthentic learning experience.The store is manned by SP Business students takingthe Entrepreneurship module. Their stint at SPELL givesthem the real experience in dealing with various aspectsof business that range from customer service to sales toonline marketing and visual merchandising. This empowersthem to put entrepreneurial thinking into practice whilelearning the principles of running a successful business.SPELL has been a runaway success. Within three monthsof operation, its revenue hit the $1 million mark!35

Spellbinding PiecesCo-ordination:Candice Yam(CorporateCommunicationsDept); Mila Lim (SPBusiness School)Hair and Make-up:Ernest LimPhotography:Luke BartholomewTanModels: SP StudentsKylie Yuen,Yeo Kai Ling andTham Wan Ni.Devon short sleeve denim dressPrice: $79.00Alexis smart colour top andAnnabella long pantsPrice: $79.00 and $109.00Joriya long sleeve laceddressPrice: $109.00Shannon woven long pantsPrice: $89.00Akemi Laced M Shape dressPrice: $169.00Amandina laced black topand Tania woven shortsPrice: $69.00 and $66.0037

Special ProjectAn EVENT-ful yearFor ThemFor the second year in a row, studentsfrom the Diploma in Integrated Events andProject Management (DEPM) were tasked toconceptualise the event management aspectfor SP Open House. This is by no means an easyfeat because it could be a logistical nightmareif not well co-ordinated. SP Open House involvesthe participation of all SP Schools, secondaryschools and more than 15,000 students whorecently took their GCE ‘O’ Level exams, andtheir parents who want them to know moreabout poly education. speaks with theteam on their experience in organising theirbiggest event ever.The Open House 2013 Event Management Team(from left): Muhd Fazli Bin Mohd Ali, Chew WeiSiong, Gerald Chee (Leader for Recruitment Team),Georgina Ng, Valerie Anne Koh, Nur Jazielah BteJuperi (Leader for Logistics Team), Nadiah BteRosli, Lim Zi Yu, Muhd Irham Fathin Bin Othman,Gene Ang, Chong Jun Kiet (Leader for SponsorshipTeam), Derrick Tan.This is the second year thatstudents from the eventmanagement course studentsare conceptualising the eventmanagement aspect for SP OpenHouse. How different is it from lastyear’s?Gerald: We have a bigger team thisyear. With more people, we can bemore focused in our separate areasof responsibilities, such as logistics orsponsorship. Last year it was madecompulsory for us to help out in OpenHouse, so the level of commitment wasdifferent because it wasn’t voluntary. Thisyear, we had an aggressive recruitmentdrive to sieve out SP students who werereally enthusiastic to be part of OpenHouse. Therefore, it islikely that we will havea more dedicatedgroup of volunteersto make the OpenHouse an enjoyableexperience for thevisitors.Derrick: We madeseveral changes thisyear, such as thebus and tour routes.There will also be aheavier emphasison the bazaar whichwas popular lastyear. It will be biggerand more accessibleto visitors as wellas SP students andstaff. Due to somerenovation worksaround campus, wehave to take care thatvisitors will still geta good experiencewithout feelingconstrained by theconstruction worksaround campus.Are all of youfrom the secondyear? How manystudents areinvolved in totaland how manyteams are there?Irham: We havesix more committee members this year,which makes us a team of 12! Yup, we’reall in our second year. There are three subcommittees – the event managementteam (Jazielah, Nadiah, Valerie andGeorgina); the recruitment and trainingteam (Gerald, Gene, Irham and Ziyu); andthe Bazaar and Sponsorship team (JunKiet, Fazli, Derrick and Wei Siong)What is the exciting thing aboutorganising SP’s biggest annualevent?Wei Siong: We get first-hand knowledgeabout the event. We love seekingchallenges which makes it even moreexciting as there are some critical skills tobe learnt and applied throughout our wholeOpen House journey. We had to makepresentations all the way from the mainOpen House committee to the Principalwhich is really cool.Ziyu: As this is one of the biggest eventsunder our module “Integrated Project”, itis a great opportunity for us to apply ourknowledge and skills that we learned in ourcourse. This event acts as a platform for usto express our ideas on how Open Houseshould be run so as to convince potentialstudents that SP is the right choice fortheir future. At the same time, we get toexperience every step along the way suchas holding responsible positions which willbe useful for our future endeavours.Georgina: Organising SP Open Housegives us the experience to understand allthe behind-the-scenes work that makesan event successful. It also widens ourexperience and network as we have toliaise with outside parties such as vendors.What are some of the frustratingmoments?Valerie: One of the frustrating momentsis not getting replies from vendors andsponsors and facing rejections about ourconcepts and sponsorships.Fazli: Frustrating moments are definitelyinevitable. As each and every one of ushas different thinking, it’s really frustratingsometimes when things do not go accordingto what you have planned. There’s boundto be miscommunications within theteam. Besides the communication issue,commitment also plays a big part throughoutthe whole project. Some group membersare not availableon certain dateswhich makes ithard for the wholeteam to completethe work on time.After goingthrough thisproject for a fewmonths already,what are someprecious lessonslearned?Gene: Teamworkis the key to our success. We learned howto work together and be open to a variety ofideas from group members. We’ve grownto be more patient and accepting of oneanother’s faults and weaknesses, give inand guide each other in times of need. Moreimportantly, we learned that communicationis the key to identifying problems andrectifying them. The experience gives usa lot more confidence in our work and theheavy responsibility has shaped us intobetter individuals.If you were given the chance toorganise an important Singaporeevent, which one would you chooseand why?Jun Kiet: A concert would be awesome!Getting to work with our favourite bandsand artistes would be a great experience.Like seriously, who wouldn’t want that?!As most of us are rather musicallyinclined,we would prefer to organise aconcert more than any other big events.Jazielah: Something like the NationalDay Parade would definitely be excitingand honourable because it is the mostimportant event in our country’s calendarand also a way to show our patriotism tothe nation.So, what’s good about the DEPMcourse?Nadiah: We get to meet a lot of peopleand get hands-on experience in organisingreal events on our own. To me, DEPM isone of the more unique courses amongthe polys and we have the chance toventure out to other areas in the industry,even the business and financial sectorsinstead of events management alone.39

Special ProjectTheCreative GangFrom 2008, The Student Agency (TSA), an advertising and branding agency underSP Design School has been steering the creative campaign for SP’s biggest annualevent – the Open House. From developing the theme to talent spotting to creatingambient messaging throughout the campus, the team has executed, albeit underimmense pressure, successful campaigns year on year. chats with this year’steam and their mentor, lecturer Noor Azhar, to find out more.What were some of the fun timeswhile working on the creatives forSP Open House?Jiarong: The whole creative processwas really fun. Seeing how our worksstarted from some sketches, then to somecomposites, and finally a final artwork.Kai: The moment when you get a tinglyfeeling at the back of your neck and youknow you’ve got a potential good piece ofwork in your hands.Sui Kee: Coming up with attentiongrabbingcrazy ideas was definitely a partof our development that I had fun with.Surely there were moments toothat you guys got angry?Jiarong: The amount of changes can begrueling, especially so after the severallayers of approvals that we have to seek.Sometimes it’s frustrating to have tochange something after settling down onwhat you feel is right. Also, time is reallynot a luxury anymore. It can be quite toughsometimes to juggle between schoolassignments and this project.Kai: When I put out an idea that I thoughthad potential to my team, it doesn’t alwaysget a good reaction. The idea is critiquedThe Open House 2012 creative team from The Student Agency - Front row:lecturer Noor Azhar, Chloe Ong (Designer), Eng Sui Kee (Account Executive),Sng Jia Rong (Art Director), Foo Kai Ling (Copywriter), Kelvin Gan, lecturerSarah Michelle Lee; Back row: Wu Yipeng, Yuri Kwan, Victoria Koh, TanXuan Hui, Mandy Lee, Michelle Chong, Tay Qiyinand rejected. It is frustrating, but it isn’t abad thing because at the end of it, I knowI’ve got a good creative team that has myback, to pick the plums from the lemons.Chloe: At the moment, my limit has yetto be broken. But what worried me werethe constant changes of the contents andvisuals.Sui Kee: As an account executive, Iact as the buffer between clients andcreatives. As such, it is excruciatinglyfrustrating when either side expects me tobe answerable for the opposite side whensomething unexpected happens.One of the print creatives developed byThe Student Agency.What has been the biggesttakeaway from this project –working on tight deadlines orgaining a real feel of agency work?Jiarong: This being the second time onthe SPOH team, the process isn’t exactlyvery new to me. However, it’s definitelya new feeling because I’m leading theteam for the creatives this time round. Idefinitely have to be more responsible thanbefore, in terms of settling the creativesand even managing the team. It can bequite intimidating at times because theleaders for the previous campaigns - myseniors – have set high standards. Thoseare some big shoes to fill!Kai: For me, it is the experience of workingon such a large-scale ‘live’ project. Not thatwe never did real-world work before, but thisis really different in scale and genre.Chloe: I would say it is the experienceof working on a ‘live’ project, a huge andrelevant one since it is a project for SP, myschool.Sui Kee: Definitely working on tightdeadlines and having to handle constantchanges, even after working hours.How did you guys come up with thecopywriting for this year’s theme?Kai: We didn’t want to stray away from lastyear’s creative direction - Aspirations.That’s why this year’s theme was centredaround the relationship built between SP andthe students, and how SP will prepare youfor the future.If you do work for a big ad agency infuture, what clients would u like tohave?Jiarong: I would love to work with big,commercial clients. I believe there areso much more possibilities with them,especially when they are willing to paygood money.Kai: I would like to do work for SMRT.I can see a lot of potential in rebranding orbuilding a campaign for such a diverse andinfluential client.Chloe: Clients who trust me and arewilling to work with me to achieve thesame goals. I want a win-win situation. Itwould be a bonus to get projects that I findinteresting.Sui Kee: Fun brands that let me go crazywith ideas, like what Mother London (aBritish creative agency) did for Ikea.Which recent print or TV ad /branding campaign caught your eye?Jiarong: The Ray Ban’s Never Hidecampaign was brilliant.Kai: My fave ad right now is Coca Cola’shands print advertisement. Its simplicity andoriginality is just brilliant. Ha, I wish I cameup with it.Chloe: Mine’s a bank’s ad campaign –NAB’s The Break Up.Sui Kee: The Imperial War Museum’s newlogo and brand experience by Hat-trick isamazing and inspiring.SPirit also chats up Noor Azhar, Senior Lecturer for the Diploma inVisual Communication and Media Design (DVMD) to get the insightson The Student Agency (TSA) where he is also the Strategic Planner.How many student team members are there working on the SP Open House2013 project?We have a team of four final-year and eight second-year members, mentored by two lecturers.Sarah, another DVMD lecturer, mentors the students in creative direction while I look into strategicplanning and client servicing.TSA has been developing the creatives for SP Open House campaign since 2008?Yes, since 2008. So this makes it our 6th campaign. How did the opportunity come about? Back in2007, the idea surfaced that it would be a great idea to have our Open House campaign developedand conceptualised by SP students themselves. We hope that it would be that way for a long timeto come, so that the campaign becomes extra special when it is conceived from inside out. Thefirst three years saw us defining the SP voice and strategy for the long run. That has provided thefoundation of the campaigns that we see now.What other projects does TSA undertake?TSA has somewhat become the in-house creative agency for SP. We get requests coming fromwithin and outside SP as well. Of course, requests coming from within SP take priority overthe others. TSA is set up to give the students alternative avenues to stretch their creativity andpossibly experiment with new techniques for their crafts. So it is important that the creativebrief we receive enables the students to explore out of their comfort zones, and not turn theminto churners in a sweat shop. For SP-level projects, we have worked on several Open Housecampaigns, branding for the Graduation Ceremony, a brand uplift of the various schools severalyears back and also collateral designs. We have also worked on a couple of mural projects for theLibrary and the Estates Department.Outside of SP, we have worked on branding campaigns for clients like *SCAPE, video projects forthe National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, and also design and communication projects forseveral SMEs.What do you hope to get out of this for the students?That the experience for them in the Agency is firstly enjoyable, and then also enriching. I trulybelieve that you need to enjoy the process of creating your work to truly come out with remarkablecrafts. We want to continue to provide experiences that the students cannot get in the classroom.What do the other DVMD students who are not involved in TSA do?TSA is just one of the various outlets for students in DVMD to gain invaluable experience. Ourstudents are also engaged in projects by real clients like DKNY Jeans, Levi’s Cleo, Feiyue andDenizen, which adds on to the realism of their training. Currently, our second-year studentsare working on their integrated campaign proposals for Lee Cooper and Everlast brands.The students’ works are often exhibited outside of SP. Most recently, our new mediaproject was featured at Bugis+.41

Special Projectbad – but he thought hecould certainly do better ifhe had done Art.DesigningMy FutureWhen you are a primary school kid, it’s notuncommon for you to doodle on whatever youset your sights on. The blackboard when theteacher isn’t around, on your desk, the coversof your textbooks and the pages inside(when the lessons become boring……yawn). But when Darius Ou started todraw from a very young age, he wasalready drawing his future.One fine day, Darius saw a senior schoolmate doing what he thought was a reallybeautiful sketch work. He asked if hecould have it and the senior just tore outthe page and gave it to him. That was apiece of inspiration that sealed Darius’journey to the world of design.He started buying sketch books. In fact,he drew so fast and furiously that heused up a book a week! All the wayfrom primary to secondary school, heThe design talent inDarius could be seen fromhis early sketches.drew and drew. Hisart teachers saw histalent and encouragedhim to take up Art asa subject. But alas!as with all obedientchildren, Darius tookhis mother’s adviceto do maths andscience subjectsinstead. He passedhis ‘O’ levels – not“Can I study design inSingapore Polytechnic?”he asked his motherafter getting his ‘O’level results. SP washis first choice becausethe modules offeredappealed to him. Mrs Ouagreed. Phew! She mustbe feeling very proudnow. Darius, now a thirdyearDiploma in VisualCommunication andMedia Design (DVMD)student in SP, is one ofthe top students forthe course, and has an impressivecumulative GPA score of 3.9(out of a maximum of 4.0).GPA stands for GradePoint Average, or simplythe average marks for hismodules taken so far.Not only did he excel in hisexam-free diploma courseat SP, his talent for drawingalso raked in some extrapocket money. Throughhis internship with PHUNKstudio, an award winningdesign studio, he gotreferrals to do somefreelance projects suchas logo design. Not onlythat, the studio also invitedhim to exhibit his illustrationat an exhibition called 100Friends 100 Artists 100Dreams that puts together theworks of 100 artists. Not bad fora 19-year-old poly student!Darius, whose fave modules atSP include Branding Design Studioand Video and Audio Fundamentals,stresses that studying design is notentirely stress free, even though thereare no exams. He puts it this way: “Thestress of exams over a few days isspread out over a year. But if you cansustain the passion for design or creativeworks, you won’t feel any pressureat all. I believe that if you have theThese are some of the design projects done by Darius during hisSP days. He is particularly proud of This Is Black (above) – a bookproject he produced for his module Publication Design. It is meantto provoke readers into thinking what is black to them as well as acuration of the works by local design firm, BLACK DESIGN.passion, half the battle is won!Someone once said if you lovewhat you do, you don’t have towork a single day.” Well said!During his two-and-a-half years in SP,he has travelled with his course matesto Australia and Malaysia to studythe design culture in these countries.“What’s interesting in Melbourne isthat even insignificant things like roadsignages have very sound design. InMalaysia, the trip was for a coffee tablebook project. We had to take pictures,draw and write about the place andcompile them into a book.”Now in his final semester at SP, Darius ispreparing for his final-year project (FYP)– drawing up an integrated brandingcampaign for a real company. When hegraduates in May next year, he hopesDarius and his work at the 100 Friends 100 Artists100 Dreams Exhibition.to build up his design portfolio by doingfreelance work before doing his nationalservice. Thereafter, a two to three year stintwith a reputable design agency before hepursues a degree programme, hopefullyunder a scholarship, would be ideal, saysDarius. Prior to his FYP, he and a course matedeveloped the branding for Escapade,SP’s annual iconic event for GCE ‘O’level students.His words of advice to his juniorswho are, like him, captivated by theworld of design: “Besides havinga liking for nice designs, you mustalso have a passion. Design coursesseem easy but we work very hard.It’s good if you are an observantperson because we need to seethings in different ways. But at theend of it, the sense of achievementwhen you see your works in print orin video is immensely gratifying.”Darius’ portfolio can be viewed atwww.dhesign.sg43

Special ProjectAwesomely New!As the most established polytechnic in Singapore, SP is committed to providing thebest learning facilities for its students. A slew of new facilities has been built and rolledout, with more to come in the next couple of years. Last year, we launched the M.A.DStudios – the digital playground for students at the School of Digital Media and InfocommTechnology. The Writers’ Room, a fun and unique set-up to inspire writing was openedto students taking the Diploma in Creative Writing for TV and New Media. There wasThe Agency, a learning space modelled after a real-life integrated marketing agencyto brainstorm creative branding and marketing ideas. The Optometry Centre also wentthrough an extensive makeover. These are just some of them.Major works in the pipeline are the AeroHub, Business School building,Design building and the Sports Hub – all due to completion within the next twoto three years.takes you on a sneak preview of some of the new facilitiesthat will enhance your SP learning experience.team members, peers and tutor. Otherinteresting features in iBALL includewritable walls and LED monitors.Perfumery and Cosmetic ScienceCentreThe blue ambient lighting is put in placeto inspire the creation of new scents. Getready to be captivated by the PerfumeryThis space also showcases classicfragrances that have captivated men andwomen alike, such as Chanel and CalvinKlein. Successfully commercialised inhousecreations are also on display. Bubblescent chambers and perfume organs willexcite your sensory system. Get into thisspace and be the envy of others.different scenarios for students to learnhow to solve real-life cyber problems inthe virtual world.The Centre is divided into four uniquespaces, each equipped with the latesttechnology to give students a realisticenvironment to test their skills. TheCyber Range lab will let students practicetheir ethical hacking skills through theuse of customised software. It is capableof emulating a large network in differentscenarios, thereby giving students arealistic environment for testing theirskills. The Cyberwatch CompetencyCentre, set up in partnership with e-Cop,this colourful, vibrant, andartistic learning studio.Who says learning andfun cannot co-exist?At this studio, youcan express yourselfon what it means tobe an accountant. Atthis special learningspace, you will build upyour technical and EQcompetencies whichAccounting Collaboration StudioWhat do you need to do and say toclients during the first audit engagementmeeting?Welcome to the AccountingCollaboration Studio – an exclusivespace for the Diploma in Accountancy(DAC) students. In this facility, you willhave the chance to master the soft skillsthat will give you the added edge to excelin your professional accounting career.You can review the simulated interviewsessions through video playback function,and engage in fun and collaborativelearning activities with your classmates inwill give you a strong foundation for youraccountancy career. This very spacewill also give you the chance to createInstagram moments that will defineyour fondest memories with friends andlecturers from the DAC course.iBALL (International BusinessActive Learning Lab)The name already piques your interest,doesn’t it?The iBALL is a home-based facility forDiploma in International Business (DIB)students. It provides the invigoratingatmosphere that is required to tacklethe challenging scenarios in businesssimulation activities. Here, you will trulygain from the rigours of an innovativebusiness curriculum.DIB students at iBALL can access breakingnews, assess the impact of time zonesand appreciate geographical distances.There are also features that will help youto facilitate business decision makingat the international level. The speciallycreated“war rooms” provide the rightenvironmental condition to increaseyour sharing and engagement with yourand Cosmetic Science Centre, specificallydesigned for students to invent fragrances,cosmetic, skin and hair products. Here,the Diploma in Perfumery and CosmeticScience (DPCS) students will spend timecreating the next best-selling perfume orhand cream.This Centre, possible the only one inSoutheast Asia, is equipped with reconfigurablefurniture and special boothsto support group work and presentations.State-of-the-art scientific instruments,such as the Multi-Dimensional GasChromatography, Skin Analyser andRheometer, are in place for students tocarry out analyses to build formulations forthe products that they are developing.Cyber Wargame CentreJust as soldiers are trained in the firingranges before going onto the battlefield, students taking the Diploma inInfocomm Security Management(DISM) will soon get to practise cyberintrusion and protection within a newsuite of learning facilities.Called the Cyber Wargame Centre,the cyber war-gaming approach willbe used to train DISM students todeal with real-world security scenariossuch as intrusion detection, incidentresponse, forensics analysis, andconduct remedial actions to mitigatethe risks. The objective is to create arealistic and integrated environment inwill give students direct access to thelatest defensive technologies. The MalwareAnalysis Lab will let you play with malicioussoftware such as viruses, worms, spy wareor trojans and teach you how to tacklethem. At the Forensics Investigative Lab,you will learn the process and techniques ofconducting proper forensics investigation.Besides these new facilities, a slewof other new facilities is also inplace to provide our students witha unique learning environment.Among them are the Writers’ Room,the Design and Innovation Studio,the M.A.D. Studios and the VisualEffects Studio.45

Special ProjectSpecial ProjectTheViewFromThe TopHanging out in TheWriters’ Room.You could call it an uphill task for a newlyformedgroup of SP students united fora special purpose – to provide secondaryschool students with a unique experiencethat shows what the three schools onthe hill are all about. In case you arewondering, the three schools on the hillare the SP Business School, the Schoolof Digital Media & Infocomm Technology(DMIT) and the School of Communication,Arts & Social Sciences (CASS).They have risen to the challenge andcan now lay claim to being “ExperienceDesigners” for their role in creating aunique taste of life up on the hill – the SPHilltop Experience. Together with theirlecturers, they designed a programme toshowcase the innovative facilities to thesecondary school students and give thema taste of the different diploma coursesoffered by the three schools.Applying the principles of Design Thinking,they put themselves in the shoes ofsecondary school students to betterunderstand their target audience and howbest to engage the students and provide anexperience that would satisfy their needs.CASS lecturer MrMario leading thehands-on session atThe Agency.The result: A very engaging experience.SPirit tagged along on some of these SPHilltop Experience sessions to find outabout the programme and what is in storefor secondary school students. What wefound was an exciting tour, led by theExperience Designers and lecturers. Thestudents got to experience life at theM.A.D. Studios where DMIT studentswork and study. They also got to literallyclimb into The Writers’ Room (they had toslide down too) to find out more about thenew learning spaces at CASS.Along the way, we could hear “oohs andahhs” from the visitors. As he left TheWriters Room, a visibly impressed youngman enthused about the Diploma inCreative Writing for TV and New Media(DTVM): “This is the course for me!”The classrooms they visited didn’t look likeregular classrooms. Instead, they seemedlike real offices where designers, agencyexecutives, studio directors and animatorswork. They were also impressed with thelearning spaces in SP Business School,enjoying the tales of how ideas are pitchedWelcoming Nan HuaSecondary Schoolstudents at the startof the tour.What some of ourparticipants sayabout the SP HilltopExperience.at the Business Design and Innovation Studioand marvelling at the professional equipmentat the UOB Kay Hian-SP Dealing Centre, afully functional facility for students to learnabout stock and share trading.After the tour, there were hand-onsessions to give students a taste of polyeducation. CASS lecturer and former DJMario Lajarca, better known as SuperMario, was on hand at The Agency to leadthe activities at one of the sessions. Wetried to follow him as he showed how theright and left brain work. Be warned, theconflict between right and left brain can beconfusing!If you join us at one of the Hilltop schools,you could even end up organising andrunning such events for other students aswell, and maybe even for your juniors atyour alma mater! And if you are currentlyfrom any of the three schools at the hilltop,and are interested in being an ExperienceDesigner, please contact Ms Shirley Thamat 6870 8350 or email at sphilltopx@ichat.sp.edu.sg.The Singapore Polytechnic experience is notjust about books and studying. It is aboutworking with people, reaching out and havingnew experiences!The SP Hilltop Experience tours are ongoingfor secondary school students. Dovisit www.sp.edu.sg/sphilltopx/ for moreinformation.Four graduates and a current studentfrom different cohorts in the Diplomain Biotechnology (DBT) are nowworking hand in hand at the Instituteof Molecular and Cell Biology underthe A*STAR Agency. Lead by awardwinningDBT graduate Dr JonathanLoh, they are now doing scientificresearch work.They are Delon Toh (Class of 2006), aPhD student under scholarship at theNUS Graduate School for IntegrativeSciences and Engineering; Goh HuiTong (Class of 2008), a researchofficer with A*STAR Institute ofMolecular and Cell Biology; Tan YongSi (Class of 2009), an honours studentin Biological Sciences at NTU; NazreenBte VM Abdul (Class of 2010), a NUSLife Science undergraduate workingon her third year project; and Tan TzeKai, a final-year SP student from DBT.The opportunity for Tze Kai to doAll in the familyat A*STARresearch studies at A*STAR cameabout after his industrial attachmentwhich was also at Dr Loh’sEpigenetics and Cell Fates Laboratory.The latter spotted Tze Kai’s interestin stem cell research and offeredhim the chance to conduct his Final-Year Project (FYP) in his laboratory.Tze Kai’s FYP involves dissecting thegenetics and epigenetic mechanismsthat regulate pluripotent stem cells.His DBT seniors are working alongsidethis research interest too.“Working with my SP seniors gaveme a sense of familiarity. I learnedthe various aspects and techniquesof stem cell research under theirguidance and mentorship. Dr Lohand my seniors are role modelscientists that I aspire to become.My research experience in Dr Loh’slab has further sparked my interest instem cell research and I hope to playa prominent part in this dynamic andexciting field of scientific research,”said Tze Kai who plans to further hisstudies in a local university after SP.Dr Loh has this to say of hisDBT juniors: “I find DBT alumnihardworking and well-trained for labwork. They are from different DBTbatches but the common backgroundprovides a supportive network witha very strong bond amongst them.The seniors help the juniors in theirlearning journey while the juniors lookup to the seniors as role models.”NUS undergraduate Nazreencommented that working withdifferent DBT alumni makes her feelat home. “It’s nice to know that weall come from the same place whichsparked our interest for the lifesciences and in research. We mayhave gone to different universitiesbut the SP spirit will remain no matterwhere we venture into in the future.”From left, Tan Yong Si (Class of 2009),a NTU Honours Year student; DrJonathan Loh (Class of 1997), principalinvestigator of the laboratory; Goh HuiTong (Class of 2008), research officer;Delon Toh Cheng Xu, (Class of 2006),a Ph.D student; Tan Tze Kai, a currentYear 3 DBT student working on his finalyear project and Nazreen Bte VM Abdul(Class of 2010 ), a NUS undergraduateworking on her third-year project.47

SOCIAL PROGRAMMINGIt’s not glitzy, glittery or glamorous.Nevertheless, SP Mobile, SingaporePolytechnic’s collection of mobile apps,can provide you with loads of useful featuresthat make the SP journey a lot more fun!They also make learning in SP a whole loteasier. This year, SP Mobile introduces eight new apps.SPirit spills the details. (Note: If you already have the SPMobile App, you have to download the latest update tosee these new features).APPsolutelyUsefulBuzzWhat it does:Gives you a selection of the latesthappenings in SP! You can take a peek atcreative student business ventures suchas “Suckies”, a new start-up by BusinessSchool students; or dive into stories ofthe adventures or achievements of fellowstudents!Strengths:A good, clean layout allows you to look atthe latest headlines with a single glance!What we want to see more of:The occasional layout change to keep SPBuzz fresh.QwatchWhat it does:Gives you minute-by-minute videofeeds of queuing lines at key servicedesks like SPICE Service Desks and theFinance Department.Strengths:Helps you to find the best moment to headdown to service areas and cut down yourwaiting time significantly.What we want to see more of:An even wider range of video feeds atareas like the Hilltop or Main Library couldhelp students plan their schedules evenmore effectively!SocialWhat it does:Brings you a directory for all of SP’sofficial social media sites on Twitterand Facebook!Strengths:The layout is clean and doesn’t overloadyou with visuals or information.What we want to see more of:Perhaps small picture icons that wouldmake the page more eye-catchingwithout becoming too saturated visually.All apps in SP Mobileare clearly displayed toprovide quick access totheir useful features. Theyare categorised under Work,Learn and Play. The Learncategory, in particular, hasuseful apps such as ExamResults, Exam Timetableand Lessons Timetable.YPagesWhat it does:Gives you the numbers of every schooldepartment, service desk, academicschool office, and commercial store in SP.Strengths:Very well-planned and laid out. You nolonger have to save any school phonenumbers in your phone. This feature canget you to any number you need in justtwo or three button presses!What we want to see more of:Nothing! It works well!VideosWhat it does:Connects you to SP’s videos onYoutube.Strengths:Links you conveniently to video contentcreated by the SP community.What we want to see more of:Perhaps a shortlist of SP’s most popularand impactful videos on the Internet!SPICE BookingWhat it does:Allows you to book a timeslot at a SPICEService Desk for computer maintenance orinstallation of new software.Strengths:A quick and easy alternative for bookingSPICE service timeslots.What we want to see more of:Nothing. It’s exactly what it says on thelabel!GraduationWhat it does:Provides direct access to graduationceremony pictures and information, as wellas links to useful Alumni and Career pages.Strengths:Satisfies your nostalgia by allowing you to revisitone of the biggest moments of your life!What we want to see more of:Currently the app does not allow you todownload the photos displayed. Making thepictures downloadable would be a big plusfor this app.GalleryWhat it does:View photo albums of various SP events.Strengths:A wide collection of photos from differentevents and time periods (even photos fromas early as 1950 are available!)What we want to see more of:A shorter and more selective list of onlythe very best photos for our viewingpleasure!49

So Proud!SP graduates are well prepared for work and further studies. After their three-year SP journey, some embark on theirdream careers while others choose to further their studies in Singapore or overseas. In 2012, many of our graduateshave clinched university scholarships* while continuing their pursuit of academic excellence.ASMI Marine Technology Scholarship• Abdul Hadi Bin Abdul Bashir • Kelvin ChooZhen Tao • Marcus Goh Jie Jun• Christopher Lim Cher Yee • Victor TanBCA-Capitaland Built EnvironmentUndergraduate Scholarship• Alvin Foong GuoweiDSTA UndergraduateScholarship• Lee Wei Jian• Jeff Ying Jie Hao• Yee Zheng Kang• Boon Le TangEnergy MarketAuthorityScholarship• Amy GohShue Ying• Alan Yeo JunXiongFar EastOrganisation(Architecture)Scholarship• Ong Li YenHDB Undergraduate Scholarship• Anderson Ang Wei Jian • Tan Hwee TingJurong Shipyard Scholarship• Teo Chang MengKhoo Teck Puat Scholarship• Jasmine Leong Seok Mun • Wei LinyunWith SP,it’s So PossibleLKY-STEP Award• Desmond Thiam Wei • Koh Shi Min • TanKeng HweeMaritime-ONE ScholarshipAVRA-MaritimeONE Scholarship• Adeline Astra RusliChina Navigation-MaritimeONEScholarship• Chea Wei PengEastern Navigation-MaritimeONEScholarship• Mark Onn Ying HuiLloyd’s Register Educational Trust-MaritimeONE Scholarship• Joshua Lin Kai-enMaritime and Port Authority ofSingapore Scholarship• Fanny Ng Ching Yee• Ong ClintonMedia Education Scheme• Kenson Tan Kian Seng • Wendy WongShuminMDES Study Award (Degree)Sponsorship• Ang Kwan ZhengMinistry of Health(Health ScienceScholarship)• Song Shang QianMinistry of HealthHoldings HealthScience and NursingScholarship• Ang Jian Wei • Charlotte Goh See Yuen• Ngai Guo Hui • Tan Ying Xin• Clarissa Tang Yoke Leng • Filzah BteAndul RahimNational Arts CouncilScholarship(Postgraduate)• Michael Tan KoonBoonNational InfocommScholarship• Tan Jun Hao• Chi Kok Pin• Kelvin KhooKuok Yao• Tan Wai KiatNational Universityof SingaporeScholarshipKent RidgeUndergraduateScholarship• Lim Wei Zhen• Muhd Haikal BinRazmanNUS GraduateSchool Scholarship• Lim She YahNanyang Technological UniversityScholarshipASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship• Cheng V-Jin • Herlina Makmur• Lee Qi Ni• Loh Yi Yan• Shim De Jac • Tania SetiawatiCollege Scholarship• Ang Wei Lin • Lim Hui Yin• Loo Pei Yi • Ong Yong Lin• Sharlene Lee Chet LingNanyang Scholarship• Joel Lee Jun Zhi• Jessica Lee Meng Hui• Mak Jia Feng• Matthew James• Joanne Tan Li Ling• Tan Sze Rae• Wong Yan TingUniversityEngineeringScholarship• Kew KokWen • SunWeiyang• Edwin Thong Kun LinNg Bok Eng RenaissanceEngineering Scholarship• Thomas Tham Ting HoiOCBC Scholarship• Chia Li Qing • Mandy WongSingapore Armed ForcesAcademic Scholarship• Foo Inn Funn• Foo Inn Peng• Liong Chun HoongSingapore Armed Forces StudyAward• Ivan Tang Qi Hui• Loh Wen Jie •Dominic ChuaHan Tong • LiaoZuliangSingapore-IndustryScholarship• Boay Chong Zheng• Alvin Chan BaixianChua Xin Pei • Goh Yi Feng• Hoong Seng Keng• Cherilynn Hsia Chih Xian• Jeremiah Chen Congfa• John Ser Kok Weai• Le Beier • Jordan Lee YongMing • Lim Jun Da • Loi YongHwee • Low Zheng Hua • Peh Jiale• Tan Jee Yang • Justin Tan Yong LiSingapore Institute of TechnologyScholarship• Aaron Jeremiah De Silza • NurzahidahBte Mohd Yusoff• Suzanna Teo Wei Shan • Wong Kai XianSIT-KKH ScholarshipBhuvaneswaran S/O Shanmugam• Chan Ka YamSIT-WilmarScholarship• Travis LimJianqiangSingaporeMaritime Academy-MaritimeONEScholarship• Cherlynn Tan Jia Hui• Pamela Koh Kit Ming • LinMingling • Lu Zhi Wei • Natalia BteAzmi • Ong Xiu Ling • Puah Li Lin• Tan Bing Guang • Yeo Wei Vynn• Sabrina Wah Xing YeeSingapore Management UniversityScholarshipSMU Scholars Programme• Sheryl-Ann Lee Xuanli • Terence LongSji JieSPRING Singapore ExecutiveDevelopment Scholarship• Tony Yeoh Chong Lin • Nicholas NgChun KeongST Engineering Local Scholarship(Kinetics)• SunardiSingapore University of Technologyand Design ScholarshipSUTD Scholarship• Amanda Yeo Qian Yu• Chee Yiliang • Ching Tsz Him • Sean LimShao Hua • Ng Tsu Kian • Tan Kwan Fu• Toh Hui Ping • Daniel Tong Keng CheongASEAN Scholarship• Ng Zu Da • Kyi Hla WinSUTD-Zhejiang University ExchangeProgramme• Lee Bo Xian • Stacey Ng Zhimin• Raymond Yeong Wei Wen • Soh ChinYih • Samuel Teo Siang Boon • RandolphWong Wai Kit • Nicholas Ng Chun KeongUniversity of New South Wales GoldenJubilee Scholarship• Charles Nate Chow • Lee Yi SamWomen Incentive Scholarship byEmbry Riddle Aeronautical University• Pwint Kay Khine* This list is by no means exhaustive. It is compiled based on notifications received from the graduates and the awarding universities / organisations.51

SP. NewsSP. News02Singapore Polytechnic 500 Dover Road Singapore 139651 Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved.All-RITE, You’re A WinnerAn SP robot team named ALL-RITE clinchedthe third place at the National Junior RoboticsCompetition (NJRC) in the Best Robot PerformanceAward category. Three of the members werealso invited to represent Singapore at the WorldRobot Olympiad held in Kuala Lumpur recently.The annual NJRC is organized by Science CentreSingapore and A*STAR to encourage students todevelop problem solving skills, entrepreneurialskills, creative thinking skills, and teamwork.The team was one of two that was formed in acollaboration between SP Library RoBoPod andSP-RITE (SP Robotics, Innovation and TechnologyEnterprise). The former was set up to interest andinspire students in engineering topics, in particularrobotics; whereas SP-RITE focuses on organisingtalks, workshops and other activities for SP studentsin the area of robotics.The SP team at the World Robot Olympiad (from left): Tan KokHow from the Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering,Christopher Tay and John Sebastian Seet, both from the Diplomain Mechatronics and Robotics.They won the local leg ofThinkQuest 2012, a competitionorganised by technology giantOracle that challenges students tosolve problems using technology.Then they packed their bagsfor a fully-paid five-day trip atthe international finals in SanFrancisco. The team of four recentgraduates from the diplomas inInformation Technology (DIT) andInfocomm Security Management(DISM) did not disappoint. Theyfought opponents from countrieslike France, India and Chinato win the second prize in theApplication Development categoryand came home with a laptop each.The first prize went to a universityteam from Serbia.World No. 2Science StudentsMake Videos TooThey are studentsfrom the School ofChemical and LifeSciences, but this doesnot mean they don’tknow a thing aboutvideo production. Sixsecond-year studentstaking the diplomas inChemical Engineering(DCHE), Food Scienceand Technology(DFST), MaterialsScience (DMLS) andOptometry (DOPT)have proven that theycan produce a winningvideo too. They tookthe third prize atthe inaugural videocompetition organisedby the National Fire& Civil EmergencyPreparedness Council (NFEC). The competition aimed to promote fire safety andcivil emergency preparedness amongst students, while giving them a platform toexpress their creativity via video. Armed with their combined technical knowledgein science and safety, the team picked up techniques of video filming and editing andeven acted in the video! For their dedication, they took home a trophy and a $500cash prize.HackerWannabesThree Singapore teams participated in the international cyberhackingcompetition held in Kuala Lumpur, in conjunction withthe Hack-In-The Box Security Conference. Of the three teams,two were from SP, formed by first and final-year students from theDiploma in Infocomm Security Management (DISM). Despiteintense competition from countries like the Netherlands and Japan,they managed to secure 3rd and 7th positions. Their prizes include abespoke serial-numbered T-shirt each, a precious piece of evidenceof their participation in a world-class competition.Chemical ChampsA 110-strong team comprising fresh-faced first-year students fromthe Diploma in Chemical Engineering (DCHE) clinched the covetedchampion trophy at ChemEx 2012 after beating their competing seniorsfrom other Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). Organised by theSingapore Chemical Industry Council (SCIC), this annual event wasstrongly supported by chemical companies based on Jurong Island andaimed to increase student awareness of the chemical industry. Held onJurong Island itself, the half-day event also included a chemical planttour, a visit to the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES)and a trip to the ChemGallery. The DCHE students have been supportingthis event since its inception five years ago.The SP team in San Francisco (from left) Jason Sim, Kenneth Ho, lecturerand coach Low Jin Kiat, and Chua Si Hao – 2nd runner up at the ThinkQuest2012 international finals. Left picture: Taking in the sights of San Franciscoafter the competition.Their winning app, called Frevol Friends, is one thatharnesses social media technology and peer influenceto connect volunteers with organisations and provide aconvenient way for friends to encourage other friends toparticipate in charitable work together.After the intense competition, the guys took in the sightsof San Francisco and visited the must-see landmarks in thecity. These include the Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks,California Academy of Science and the Bay City area.

03SP. News04RecycledChristmasTrees At CitySquare MallPengcraft members (from left) Liu Shi Song, Jonas Hii, teamcaptain and pilot Jonathan Liew and Anthony Jhoni, all formthe Diploma in Aeronautical Engineering.The WSC team (from left) Kyle Ngo, Hadi Muhsin Bin Mohd,Jenette Mak, Beatrice Cho, Ang Wei Li, Lee Pei Ying, lecturerLeslie Neo, Vivian Quah and lecturer David TanA Design Mark At Orchard RdWord has gotten out that some SP design students are not doing their schoolprojects. But they’re also getting away with it, because they’re outside school doingthe real thing. One of the real projects that Diploma in Visual Communication andMedia Design (DVMD) students recently undertook was doing the mall brandingfor SCAPE Underground, a new extension of the popular youth hangout atOrchard Road.This was not the first collaboration with SCAPE. After the students completedthe mall’s wall mural design back in July, they were invited back to design theinterior branding of SCAPE Underground, which includes two wall murals, sixpillar wraps, an interior glass panel, the main entrance glass doors and floor art. Allof these were completed in six months and opened with a bang in October by MrS Iswaran, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for HomeAffairs and Trade and Industry.Calling themselves WSC (Wednesday Shockwave Cannon), the students wereSculptingWaste MaterialsTwo teams of students from the Diploma in Civil Engineering withBusiness (DCEB) and Diploma in Architecture (DARCH) won two prizes atthe Living aRRRt from Urban Waste Competition 2012. Their submissions,SpiraGreen and Questioning Technology, won the second prize of $400 anda merit award of $100 respectively. Going on the theme “Youth: the TextWave for Change”, they had to express their creativity and environmentalawareness by building sculptures with unwanted or recycled materials.The competition, organised by the National Environmental Agency andWoodgrove Secondary School, received more than 70 entries this year.given a framed artwork, presented by Mr S Iswaran as a token of appreciation fortheir contribution to the overall successful branding of the new SCAPE’s shoppingarea. This event was a proud moment for WSC as they had left a mark of SPDesign School in a very prominent area of Orchard Road.WSC is formed by a talented bunch of students who are inspired to work oncreative and innovative live projects as well as design competitions beyond theclassroom. They were initially formed to take part in the Worldskills Competitionbut have since evolved dynamically to take on challenging projects and designcompetitions.Besides SCAPE, WSC also did the mascot design for the Singapore NationalGames Competition mascot, vinyl wrap design for Singapore Power E-vehicle,branding for the Singapore Sports Institute, backdrop design for Tokiobike’s 1stanniversary and branding for SP’s iconic outreach event Escapade. Now, whoneeds school projects?The winning teams of students from the School ofArchitecture and The Built Environment and theirwinning sculptures.Photos by Puan Chuan Yee, SP Aviation Club’s Vice President.The Flying PenguinBilled as the get-together of the craziest flying machines without engines in the world, the Red Bull Flugtagevent finally came to Singapore this year. The participants, many of whom were tertiary students, spent weekstoiling over their man-made aircraft in an attempt to put Singapore on the world map for creativity. A team ofstudents from the School of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering put on their wacky hats and attemptedto capture the top prize. Alas, they did not! But their creativity, which came in the shape of a flying penguininspired by the movie Madagascar, was greeted with loud cheers. Called Pengcraft 2000, it had to take offfrom a six-metre ramp into the lagoon at Sentosa. Team captain and pilot Jonathan Liew, who gamely put ona Hawaiian girl costume for the event, said: “It was a really awesome experience jumping off from a six-metreramp in front of 35,000 people! This was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience man! I mean, it’s not like everyday we get to dress up like that in Singapore yea? I told myself that I was not going to look back and say ‘Iwish we had done this’, so we just went all out for it. Overall, although we didn’t really manage to achieve ourtarget distance, seeing the smiles of all the people at Siloso Beach having a good time and enjoying themselvesmade it all worthwhile. After all, the whole point of Redbull Flugtag is to show the crazy side in all of us!”Flugtag, the iconic Red Bull event with a 20-year history, made its debut in Singapore and South EastAsia for the first time this year.This Christmas tree designed by Landscape Architecturestudents (from left: Syahirah M Shirhan, Nur Aziemah, NurAmirah and Nur Atiqah) was commissioned by City SquareMall to be built into a five-metre tall tree that became one ofthe highlights among the mall’s festive decorations.Did you notice a Christmas tree that lookslike the real McCoy when you visited City Squarerecently? It was conceptualised and designed byfour first-year Diploma in Landscape Architecture(DLA) students, in association with the mall’sfestive celebration bearing the theme ‘Eco-tasticChristmas’. All 37 first-year DLA students wereinvited by City Square Mall, Singapore’s firsteco mall, to design and build environmentallyfriendlyChristmas trees. Done as part of theircourse work, the students were divided intogroups and tasked to design one-metre tall treesculptures using recycled plastic bottles. Inaddition, the mall also organised a carnival wherethe students were roped in to facilitate workshopsthat taught shoppers how to transform recycledmaterials collected by the mall into handicrafts.The mall commissioned the building of afive-metre Christmas tree for the winning designwhich was displayed at the Fountain Square.The group wanted to build a tree that would stilllook like the real pine or fir Christmas trees as itwould bring about the right festive mood. Alongwith another group whose design was namedShoppers’ Choice, they won for themselvesshopping vouchers from the mall.All the designs were also displayed at themall during December for shoppers as referencesand inspirations for them to recycle their plasticbottles. The students had fun interacting withshoppers and spreading the eco message.

05SP. News06Last December, students from theDiploma in Information Technology(DIT) represented Singapore at theAsia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA)held in Brunei. Kugan Kobalakrisna,a fresh graduate from DIT, representedthe team that created Lifeline, a mobileapp that improves a paramedic’s abilityto deliver medical care. Normally,paramedics in Singapore transportingpatients would communicate keyinformation like patient status, patientinformation and ambulance arrivaltime to the hospital by radio. However,this method would become unreliablein several situations, for instance whenthe signal was unclear or the hospitalstaff got distracted by other cases.The Lifeline app allows paramedics totransmit key information and photosof patients from their phones to thehospital in a quick and reliable manner.Their app won the Merit Awardin the Tertiary Category, where theycompeted against 21 finalists fromuniversities all around the AsiaPacific region. SP’s team was the onlypolytechnic that represented Singaporeat this regional competition.Lifeline was created by a teamof five DIT graduates: KuganKobalakrisna (team leader), LauHuiting, Jayaprakash Amresh Kumar,A Lifeline of AwardsCreators of Lifeline (clockwise from topleft): Jayaprakash Amresh Kumar, KuganKobalakrisna, Muhammad Izzat BinRidzwan, Lau Huiting and MuhammadNazrul Nizam Mohd Khamis.Muhammad Izzat Bin Ridzwan and Muhammad NazrulNizam Mohd Khamis. The app also won two other awards:the SiTF Gold Award (Tertiary category) at the SingaporeInfocomm Technology Federation Awards 2012, and theCommendation Award at the Ministry of Home AffairsInnovation Festival – SAFE Programme 2012.Kugan (team leaderfor Lifeline) receivedthe Merit Award onbehalf of his team atthe APICTA Awards2012 held in Brunei.IBM AND SMRT Support SP’s BrandNew DiplomaSP Principal and CEO, Mr Tan Choon Shian, gives the welcome address at the launch of the new diploma.Top leaders and executives from IBM and SMRT gathered at SPto launch the newest diploma - the Diploma in Engineering Systems(DES). This diploma is a collaboration between SP and the twocompanies, who feel that SP has great potential to produce talentedstudents who can meet the growing need for skilled professionals inlarge-scale technology systems.DES is the first-of-its-kind engineering course in Singapore. Itis a multi-disciplinary programme that trains students in the fieldsof engineering, management, and social sciences. This wide range ofskills is taught so as to groom professionals who can handle largescaletechnology networks (a.k.a. engineering systems) such as citywideenergy distribution grids or transportation networks. Such hugenetworks require the expertise of people who have a wide range oftechnical, administrative, and analytical skills which DES provides.Says Mr Foong Sew Bun, Chief Technologist and DistinguishedEngineer of IBM ASEAN: “DES graduates will be able to developtheir professional career in a wide range of industrial sectors.”The new diploma received strong backing from IBM and SMRT.Both corporations worked closely with SP to design the coursecurriculum to be industry-relevant. The two companies will also offerindustrial attachment and scholarship opportunities to DES students.The pioneer batch of students will join SP in April.Digital MediaStudents WorkedAt Top EventsStudents from SP’s Diplomas in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics (DVEMG) andMusic and Audio Technology (DMAT) provided their expertise at two prestigious eventsrecently: Licence2Play and the 12th Global Chinese Music Awards.Licence2Play, a gaming event held at Marina Bay Sands, introduced new digital gamesand hosted various gaming and cosplay competitions. DVEMG students took charge of multicameraoperation, photography and off-line editing of footage. They also assisted with oncamerainterviews. DMAT students did a series of amazing live performances and providedbroadcast standard audio feed for video recording. Music entertainment was provided by threebands also formed by SP students. That’s not all – students from the School of Communication,Arts and Social Sciences were the emcees for the event.At the 12th Global Chinese Music Awards (GCMA), an annual award show organisedby seven major Chinese radio stations in the region, DMAT students came really close tomegastars such as Eason Chan, Show Luo, JJ Lin, Tanya Chua, Joey Yung and Rainie Yang.They were roped in to handle the event’s audio-visual arrangements, guided by DMATgraduate Reuben Raman whose company, SoundFarm Production Studios, clinched the jobfrom the organiser.Says Johann Tan, a second-year student: “From the event, I got to know terminologiesused in the music and sound business that I’ve never heard of. Then there was equipment likecoaxial cables, optical cables, MADI interface and other equipment that I saw for the first time.These are all new to me. I also had the chance to interact and network with professionals fromMediacorp who showed us around in the Mediacorp broadcast van!”Besides the GCMA, DMAT students also get many other opportunities to be involved inlive show production. They have worked on events like Music Matters Live, SingaPop!, andthe Youth Olympic Games. Judging from the stream of compliments our DMAT students havereceived, there will definitely be bigger music events coming their way!Diploma in Music and Audio Technology students assisted in sound production atthe 12th Global Chinese Music Awards. (Clockwise, from top left): Tan Kay Ann;Kong Wye Chang; Tan Chee Ian; Lin Lu Hong; Sharon Lee; and Reuben ShaunRaman (2010 DMAT graduate and owner of SoundFarm Production Studios).Voices Behind Japanese MangaDigital Animation students hada draw-each-other session withthe Japanese students wherethey drew manga versions ofeach other.SP students from the Diploma in Digital Animation (DDA) got an incredibletreat: the chance to watch the latest, unaired episode of the hit anime show, OnePiece. This was made possible by a troupe of student voice actors from NihonManga Geijyutu Gakuin, a renowned Manga and Voice Acting school in Japan.These young voice actors and actresses made a stop at SP as part of their culturalvisit to Singapore. They performed for our students, dazzling right from the startwith an energetic opening dance choreographed to a Vocaloid song, Butterfly onYour Right Shoulder. (Vocaloid is a singing voice synthesizer programme thatcreates songs using specially pre-recorded voices of famous voice actors andDaniel Toh (right) and Charles Looi, first-year Diploma in Visual Effects andMotion Graphics students, handled the visual and audio aspects of capturing thelive event, respectively. Personnel who handle microphones for audio recordinglike Charles are known as Boom Operators.singers.) Right after that, the students voice-acted the characters in the newestepisode of One Piece.Enrica Ong, second-year DDA student, was spellbound by their voices. “Whenyou talk to them, they sound very normal — very soft, gentle and nice. But whenthey start voice acting, especially for the very fierce parts, it’s just like ‘Bam!’ Theirvoices become really powerful and pitch-accurate.”The lucky DDA students also took part in a gift exchange. They receivedmementoes such as mangaconcept art books andGundam model kits fromtheir newfound Japanesefriends!Though their encounterwas short, our students weredefinitely impressed by theircharm and talent. Enricaadded: “They seemed reallyquiet and shy at first, butthey ended up being reallygood and outstanding onstage. I think that they’revery serious and veryenthusiastic about whatthey do.”Digital Animation studentEnrica Ong (left) with hernewfound friend Takami fromthe Nihon Manga GeijyutuGakuin school.

07SP. News08Feeling the breeze along the40-km night ride organised bySP Cyclist Club.A NightRideEighteen SP Cyclist Club memberstook to the roads for a leisurely ridethat took them from SP campusto scenic spots across the island,including MacRitchie Reservoir,Seletar Aerospace and Marina Bay.They were joined by 25 SP studentsand 45 members of the public whosigned up after reading about theevent on the Club’s Facebook page.The entire route spanned almost40km. This was the second of theFix A Night Ride series by the Clubwhich aimed to bring together cyclingenthusiasts, both from the Club andmembers of the public, for a nightof fun and safe riding. The 40-kmdistance was certainly not an easytask for those who have not cycled ona regular basis. Nevertheless, it was asatisfying experience for those whocompleted the route. Like the sayinggoes, no pain, no gain! The event wasmade possible with kind sponsorshipfrom the 17th Stop bike shop.Cleaning Job For Scuba DiversHaving fishes swimming around them is a common occurrence for the SPScuba Diving Club members. But during a home-cleaning mission, they hadcockroaches swimming all over them instead. The Club had joined ProjectPaint And Create Study Area (PACSA), a community service group set up bylocal youth to help needy families with home needs.Said Leon Ng (Diploma in Civil Engineering with Business - DCEB), whowas assigned to clean up the messy flat of an elderly man: “My initial thoughtwas that the house would be slightly packed with rubbish and we just neededto clear it. When we stood at the entrance, a mild pungent odour lurked outand the thought, ‘Oh man, there’s a lot of cleaning to do….’ was on everyone’smind. The flat was filled fully with junk!” They spent two hours to clear thejunk before the living room became bright and spacious again.However, there was a second shock – the kitchen. It was another messLeon (in orange) andfriends from the ProjectPaint And Create StudyArea ready to clean up themess in a flat.filled with empty medicine and alcohol bottles and mouldy bread, and withcockroaches and lizards roaming freely. The smell was so strong that they hadto wear masks to ward off the pungent odour. They had a mild shock whenthe lid of a box was opened and an army of cockroaches came running out inall directions. The boys were demoralised but they continued with their task.After all the cleaning, the house was filled with new furniture donated by kindsponsors.The boys picked up an important lesson about family love and how luckythey were to live in clean and happy homes. Leon said: “It is great to have afamily that cares for us; this uncle is not as lucky as we are. The sweat and painis nothing compared to using our own hands to help others to improve theirliving conditions and bring them joy.”The SP Videography Club (left) and DMC teams received their 1st and 2nd place prizes from Mr S Iswaran, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs &Trade and Industry).Energy Videos Win Top PrizesOur students are not clueless when it comes to churning out ideas tosave energy. At the Youth for Energy Video Competition organised by theEnergy Market Authority in conjunction with the Singapore InternationalEnergy Week, SP teams swept the top two prizes. The first prize went to theSP Videography Club’s team comprising first year students Ow Wai Kian(Diploma in Environmental Management and Water Technology - DEWT);Peh Ting Yong (Diploma in Biotechnology - DBT); Eugene Ho (DiplomaIn Food Science and Technology - DFST) and Lee Ming Rong (Diploma inHuman Resource Management with Psychology - DHRMP). Second prizewent to a team of first-year Diploma in Media and Communication (DMC)students: Gloria Kho, Wayne Gwee, Toh Jiangnan and Danial Salim.The teams were challenged to creatively express themselves and articulatehow the city-state can address current energy challenges and help make adifference in Singapore’s sustainable energy future. They were judged on theirarticulation of the theme “Shaping a new energy landscape”, as well as theircreativity and originality and how entertaining the video was. For their greatefforts, the first and second prize SP teams took home $3,000 and $2,000 cashrespectively.Gifts FromThe HeartStudents from SP’s Student in Free Enterprise(SIFE) team were roped in for the Connecting CityHearts, Re-igniting Kampung Spirit project organised bythe Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC).Under a special collaboration by both parties, the SP-Gifts from the Heart social enterprise was set up to teachCDAC beneficiaries how to make a living using theirown skills. The picture shows SP students teaching MdmOng Bee Sin how to make greeting cards using recycledmaterials. Sale proceeds from these handmade cards goback to the creators themselves.

09SP. News10It was the season to gettough in the sports arena!While some SP teamsfought hard to retain theirchampionships, othersworked relentlessly tonail their first victory atthe POL-ITE Games, thesports meet between thepolytechnics, and ITEcolleges; the Inter-VarsityPolytechnic (IVP) Games,the sports showdownbetween the universitiesand polytechnics;and other regionalcompetitions.Smashing Victories!Victory was most precious to the Netball team as this was the first time that they ever got a medal, and a golden one to boot! They managedonly a 5th placing last year. Hugs and hearts to their coach Ms Annie Lim.Despite starting off with consecutive losses, the women team did not give upand rebounded strongly enough to win the third placing at the POL-ITE FloorballChampionship. This is the first time that the team got a medal finishing!SP Wushu Club clinched four Gold, one Silver and 5 Bronze medals and the 3rd Overall Positionat the ITE Invitational Wushu Championship 2012. A magnificent performance by the team whichhad to put up with temporary training grounds as the Sports Hall underwent renovation.Both the men and women’s Bowling teams won the overall third position at the POL-ITEGames. In addition, Benjamin Cheng took the third position for Men’s Single and the boys alsosnatched the second position for the Men’s Quartet.The SP women shuttlers retained their No. 1 position for the second year at the POL-ITEBadminton Tournament. The men leaped up to second position, their best showing inrecent years.The SP Canoeists put up a great show at the POL-ITECanoeing Championship. Both the men and womenteams came in second overall.They took the third position at the POL-ITE Rugby but for the rugged boys, it wasnevertheless a very good show of sportsmanship and team spirit that surpassedeven their own expectations.Cheers to the boyswho fought hard toretain the crown whilethe girls performedexceptionally welltoo and clinchedsecond place at thePOL-ITE HandballChampionship.SP Softball Team travelled to Chiang Mai, Thailand for the Chiang Mai Softball Competition and returned as champs, beatingThailand’s University 11-0 in the finals. It was a sweet revenge as the team lost to Mahidol last year in the quarter finals.SP female athletes raced to the top at the POL-ITE Road Racecompetition to clinch their first ever team title. Three out of sixrunners also finished in the top five positions. The team wasunable to get into the top three spots for the last couple of yearsbut under their new coach, Mr Lim Kien Mau, they turned in aspectacular show.SP boys and girls squashed their opponents at the POL-ITE Squash tournament! This was the third time that the teams came in first.Special thanks to SP staff Wong Swee Chan who was a great mentor to the teams!The men and women’s Tchoukball teams scoredfirst and second positions respectively at thePOL-ITE Games. A great team job by theserelatively young teams!

11SP. News12GroomingScientistsFrom SPSteven Ong is one of 14students from SP to receivethe inaugural A*STAR ScienceAward (Polytechnic) from Dr LimKhiang Wee, Executive Directorof A*STAR Graduate Academy.Polytechnic students will now have anotheravenue to pursue their interest in science andresearch with a new initiative launched byA*STAR (Agency for Science, Technologyand Research). The A*STAR Science Award(Polytechnic) seeks to nurture and engage apipeline of young Singaporean talent towardsR&D. This Award will also enable Singaporeanpolytechnic students in science and engineeringcourses to explore their interest in researchthrough research internships and / or final yearprojects at A*STAR research institutes.Fourteen SP students are the pioneerrecipients for this Award which comes withtuition fee waiver and an allowance of $2,000per year for two years. They are also requiredto take up a full-time research attachment atone of the A*STAR Research Institutes aspart of the industrial attachment or FinalYear Project. The A*STAR Science Awardrecipients are:Ong Xi Chun from Diploma inEnvironmental Management and WaterTechnology; Victor Chua, Koh Hong Zheng,Rachel Tan, Lim Yi Xiang, Marcus Seah andSng Yi Jing from Diploma in BiomedicalScience); Lim Lin Xenia, Steven Ong andTan Tze Kai from Diploma in Biotechnology;Pisigan Carlo Adrian Rectra from Diplomain Clean Energy; Yeo Wei Le from Diplomain Electrical and Electronic Engineering;Ravin Nicholas s/o Kunalan from Diploma inAeronautical Engineering and Leong Hei Kernfrom Diploma in Mechanical Engineering.Tan Tze Kai, who is now working on hisfinal year project with A*STAR scientist andSP alumnus Dr Jonathan Loh, said he believesthe Award will spur him on to continue in hisstem cell research when he joins the university.Ear-marked For Singapore IndustriesPeh Jiale, a recent graduate from the Diploma in Integrated Events andProject Management - DEPM, enjoyed her internship at Universal StudiosSingapore theme park so much that she hopes to clinch a scholarship withResorts World Sentosa. She said, “I was looking for a scholarship that wouldlead me to where I want to work.” Her dream came true.Together with fourteen other SP graduates, Jia Le clinched the inauguralSingapore-Industry Scholarship (SgIS) launched by the government this year.This scholarship was launched with support from some of the finest localenterprises and organisations that include Charles and Keith, Resorts WorldSentosa and Singapore Power. It aims to nurture a strong core of Singaporetalent with the requisite skills and capabilities to steer and contribute to strategicsectors. SgIS scholars will have opportunities to acquire knowledge of theirindustries early even while they are studying in university. Upon graduation,scholars will embark on exciting careers with their sponsoring organisations.The scholarship covers tuition fees and other expenses such as book, computerand hostel allowances and overseas exchange programmes. All recipients haveto sign a three to four year bond with their sponsorship company which willtailor development programmes for them during their studies and as soon asthey embark on their careers upon graduation.The SP graduates receiving the SgIS are now pursuing their degreeprogrammes at the Nanyang Technological University, National University ofSingapore and Singapore Management University. They are:Peh Jiale had a great time interningat Universal Studios Singapore andhoped to get a scholarship fromits management, Resorts WorldSentosa. And she got it!School of Architecture and the Built Environment:Boay Chong Zheng (sponsored by Boustead); Peh Jia Le (sponsored byResorts World Sentosa); Justin Tan (sponsored by Boustead).SP Business SchoolJohn Ser (sponsored by Charles and Keith); Cheryilynn Hsia (sponsored byResorts World Sentosa).School of Chemical and Life SciencesJeremiah Chen (sponsored by Keppel Group); Chua Xin Pei (sponsored bySingapore Technologies Engineering).School of Digital Media and Infocomm TechnologyLe Beier (sponsored by PSA).School of Electrical and Electronic EngineeringHoong Seng Keng (sponsored by Micron); Jordan Lee (sponsored bySingapore Power); Lim Jun Da (sponsored by Singapore Power); Loi YongHwee (sponsored by Singapore Power); Alvin Chan (sponsored by SingaporeTechnologies Engineering).School of Mechanical and AERONAutical EngineeringGoh Yi Feng (sponsored by GE); Tan Jee Yang (sponsored by SingaporeTechnologies Engineering).John Ser, receiving hisscholarship from Mr Dicky Koh,Chief Financial Officer ofCharles & Keith Group, willembark on a career in retailmanagement with the awardwinninglocal enterprise uponhis graduation from SMU.Scholarship ForCreative MindsIan Batey will personally mentorSP’s Diploma in Media andCommunication students underthe Batey Scholar Award.Ten ReceivePCF-Poly AwardsThird-year Diploma in Nutrition, Health & Wellness (DNHW)student Nurul Atiqah Bte Rusli is among 10 SP students whoreceived the PCF-Polytechnic Study Award this year. The Award,worth $2,000 each, is given out annually to deserving students fromthe polytechnics. They received the Award from Prime Minister LeeHsien Loong at the PCF Family Day 2012. Said Atiqah, “Gettingthis award will make me more determined to work even harderand reach for greater heights. I hope to pursue a degree in SportsScience and Management at Nanyang Technological Universityafter graduating from SP.”Nurul Atiqah receiving the PCF-Polytechnic Award from PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong.The branding legend behind the Singapore Girl – the former Batey Adsteam – is donating, with a matching grant from the Ministry of Education,$250,000 in endowment fund to nurture deserving students to pursue a globaleducation at SP.Bond-free scholarships, named as the Batey Scholar Award, will be given tostudents taking the Diploma in Media and Communication (DMC) from 2013.The bond-free award covers three years of tuition fees as well as participationin overseas internship and study programmes. In the first year, three awards willbe given - one for each cohort from Year One to Year Three.Retired Chairman Ian Batey, whose agency Batey Ads was responsiblefor branding Singapore global icons such as Raffles Hotel, Tiger Beer andSingapore Airlines, said, “We, that’s all the old Batey team, are delighted tomake this contribution. It’s an expression of our deep appreciation for theextraordinary opportunities given to us over three decades by Singapore Inc.We have a dream of seeing Singapore as the most exciting creative centre inAsia-Pacific for creating and developing global power brands, and for creatingoutstanding global advertising campaigns. We hope the Batey Scholar Awardprogramme will help attract more talented young people to a career in marketingcommunication, and that Batey Scholars, together with their colleagues, willgrow our dream into a dazzling long-term reality.”Key to the scholarship is the personal mentorship of Mr Ian Batey whowas honoured with the first Lifetime Achievement Award by the Institute ofAdvertising Singapore in 1999. He will share his insights and networks tosupport the protégés.

13SP. News14Dr Jonathan Loh, the firstSingaporean citizen elected tothe prestigious World TechnologyNetwork.Military HonourFor BusinessGraduateDiploma in Business Administration (DBA) graduate Cheong Ting Wenscored a military honour recently when he was awarded the Sword-of-Honour(Infantry) at the Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) commissioning paraderecently. He was among 297 officer cadets who were commissioned as SAFofficers. The parade marked the completion of 38 weeks of rigorous training atthe Officer Cadet School. The newly commissioned officers will go on to assumecommand, instructional or staff appointments in the SAF.Said Ting Wen, “At the end of the day, my responsibility as an officer is toensure that all of my men come back safely, no matter how tough the trainingmay be.” He credits his family for their unwavering support that helped himachieve his stellar performance in Officer Cadet School (OCS). His father wasan officer in the Singapore Civil Defence Force and his elder brother is alsoan infantry officer in the SAF. “They told me to do my best, and above all, toenjoy my time in national service,” added Ting Wen, who is now with the 3rdBattalion, Singapore Guards.On top of learning military and leadership skills, his time in OCSstrengthened his character, and made him a more disciplined and independentperson. He added that to be given a chance to lead at such a young age was “aprivilege and an honour”.Top AwardFor SP ScientistAlumnusDr Jonathan Loh, an SP alumnus from the Diploma in Biotechnology (DBT),has become the first Singaporean citizen to be elected to the prestigious WorldTechnology Network (WTN), an elite club whose members are all focused onthe business and science of bringing important emerging technologies of alltypes (from biotechnology to new materials, from IT to new energy sources)into reality. The WTN membership comprises approximately 1,000 membersfrom more than 60 countries, judged by their peers to be the most innovativepeople in the technology world.Dr Loh, 35, is best known for his research work on stem cells which hasbeen published in science journals. He also helped to invent a new and safermethod to create the cells which was ranked as one of the top 10 breakthroughsof 2010 by Science, a prestigious journal. He was a member of the team atHarvard Medical School that became the first to convert human blood cellsinto stem cells.Now a Principal Investigator with the Institute of Molecular and CellBiology (IMCB) at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research),Dr Loh current work involves developing new tools to create clinical-gradecells and tissues for medical use. Among the team assisting him are four SPgraduates and a current student, all from the Diploma in Biotechnology (seestory on Page 43).Photo courtesy of PIONEER magazineThe SP (ServicePerformance)StarLike all the other young ones who joined SP, she has hopes of doing well andsecuring a place in the university. She did just that. Christina Ong graduated topof her class in the Diploma in Property Development and Facilities Management(now renamed Diploma in Hotel and Leisure Facilities Management – DHLFM),and moved on to National University of Singapore to pursue a degree in Projectand Facilities Management and even got her name onto the Dean’s List. Upongraduation, she decided to head straight for one direction in her career path – getinto the service line, despite having two other job offers. At McDonald’s, she foundher calling. She loved her job so much that it even earned her the highest award forthe service industry in Singapore – the Super Star Award for Service Excellence.Now an assistant manager at McDonald’s Harbourfront branch, Christinatold The Straits Times in an interview: “In the service line, you have to be sincereand serve from the heart, and build relationships with people. So no matter howbusy I am, I make the effort to chat with regular customers when they come.”The burger joint is not a totally new environment for her. She was a part-timerwith McDonald’s since her school days. Her job has good perks too – she flew toOrlando in the United States to attend a convention by her company and also tothe Philippines for a restaurant leadership programme.She is not at all bothered by comments that she deserved a cushy job in theoffice. In another media interview, Christine said matter-of-factly: ““If they don’tbuy it (my decision to work at McDonald’s), I don’t try too hard to convince them.I enjoy it. If you’re always so concerned about what people think, your life will bevery difficult.”Christine is considering opening her own café, maybe five years from now. Inthe meantime, say hello to her the next time you are at McDonald’s Harbourfront!SP Alumnus Boosts StudentEntrepreneurshipBudding entrepreneurs and final-year Diploma in Business Administration students Li Zhuoxian and GabrielTham (second and third from left), receiving the cheque from Mr and Mrs Gary Kwang (far right). Looking onis Director of SP Business School Mr Reginald Wee (extreme left).Christina does SP proud bywinning the highest award forService Excellence.Three student entrepreneurship teams each received a $2,000funding kindly donated by Gary Kwang, a SP alumnus whograduated in 1995 with a Diploma of Electronics, Computerand Communications Engineering. Gary was an active musicianduring his SP years and also a recipient of the SP MusicScholarship. Upon his graduation, he furthered his studies inthe University of Birmingham and graduated with first-classhonours, and clinched the prestigious Gordon Tucker Awardwhich is given to the top final-year project and thesis for eachyear’s graduating course.Over the years, Gary has made significant strides in thecorporate world. He eventually started his own businessventures by co-founding, starting, investing and managing afew start-ups as well as mature companies. Recognising thatbusiness start-ups sometimes need a financial boost, he decidedto pay it forward by helping budding entrepreneurs at his almamater. The $6,000 donation was contributed from one of hiscompanies, INFRACOMMS. Through his action, he hopesthat other SMEs would be inspired to contribute too so as hebelieves it is never too early or late to start a business.

15SP. News16When the bells ring in the New Year, SPNew Year,New Leaderwill welcome a new leader. Mr Tan ChoonShian, Deputy Managing Director of theEconomic Development Board (EDB),will join SP as the new Principal and ChiefExecutive Officer. He will succeed Mr TanHang Cheong who will be retiring after 22years of fruitful service in the educationsector.The incoming Mr Tan has a careerspanning nearly 20 years with EDB. Afterjoining EDB’s electronics cluster in 1992with a Bachelor of Science (InformationService) at the University of Tokyo, he wasposted in 1995 to EDB’s Tokyo centre asCentre Director, and subsequently becameRegional Director in Japan. He was actively Mr Tan Choon Shian,Principal and CEO ofinvolved in attracting Japanese investmentsSingapore Polytechnicto Singapore’s electronics and chemical from 1 Jan 2013.industry clusters.Recognising his strong leadership potential, EDB awarded him a Mastersscholarship in 1999 as a Sloan Fellow at the Graduate School of Business, StanfordUniversity. Upon his return, he led the Electronics and Precision EngineeringCluster with the concurrent appointment as Director, Japan Operations.Between 2004 and 2006, Mr Tan was appointed Director, Planning andPolicy and Director, Marketing Communications. To broaden his exposure, hethen spent a year in the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) as Director,Corporate Development.Mr Tan returned to EDB in 2007 as the Assistant Managing Director. Hestrengthened EDB’s operations in the Asia-Pacific, particularly in China, Indiaand South East Asia, and the Middle East. He also supervised the developmentof major industry clusters. He was appointed Deputy Managing Director in 2009.Mr Tan Hang Cheong has made significant contributions in reshaping andrejuvenating Singapore’s first polytechnic.Over the last five years, he has been guidedby the simple idea of making the students ourfocus. He was instrumental in developing theSP@60 blueprint and transforming SP into amore student-centric and vibrant polytechnic.He guided the faculty and staff to sharehis vision of developing graduates who are lifeready,work-ready, and world-ready. Workingin close partnership with his colleagues, heled a collective effort to redefine and enrichthe SP learning experience through a holistic,authentic and industry-relevant curriculum,innovative and vibrant learning spaces,enriching overseas programmes for everystudent, and developing staff capabilities.Mr Tan also made significant inroadsto strengthen the connection with SP’s165,000-strong alumni network. Through hisable leadership and purpose-driven approach,he has built a strong management team and a special connection with students. Hehas imbued in staff a stronger commitment to excellence, making a difference toSP’s students and ensuring they are future-ready.Mr Bill Chang, Chairman of SP’s Board of Governors, said, “We deeplyappreciate Hang Cheong’s valued contributions to SP. He has navigated change well,and galvanised SP’s growth over the past five years, making it a stronger educationinstitution with a passion for advancing teaching and learning capabilities. It isevident that he has made a difference to SP in every aspect – from the students,staff, curriculum and our operations to enhancing the campus landscape. We willmiss him. At the same time, we extend a warm welcome to Choon Shian as the nextleader of SP. I am confident that his diverse experiences, solid industry connectionsand strong leadership acumen will put him in good stead to guide SP in its nextphase of growth.”A SingleCommunicationplatformSP will be the first institute of higher learning inSoutheast Asia to implement a new technological platform,known as Unified Communications (UC), to enhance theteaching, learning and working experience for academia,students and staff. It will be rolled out progressively in early2013. This was announced at SP MobFest 2012, an annualevent that showcased new initiatives that harness the powerof the latest technology for learning and teaching.UC will be a first-of-its-kind, integrated technologicalcapability deployed for education in the institutes of higherlearning here. It serves to organise diverse communicationsystems in a single platform, and enable various SPcommunities to better connect, communicate and sharedigital content in real time, anytime, anywhere. Lecturersand students can use functions such as email, voice mail,instant messaging and audio / video / web conferencing withthe phone system during their interaction.In the near future, students out on a field study or overseas industrytraining programme can now connect with their lecturers and classmatesin different locations, getting instant feedback through text messages, callsor video conferencing on a single, standard platform. Lecturers can alsobetter monitor the quality and progress of their students’ work regardlessof location.SP is teaming up with Hewlett Packard (HP) on this exciting initiative.It will leverage on UC Solution for Microsoft ® Lync 2010 to facilitate thevarious functions. Built on an open, software-based platform that workswith applications and systems that users are familiar with, the solution willeventually connect the SP communities seamlessly so that lecturers, studentsand staff can learn, grow and create together.Dr Hirofumi Yamada, President of Kanazawa Technical College, and Mr Tan Hang Cheong, thenSP Principal, releasing kois into the bio-stream in SP to commemorate 30 years of culturalexchange between the two institutions.SP is the first educational institutionin Southeast Asia to roll out UnitedCommunications, a technology thatintegrates multiple communicationsystems into one single platform.“To be a mobile-enabled campus, we see the need to constantly be in thetechnological forefront. We want to create a borderless environment wherewe can teach, learn, work and live in a more fun and enriching manner.Through this UC solution, we are preparing ourselves for the future,” saidMr Tan Hang Cheong, then SP Principal.Mr Sanjay Vig, General Manager, Technology Services, HP EnterpriseGroup Southeast Asia said, “To deliver high-quality services, educationalinstitutions need to create a unified community where staff and students cancommunicate quickly and effectively. We are glad that HP is able to providetransformative services that will enable SP to build a secure, reliable systemthat makes communications more collaborative, engaging and accessiblefrom anywhere.”A Tale Of TwoInstitutionsThe relationship went past 30 years and is still growing strong.Last month, SP and the Kanazawa Technical College (KTC) of Japancommemorated the 31st visit undertaken by staff and students from bothinstitutions to each other’s campuses for cultural exchange. The visits startedsince 1983 (with two visits in 2010) and have been uninterrupted through theyears. Every year, KTC will host a delegation of one staff member and 12students from SP as they embark on the two-week programme to Kanazawa,Japan. They will stay with host families and participate in various activitiesorganized by KTC. Students from KTC will also visit Singapore in a similarexchange programme.This year’s visit is especially notable as it marks 30 Years of the MILE(Mobile Interactive Learning Experience) Programme between SP andKTC. The President of KTC, Dr Hirofumi Yamada, personally led the visitto SP this year.To mark the special occasion, then SP Principal Mr Tan Hang Cheongand Dr Yamada released 30 kois into the bio-stream located along thedriveway parallel to the MRT track. This was witnessed by 30 KTC studentswho accompanied Dr Yamada on this visit.

17Bigger, Better, BolderDIPLOMA INENGINEERINGSYSTEMSBrand New Coursefor 20138REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD STUDYENGINEERING SYSTEMSRockclimbing on the facade of the new Sports Hub building will become an exciting reality whenit is completed sometime in June 2014. The 30-metre high rock wall is one of the several new sportsand recreational facilities available to SP students. Other facilities that will be housed in the buildinginclude courts for squash, badminton, volleyball and basketball, a multi-purpose court, roof-toptennis courts, an indoor running track and more than 30 student club rooms.The groundbreaking ceremony for the Sports Hall was held last month, followed two weekslater by a ceremony to mark the work commencement of another spectacular building for SPDesign School.A gallery space has been marked out for students to showcase their design works in this newbuilding which will also house design studios and labs. There will also be an open landscaped deck onthe third floor plus an air-conditioned food court.Work will also start soon on the new AeroHub and the Business School building. Want to be thefirst users of these new facilities? Mark down SP diploma courses as your first choice during the JointAdmission Exercise (JAE) which takes place after the release of the GCE ‘O’ Level results.The rock wall lends excitement to the façade of the new SportsHub building.1 ONE AND ONLYA unique combination of ENGINEERING,MANAGEMENT and SOCIAL SCIENCES –the key ingredients for the future.2 A SYSTEM POINT OF VIEWRev you up to think and see issuesfrom a system point of view.3 STUDIO-BASED LEARNINGLearning is conducted through activeengagement of students in a specialisedstudio setting. Studio learning willenable you to:• Learn in teams• Master the fundamental knowledgethrough sharing and inquiring• Develop problem-solving skills andanalytical thinking• Apply the knowledge to the real worldapplicationsThe curriculum is developed incollaboration with Olin College ofEngineering, USA.4 CONCEIVE-DESIGN-IMPLEMENT-OPERATE (CDIO)CDIO learning, developed bythe Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology (MIT) and adopted byIvy League institutions worldwide,is applied to this course.5 INDUSTRY ENDORSEMENTRenowned companies such as IBM,Siemens, SMRT and ST Kinetics havegiven their strong support for thiscourse. You’ll get opportunities to beattached to these companies eitherlocally or overseas during thefive-month internship or capstoneproject in the final year.6 SCHOLARSHIPSOutstanding ‘O’ level graduatesenrolled in this new course canapply for scholarships offered bySP or external organisations.7 UNIVERSITYYou can pursue a degreeprogramme (engineering orother disciplines) after thiscourse in local and overseasuniversities. If you do verywell, you could earn auniversity scholarship too!8 WORLD-READYWhen you graduate, you willunderstand the real-worldsystems in their social, ethicaland environmental contexts andready to tackle system-levelproblems using technical andmanagement skills.Scan this QR codefor more informationFollow SP on:facebook.com/singaporepolytechnictwitter.com/singaporepolyFaçade of the upcoming Design building with anopen-landscaped deck.youtube.com/singaporepolytechnicSCHOOL OFELECTRICAL &ELECTRONIC ENGINEERINGSCHOOL OFMECHANICAL &AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

For the latestSP happeningsFacebook.com/singaporepolytechnicTwitter.com/singaporepolyYoutube.com/singaporepolytechnic Daniel Chan3rd YearDiploma in Mechanical EngineeringSP Track and Field Team Captain