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Visionary government leader Philip Yeoconferred Honorary Doctor of LettersChairman of SPRING Singapore Mr Philip YeoLiat Kok received an Honorary Doctor of Lettersfrom NUS at the University’s Main CommencementCeremony. Mr Yeo is widely recognised for hisimportant contributions to Singapore’s economicdevelopment, particularly in the biomedicalsciences, information technology, chemical andsemiconductor industries.“It is fitting that NUS today honours one ofits most illustrious alumni: someone who hastransformed our economy, created thousandsof high quality jobs, inspired so many of us tobelieve that individuals do make a difference,and that Singapore’s destiny is in our hands,” saidDean of the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineProf John Wong who gave the citation on Mr Yeo.Looking back on his career, Mr Yeo shared thatrather than achievements and advancements,what were memorable were the fun he had in allthe jobs he had held, seeing new opportunitieshis work had generated for others and thefriendships he had built.As Chairman of SPRING Singapore, Mr Yeo guidesthe agency with the mission of enabling andgrowing local enterprises. He is currently also theSpecial Advisor for Economic Development atthe Prime Minister’s Office, and a member of theUnited Nations Committee of Experts in PublicAdministration.Mr Yeo receiving the degree scroll from President NathanNUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan said that MrYeo’s curiosity, zest for learning and strong spiritof public service were an inspiration to the NUScommunity. He also remarked that Mr Yeo “liveslife at a pace that leaves the rest of us breathless.Yet he always has time for young people, for hisscholars and for his colleagues and friends.”A recipient of many prestigious awards andaccolades, Mr Yeo is best known for hiseffectiveness in developing talents and creatingjobs for Singapore while serving at the EconomicDevelopment Board and Agency for Science,Technology and Research.He was also the Permanent Secretary (Defence)and founding Chairman of the National ComputerBoard, and had played a critical role in thedevelopment of the Singapore TechnologiesGroup, SembCorp and CapitaLand.Tribute to NUS Chancellor atCommencement DinnerThe NUS personality is characterised by constantexploration and innovation, fierce determinationto excel and unstinting dedication of one’s bestefforts. A striking example of such commitmentto excellence is shown by NUS Chancellor andSingapore President S R Nathan. NUS PresidentProf Tan Chorh Chuan was speaking at theannual Commencement Dinner on 15 July wherehe paid tribute to President Nathan who willcomplete his term as Chancellor this August.Prof Tan said: “President Nathan is a greatman. He has accomplished such a great deal inso many areas. But for the NUS community, itis his genuine interest and deep engagementwith our University that we are most gratefulfor and cherish the most.” He hoped that thenew graduates would be inspired by PresidentNathan’s example to contribute, to do good andto serve society well.President Nathan receiving a resounding round of applausefrom the dinner guestsPresident Nathan had given strong support to many University programmes and student activities,going far beyond his official duties as Chancellor. He had visited many of the NUS departments, spokenat numerous events, hosted countless lunches and dinners at the Istana, and lent great help in fundraisingefforts.JULY 20113

New senior appointmentsAssoc Prof Benjamin Ong, Chief Executive of the National UniversityHealth System (NUHS), was appointed Senior Vice President (HealthAffairs) at NUS. A senior neurologist and an NUS faculty member since1986, his new appointment will enhance synergies between medical anddental education, research and clinical practice at the National UniversityHospital (NUH) and NUS’ Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM) andFaculty of Dentistry.Vice President (University and Global Relations) Prof Lily Konghas assumed the additional role of Acting Executive Vice President(Academic Affairs) of Yale-NUS College. She played a pivotal part in theconceptualisation of Yale-NUS College and in the discussions that shapedthe two universities’ recent agreement on this initiative. She will providethe critical leadership needed in setting up the College quickly, and herresponsibilities include overseeing faculty recruitment, curricular designand student admissions.Prof Ho Teck Hua has been appointed Vice President (ResearchStrategy). He concurrently holds the Tan Chin Tuan CentennialProfessorship. Previously a Visiting Professor, Prof Ho has joined theUniversity as a Professor in both the Departments of Marketing andEconomics. He is currently a chaired Professor at the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley’s (UCB) Haas School of Business, and the Director ofUCB’s Asia Business Centre. Prof Ho will assist on research strategy matters,including overseeing and building the University’s Finance and RiskManagement integrative research cluster.Newly appointed Vice President (Administration), Mr Borislav Koticbrings with him a wealth of experience in business management andfinance, across financial services, manufacturing as well as the highereducation sector. Prior to this, Mr Kotic was Chief Financial Officer, thenChief Operating Officer and Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Universityof Sydney where he served for nine years. He will help enhance NUS’administrative systems for furtherance of the University’s academicmission.KNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISEIsabel Chan Professor in Medical Sciences John Wong EuLi, who is concurrently Dean of YLLSoM and Deputy Chief Executiveof NUHS, will relinquish his role as Dean and take on the position ofVice Provost (Academic Medicine) from 1 November 2011. A medicaloncologist-haematologist, Prof Wong has been Dean of Medicine since2003. He is widely recognised as a champion of integrated research andeducation to benefit patient care through multi-disciplinary teams ofhealthcare professionals and scientists. He has also contributed to raisingthe global profile of NUS medicine and developing partnerships withsome of the world’s leading medical institutions.Assoc Prof Yeoh Khay Guan, a renowned expert in gastric andcolorectal cancer, will succeed Prof Wong as the new Dean of Medicine.The Vice Dean (Academic Affairs) of YLLSoM since 2003, Assoc Prof Yeohis presently also Vice-Chairman of the Medical Board of NUH.4

Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yewjoins NUS as Distinguished FellowMr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s former MinisterMentor, has been appointed Distinguished Fellowat NUS’ Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSchool).NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan said that theUniversity is very honoured tohave Mr Lee join the School,which will allow its students andfaculty the opportunity to learnand benefit directly from hisdeep insights and experience inglobal affairs and governance.Established in 2004, the LKY School, anautonomous graduate school of NUS, aims toeducate and train Asian policymakers and leadersso as to raise the standards of governance,improve the lives of people in the region andcontribute to the transformation of Asia.As the LKY School’s mission isto train the next generation ofAsian leaders, Dean Prof KishoreMahbubani noted that Mr Lee’sinvolvement would significantlyenhance the ability of the Schoolto fulfil its mission and raise itsstatus globally.Mr Lee is currently the SeniorAdvisor to the Governmentof Singapore InvestmentCorporation.Mr Lee Kuan Yew (left) with Prof Mahbubani at the LKY School’s 5thAnniversary Celebration in Sep 2009Photo: MCS Lifestyle PhotographyDuke-NUS awards first Benjamin ShearesProfessorship in Academic MedicineTo commemorate the rich medical legacyand distinguished service of the lateSingapore President Dr Benjamin Sheares,the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School(Duke-NUS) established the Benjamin ShearesProfessorship in Academic Medicine in May2011. This first professorship named afterDr Sheares is supported by a seed gift of S$2.5million from the Tote Board and SingHealthFoundation, and a generous donation fromDr Sheares’ family.Duke-NUS awarded the Professorship recentlyto the School’s Vice Dean for Clinical andFaculty Affairs, Prof Soo Khee Chee, who isalso the founding Director of the NationalCancer Centre Singapore and Deputy ChiefExecutive Officer of the Singapore HealthServices.Prof Soo (right) receiving the award from Dr Joseph Sheares,son of the late Dr Benjamin Sheares at the Duke-NUSgraduation celebrationSaid Dean of Duke-NUS Prof Ranga Krishnan:“Prof Soo is an excellent clinician-scientist andrevered educator. His continued role at Duke-NUSand SingHealth will further enhance the buildingand establishing of Duke-NUS as a key componentof the academic medical centre at Outram.”Personally inspired by the legacy of Dr Shearesand humbled by this conferment, Prof Soosaid that he would endeavour to fulfill theexpectations that came with this Professorshipand serve the community like Dr Sheares.One of the founding fathers of Singapore medicine,Dr Sheares was a well-respected surgeon known forhis deep passion for medicine and clinical research inobstetrics and gynaecology. He was internationallyrecognised for the “Sheares Procedure” (surgicaltreatment of vaginal agenesis) and for pioneeringthe Lower Segment Caesarean Section.Beyond his outstanding medical service andaccomplishments, Dr Sheares had also served withdistinction as Singapore’s second President for threeterms from 1971 to 1981.JULY 20115

Cooling computers– the quantum physics wayResearchers at the Centre for QuantumTechnologies (CQT) at NUS and their collaboratorshave made a fundamental discovery concerningthe energy cost of computations. Their findings,which could point to a novel way to cool futuresupercomputers, were published in the prestigiousjournal Nature on 1 June 2011.Since the 1960s, it has been thought that thedeletion of data in a computer leads unavoidablyto the release of energy as heat. Known asLandauer’s principle, this implies that when acertain number of arithmetical operations persecond have been exceeded, a computer willproduce more heat than can be dissipated.Prof Vlatko Vedral of CQT and the Universityof Oxford, Prof Renato Renner of ETH ZurichInstitute for Theoretical Physics, together withother physicists in their research teams showedthat the deletion of data can have a cooling effectrather than generating heat when the quantumphenomenon known as entanglement is invoked.Quantum entanglement describes a state wherethe physical properties of a system are inextricablyrelated.Can the cooling effect be harnessed? So farthe work has been theoretical. “Achieving thecontrol at the quantum level that would berequired to implement this in supercomputers isa huge technological challenge, but it may notbe impossible. We have seen enormous progressin quantum technologies over the past 20 years,”said Prof Vedral. With the technology in quantumphysics labs today, it should be possible to do aproof-of-principle experiment on a few bits ofdata.The scientists made their discovery throughcombining ideas about entropy from two differentfields – information theory and thermodynamics.“Our study shows that in both cases, entropy isconsidered as a type of lack of knowledge,” saidProf Renner.Entropy is usually a positive quantity, but it wasknown in information theory that an entangledobject could be perceived as having negativeentropy. The scientists’ work explains thethermodynamic meaning of negative entropy.Prof Vedral, Principal Investigator at CQTThe new connection may have other uses besidescalculating the heat production of computers. Forexample, methods developed within informationtheory to handle entropy could lead to innovationsin thermodynamics. – By CQTSpearheading logistics research andeducation with world-class allianceSwiss-based Global Coalition for EfficientLogistics (GCEL) has selected The LogisticsInstitute - Asia Pacific (TLI - Asia Pacific)at NUS as its first academic partner inlaunching GCEL’s prestigious Global AcademicSubcommittee. Comprising premier universitiesfrom around the world, the Committee willconduct state-of-the-art research to enhance anew and powerful digital platform, leading toexponential increase in global trade efficiency.“Through TLI - Asia Pacific, the GlobalCoalition can draw on the vast technical andacademic capabilities spanning across theFaculties of Engineering, Science, Computingand Business at NUS. This multi-disciplinaryapproach will enable the Coalition to tacklecomplex and pressing logistics issues in aGCEL Co-Chairman Captain Samuel Salloum with Prof Tanrigorous and comprehensive manner,” saidEng Chye sealing the NUS-GCEL partnershipNUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) andProvost Prof Tan Eng Chye, who chairs TLI - Asia Pacific’s Advisory Board.He also felt that the Subcommittee’s mission, team and global reach would enable NUS to positionmany of its key supply chain programmes for greater global excellence.JULY 20117