Director's Message
For nearly two decades, the CN Yang Scholars Programme has been an incubator for top science and engineering talent at Nanyang Technological University. With its cross-disciplinary curriculum and tightly-knit student community, it provides one of the most unique educational experiences at NTU, and indeed worldwide.
At the CN Yang Scholars Programme's launch in 2006, NTU had just begun its transformation from a narrowly focused engineering school to a full-fledged research university. The university's leadership, led by then-President Professor Su Guaning, conceived of a programme to attract a new kind of NTU undergraduate: one deeply curious about all aspects of science, passionate about exploring the frontiers of research, and eager to work alongside similarly-minded peers.
Today, this vision has materialised into a vibrant programme that admits over 50 scholars a year, selected from a much larger pool of applicants. Our scholars come from many diverse backgrounds, but one common thread unites them: scientific curiosity. It is this curiosity that guides and motivates them through the programme's challenging multidisciplinary curriculum, which covers Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and Earth Sciences, as well as customised courses in writing and ethics.
But even if the material is difficult, each CN Yang scholar does not face these difficulties alone. One of the most striking features of the programme is its exceptionally vibrant community. The experience of taking courses with scholars from different disciplines, working together on complex projects, and often staying at the same residence halls, forges strong social bonds that long outlast our scholars' time at NTU. Furthermore, the programme's support for overseas visits and projects gives our scholars unique opportunities to build academic and social networks in other countries.
Alumni of the CN Yang Scholars Programme have gone on to work at leading companies, from startups to global tech giants. Many have also proceeded to advanced studies at top universities worldwide. Our students are graduating into a world facing many challenges, from the energy transition to the disruptions of artificial intelligence; but I am confident that the values embedded in the CN Yang Scholars Pprogramme---curiosity, scientific rigour, teamwork, and an international outlook---remain key to tackling these problems, and that the privileges and opportunities given to CN Yang scholars at NTU will thereby translate into lasting contributions for society.
Professor Chong Yidong
Director, CN Yang Scholars Programme
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