U Roundup

Text: Derek Rodriguez

Priority admission for Master's courses

In line with the university encouraging alumni to embrace lifelong learning, alumni returning for postgraduate courses at NTU will have priority consideration from Academic Year 2024 onwards. In particular, graduates who have achieved Honours (Distinction) or an equivalent degree classification will be offered direct admission to their chosen postgraduate programmes, if they meet specific requirements and adhere to NTU's admission policies.

There is also financial support. Alumni of all nationalities will receive a 10% tuition fee discount to support their pursuit of a master's degree by coursework. Singaporeans and Permanent Residents who apply for most of NTU Singapore's coursework-based master's programmes that are not subsidised by the government will receive a S$5,000 subsidy. Those eligible for financial aid may receive up to S$10,000.

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Fostering excellence

Photo: National Research Foundation Singapore

“I hope that one day a Nobel laureate or Turing Award winner will emerge from Singapore,” said NTU President Prof Ho Teck Hua as he received the President’s Science and Technology Medal, Singapore’s top honour for science and technology. With his ability to attract and nurture top scientific talent, foster interdisciplinary research and develop national research, Prof Ho will be instrumental in making this wish a reality. Prof Ho has also been named an Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences Fellow for his contributions to behavioural science, marketing and operational management, joining a distinguished group that counts Nobel laureates among its members.

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Shining on the world stage

Although it is a young university in its 30s, NTU stands shoulder to shoulder with institutions backed by centuries of history. It recently reached the top 30 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, making it the youngest university among this distinguished group. It also placed 15th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings and took the 27th spot in US News & World Report’s global university rankings.

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Sowing seeds of science and sustainability

President Tharman with his wife, Ms Jane Ottogi (in green), had an inside look at NTU’s Residential Education programme and met student leaders behind various initiatives.

In his first visit to NTU since his appointment as Singapore’s head of state and Chancellor of NTU, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam had a taste of the University’s Residential Education programme and campus life, and learnt about student-led projects. He marked his maiden visit in April 2024 by planting a tree on campus in support of Singapore’s OneMillionTrees movement and as a symbol of NTU’s commitment to fostering a green campus. In May, Chancellor Tharman was on campus to look at NTU’s 14th satellite, the University’s most complex and largest to date, which will be used as a testbed for advanced satellite technologies.

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Micro marvel

WATCH: A tiny dancer in action

Inspired by a 1960s sci-fi film about a submarine crew shrunk to enter a scientist’s body to repair his brain, NTU researchers have created rice-sized robots designed to heal patients. These agile, tiny robots can carry multiple drugs and release them in precise doses and sequences, targeting exactly where they’re needed in the body. The team is now working to make these robots even smaller, aiming to deliver groundbreaking treatments for conditions like brain tumours, bladder cancer, and colorectal cancer.

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Training doctors who care

NTU is not only training empathetic doctors, but instilling in them the knowledge needed to help Singapore’s ageing population. A collaboration with the Agency for Integrated Care will enable medical students to learn how local communities can support patients, particularly senior citizens, and what resources, services, and national schemes can be leveraged to enhance their health and well-being.

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Best of both worlds

A new scholarship will soon support Indonesian students taking up full-time master’s degrees in NTU. Created to attract the best and brightest young minds from Indonesia, the Indonesia – NTU Singapore Talent Programme aims to foster better ties between Singapore and Indonesia by producing bicultural graduates who can work in areas of mutual benefit to both countries. The scholarship is jointly funded by NTU and the Indonesian government and will support up to 200 students a year.

 

This article first appeared in issue 5 of U, the NTU alumni magazine.