PANOPT Issue 07: 4 Feb 2014
Chief Editor: Indrani Kaliyaperumal
Tea with Andrew Buay By Elizabeth Thai
Editors: Joyan Tan and Spandana Bhattacharya
VICE-RECTOR’S NOTE The Chinese New Year holiday came and went more quickly than I had anticipated but it still offered us a chance to change pace, catch up on sleep, and spend time with friends and family. RC4 was very quiet except for Paloma's or Sebastian's random race around the building. Several of you enjoyed the opportunity to take the ferry to Indonesia or did the rounds visiting relatives in Singapore. The Yale-NUS spirit was in full display over the weekend with open invitations to non-Singaporeans to partake in family celebrations off campus. As a newcomer to Singapore, I really enjoy this double New Year celebration ritual with the festive atmosphere it generates... Now we are all counting the days till the midterm break, whether to go to Burma, Japan, or simply stay put and take stock of all that we have accomplished so far. But before that time comes, there is much happening in and out of the classroom. From my conversations with some of you, classes are going very smoothly and the workload so far has been manageable, which is always good. I've also heard much discussion about the work you are doing in Quantitative Reasoning or the Scientific Inquiry labs where you are asked to put theory into practice. Others have been busy learning a foreign language, remembering what it's like to talk like a four-year-old with the mind of a college student. All in all, the semester is progressing as expected. It is true that the flow of events around campus does not stop and that the demands on our time are great. In this issue of PANOPT, for example, you'll read about some of our students who combine studying with having a job. Managing your time well, prioritizing your interests, and learning how to say no (or not now), can help you maintain some balance in your daily lives. I like having a variety of activities happening on campus on any given day. But do not think that you are expected to attend all of them (well, maybe the President's Speaker Series) but with the idea that you'll choose those activities which really interest you or catch your imagination. And to highlight some of the vibrant life in our community, here is the latest issue of PANOPT. Enjoy.
UPCOMING EVENTS 5 Feb, 6.30pm – Talk by Parag Khanna @ CAPT 6 Feb, 4.30pm – Queering Disasters @ L1 Commons 8 Feb, 7pm – Inter-RC Eating contest @ Courtyard 12 Feb – Constitutional Convention 12 Feb, 7pm – February Birthday Bash @ L1 commons 13 Feb, 7.30pm – Screening of Hamlet @ L1 commons 15,16 Feb – Intercollegiate Games
Photo credits to Norvin Ng
On Wednesday 22nd January, Andrew Buay, Singtel Vice-President and Head of Group Corporate Social Responsibility challenged us with the task of lifelong commitment to self-development. Luckily, he equipped us with a tried-and-tested life strategy consisting of a three-limbs-anchor, one-limb-stretch approach: like in rockclimbing, one must anchor his or herself using three limbs, but reach further with one limb to gain progress. Under these guidelines, we were told to leverage our competences, intuition and curiosity to navigate the unknown. Motivated by his expulsion from junior college and subsequently being labeled “a lost case,” Mr Buay taught himself using notes from the library and his friends to successfully pass his A-levels. He then went on to graduate from NUS with a Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences, First Class Honours, epitomizing resilience and hard work. One of the key messages I took home was that when confronted with a challenge, one should simply start- take the first step, after which the challenge becomes increasingly more manageable and one can reassess from a better vantage point. A part-time procrastinator like many college students, I found this advice to be particularly pertinent and have started to use it as impetus to try new things.
Interest groups:
The G-Spot
The G Spot is a diversity group that focuses on gender, sexuality, and feminism. Last semester, we organized No Shave November, hosted Judy and Dennis Shepard’s talk, ran film screenings, and held discussions. This semester, we’re looking forward to becoming a safe, open, and respectful space for outreach and discussion. We also want to cover less-often discussed topics such as body image and eating disorders, and would love for anyone to contribute. We’re open to anyone who’s interested, so join our Facebook group, or check out our website 1 at the-gspot.org!
KNOW YOUR PROFESSOR! What role are you playing this semester in the Quantitative Reasoning module? The word “playing” is apt, as the QR course, for which I am the coordinator, is designed to be a lot of fun. What are your opinions on QR thus far? The course uses Team-Based Learning, an unusual pedagogy for Singapore. We were naturally keen to see how students would settle into the teams to which we assigned them, and how they would respond to its engaging format. The short answer is that they’re performing well above expectations, and enjoying themselves in the process. Some students are discovering that this methodology places added responsibilities on them to come to class thoroughly prepared. Those who do that are finding the classes rewarding. What have been some of your most challenging moments and most rewarding moments in Yale-NUS? When I first suggested some of the ambitious innovations planned for QR, I think a few colleagues understandably found that challenging. Any contacts I’ve had with students, and in particular Week 7 on Symmetry in Singapore, have been rewarding. But the most rewarding is probably not a moment at all: it’s watching students and young colleagues burgeon and blossom over a period of months and years. What research are you working on currently? In geometry, I work on ways to use algebra to distinguish between different kinds of braids. That’s usually called pure mathematics, but because it’s so fundamental it has broad applications, for example in robotics, molecular biology, astrophysics, and cryptography. I also research on tobacco control, where a paper I published last year has just been cited in this month’s US Surgeon-General’s report commemorating 50 years since its predecessor first linked smoking and lung cancer. As an academic, what are some of your most challenging moments in doing research? Shutting out distractions for sufficiently long chunks of time. Once I succeed in doing that, it’s just a wonderful ride. What do you like to do in your free time? “Free” tends to be interpreted as “free to do research”. However, I do enjoy theatre, art (especially my wife’s!) and music. What fascinates you most about Mathematics? To me, it’s like a jigsaw puzzle with infinitely many pieces: every time one piece finds its place, that opens up new possibilities to be explored, each (as they say in fairy tales) more beautiful than the last. Continued à
How did you spend your winter break? There was a winter break? Mostly, I finished off a research paper and prepared for the QR course and next semester’s Foundations of Science. The personal highlight was a visit from my grandson, who was born on the day Yale-NUS classes commenced last August.
Professor Jon Berrick Professor Berrick received his undergraduate degree (Hons I) from Sydney University and his PhD from Oxford University. He previously held faculty positions at Oxford, Imperial College London, and NUS. He is currently course coordinator for Quantitative Reasoning. Photo Credits to Professor Berrick
Advice from our Writing Guy Question: How do you deal with Writer’s Block? I like the answer that the poet William Stafford gave when someone asked what they should do about writer’s block. “Lower your standards,” he said. A simple, but brilliant answer. Often, we’re blocked because we’re afraid of failure, afraid that our words won’t be perfect. But if you don’t get anything down on the page, then your failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You won’t get very far if you avoid committing words to the page altogether. As a writer, I know that my words won’t be perfect, and certainly not when I first put something down on the page. That’s where revision comes in. Author Anne Lamott refers to “shitty first drafts.” Every writer writes them and in some ways, we welcome them because at least we’ve taken the first step. Half the battle is having something to work with. Don’t expect it to be brilliant right off the bat. When I write, I often write to discover how I feel about something – I don’t necessarily know what my thesis is until I’ve gone through a draft and have discovered what most interests me about the subject at hand. I often dread sitting down to write, especially if it’s something I owe someone else and I haven’t the foggiest notion what I want to say. But I know from experience that if I sit still in front of my laptop long enough, I will most often find a tentative way into the essay. This might not be the first line of the finished essay, but it’s a start. This is often called prewriting – the beginnings of your thought process, the figuring out that sometimes occurs on the page. That’s why we often cut out the first paragraph or two of this prewriting, because it’s a kind of literary throat clearing, a preamble to what you really want to say that can later be cut. Still, that throat clearing is essential to understanding what you want to write about, and it’s often essential to the process of lowering your standards and vanquishing writer’s block. 2
Students at Yale-NUS are only in their first year, and yet so many of them are already juggling schoolwork with a whole range of jobs, both on-campus and off-campus. For this issue, we decided to interview some of these working students and find out just how they manage to do so many things with such limited time. As such, we proudly present:
THE BALANCING ACT JONATHON HO
SEAN SAITO
I have been working with the Admissions Office of YaleNUS for the past 6 months.
I work as a Research Assistant for Professor Tolwinski. The other assistants and I mainly help the Prof’s research on the genetic mutations in Drosophila melanogaster, or fruit flies. During the week, we collect the embryos of different strains of flies and preserve them for future observations.
What does your typical workday look like? Usually a day at the Admissions Office is focused on answering email queries from prospective students, helping them sort through their application issues and questions one by one, as well as planning Admissions events like the past few Open Houses and the upcoming Open Yale-NUS Day. However, there is the occasional walk-in tour, meaning an interested student simply walks in and asks to be shown around. In those cases one of the Admissions Interns takes the group around the current campus, and explains what it's like to live in such unique and brand-new international community. How do you manage schoolwork as well as your job? School work is definitely the priority for me, and the Admission Office understands that we are all students first, and interns second, so they're very flexible when it comes to balancing our schedules. For the most part I am able to manage my time in both areas, but when the large assignments or projects do pop up, I usually reduce my hours per week to focus on my classes. What do you find most challenging? The most challenging part about my job is actually directly linked to one of my favorite parts, and that is speaking with prospective students. Through their emails and face-to-face talks on tours, I've had the opportunity to speak with many of the applicants to Yale-NUS College, and one of my biggest Photo credits to Jon Ho challenges is staying detached from their stories. While they continually express their extreme interest in the school, the hard fact is that many of them won't be admitted, but I do look forward to seeing a few of their hopeful faces around campus next year.
How many hours do you work each week? About 3-6 hours a week. We have different shifts, and I usually work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. How do you manage schoolwork together with your job? Having a student job requires additional consciousness of how to spend time. It helps me plan when to finish assignments and readings. Overall, I think I’ve become more efficient. What is your biggest takeaway from your job? $9/hour. Just kidding! This is my first time working in a full-fledged laboratory, so pretty much everything is new to me, from handling the various equipment to performing chemistry tricks on the embryos (like staining the embryos with rat or rabbit protein). What do you find most challenging about your job? Taking microscopic images of the embryos. We use a highly sophisticated microscope that takes pictures of the embryos and color-codes them depending on the type of cell/ substance. It’s a really cool machine, but obtaining a clear image requires precision and patience. And I always dread making the microscope go kaput (price tag: $300,000). Photo credits to Sean
CLARISSA LEONG I am a research assistant under Professor Paul, studying the migration patterns of Filipino nurses. I also work as an ad-hoc campus tour guide under the Development Office of the President. What does your typical workday look like? It really depends! I could be reading literature on Filipino nurses, or working on a research memo that contains my findings about their migration patterns. We will be starting on actual interviews soon, which is something I am really excited about! How do you manage schoolwork together with your job? I try my best to minimize the time spent procrastinating (which is a lot)! Sleeping Photo Credits to Clarissa
early works for me as I find that it gives me greater focus and energy to manage the day’s work. It helps that I really enjoy what I do, so my concentration lasts longer!
What is your biggest takeaway from your job? 3 Filipino nurse migration, as with most phenomena, is triggered by such a complex interplay of different factors. Historical influences are still prevalent today, coupled with social, economic, and cultural factors that propel outmigration of Filipino nurses.
HERBIN KOH I’m a Certified Financial Consultant outside of school. I help my clients create a financial portfolio to meet their differing financial needs. Some of these include wealth accumulation, i.e. investments, and wealth protection. I am also an Economics Tutor for A Level students, and I’ve been doing this for almost 3 years to date. Photo Credits to Herbin
What does your typical workday look like? For my finance job, I make appointments with clients to analyze their existing financial portfolio, discuss their goals and needs before meeting them on a separate occasion to present my ideas based on their financial needs. Otherwise, I’ll monitor fund prices etc. in my free time. On a typical Saturday, I start my day at 10am with 2 tuition lessons before heading for financial appointments/ going back to office to handle administrative work. Usually, I end work at 8-9pm, though the timing may vary. How many hours do you work each week? Last semester was crazy as I had to work 7 days a week and weekends were filled with appointments and tuition lessons. This semester though, I’m trying to cut my workload to focus more on school and participate in the activities that Yale-NUS has to offer. On average, I will be working about 10-12 hours a week for this semester. How do you manage schoolwork together with your job? Well, to be honest, it is tough. But I guess a disciplined timeline and being organized certainly helps in my time management. Nevertheless, there were times when I had to study till 5am because I came back to RC4 at 11pm after work. Yet to me, perseverance is the key. With that, I would like to thank my friends for being so understanding despite my absence and just being ever so supportive throughout the school term.
What do you find most challenging about your job? There are moments when you doubt if things are worth the effort, especially when you see all your friends having fun and partying while you’re just… working. Those who don’t know me might even think I’m just being anti-social. But at the end of the day, despite my young age, I’m just glad to have the faith of my clients to handle their financial portfolios. The appreciation that clients and students show for my effort makes everything worthwhile. I will continue to strive to further improve myself to better serve my existing and future clients. If you know of someone who needs my help, just let me know. I’m more than happy to share!
ADLIN PARK I work at the Dean of Students’ Office as a Student Associate. What does your typical workday look like? The really cool thing about my job is that there’s never a “typical” workday. Sometimes I head out to buy snacks for Rector’s Teas or get the juicer repaired; sometimes I stay in and work on FAQs for the freshmen next year; sometimes I’m running around putting up posters or setting up for Movie Nights. It really depends on what events we have on that week, or what new project the office is undertaking. How many hours do you work each week? I used to work 8 hours a week, but now I work 6 hours because I have some off-campus jobs, and also because we have two new members on our team! (Yay Raedan and Nia!) How do you manage schoolwork with your job? It’s actually not as hard as it seems. It’s really about time management. Even with my on-campus and off-campus jobs, I still find time to do things I enjoy like spending time with my friends, cooking, sleeping… Just don’t leave schoolwork to the last minute, take it day by day, and it doesn’t amount to an overwhelming workload.
What is your biggest takeaway from your job? Tuition is more than just a job to me. I derive much satisfaction when my students get their results every single year. More than just being a tutor, “it’s not just Economics that I learnt, but values and life skills as well.” I can say the same for Finance. There are similarities in both fields of work. In a job which is people-centric, it is important to be sincere and honest in my analysis and advice. Most of the time, networking plays a big role as well. The quality of referrals from my clients is integral to the success of my job. Photo Credits to Adlin
For more coverage on Yale-NUS students working while in college, check out panopt.commons.yale-nus.edu.sg to hear from Walter Yeo about coaching and giving tuition, Joan Ongchoco about working in Professor Asplund’s lab, and May Tay about working in the Library!
4