AlumNUS | July - September 2011
News Highlights
Associate Professor Gong Jiangbin Young Researcher Award Associate Professor Gong Jiangbin joined the NUS Department of Physics in late 2006. That same year, he received one of the inaugural NUS Young Investigator Awards. Since then, he has earned several other accolades in research as well as teaching.
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A/Prof Gong has done extensive research in a wide range of topics in quantum and nonlinear physics. He worked with a team to understand, explore and manipulate the evolution of microscopic complex systems using pre-determined external electric and magnetic fields. He recently proposed powerful strategies to protect the so-called “entangled states” and this has already motivated one successful experiment that may eventually be useful in enhancing the performance of many quantum physics-based applications.
Dr Liu Xiaogang Young Researcher Award For Dr Liu Xiaogang, it’s all about chemistry. Whether it is synthetic organic chemistry or nanobiotechnology, he has been actively researching these areas and devising ways to harness their potential for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Since joining NUS in 2006, Dr Liu and his research team have become well-known for developing innovative nanomaterials that can be used as luminescent biomarkers. These significantly improve our ability to study complex biological systems such as cancer cells and deep malignant tissues. Dr Liu also made a parallel development in the field of DNA detection by discovering a novel colorimetric method, which has potential impact on both clinical diagnostics and biodefence. His research has been featured in top
international journals, with over 1200 citations to date. “The most rewarding aspect of being a chemist is the ability to find new knowledge and new discoveries that can improve and transform the quality of life,” he said.
Associate Professor Yu Haifeng Young Researcher Award Computer hacking, virus attacks, and hardware and software failures are increasingly common in today’s technological age. But computer science experts like Associate Professor Yu Haifeng, who has been with NUS since 2006, are doing everything they can to combat these problems. His recent research focuses specifically on allowing distributed computing systems – such as multiple PCs connected by the Internet – to continue operating despite malicious attacks and hardware and software failures. A/Prof Yu made a name for himself when he invented a series of highly innovative defence mechanisms to limit Sybil attacks in distributed computing systems. In a Sybil attack, the attacker creates many fake identities and simultaneously uses these to attack the system. A/Prof Yu’s solution was the first practical and effective defence against Sybil attacks, after years of failed attempts by others in the field.
Professor Koh Khee Meng Outstanding Educator Award Professor Koh Khee Meng, from the department of mathematics, has been teaching for almost four decades, and is well loved by his students. His passion for mathematics is infectious and he manages to inject life into a subject that is often viewed as dry and abstract. He has won 20 teaching awards over 18 years and co-authored eight textbooks ranging from GCE A-level to undergraduate and graduate levels. Some of them are widely used in schools and universities. He is also actively involved in training participants of various International Mathematical Olympiads.
“Teaching is not my occupation but my calling,” said Prof Koh, a former president of the Singapore Mathematical Society. “Mathematical results are not inexplicable products but crystallisations of the collective wisdom of mankind. As a mathematics educator, I relish the challenge of transforming the abstract into something concrete, the dull into something interesting, and the impractical into something relevant. It is a satisfying and meaningful task that I value and constantly seek to achieve in my teaching.”
Associate Professor Joel Lee Outstanding Educator Award Associate Professor Joel Lee, from the Faculty of Law, co-pioneered the faculty’s skills-based workshops, making NUS the first law school in Asia to adopt this pedagogy. Despite initial resistance from colleagues, he persevered and skills-based education is now a key part of the law school curriculum. A/Prof Lee has also been influential in seeding this pedagogy in other institutions including the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Temasek Polytechnic, the Singapore Institute of Legal Education and the University of Copenhagen, just to name a few. He encourages students to be lifelong learners by teaching them how to learn, how to teach, as well as to reflect critically on their classes and performance. “It is not enough for one to just teach. A teacher must guide, inspire and touch lives. It is the ultimate form of ‘paying it forward’, never knowing if your efforts will make a difference but keeping the faith that it will.”
Mr Cheah Kok Ming Outstanding Educator Award Architect Cheah Kok Ming has been teaching in the NUS Department of Architecture since 2006 and has won several teaching awards within the five years. He inspires his colleagues and students by using technology as a way of design thinking and making the construction textbook come alive.
With more than 20 years of architectural experience under his belt, Mr Cheah brings a wealth of practical expertise to the classroom. He developed a problem-based learning approach by incorporating hands-on exercises in architectural construction, which helped students learn more effectively and independently. He also led the successful transformation of the Design, Technology and Sustainability programme, attracting top students and quadrupling enrolment in four years. Mr Cheah, who designed the NUS Institute of Southeast Asian Studies building when he was in corporate practice, believes in providing education that extends beyond the classroom. He is a key driver of architectural study trips, workshops and guest lectures, and also mentored students to win accolades from international design competitions.
Associate Professor Bruce Lockhart Outstanding Educator Award A/Prof Bruce Lockhart loves telling stories. And as a history teacher who lived in Vietnam, Thailand and Laos before moving to Singapore, he has countless stories to tell his students. Having taught at NUS since 1998, A/Prof Lockhart has developed a reputation as a holistic educator who is as concerned about classroom instruction and knowledge delivery as he is about mentoring and helping students. Within the History Department, he is well known for being in his office over the weekends so as to be accessible to students after office hours and to lend them a helping hand and a listening ear. His teaching and research focus on mainland Southeast Asia and his long-term goal is to write a textbook history of Vietnam, which will enable readers to learn as much as they can about the country “without falling asleep over the pages”, by including as many good historical anecdotes as possible. A/Prof Lockhart also trains junior college teachers on Southeast Asia and volunteers at the Singapore Art Museum. In fact, ‘Friends of the Museum’ proclaim him to be the most popular trainer because of his humour, humility and exceptional knowledge.
By Leong Pik Yin
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