The view from singapore with British High Commissioner to ... - NUSS
The view from singapore with British High Commissioner to ... - NUSS
The view from singapore with British High Commissioner to ... - NUSS
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“<br />
<strong>NUSS</strong> - GeNerAl DiScUSSioN<br />
– cAN NUS ProDUce A<br />
NoBel lAUreAte?<br />
Date: 27 September 2012<br />
Venue: Kent Ridge Guild House<br />
As NUS has only been<br />
highly researchintensive<br />
for seven <strong>to</strong><br />
eight years, it is still<br />
<strong>to</strong>o early <strong>to</strong> say,” Prof<br />
Halliwell commented. “Maybe in<br />
about 10 years, it would be a better<br />
time <strong>to</strong> address this question.”<br />
Noting that the reputation of<br />
a university is highly dependent<br />
on the quality of its research, he<br />
believes that NUS can nurture for<br />
Singapore niche areas in research of<br />
high quality that are not yet wellreceived<br />
or a focus by the research<br />
community.<br />
“Basic research can become<br />
relevant down the road,” said Prof<br />
Halliwell, citing as an<br />
example of crop-yield<br />
research being an area<br />
that Singapore can focus<br />
Scan your QR<br />
code reader <strong>to</strong><br />
see more pictures<br />
on despite not being an<br />
agricultural country.<br />
researching for the<br />
Future of Singapore<br />
<strong>The</strong> question “Can NUS produce<br />
a Nobel laureate?” was posed and<br />
openly discussed at the <strong>NUSS</strong>-<br />
General Discussion by keynote<br />
speaker, Professor Barry Halliwell,<br />
Deputy President (Research &<br />
Technology) of National University<br />
of Singapore (NUS).<br />
During his keynote address,<br />
Prof Halliwell outlined the research<br />
thrust of NUS as being able <strong>to</strong><br />
address some of Singapore’s<br />
problems and challenges such as<br />
meeting the country’s energy needs,<br />
global warming, food security and<br />
ageing population.<br />
“We cannot be excellent in<br />
every area,” Prof Halliwell related,<br />
“As NUS has only<br />
been highly researchintensive<br />
for seven <strong>to</strong><br />
eight years, it is still <strong>to</strong>o<br />
early <strong>to</strong> say... Maybe in<br />
about 10 years, it would<br />
be a better time <strong>to</strong><br />
address this question.”<br />
HiGHliGHtS<br />
adding that <strong>with</strong> limited funding and<br />
resources, it can be hard <strong>to</strong> choose<br />
what <strong>to</strong> focus on.”<br />
Prof Halliwell elaborated that <strong>to</strong><br />
succeed in research and <strong>to</strong> get more<br />
funding, NUS attracts new industries<br />
and cooperates <strong>with</strong> industry<br />
research institutes, such as GE<br />
Infrastructure, which helps <strong>to</strong> grow<br />
new industries and develop existing<br />
ones as well as attract high-level<br />
foreign industries <strong>to</strong> Singapore.<br />
<strong>The</strong> attractiveness of NUS is<br />
further enhanced by the newlybuilt<br />
research facility, T-Lab, which<br />
aims <strong>to</strong> serve as a University-level<br />
Research Institute. It also promotes<br />
cross-disciplinary research as well<br />
as dialogue and exchanges between<br />
researchers working on similar types<br />
of research projects.<br />
Prof Halliwell noted that research<br />
inspires teaching that stems <strong>from</strong> the<br />
holistic approach taken by himself,<br />
and by extension NUS <strong>to</strong>wards<br />
research. In conclusion, <strong>to</strong> answer<br />
the big question whether NUS can<br />
produce a Nobel laureate at this<br />
time, he strongly believes that in<br />
short, the answer is “not yet”.<br />
JAN-MAR 2013 THE GRADUATE 17