Assoc Prof Huang Dejian and his team from the Food Science and Technology Programme at NUS Faculty of Science have uncovered around 20 natural bioactive substances in plants which could have health benefits and are now using the seeds of okra to develop rice noodles suitable for diabetic patients. Assoc Prof Liu Shao Quan and his PhD student Vong Weng Chan, also from the Food Science and Technology Programme at NUS, have devised ways to put okara, the residue from the production of soya milk and tofu to good use and are working on developing functional food products using the enhanced okara.

Prof Zhou Weibiao, Director of the Food Science and Technology Programme at NUS Faculty of Science opined that concerted efforts by various stakeholders – food scientists, food manufacturers, governments and educators, as well as consumers themselves – are needed to fully reap the health benefits of functional foods.

Prof Zheng Yongnian, Director of the East Asian Institute at NUS, analysed the attributes of Chinese entrepreneurs to understand why there are so few of them in the country. He believes that it is because entrepreneurs in China lack a strong sense of mission and are more like business people looking to make a profit.

Prof Wi-Jun Jean Yeung, Director of the Centre for Family and Population Research at NUS, opined that the public and private sectors need to work together to help change family and work culture so that the second half of the gender revolution will arrive in Asia, too, to help turn the tide of ultra-low marriage and fertility rates in countries such as South Korea, Japan and Singapore.

Assoc Prof Lawrence Loh, Director of the Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations at NUS Business School, noted that the formation of an advisory council to address the ethical and legal issues arising from the usage of technologies such as AI and Big Data is an affirmative step in the right direction. He opined that the challenge now is to rightly scope its work, balance its composition and roll out a framework for engagement and practice – not of just the technologies but more critically formulate processes to govern their use.

The book Salafism in Lebanon: Local and Transnational Movements, authored by Dr Zoltan Pall, Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute at NUS, was launched at Yale-NUS College on 18 June 2018.

NUS has been placed 10th in the third Reuters Top 75: Asia Pacific’s Most Innovative Universities rankings. The annual Reuters ranking of Asia Pacific’s Most Innovative Universities is compiled by Reuters in partnership with Clarivate Analytics, and is based on empirical data including patent filings, journal articles published and research paper citations.

Asst Prof Thomas Yeo from the Dept of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NUS Faculty of Engineering, the Clinical Imaging Research Centre, the Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology and Duke-NUS Medical School shared how his fascination with the brain took him from engineering to neuroscience.

Ms Nurul Fadiah Johari from the Social Service Research Centre at NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, co-edited the book titled Budi Kritick, which was launched recently at the Malay Heritage Centre. The book is a compilation of essays that offers insights and critical reflections into contemporary Malay society.

Prof Teo Yik Ying, Dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at NUS, noted that Singapore has made a clear stand on e-cigarettes by banning their sale, import, use and possession. This is prudent in the light of what we currently know and do not know about e-cigarettes.