Seen and heard this week

Seen and heard this week is a weekly column highlighting thought leadership from the NUS community

NUS Sociology Provost Chair Professor Jean Yeung contributed an opinion piece in The Straits Times on 19 June calling for greater promotion for a second gender revolution in Asia. The first gender revolution saw the increase of women in the workforce, and the second consists of greater involvement by men in child care and housework, wrote Prof Yeung. The shifting work culture — with policies such as paternity leave and compensation — can encourage greater involvement by men in families which can benefit Asian societies and turn the tide of low marriage and fertility rates, she added.

In another opinion piece published on 21 June in The Straits Times, Professor Zhou Weibiao, Director of the NUS Food Science and Technology Programme wrote about how functional foods, which provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, can be key in addressing the high incidence of diabetes in Singapore. These functional foods contain biologically active components that could enhance health, reduce the risks of certain diseases, or address specific nutritional needs, shared Prof Zhou, adding that they can be eaten as part of a person’s regular diet. Examples of functional foods suitable for diabetics include the purple bread and Malay cherry leaves noodles developed by NUS which can slow down food digestion.

A driverless wheelchair developed by NUS, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology was featured in a BBC video story on 25 June. Cameras and sensors help this wheelchair navigate on its own and stop for any obstacles. Commenting on this technology, NUS Engineering Associate Professor Marcelo Ang opined it can give wheelchair users more mobility, greater independence and more enriched and meaningful lives.

Read more about the NUS community in the news.