Dr Chen Yanyun, Lecturer at Yale-NUS College, has won the Art Outreach IMPART Award under the artist category for her body of floral works that blends classical Eastern and Western mythologies, drawing methods and techniques.

She received the award from Member of Parliament Mr Baey Yam Keng at the IMPART Awards Gala Dinner on 26 January 2019. 

The IMPART Awards provide funding towards each winner’s artistic practice and an exchange programme to New York managed by Art Outreach, a non-profit art education organisation. The Awards, which aim to support the professional development of emerging talent in visual arts in Singapore, provide impactful career building opportunities to promising individuals by offering them international exchanges to renowned art institutions and valuable exposure to leading practitioners.

Grand Russian, a CD recording by Associate Professor Albert Tiu of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at NUS, was named one of the Best Classical Albums by The Straits Times in December 2018.  The Singapore broadsheet cited, “Tchaikovsky’s Grand Sonata and Rachmaninov’s First Sonata play for well over half an hour each and Singapore-based Filipino pianist Albert Tiu goes for the big picture. Tiu is a Romantic at heart and this production of Singapore’s Yong Siew Toh Conservatory can stand up to scrutiny with the best recordings of the classical catalogue.”

American Record Guide, the oldest classical music review magazine in the US, noted in its January/February 2019 issue, “Even with some legendary competition in this repertoire, Tiu stands tall with his interpretations and technical accomplishment. His musical phrasing and balancing of simultaneous melodic ideas, especially in the Rachmaninov, are notable. He brings out things I have not heard before in a lifetime of listening to these works. The piano playing, along with superb recorded sound, put this recording very high on my ‘recommended’ list."

The Classical Elements, another CD by Assoc Prof Tiu, was rated 5 out of 5 stars by International Piano in its September/October 2018 issue. The collection of 20 pieces is based on the four elements of Earth, Air, Water and Fire. The review said, “The four Berio pieces, Erdenklavier, Luftklavier, Wasserklavier and Feuerklavier form the spine of the recital, performed with high intellect and superb technique. But what really grips is the juxtaposition of the familiar (Debussy’s Preludes) with lesser-known offerings (Griffes' The Night Winds, charmingly Impressionistic, or Ibert’s Le vent dans les ruines). Superb and well recorded.”

Released on the Centaur label and produced by Professor Bernard Lanskey, Dean of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, the two CDs were recorded at the Conservatory Concert Hall. Both projects were made possible with funding from the Conservatory.

Dr Andy Tay Kah Ping, Senior Tutor from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at NUS Faculty of Engineering, has made it to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list under the Science category. He is recognised for his research in modulating pain with magnetic hydrogels, which can be used to treat pain without the use of drugs or other invasive therapies.

Dr Tay’s interest in the biomechanical forces that impact cells in the body has given him insight into treating chronic pain. His work has been highlighted by Science Translational Medicine and featured by Voice of America, among other accolades.

Professor Barry Halliwell, Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor and Senior Advisor to the Provost at NUS, has received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from King’s College London.

An internationally acclaimed biochemist, and one of the world’s most highly cited researchers in biology and biochemistry, Prof Halliwell is distinguished especially for his seminal work on the role of free radicals and antioxidants in biological systems: both plants and humans. He is currently Chairman of the Biomedical Research Council of the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research. 

The King’s College citation read, “For 25 years Barry Halliwell forged his career as an international scientific leader at King’s. After obtaining first class honours in biochemistry and his DPhil at Oxford, he came to King’s as a lecturer in biochemistry in 1974, became Reader in Biochemistry in 1985, and in 1988 was appointed Professor of Medical Biochemistry in King’s Division of Pharmacology. In 1986 he was awarded the University of London DSc for his work on the biochemistry of free radical reactions in plant and animal systems, and from 1995 to 1999 he concurrently held a visiting professorship at the University of California, Davis.”

Prof Halliwell joined NUS as Head of the Department of Biochemistry in 2000, and in 2006 went on to become NUS’s first Deputy President for Research and Technology for a 10-year period. He is often regarded as the father of the rapidly evolving field of free radical biology, and he continues to be very active in research as Programme Leader of NUS’s Neurobiology/Ageing Research Programme.

Professor Halliwell has published some 450 original data papers and he is one of the UK’s most highly cited scientists. His achievements have been widely recognised, including through fellowship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Singapore Neuroscience Association; the Singapore President’s Science and Technology Medal; the Lifetime Achievement Award of the US Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine; and the Ken Bowman Research Award for outstanding achievements in the field of cardiovascular research from the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences of Canada.

Professor Ted Hopf, Provost Chair Professor from the Department of Political Science at NUS Arts and Social Sciences, has won the Albie award in 2018 from The Washington Post for his journal article titled “The Distribution of Identity and the Future of International Order: China’s Hegemonic Prospects”, jointly written with Bentley B Allan and Srdjan Vucetic.

The Albie award, named after the late political economist Albert O Hirschman, recognises the best work on political economy. The winning works are curated by Daniel W Drezner, a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a regular contributor at The Washington Post.

Prof Drezner said about the article, “There has been so much written about the liberal international order this past year. Its critics are piling on, and even its most enthusiastic cheerleaders have doubts. This article, however, suggests that the current hegemonic order is likely to be far more resilient than the pessimists believe. This is because the core ideas animating the current order – democracy and free markets – have far more popular support across the globe than elites tend to assume. Any Chinese effort to challenge or supplant the current order is therefore unlikely to gain many adherents.”

Mr Fung Fun Man, Assistant Director (Education) at NUS Institute for Application of Learning Science and Educational Technology and Instructor at NUS Department of Chemistry, is among a diverse group of 118 outstanding younger chemists from around the world honoured by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) for embodying the mission and core values of the organisation. The honour was in celebration of IUPAC 100th anniversary and the International Year of the Periodic Table.

The sole Singaporean in the group, Mr Fung is recognised for his contributions to education technology research and innovation. In particular, he is acknowledged for his outstanding effort in increasing the public appreciation and understanding of chemistry, as well as improving chemistry and science education for students.