National University of Singapore

NUS Law receives S$1.1 million gift to establish the Chan Sek Keong Visiting Professorship in Public Law

The National University of Singapore Faculty of Law (NUS Law) has received a S$1.1 million endowed gift from alumni, friends, philanthropists and members of the legal profession to establish the Chan Sek Keong Visiting Professorship in Public Law. The Professorship celebrates Mr Chan Sek Keong’s far-reaching contributions to the development of Singapore law, in particular public law, and also honours him as one of NUS Law’s most distinguished alumni.Mr Chan Sek Keong, a member of the inaugural batch of students at NUS Law, attained the pinnacle of practice as a leading banking and corporate lawyer before being appointed Singapore’s first Judicial Commissioner in 1986. He then went on to serve Singapore as Attorney-General and Chief Justice, and was, in 2008, conferred the Order of Temasek (With Distinction).The growth of modern Singapore is underpinned by its commitment to the rule of law, and NUS Law has played a key role in making that commitment possible. Against this backdrop, this Visiting Professorship is an extension of its overarching aim to build up specialist knowledge and deepen expertise of the legal fraternity in Singapore. NUS Law will invite one prominent public law scholar to Singapore each year to speak and interact with its students and faculty on contemporary public law developments and issues in different jurisdictions. Professor Andrew Simester, Dean of NUS Law, said: “The Chan Sek Keong Visiting Professorship in Public Law serves to cement Mr Chan’s legacy and will continue to benefit the legal profession as well as future generations of NUS Law students by promoting legal discourse and providing enriching educational experiences in the field of Public Law. I thank Mr Chan for allowing us to recognise his vast contributions to the law in this manner, and extend my immense gratitude to all donors for making this happen.”Professor Simester added: “It is particularly heartening that a majority of the donors are NUS Law alumni. I applaud their spirit of giving to honour Mr Chan and to contribute towards the growth and development of the legal community.”Mr Allan Ng, the single largest donor, said: “I have had the great privilege of knowing Sek Keong for over 50 years. His remarkable intellect, coupled with his genuine love for the law, have undoubtedly made him one of the best legal brains in Singapore. I am extremely pleased to see the Chan Sek Keong Visiting Professorship in Public Law come to fruition.”Professor Brian Leiter has been appointed the first Chan Sek Keong Visiting Professor in Public Law. He is the Karl N. Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the Center for Law, Philosophy & Human Values at the University of Chicago. He teaches and writes primarily in the areas of moral, political, and legal philosophy, in both Anglophone and Continental traditions.Over the past few years, NUS Law has been privileged to name key institutions and positions after some of Singapore’s legal luminaries. Cutting-edge research is supported by the EW Barker Centre for Law & Business, while Kwa Geok Choo Distinguished Visitors deliver public lectures. Most recently in 2020, NUS Law named its moot court in honour of Singapore’s first Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin.

Publish Date : 2023-08-30

Inaugural NUS Sustainability CONNECT to bring communities together and champion sustainability

Five-week festival will showcase NUS’ efforts across research and innovation, education, campus operations, and student engagementThe National University of Singapore (NUS) has launched the inaugural NUS Sustainability CONNECT, the University’s first large-scale sustainability festival. Spanning five weeks from 25 August to 29 September 2023, the festival showcases a wide and diverse spectrum of NUS’ thought-leadership and expertise in sustainability such as urban living, solar energy research, public perception of risk in climate change, maritime operations, green finance, policy design capacity building, food, water, and the environment.Demonstrating the University’s commitment to advancing sustainable development, NUS Sustainability CONNECT will feature a diverse line-up of more than 15 activities ranging from symposiums, workshops, talks, master classes, behind-the-scenes laboratory tours, nature walks, as well as various student-led activities showcasing the ground-up efforts in building a greener NUS.Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS President, said, “Sustainability and climate change are compelling considerations for all organisations today, featuring strongly in their corporate agenda. As NUS continues to lead innovations and contribute solutions towards climate change challenges, it is deeply encouraging to see many faculty, researchers, staff and students within our community working closely with the government and industry in championing sustainable causes through education, research and campus infrastructure. NUS Sustainability CONNECT brings diverse stakeholders into the campus where we create opportunities for conversations, ideations and collaborations. When like-minded people passionate about climate action come together, we can be a force for new ideas and inspiration for change towards a greener future.”Professor Low Teck Seng, Chairman of the NUS Sustainability CONNECT organising committee and NUS Senior Vice President (Sustainability and Resilience), said, “NUS Sustainability CONNECT provides a platform to share the University’s initiatives in research and innovation, education and campus operations with the wider community of industry partners, government agencies and the public. We hope the connections made during this festival will spark further collaborations among all those involved, and these collective efforts will work towards addressing national and global climate goals.”NUS Sustainability CONNECT will kick off with the NUS Cities Symposium: The Science of Cities, which will be held from 31 August to 1 September 2023. Organised by NUS Cities, the inaugural symposium will be launched by Guest-of-Honour Ms Indranee Rajah, Second Minister for National Development. The two-day event will see about 40 urban sustainability experts engaging in 12 panel discussions on topics from sustainability, biodiversity, conservation, community resilience, circular economy, decarbonisation to social inclusivity.Featuring prominently on the agenda is also the three-day NUS Green Summit on 25, 26 and 28 August 2023. A symposium fully organised by students, the key programme highlights include panel discussions featuring various speakers on the Singapore Green Plan, booths by NUS student environmental groups as well as an activity day for urban farming and tree planting. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Mr Baey Yam Keng will preside over the event as Guest-of-Honour.Participants can also look forward to a host of exciting and educational activities including exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, and various workshops and seminars on sustainability, spanning from green financing to climate change.Annex A provides the schedule of events taking place during NUS Sustainability CONNECT, with the latest event details available at the website: sustainability.nus.edu.sg/get-involved/connect/.

Publish Date : 2023-08-23

NUS develops new pressure sensor for minimally invasive surgeries

Benjamin Tee (centre), together with Dr Cheng Wen (left) and Ms Wang Xinyu (right), have developed the aero-elastic pressure sensor called ‘eAir’. Credit: National University of Singapore. The National University of Singapore (NUS) researchers have developed a new aero-elastic pressure sensor, eAir, which can be applied to minimally invasive surgeries and implantable sensors. This technology draws inspiration from nature’s lotus leaf effect and is designed to address the limitations of existing pressure sensors. It is expected to offer increased precision and reliability for medical applications. The eAir sensor claims to transform minimally invasive surgeries by providing tactile feedback to surgeons for precise tissue manipulation and ensuring improved patient experiences by offering less-invasive monitoring of intracranial pressure. NUS Department of Materials Science and Engineering associate professor Benjamin Tee said: “Conducting surgeries with graspers presents its unique challenges. Precise control and accurate perception of the forces applied are critical, but traditional tools can sometimes fall short, making surgeons rely heavily on experience and even intuition. “The introduction of soft and readily integrable eAir sensors, however, could be a game-changer.” The sensor leverages an air spring design that mimics the lotus leaf’s water-repelling properties. How well do you really know your competitors? Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge. View profiles in store Company Profile – free sample Thank you! Your download email will arrive shortly Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form By GlobalData National University Hospital general surgery consultant Dr Kaan Hung Leng said: “When surgeons perform minimally invasive surgery such as laparoscopic or robotic surgery, we can control the jaws of the graspers, but we are unable to feel what the end-effectors are grasping. “Hence, surgeons have to rely on our sense of sight and years of experience to make a judgement call about critical information that our sense of touch could otherwise provide.” The NUS team has filed a patent for the eAir sensor in Singapore. Sign up for our daily news round-up! Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights.

Publish Date : 2023-08-21

Singapore Researchers Developing Mind-Reading AI System

Singapore researchers at the National University of Singapore are working on a project to develop an AI system that can read minds. The project involves participants having their brains scanned in an MRI machine while looking at thousands of images. The scans are then associated with the images using an AI model created specifically for each participant. This allows a computer to interpret a person’s thoughts.The lead researcher, Jiaxin Qing, compares the AI model to ChatGPT, a model that understands natural language. When a person comes in for another brain scan, the AI model translates their brain activities into a language that a Stable Diffusion can understand, generating the images they are seeing at that moment. However, this technology can only be used on individuals who have undergone the initial training process.While the technology has promising implications for assisting individuals with motor ability impairments to control robots or communicate through thoughts, privacy concerns remain. Strategies to protect the privacy of the data collected by the researchers include the implementation of strict ethical and legal guidelines.Although Singapore is not currently considering regulation of AI, the technology has the potential to revolutionize various fields and applications.

Publish Date : 2023-08-20

National University of Singapore researchers develop mind-reading AI technology

Researchers from National University of Singapore said that they have developed a technology through which minds can be read .AI research participant Li Ruilin who got his brain scanned in an MRI machine said, "I'm also interested in what happened in my brain and what my brain can output and what I'm thinking. So I try to participate and to see what really happened on my brain." The technology will allow a computer to 'read' his thoughts and re-create the visuals in his mind.Li is one of potentially up to 58 participants who have volunteered their brain scan datasets to researchers working on developing a mind-reading AI.The technique relies on scanning the brains of volunteers in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine, where they are exposed to between 1,200 and 5,000 different images.An individual AI model for each participant is created after the brain scans are associated with the images using the mind-reading AI, called MinD-Vis.Jiaxin Qing, one of the lead researchers on the study said, "So after we collect enough training data for you, we can create an individual AI model for you, and this AI model is kind of a translator. It can understand your brain activities just like ChatGPT understand the natural languages of humans."The "mind reading" kicks in when the same participant comes in again for a brain scan."So next time you come in, you will do the scan and in the scan you will see the visual stimuli like this. And then we'll record your brain activities at the same time. And your brain activities will go into our AI translator and this translator will translate your brain activities into a special language that a Stable Diffusion can understand, and then it will generate the images you are seeing at that point. So that's basically how we can read your mind in this sense."The technology is not able to mind-read the general public yet. Unlike scenes from science fiction movies, this AI system is modelled to individual participants.And there are also the possible risks of the datasets being assessed without consent and the relative lack of legislations in AI research. Juan Helen Zhou, Associate Professor at NUS Medicine said, "The privacy concerns is the first important thing and then people might be worried, whether the information we provided here might be assessed or shared without prior consent. So the thing to address this is we should have very strict guidelines, ethical and and law in terms of how to protect the privacy."Still the scientists are excited about the possibilities of a mind-reading AI system. One of the lead researchers Chen Zijiao explained, "Say for some subject, some patients without motor ability. Maybe we can help him to like control their robots (artificial limbs), and their phone, like communicate with, communicate with others like just using their thoughts instead of speech if that person couldn't speak at that time."(Edited by : Keshav Singh Chundawat)

Publish Date : 2023-08-17

EVYD Technology, collaborates with the National University of Singapore Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Precision Public Health Asia Society for Leadership Forum to advance Precision Public Health in Asia

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 10 August 2023 - EVYD Technology, in collaboration with the National University of Saw See Hock Public School and Precision Public Health Asia Society, announces the successful conclusion of the Leadership Forum on Progressing Precision Public Health in Asia, held in conjunction with the 3rd ASEAN Digital Public Health Conference. The forum took place on 12 July 2023, at the Courtyard by Marriot Singapore Novena.Participants at the Leadership Forum on Progressing Precision Public Health in Asia The Leadership Forum, a biennial regional gathering focused on precision public health in Asia, provided a closed-door platform for health sector leaders from across the Southeast Asia region to share insights and examine the growing role of digital technology in shaping public health initiatives. The key focus was on building awareness and driving action toward the progression of precision public health and its advancement in the region.The discussions were underpinned by the overarching thread of improving population health through the lens of precision medicine, digital health, and big data. Participants shared insights, discussed challenges, and explored innovative solutions that could revolutionize healthcare delivery in Southeast Asia.In attendance were distinguished health leaders, including YB Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Md Isham bin Hj Jaafar, Minister of Health of Brunei Darussalam; Dr Hjh Anie Haryani Haji Abd Rahman, Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary (Policy and Management), Ministry of Health of Brunei Darussalam; and Pg Dr Noor Affizan binti Pg Hj Abd Rahman, Medical Superintendent, Ministry of Health of Brunei Darussalam.The discussions were enriched by the contributions of industry leaders from other regions. Among these leaders were Ming Jie Chua, Chief Executive Officer of EVYD Technology; Ms Ying Ying Yeo, General Manager of Roche Pharma Singapore; and Mr Abram Suhardiman, Executive Vice Chairman, Healthway Medical Group. These leaders provided valuable insights.The discourse on critical topics such as population health, precision health and digital health were further enlightened by accomplished academics like Dr Dewi Nur Aisyah, Senior Health Informatics Expert & Head of Primary Care Tribe Digital Transformation Office, Ministry of Health of Indonesia; Professor Mayfong Mayxay, Vice President of the Lao University of Health Sciences (UHS), Ministry of Health of Lao PDR; and Dr Somsak Chunharas, President, National Health Foundation. Adding to the rich discourse was Professor Teo Yik Ying, Dean, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore; Adj A/Prof Raymond Swee Boon Chua, Deputy Director-General of Health, Health Regulation Group and Assistant Commissioner, Cybersecurity (Healthcare), Ministry of Health of Singapore; and Dr Dhesi Raja, Vice Chair, Board of Advisory, HIMSS Asia Pacific (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society).The Leadership Forum is recognized as a satellite event co-organized by the PPHA 2023 Conference and EVYD Technology, in conjunction with the 3rd ASEAN Digital Public Health Conference. The successful co-organization of this forum highlights EVYD Technology's commitment to leveraging technology to enhance public health outcomes in the Southeast Asia region."This collaborative effort underscores our dedication to utilizing technology to improve public health outcomes in Southeast Asia," said Ming Jie Chua, CEO of EVYD Technology. "By bringing together the region's health leaders, we are fostering collaborations to drive the implementation of precision public health strategies."The forum which ran parallel to the 3rd ASEAN Digital Public Health Conference served as a key gathering for experts and policymakers across Southeast Asia to delve into the integration of precision medicine, digital health, and big data in public health strategies. Aiming to assemble healthcare leaders consistently every two years, this cadence aims to maintain momentum in the dialogue and advancement of public health issues. This biennial platform is strategically designed to foster a continuous focus on the advancement of public health, offering a chance for participants to engage with and learning from the experiences and insights of their peers. Attendees agreed on the immense potential these fields hold for improving health outcomes in the region.The partners look forward to continuing these important conversations and driving the advancement of precision public health in Asia. More details about the Leadership Forum's outcomes and next steps will be shared in the coming weeks.

Publish Date : 2023-08-10