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Focusing on the theme “Global Linkages”, the Symposium brought together pioneering and innovative science and engineering expertise and ideas of MIT and Singapore faculty fellows, research
fellows, SMA graduate students and alumni, industry partners, research institutes and overseas visiting lecturers. Invited guests included Ambassador Frank Lavin who gave the welcoming address, senior academic and management staff from top universities in China, India, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam; graduate students from MIT, NUS and NTU and key industry players from research institutes and engineering companies.
On both days of the Symposium, posters on industry and research projects of SMA students were exhibited. The event also proved to be an effective platform for interaction and discussion on SMA projects that were relevant to both the industry and research institutes. The highlight of activities included a presentation on the topic “Beyond the Human Genome Project” by Dr Eric S. Lander, Founder and Director of the Whitehead Institute Center for Genomic Research, MIT.
A special feature of this year’s Symposium was the presentation of the Distinguished Fellow Award to Professor Hang Chang Chieh and Professor Merton Flemings for their pivotal role in the founding and development of SMA.
Technical Parallel Sessions were hosted by the individual programmes with project and research presentations by SMA faculty, graduates, students and research fellows on the second day.
Annual Symposium
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On 19 and 20 January 2004, participants from local and foreign organisations
ranging from government ministries, agencies,
engineering companies to tertiary educational institutions converged
at the SMA 4th Annual Symposium held at the NUS University Cultural
Centre (UCC) and Traders Hotel to witness a showcase of
SMA’s research activities and accomplishments.
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Among the many participants who graced the opening day were Dr Tony
Tan, Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for Security
and Defence, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Acting Minister for Education
and US Ambassador to Singapore Mr Frank Lavin. |
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This year’s
symposium commemorated the end of two of
SMA’s pioneer programmes, the AMM&NS
and HPCES programmes. These two programmes
will end in June 2004. Said the Singapore
Co-Director of SMA, Professor Andrew Nee, “As
we see the remaining programmes approach
their final stages, it is also with much
anticipation that we look forward to the
birth of a second, more ambitious phase,
denoted SMA-2. It is anticipated that the
first cohort of students will start the academic
programme in September of 2005. With the
implementation of new doctoral and dual Masters-degree
programmes, we envisage grooming even
higher calibre budding researchers and scientists who will
be ideally prepared when they advance into the cosmopolitan
workforce. Through our revised unique curriculum, SMA-2 programmes
will no doubt equip students with a distinctive edge over
others in terms of proactive aptitude and social understanding.”
Guest-of-Honour, Mr Shanmugaratnam pointed out that global
partnerships were becoming a necessity for any ‘forward-looking’ university. “Our
biggest challenge is in moving from a system that has succeeded
in producing high averages in our schools and universities,
to one that produces high peaks. To do this, we have to move
from a system which focuses on efficiency to one that promotes
flexibility, competition and a diversity of educational
pathways. That way, we stand the best chance of nurturing
Singaporeans of diverse talents who are keen to scale peaks
of excellence and able to offer different ideas to a problem,” he
added.
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