Minister Gains Further Insights into Poly Education at NYP

Nanyang Polytechnic
Newsletter 2016
Issue 64
Minister Gains Further Insights
into Poly Education at NYP
Mr Ong Ye Kung, Acting Minister for Education
(Higher Education and Skills), visited NYP
on 23 October 2015, his first stop in a series
of visits to the polytechnics to have a better
understanding of the polytechnic education
sector. Mr Ong, who is also the Senior Minister
of State for Defence, was accompanied by
Senior Management staff from the Ministry of
Education.
Minister Ong, who assumed his appointment
on 1 October 2015, spent over three hours at
NYP touring the teaching facilities at the Schools
of Engineering, Chemical & Life Sciences,
Information Technology and Interactive & Digital
Media. At each location, he interacted with
NYP staff and students to learn more about the
Polytechnic’s pedagogy and collaboration with
industry. He also learnt how the industry-focused
contextual teaching and learning pedagogy of
NYP is being enhanced to align with the national
SkillsFuture movement.
Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and
Skills) Ong Ye Kung chatting with School of Chemical &
Life Sciences students.
He also visited the NYP Library and the School
of Business Management’s two Teaching
Enterprise Projects - L’Café and D’Studio. His final
stop was the Education and Career Guidance
(ECG) Centre where he met up with the ECG
Counsellors.
Ms Jeanne Liew, NYP’s Principal & CEO who
presented the Polytechnic’s programmes to
the Minister prior to the walkabout, said: “We
are honoured to be the first polytechnic that
Mr Ong Ye Kung had chosen to visit since
being appointed Acting Minister for Education
(Higher Education and Skills). It was an important
visit as it served to provide him with a better
understanding of the polytechnic sector, as well
as highlight specific strengths of NYP. We had
a robust discussion on the future polytechnic
landscape, as well as the key direction of
SkillsFuture. ”
01
NEWS
PM Lee Visits NYP’s
‘The Future of Us’ Exhibit
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (centre) with Finance
Minister Heng Swee Keat (left) sharing a light-hearted
moment at “The Future of Us’ exhibition.
The SG50 exhibition “The Future of Us” was
launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on
29 November 2015 at Gardens by the Bay. The
exhibition capped the year-long SG50 Golden
Jubilee celebrations.
Mr Lee was accompanied by Finance Minister
Heng Swee Keat in his walk through the exhibition.
PM Lee visited NYP’s “Technicolour Show with
WiFi-enabled Light Bulbs” exhibit and spent some
time understanding how it worked.
02
The exhibit was developed by the School of
Engineering’s Diploma in Multimedia & Infocomm
Technology (DMIT) graduate, Eugene Wong Jia
Jun, as his final year project. It allows for the
recognition of various hand gestures to trigger
and control the desired ambient lighting and
accompanying music from WiFi-enabled Light
Bulbs. According to the organisers, the display
has been one of the most popular exhibits in the
“Marketplace” hall. A total of 26 DMIT students
have also volunteered to be on site every weekend
at “The Future of Us” exhibition to explain the
project to the public from December 2015 to
March 2016.
NEWS
NYP Students to Sharpen Skills at
New Facilities
NYP students will receive more in-depth
hands-on training from three new campus
facilities - BodyWatch Gym, Media Hub,
and Media Studio. These new facilities are
equipped with industry-standard and state-ofthe-art equipment, such as integrated multistation fitness apparatus and international
broadcast studio equipment, which will enable
students to further hone their skills in their
respective course of studies.
SBM’s Diploma in Mass Media Management students get
to access professional grade equipment at the new media
studio.
Besides serving the fitness and exercise
needs of NYP staff, students and sports
teams, BodyWatch Gym also functions as
the Teaching Enterprise Project (TEP) station
for students from the School of Business
In addition, students from SBM’s Diploma in Mass
Media Management, and the School of Interactive
& Digital Media’s Diploma in Visual Effects and
Diploma in Motion Graphics & Broadcast will
also have access to an expanded Media Hub and
Media Studio to sharpen their production skills.
Management (SBM)’s Diploma in Sport &
Wellness Management. Students undergoing
their 14-week TEP attachment at BodyWatch
Gym will be taught to manage and operate the
Gym, and learn the ropes of sports marketing and
promotion.
This Media Hub features a dedicated audio
recording studio, four independent editing
suites, and digital touchscreen interactive
whiteboards for teaching. The two-storey Media
Studio, comparable to production centres used
by international broadcasters such as FOX
International Channels (FIC), is also equipped
with environmentally-friendly features.
SBM’s Diploma in Sport & Wellness Management students
using the new BodyWatch Gym’s SYNRGY360 fitness station.
The three new facilities were officially launched
on 6 January 2016. Partnerships with the
Singapore Sports Institute, FIC and Infinite
Studios were also formalised at the launch event
to benefit students from SBM and SIDM.
03
NEWS
Boosting Manpower
Capabilities for
Indian F&B Sector
On 30 October 2015, NYP’s Asian Culinary
Institute (ACI) of Singapore signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with
the Indian Restaurants Association (Singapore)
(IRAS) to co-operate in the development of
manpower capabilities and enhancing skills and
competencies in the Indian Food & Beverage
sector.
Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating
Minister for Economic and Social Policies,
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was the Guestof-Honour at the event, witnessed the signing
ceremony. Under the MOU, ACI will appoint
adjunct trainers from the Indian restaurants
to develop and deliver Indian cuisine training
programmes, and roll out a structured Place and
Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating Minister
for Economic and Social Policies, Tharman
Shanmugaratnam tried his hand at making Jalebi (an
Indian sweetmeat).
Train programme to create skilled local chefs, and
conduct an applied HR research study to map out
the job roles and career progression pathways in
the Indian F&B sector.
Award Winning Innovations
NYP showcased two award-winning projects at
the Public Service Festival from 15 to 17 October
2015. Developed by the School of Chemical
& Life Sciences (SCL), one of the projects
titled “Vaccines for Sustainable Aquaculture in
Singapore” won the Gold award in the Most
Innovative Project/Policy Category for PS21
ExCEL Awards 2015 and another Gold Award in
the Most Innovative Project/Policy Category at
the MOE Innergy (Stat Board) Awards 2015.
Three SCL senior lecturers, Dr Jeffrey Seng,
Dr Saji George and Mr Christof Luda, developed
the first made-in-Singapore fish vaccine. This
product aims to promote fish cultivation and
improve fish survival rate in Singapore waters. Dr
Jeffrey Seng also bagged the Silver award in the
Innovation Champion category for PS21 ExCEL
Awards 2015.
The other project “Navigating around Singapore
using Pocket OneMap”, which was created by
the School of Information Technology, won the
Gold award in the Most Innovative Project/Policy
category at the MOE (Stat Board) Awards 2015.
The mobile application leverages OneMap,
an integrated map system for government
04
agencies, to provide concise and accurate
location-based information for end users.
In addition, Dr Phua Chee Teck, Manager of the
School of Engineering won the prestigious PS21
Star Service Award 2015. He has created several
innovations, including the development of a
novel method to determine risk of stroke among
patients with Atrial Fibrillation.
(From left) Mr Christof Luda, Dr Jeffrey Seng, Dr Saji
George were lauded for the most innovative project/
policy under the ExCEL Award category for their fish
vaccine project.
PARTNERSHIP
Equipping Students to Be Work-Ready
NYP signed two significant Memoranda of
Understanding (MOU) on 23 October 2015.
These MOUs signed by the School of Interactive
& Digital Media (SIDM) and the School of
Business Management (SBM) respectively will
equip students with essential knowledge and
skills as they enter the workforce.
SCHOOL OF INTERACTIVE & DIGITAL MEDIA
SIDM signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with Ubisoft Singapore (Ubisoft) to provide
highly-relevant game development training and
collaborative mentorship to our students. Ubisoft
is the leading creator, publisher and distributor of
interactive entertainment and service.
This collaboration will offer final year students
a structured internship programme that will
place them in a real-life game development
environment at Ubisoft.
On successful completion of the internship
programme, selected students may also be
hired under the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn
programme - providing a smooth transition from
internship to career opportunities and on-the-job
training at Ubisoft after graduation. If selected,
these graduates will also embark on a Specialist
Diploma in Game Development programme
conducted by NYP.
DHTM students will be on board the enhanced six-month
internship programme with hotels in IHG Group from
March 2016.
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
SBM signed a MOU with InterContinental Hotels
Group (IHG) Singapore to further enhance and
equip students with the necessary knowledge and
skills to be industry-ready.
The partnership will allow SBM students to
experience an enhanced six-month internship
with the hotels in the IHG Group. Students will
be able to rotate jobs across two different IHG
brand properties and two different operating
departments.
This internship programme is also strategically
designed to support Singapore’s SkillsFuture
movement. The programme has been structured
to deliver clear and comprehensive learning
outcomes which allow students to deepen
their skills, and apply their knowledge to the
workplace.
Up to 10 Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism
Management (DHTM) students will be on board
this internship programme per semester from
March 2016. The students will then pursue a
career in IHG by continuing the SkillsFuture
Earn-and-Learn Specialist Diploma programme,
a 12-month programme in hotel operations
comprising structured on-the-job training,
facilitated learning, and project work.
SIDM students will get the opportunity to enhance their
skills in a real-life game development environment at Ubisoft.
Upon successful completion of the programme,
trainees will progress to a higher position with a
corresponding wage increment.
05
REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE
Design Students Showcase
Their Work at Public Exhibitions
DESIGN INSPIRATION JOURNEY
EXHIBITION
The School of Design (SDN)
displayed their works at the Design
Inspiration Journey Exhibition
held at Bishan Library from 1 to 25
October 2015.
Our students works on display
included T-shirts sporting wellused Singlish phrases, furniture
that can be used through all
stages of life, as well as a series
of photographs portraying design
elements captured by students and
staff on their trips to cities such as
Barcelona and Tokyo.
The exhibition was later held at Ang Mo
Kio Library from 1 to 8 November 2015. To
complement this exhibition, the students also
held two sharing sessions on the inspiration
behind their creative works.
Works of SDN students displayed at Bishan Library.
VISUAL ASIA EXPO 2015
NYP was the only polytechnic participating
in the inaugural Visual Asia Expo 2015 held
from 5 to 7 November 2015 at the Suntec
Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The Expo is a professional trade show for the
visual communication industry.
The trade exhibition featured visual
communication design and product solutions,
market innovations and latest developments
as well as trends in the field of visual
communication. In celebration of SG50, 50
professional photographers in Singapore
showcased their work on a 50-metre long
photo wall at the exhibition.
The NYP booth showcased how SDN projects
can be implemented in the real world. About
12 works from all three SDN diplomas - Visual
Communication, Industrial Design and Spatial
Design were exhibited at the event.
Visitors viewing works showcased at
NYP’s booth.
06
Some of the interesting works displayed
included ‘Kampongminium’, a HDB flat
concept that introduces the ‘kampong spirit’
found in Kampong Lorong Buangkok.
INDUSTRY PROJECTS
Powering Up Productivity
Facility operations personnel of a workers’
dormitory in Jurong can now do away with visual
inspections and manually recording power
meter readings with a new system in place that
automates these processes.
NYP’s Centre of Innovation for Electronics
(COIE) and RFCOM Technologies have worked
together to come up with a smart automated
system which eliminates human errors, increases
productivity and enables real-time usage
reporting and trend analysis with the use of
Internet of Things (IoT) technology and video
analytics.
RFCOM Technologies tapped into COIE’s
expertise in imaging technologies and IoT
gateway know-how to co-develop this solution
for the dormitory.
Facility operations personnel no longer need to
walk up to each level of every block within the
dormitory to take power meter reading as they
are now able to do this through the automated
system in the comfort of their own offices.
Improving Mobility of Stroke Patients
The system which enables stroke
patients to achieve better and
faster outcomes from upper-limb
rehabilitation incorporates a motion
tracking camera and a force feedback
haptic device in a rehabilitation
game. These devices help detect
compensatory motions in upper limb
movements and provide feedback to
correct the motions.
SIT helped with the system
development, including game
development, methodology to
detect compensation and device
communication.
The School of Information Technology (SIT) and
the School of Health Sciences (Allied Health)
(SHS)(AH) collaborated with the Asian Women’s
Welfare Association (AWWA) on a project
funded through a research grant by TOTE Board
Social Innovation Research (SIR) Fund to develop
an interactive system to support the elderly who
suffer from a stroke.
The system was evaluated through a
pilot study conducted at SHS(AH) and
a clinical field test in READY CARE
Elderly centre with AWWA. Both pilot
runs saw a high level of acceptance by
the elderly for the system. Preliminary
results of the field test have been
positive suggesting that the upper limb
movement with stroke elderly have improved
after 12 sessions of training using the system.
Two students each from SIT and SHS teamed
up and entered this project in the Asia
Pacific Assistive, Rehabilitative & Therapeutic
Technologies Challenge 2015 and bagged the
Industry Collaboration Award.
07
CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Inspiring Lifelong
Learning
NYP’s Singapore Institute of Retail Studies
(SIRS) and the Asian Culinary Institute of
Singapore (ACI) collaborated with over 20
partners to organise the LL1 Lifelong Learning
Festival held from 7 to 8 November 2015 at the
Lifelong Learning Institute.
The event aimed to raise awareness and inspire
lifelong learning among people from all walks
of life. It also hoped to encourage participants
to sign up for courses conducted by training
institutes within the Lifelong Learning Institute.
Guest–of-Honour, Mr Ong Ye Kung, Acting
Minister for Education (Higher Education and
Skills ) graced the event. Accompanying him
was Mr Ng Cher Pong, Chief Executive of the
Singapore Workforce Development Agency.
Food carving by Chef Seenivasan from
Sodexo Singapore Pte Ltd at a cooking
demonstration session
Appart from setting up an exhibit at the event,
SIRS organised three talks during the twoday festival. The talks on fashion advice and
managing online businesses were conducted
by lecturers from SIRS. The sessions proved
to be beneficial for participants with many
providing positive feedback.
Participants learnt about WSQ modular
courses and certifications at the SIRS booth.
08
In conjunction with this Lifelong
Learning Festival, ACI organised cooking
demonstrations and sharing sessions which
attracted more than 250 participants over four
sessions. The chefs showed how cooking can
be fun and interesting. They also demonstrated
different methods of cooking a traditional dish
with modern innovation and technology.
CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TRAINING
NYP’s Earn and Learn
Programme off to a Strong Start
NYP’s SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programmes
(ELP) are off to a good start as the polytechnic
continues its support towards the national
SkillsFuture initiative.
Currently the coordinator for the Media,
Retail and Healthcare sectors, NYP has also
been appointed Programme Manager by the
Singapore Workforce Development Agency
(WDA) to administer a number of ELPs for
various sectors such as Precision Engineering,
Visual Communication, Food & Beverage
Services and Information and Communications
Technology.
The Polytechnic has launched five Earn and
Learn Programmes in 2015. They are WSQ
Specialist Diploma in Culinary Management,
WSQ Specialist Diploma in Retail Management,
WSQ Advanced Certificate in Retail Supervision,
Specialist Diploma in Games Development (Art)
and Specialist Diploma in Information Systems
Development.
Moving forward, NYP is looking to expand its
SkillsFuture initiatives into other new areas, in
the next two years.
Fresh CET Programme
for Designers
The School of Design (SDN) launched its
first run of the Specialist Diploma in Design
Strategy & Management on 27 October 2015.
A first of its kind programme in Singapore,
this course seeks to enhance and deepen
the knowledge of practicing designers who
are either working in organisations or are
entrepreneurs.
The course also seeks to equip participants
with a good understanding of the different
areas of management which include design
strategy, financial and project management.
Designers in this course will be able to widen
their job scope and work portfolios, take on
management functions and run a design
business effectively.
The first intake of 17 participants in this course
come from a myriad of design backgrounds,
such as interior, graphic and systems design.
This allows for robust and interactive sessions,
enabling students to widen their exposure and
apply the knowledge they acquire.
09
STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS
SDN Students Make Their Mark
at Design Excellence Awards
Five School of Design (SDN) graduates from
the class of 2015 were recipients of six Design
Excellence Awards (DEA). They bagged two
gold, one silver and three bronze awards at the
award ceremony on 21 October 2015.
The Design Excellence Awards (DEA) is one of
the most distinguished awards in the interior
design industry. Organised by the Interior
Design Confederation Singapore (IDCS) and
supported by Design Council Singapore, the
Awards recognise the best in the industry.
There are two competition tracks IDEA (Interior
Design Excellence Award) for professionals, and
SPADE (Spatial Design Awards) for students.
This year, the competition was opened to
professionals and students in Asia Pacific with
180 submissions. Awards were given according
to design categories including Leisure Design,
Public Design, Installation Design, Retail,
Institution, Residential and F&B.
SDN Student Ngieng Ji Xuan impressed judges with his
creative designs such as the ‘Living Wall’. He won awards in
three different categories.
SDN competed in a total of six categories
for SPADE 2015, and received awards in the
categories of Leisure Design (Gold & Bronze),
Public Design (Gold, Silver & Bronze), and
Installation (Bronze).
SIDM Student Shines at SG50 Animation Competition
First year Diploma in Animation student from
the School of Interactive & Digital Media, Abdul
Rahman Bin Abdul Rahim clinched the first prize
in the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL) category
at the SG50 Celebrating Singapore Animation
Competition held at the Institute of Technical
Education (ITE) College East on 30 August 2015.
Guest-of-Honour, Dr Maliki Osman, Minister
of State for National Development and Mayor
of South East District presented the Animation
student with the award at the event.
Abdul Rahman created a 48-second animation clip
introducing Singapore and some of its delicious
foods. The video was narrated by Tan Qing Wu, his
schoolmate and submitted under the team name
Cerauno Studio. 24 other teams took part in the
animation (IHL) category.
Tan Qing Yu (in white) and winner Abdul Rahman (in blue)
with Guest-of-Honour Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman
10
The competition was organised by the ITE to
encourage all Singaporeans to express gratitude
and appreciation for Singapore, in celebration
of Singapore’s Golden Jubilee. The theme of the
competition ‘Thank You Singapore’, comprises four
categories- Animation (IHL Category), Animation
(Open Category), Video (IHL Category) and Video
(Open Category). Another NYP team Prometheus
also took second place in the Video (IHL Category).
STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS
A Hat-Trick
For SIT Students
Students from NYP’s School of Information
Technology (SIT) clinched the top three
positions in the Singapore Cisco Netriders
2015 competition. This achievement sees NYP
extending its winning streak for a third year after
having seized the top three positions from 2013
to 2015.
Daniel Lee Wei Meng from the Diploma in
Information Security emerged as the winner of
the competition, while Aide Iskandar Bin Abdul
Rahim and Tian Yi Chen from the Diploma in
Engineering Informatics emerged first runner up
and second runner up respectively.
(Kneeling second, third and fourth from left) Daniel
Lee Wei Meng, Aide Iskandar Bin Abdul Rahim and
Tian Yi Chen took the top three positions in Singapore
Cisco Netriders 2015.
The Cisco NetRiders competition is an annual
global competition, organised by Cisco Systems,
that provides students with the opportunity
to showcase their IT/networking skills in a
competitive environment. The competition
not only tests the technical skills but also the
communication and presentation skills of
students.
Sweet Victory at Culinaire Malaysia
Students from the School of Business
Management’s (SBM) Diploma in Food &
Beverage Business (DFBB) participated in
Culinaire Malaysia 2015 and surpassed NYP’s
haul in 2013 of two bronze and two diploma
awards by winning four silver, three bronze and
two diploma awards!
Held from 28 September to 3 October 2015,
the international competition is organised
bi-annually as part of the Food Hotel Malaysia
(FHM) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.
Cooking (Fish & Seafood), Apprentice Salmon
Main Course, Pastry (Cold Display), Mocktail &
Cocktail, and Barista.
Through their preparation and participation in
this international competition, the students not
only had the opportunity to apply the skills they
had acquired from their training, they also gained
valuable life-skills experiences.
Under the guidance and mentorship of Chef
Nicholas Low, Chef Tammy Fan, and lecturer
Karthik Bakthavathsalem, DFBB students
competed against participants representing
hotels and restaurants from Korea, Taiwan, UAE,
China and Malaysia.
Training with their teaching chefs and lecturers
from SBM and School of Chemical & Life
Sciences (SCL), our students competed in the
categories of Hot Cooking (Meat & Poultry), Hot
SBM’s Diploma in Food & Beverage Business students at
Culinaire Malaysia 2015.
11
ALUMNI PROFILE
Living out His Dreams
Wayne Lim, 30, has always been fascinated
with toys such as teddy bears ever since he
was a child. Today, the Diploma in Industrial
Design graduate from NYP’s School of Design
is living out this passion through his company
Wayneston Bears. Wayne runs this online
business where he sells the teddy bears he has
created to customers around the world.
“I have always aspired to become a Toy
Designer and my experience working in a toy
museum further ignited my passion and interest
for toys. I thought it would be wonderful if
I could design my own toys and let children
around the world play with them,” he shared.
After completing his polytechnic education and
national service, Wayne, went on to pursue his
degree in Product Design at Lasalle College of
the Arts and ventured into his toy business in
2009.
Apart from teddy bears, Wayne also worked
on creating other animals such as mice,
hedgehogs, cats, puppies, monkeys and
dragons. To make his products stand out in the
market, Wayne ensures his creations bear his
signature look which he believes is distinctive.
Some distinct features of his toys include needle
felted eyelids, open mouth with teeth and
needle sculpted paw pads with toes and claws.
His creations also have a wire armature skeleton
in their bodies making them more flexible.
Through this business, Wayne has made his
mark both locally and overseas. He has been
invited to conduct various workshops on
bear-making both locally and overseas.
Apart from appearing on television
programmes and media platforms in
Singapore, Wayne has also been featured
in publications
in countries
such as
12
Australia, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and
the United States of America. He has also won
awards at the Singapore Teddy Bear Show as well
as the Brisbane Winter Wonderland Dolls and
Bears Show.
His achievements do not come without sacrifices.
Wayne has to juggle between his full-time job
as a senior graphic designer while pursuing his
passion at Wayneston Bears.
“I enjoy working as a full-time senior graphic
designer as it is another outlet for me to express
my creativity and skills. While it may be tough
juggling two jobs, I find a great deal of satisfaction
in them especially when someone compliments
my work,” said Wayne.
Wayne also believes that the knowledge and
training that he has acquired at NYP has led him
to achieving success in both his jobs.
“The many hours spent brainstorming,
researching and creating story boards were
unforgettable. It gave me many opportunities
to learn different skills and share ideas with
my classmates. Through interactive learning
processes, I became more self-confident and
developed effective communication skills,” he
said.
Looking ahead, Wayne hopes to expand his
business and continue promoting his work to
attract new bear collectors. He is
currently collaborating with
companies and agencies to
conduct corporate workshops on
bear making and is also looking
to further develop his website.
His future plans include writing a
book to share his knowledge on
creating teddy bears.
Published by Communications & Outreach Department. Copyright © 2016 Nanyang Polytechnic
Website: www.nyp.edu.sg
Email: nyp_comms@nyp.edu.sg