NUS greenies win awards… and a swim with gentle giants

-Lo Tien Yin

SITTING UNDER A TREE carrying placards and lobbying for support is just not their style. Instead, two NUS students who recently won the HSBC/NYAA (National Youth Achievement Award) Youth Environmental Award 2006 have shown that there are other more proactive ways to save trees and create awareness on environmental issues.

SCORING GREEN POINTS: Mr Surya Darma (receiving the award from Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of National Development) and Ms Tan Peng Ting (right) work hard to spread the green message.

Mr Surya Darma, 4th-year Civil Engineering student, is winner of the Award and Ms Tan Peng Ting, a third-year Geography student won the Merit Award. Chairman of the NUSSU SAVE (Students Against Violation of the Earth), Surya organised the Recyling Bin Awareness project which eventually saw recycling bins being placed in many more places in the campus. He has also been collecting old copies of the Financial Times from the NUS Libraries to be used at the Student Lounge. The Financial Times, he said, make good reference materials for students and it would be a waste if thrown away.

Surya has also been selected with another NUS student, Ms Hu Shuying for the HSBC/NYAA Earthwatch Study Trip (10 to 19 June) to Ningaloo Reef of Western Australia , to undertake a research project on whale sharks. These sharks are gentle giants, returning every year to the Park, providing tourists with the opportunity to swim alongside with them.

Peng Ting is a volunteer with the NUS Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research’s Toddycats, a programme to enthuse students in conservation, education and research. She is also the editor of Pulau Ubin Stories which aims to share stories about the natural and cultural heritage of the island. “Last year, I co-started a new group called Toddycats Engage that aims to increase the civic participation of youths through active feedback,” she said.

On wings of excellence

EVERY YEAR, the St Gallen Wings of Excellence Award organised by the International Students’ Committee of the University of St Gallen in Switzerland, offers outstanding university students throughout the world, a platform to exchange ideas with top international entrepreneurs and leaders in politics. NUS students have risen to the challenge – 14 were selected by the St Gallen jury to take part in the St Gallen Symposium (18-20 May). They were among the 200 authors who have submitted the best contributions with the theme, Inspiring Europe .

NUS 4th-year Science student Chen Yeshan’s work, Creating an Inspired European Identity: A Three-Step Approach was judged the most outstanding along with three others from London School of Economics and Political Science, UK; Duke University, USA; and University of Princeton, USA. NUS 4th-year Arts and Social Sciences student Mohamed Fairoz Bin Ahmad’s contribution was also selected as one of the top 20 entries, and chaired his own work session at the Symposium.

LEARNING TRIP: Mr Chen Yeshan (extreme left) with two fellow participants in the Swiss countryside near the Maestrani chocolate factory.

Said Yeshan: “What distinguished the St Gallen Symposium from so many others lies in the soft skills of the organising committee members as well as those of the academic staff. During meal times, St Gallen students would double up as waiters, ensuring that you are never without a drink and clearing your dirty plates with a smile. Everything is extremely personalised. The display of competency, confidence and sheer humility is truly impressive.”