2009 – Project Prizes & Special Awards

Recipient: Tay Wei Hong

A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.

~ Vince Lombardi

These words caught Tay Wei Hong’s eyes when he first stepped into the Plant Systems Biology Laboratory in the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory at the National University of Singapore (NUS). There, he worked on a project titled “Elucidating the Role of Phosphatidic Acid in Terminal Flower Expression in Arabidopsis Thaliana”. This project recognises the importance of lipids as novel signaling molecules in plant cells and sheds light on how they are involved in the activation of enzymes and recruitment of proteins in plants which is important in plant development and maturation.

Wei Hong devoted a lot of time and effort on this project, sometimes coming in at the break of dawn and leaving only past midnight to complete his experiments. His perseverance and determination paid off as his project was selected the Best Project at the Temasek Applied Science School’s Major Project Symposium. His research data and results will in fact form part of a scientific research article submitted by his mentor, Dr Yuki Nakamura, in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Wei Hong’s work indeed surpassed the expectations of the three judges for the Best Project Prize. They felt that his investigations have led to a deeper understanding of molecular techniques carried out on plants and that the project has shed light on the little-known roles of lipids in plants as signaling molecules. They felt that the scope of his project was very broad and acknowledged that it was difficult to perform. To top it off, he was very confident and impressive when presenting and handling questions posed the judges.

To his mentor, Dr Yuki Nakamura, Wei Hong is especially grateful for his praiseworthy and exceptional mentorship, and his unconditional support throughout the project. He also believes that this accomplishment would not have been possible without the valuable insights and tips provided by his colleagues during the course of the project as well as the guidance, continuous support, invaluable training and constructive criticism he received from his lecturers and Company Principal Investigator, Dr Toshiro Ito. Wei Hong also thanks his family members and friends who, with their companionship, words of encouragement and kind advice, were a constant source of motivation that spurred him on.

Wei Hong is currently working at the Defense Science Organisation and is awaiting enlistment for National Service, after which he hopes to pursue a degree in Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore.

Liaison Officer: Mr Kok Chor Wee
Evaluator: Dr Jason Chang
Principal Investigator: Dr Toshiro Ito

Recipient: Wong Shi Yun

Slight of build, simple in disposition, strong in conviction, stable in purpose. She is tops in her studies too. Wong Shi Yun is a remarkable young lady who did not need external competition. She is half of a pair. Her twin sister who is in the same course is equally competitive and that has been her motivation. Excellence is a family tradition.

She may not come from a very comfortable background but she is not deprived in any way. She learnt the lesson of independence at the tender age of six when she lost her father. She grew up totally independent because she saw her mother manage the family, an all female brigade, on her own doing everything including the plumbing.

She aced the O levels and could have easily pursued her education in a Junior College of her choice but a TP school talk inspired her to take the other road. She went on to take up the Accounting & Finance course.

Her choice has not been in vain. Today, she stands really tall with a perfect cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4, 26 distinctions and a slew of book prizes including the CIMA, ICPAS, Foo Kon Tan Grant Thornton and the Chio Lim Stone Forest prizes.

One would think that with such excellent academic achievements, Shi Yun spends her time studying and little else. Well, this is a young lady with a difference. She has been an active member of TP’s Chinese Orchestra, playing the sheng, a wood-wind instrument. As fortune would have it, the same conductor who taught her in her secondary school also happened to be the conductor for the Chinese orchestra in TP. It was a meeting of the known to produce music that has been captivating.

How does she do it? The two principles as of time management and discipline are her guiding formula for success.

Shi Yun has been accepted to pursue a Bachelor of Accountancy at the Nanyang Technological University. For the future, her dream is to buy a home for her mother and take her for a drive in her new car when she gets it. With her stellar accomplishments already, that dream is surely not too far down the road.

Well done Shi Yun.

Recipient: Goh Yu Shi Esther

Esther’s final-year project – an integrated online and print communications campaign for the Singapore Children's Society – features a poignant story about two young siblings who have to attend to their sick mother while their father struggles to look for work to keep the family together. The highly illustrative visual narrative ends with a heart-tugging call for action.

Esther’s work displays a delicate design sensibility – the muted tones of her watercolour illustrations evoke a sense of warmth and compassion. Her subtle but effective redesign of the Society’s logo features rounded forms and incorporates a white shield with a little red heart that symbolises hope, protection and love.

Although she is no stranger to receiving awards - she was in the Director’s List during her Freshman and Junior Years, as well as receiving a Silver for the 2008 Crowbar Awards – Esther remains humble and unassuming. In fact, she was in a state of disbelief when informed that she had won this year’s Philips Design Excellence Award after two intense rounds of judging by the review panel.

She was even more surprised to receive a call from the Director of the Singapore Children’s Society, who had come to know of her project through one of the Philips Design judges, to express the Society’s interest in possibly using her concept and illustrations for one of their future campaigns.

Asked why she chose to embark on this project, Esther replied: “I was inspired by friends who are mentors, volunteers and members of the National Youth Forum and I had several personal encounters with children and teenagers from different homes and orphanages. I felt strongly about wanting to do something for them within my means. One day, as I reflected on my own life, I realised how I had taken too many things for granted, so I want this project to be a reminder and encouragement for myself and others. “

Mr Maurice McGinley, Senior Consultant Interaction Design, Philips Design comments on why she deserves the Award:
“Ms Goh receives the award because of the integrity of the concept and the quality of execution. Considered attention to detail was evident in the way that images, sound and interaction behaviour worked together to convey the concept. The quality of execution was also of a high level, demonstrating proficiency with the tools and passion for quality.”

Congratulations, Esther, on your outstanding achievement!

Project Supervisor:
Mr Tommy Quek Seow Boon
Section Head, Diploma in Interactive Media Design

Four students have done very well in completing their highly demanding projects, displaying enthusiasm, ingenuity and dedication. Each was also outstanding in exercising their initiative and problem-solving skills.

The Senoko Power Project Prize is awarded to the team which successfully completed a multi-disciplinary project in Temasek Engineering School.

This challenging multi-disciplinary project involved the successful establishment of an online Social Enterprise E-Portal that contributed significantly to several local charities.

Four students played significant roles in this highly demanding project, displaying enthusiasm, ingenuity and dedication. Each was outstanding in exercising initiative and applying their problem-solving skills to develop innovative solutions.

Muhammad Naim Bin Abdul Rahim worked on the promotional material, using sophisticated digital multimedia tools to create high-impact videos.

Yap Ming Sheng Edmund focused on developing a locally produced and comprehensive audiometry testing material as part of the business plan of the enterprise.

Shi Xiaoni worked on the business side of the project, focusing mainly on the marketing and organizing of promotional events to entice customers to the Social Enterprise E-portal.

Aw Wei Ren Calvin worked on an innovative facilities grading system, developed with elaborate customer surveys and feedback.

Recipient: Ou Yang Yan Xuan Justin

A highly motivated and independent learner, Justin worked on a few key projects in his three years at the Temasek Informatics & IT School. One of these was a flash game that he created to teach young people about environmental conservation. He submitted this game for the ActionScript Award Competition in 2008 and won top prize at the national level for the application.

In 2009, Justin collaborated on a project with The Centre for Strategic Infocomm Technologies (CSIT), an agency in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) that focuses on R&D and solutions development in information and communications technologies.

Justin developed an electronic recruitment management system for the organisaion that captures information digitally via an online job application portal. The information can then be converted into other formats to be re-used in other systems. The system has two other modules, one of which is the interactive kiosk that allows candidates to find out more about the organisation using text and visuals like images and videos. This module also allows the candidate to use forms to send in enquiries to the organisation. The other module is a web-based SMS Service that could allow SMS communication between the organisation and potential candidates. Justin won the Best Project Prize in 2009 for this Major Project.

With a mature outlook and a zeal for excelling, Justin strives to achieve honours in all that he does. He graduates as the top student of the Internet & Multimedia Development course and receives the Adobe Systems Special Industry Prize.

Recipient: Nurhanisah Bte Ahmad

In all her undertakings Nurhanisah always demonstrates drive, focus and a desire to excel. For her industry project, she worked on a new software client for BlackBerry phones at Bubble Motion Pte Ltd. Her proactive nature and efficiency in dealing with technical problems impressed her supervisor at Bubble Motion, and she was commended for her skills and commitment in handling challenges.

As the lead developer, Nurhanisah’s project involved the development of a mobile client application that is used to send Voice SMS messages directly from a RIM (Research In Motion) BlackBerry. Hanisah also re-created the client application using J2ME so that the application could be used for other phones. She was undaunted by this challenging task and overcame technical complexities to deal with the requirements of the project.

Such success is not new for Nurhanisah. She was one of the top students who exhibited her project to the public, at an exhibition named Xperiment 2007. That project, an application to wirelessly control a personal computer using motion sensors, received great feedback. She also participated in the JavaJive 2008 Competition, creating a solution for the elderly using a mobile phone-based global positioning system (GPS).

Yet, Nurhanisah manages to balance her academic pursuits and personal interests. She was a member of the ‘Students in Free Enterprise’ Club at Temasek Polytechnic and participated in a project to assist women in Cambodia improve their lives by helping them sell the products they made.

Nurhanisah graduates as the top student in the Mobile & Wireless Computing course and receives the Alcatel-Lucent Singapore Special Industry Prize.

Recipient: Phyo Myat Thu

Hailing from Yangon, Myanmar, Phyo Myat Thu arrived in Singapore in 2006 and assimilated quickly to life here.

In his second year, Phyo worked with three other team mates on a project for the Imagine Cup Competition. He took on the role of Lead Software Developer, and his team developed a computerised system named CoralTellus using Microsoft.Net technology. The application was created as a means to revive dying corals and create a sustainable environment for them.

Phyo and his team emerged national champions in the Software Design Invitational of the Imagine Cup Singapore 2008 and went on to represent Singapore in the World Finals in Paris, France. They emerged as one of the top 12 semi-finalists – the best achievement for a software design team from Singapore since 2004.

Later that year, Phyo commenced his internship at the Microsoft Innovation Centre where he was involved in key projects, conducting extensive research into the latest technologies and applying them to develop proof-of-concept projects involving software and hardware integration. His supervisors at the Microsoft Innovation Centre were impressed by his work ethic and technical competence, commending his remarkable problem solving skills.

A diligent, determined and focused individual, Phyo Myat Thu is highly respected by his tutors and peers for his intellectual prowess, gentle manner and quiet determination. He graduates as the top student of the Information Technology course, and receives the Microsoft Singapore Special Industry Prize.

Recipient: Chng Cheng Ye Benny

A highly motivated and independent learner, Chun Sian worked on a number of successful projects in his three years at the School of Informatics & IT.

Benny Chng Cheng Ye is an outstanding student and the gold medalist of the pioneer batch of the Financial Business Informatics course. Active since his first year at the polytechnic, Benny led a team of students to participate in the Oracle Academy Global Data Modelling Competition in 2008. Participating teams were required to create a database model based on a given topic. Benny’s team emerged sixth, out of an honour list of 11 teams, and earned a commendation from Oracle Singapore for being the only team from Asia to win this competition.

Benny went on to excel during his period of internship at Thomson Reuters, applying his technical skills and knowledge to systems for financial markets. Benny and his teammate developed a software application for mapping Risk Management which is currently being used by consultants in the Asian region.

The second project undertaken by Benny involved improving risk management procedures in financial institutions. Benny was involved in testing and documenting the performance of a new module in a risk management system. His findings were presented in a White Paper on Principal Component Analysis and submitted to the Thomson Reuters Headquarters in Paris, providing researchers and developers with valuable input for further refinements to their systems.

A resourceful, creative and charismatic person, Benny is highly competent technically and has an excellent understanding of financial systems. He is indeed well on the way to developing into the kind of techno-strategist that is needed in the world today. Besides graduating as the top student of his Financial Business Informatics course, Benny also receives these two special industry prizes – the Special IDA Award and the Oracle Corporation Singapore Pte Ltd Special Industry Prize.

Recipient: Tan Dao Rong

After Tan Dao Rong completed his GCE A Level examinations, he was accepted into a local university to continue his studies. He then heard about the new course in Game & Entertainment Technology at Temasek Informatics & IT School and his heart skipped a beat. Dao Rong knew deep down that this was what he really wanted to pursue. It was not long before he gave up his place at the university and joined TP.

Dao Rong has never looked back since then. Barely six months into his first year, he was given the opportunity of a lifetime. He was selected to go on an attachment to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston for ten weeks to work on a game design and development project. There, he took on the role of team leader to create a 3D multiplayer game named Tenxion.

Returning from the overseas attachment, Dao Rong found himself fuelled with an even greater passion for game development. In his final year, Dao Rong and his team members collaborated with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to create a game named Offshore. This game was developed to teach young Singaporeans how to manage their finances and is part of the MAS’ MoneySENSE initiative. Players of the game learn about wealth management in a fun and interactive way. Designed to be easily extensible, Offshore can also be used to arouse the interest of young children to learn a wide range of concepts.

A gifted and motivated young man, Dao Rong has displayed remarkable passion for game development, a talent for IT and much initiative. He is poised for a bright and power-packed future in the world of digital game development. He graduates as the top student of the Game & Entertainment Technology course, besides receiving the ST Electronics Special Industry Prize.

Recipient: Sunny Neo Yong Kwang

Sunny’s major project entitled SmartScreen allows users to interact directly with a screen using a laser pointer to ‘write’ on the screen. Advanced gesture-recognition software and character recognition have also been used to enable users to interact in a more intuitive way with the computer. This project is especially helpful as a communication tool for the physically challenged, who would greatly benefit from using a user-friendly and highly accessible system. This system also provides security features for users to authenticate with the computer by signing using the laser pointer.

SmartScreen is the first product of its kind to offer a simple and cost-effective way to provide enhanced human-computer interaction. This project in fact won the Tan Kah Kee 2009 Young Inventor’s Merit Award.

Highly passionate about IT security, Sunny initiated and formed a student committee to organise the All About Security Seminarin 2009. The seminar aimed to promote and advocate IT security to members of the public. It was also a platform for security professionals to share information and knowledge on the latest IT security trends, and for students to network and engage with mentors from the security professional community This seminar was sponsored by IEEE and was very well-received by the industry.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Sunny impressed his peers with his drive to excel and his uncanny ability to multi-task. By the time he completed his first year, Sunny had acquired professional certifications that would give him an edge in the industry. He also participated in community outreach camps for ASEAN youths and rendered help to those in need through an overseas community project in Cambodia.

Highly conscientious, disciplined and possessing an affable nature, Sunny is highly regarded by his peers and respected for his skills. He graduates as the top student of the Cyber & Digital Security course, besides receiving the Symantec Singapore Pte Ltd Special Industry Prize.