Author: Chrystal Chan

In a video that has been viewed over 148,000 times on TikTok, a food delivery rider humorously challenges an adorable blue box on wheels to a fight for encroaching on his territory. That blue box is the FoodBot. It is part of a fleet of self-driving food delivery robots developed by Renaissance Engineering Programme student Melvin Foo and his team at Whizz Mobility.

Since June 2020, the FoodBots have chalked up over 12,000 deliveries to hungry students on campus and others at the nearby CleanTech Park, an impressive feat for the five robots that were built from scratch in NTU.

“Most of the parts are 3D-printed and assembled on campus, and 80% of the technology, from algorithms to fleet management software, was developed by NTU undergrads in the maker labs provided to us right beneath our hall rooms,” says Melvin.

The founder of Whizz Mobility has always been a whiz kid. At nine, he began tinkering with technology. By the time he was 18, he had made smartphone apps, remote-controlled airplanes, smart security cameras and Internet of Things devices. When he couldn’t find the necessary parts for a robot he was planning to make, he built his own 3D printer to make them, using recycled factory discards and after countless hours of online research.   

That love of innovation led Melvin to join NTU’s premier engineering programme, as he was keen to flex his inventive muscles whilst getting a world-class education. Graduating with a Master of Science in Technology Management is a bonus, he adds.

“Apart from the many engineering disciplines this programme offers, I liked that we could go abroad for a year. I wanted to visit and learn from tech hubs overseas and bring that knowledge back home. In addition, I was keen to take business modules as I wanted to run my own business.” 

Click on the other sections below to continue reading.

This story was published in the Mar-May 2022 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.

Shao Yakun is one of those who believe two is better than one.

Pursuing a double degree in Computer Science and Business Analytics with a minor in Mathematical Sciences, she wanted something that provides the best of many worlds.

“I like the logical aspect of computer science, but I also wanted to hone my collaborative skills and be able to interact with as many people as possible. As both a business and computer science student, I have many opportunities to apply computer science knowledge to projects in the field of finance and vice versa. That gives me an edge as many jobs now require such versatility,” she says.

The third-year student admits she was sold on this course combination when she saw in the annual graduate employment survey findings that fresh graduates from this double degree programme topped the charts for their starting salaries.

But earning potential aside, she’s clearly already becoming the best version of herself.

Yakun and her course mates have aced numerous case competitions, notably emerging champs in the Singapore leg of last year’s CFA Institute Research Challenge that requires teams to research and report on a designated publicly traded company.

She also makes the best of every opportunity to test her cross-disciplinary skills in the classroom.  

“In one class, I was able to apply machine learning techniques to analyse the stock market index, the S&P 500, which helped me make a smart recommendation on why certain stocks will do well,” she adds.

She believes that with her ability to synthesise expertise from computer science, business analytics and mathematical sciences – the backbone of many industries of the future – as well as the breadth of knowledge she receives as part of a well-rounded education, many options will be open to her.

“I can go into any field in the future. I can choose to have a career in investment banking, be a software engineer or go into data science. With the minor in mathematical sciences, I can also do quantitative finance if I wish to. I won’t have so many options if I didn’t take an interdisciplinary degree at NTU.”

Click on the other sections below to continue reading.

This story was published in the Mar-May 2022 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.

The guaranteed overseas exchange opportunity with Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands was what attracted third-year student Arthur Mun to NTU’s maritime studies programme. Last semester, in the midst of a pandemic, he became one of the first students to take part in a remote exchange instead. 

“We were supposed to spend at least a semester there in our third year, something students from other universities have to fight for. Unfortunately, we cannot be in the Netherlands now due to COVID-19, but I’m very thankful that we can still take the modules,” he says. 

The suspension of overseas exchange may have put a damper on going overseas as part of the NTU experience, but students who want to do courses not offered at NTU can still take virtual classes at about 24 partner universities worldwide.

“The Dutch professors teach quite differently from what we are used to here in Singapore. We also heard from veteran industry professionals, who spoke to us in small breakout rooms of six or less on Zoom. I don’t think my seniors got to engage these seasoned experts in pre-pandemic Netherlands,” adds Arthur.

Apart from virtual classes held entirely on Zoom, Arthur and his classmates participated in a shipping simulation as part of the curriculum. The students played shipping moguls who had to decide what fleets to purchase or sell, how to expand their shipping routes and what financial steps to take to stay afloat. 

“The simulation was a small way in which the virtual experience was made even more special for us. Not only did we have to work around actual market prices, we had to make the call before prices changed, just as in the real world,” he says.

Internship

Innovation

International

This story was published in the Jan-Mar 2021 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.

No education worth its salt can exist in a bubble. Exposure to real-world challenges makes learning relevant and impactful, and all the better if students can encounter these right on the campus. 

For medical undergrad Ramanathan Periakaruppan, the Clinical Sciences Building in NTU’s Novena campus is perfectly positioned in the heart of Health City Novena, especially now that he’s in his clinical years.

“I truly feel the benefits of having NTU’s Novena campus situated in the middle of the medical industry. With the campus just a link bridge away from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, I can be at the hospital in the morning and then at the medical library in the afternoon to do some studying. When I want to take a breather, I like to use the student lounge, where I can hang out with my friends,” says the third-year student. 

He spends most of his time at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he learns from specialist doctors across different departments as they talk to and treat patients.

“One of the biggest takeaways from my clinical postings is being able to see how doctors actually treat patients with medical problems. Normally, during lessons, we perform tests on simulated patients, so it is quite different,” he says.

One valuable tip Ramanathan has picked up from the doctors he shadows is the importance of communication with patients and their families. He believes that apart from explaining an illness in an easy-to-understand manner with an appropriate tone of voice, having a good relationship with patients is key, as it is crucial that patients trust their doctors. 

Click on the other sections below to continue reading

Internship

Innovation

International

This story was published in the Jan-Mar 2021 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.