STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS & STUDENT LIFE
Nomination Call for CDE Star Awards 2024: Application Period Extended!
Calling all CDE students! We invite you to submit your outstanding non-academic achievements and contributions in the past academic year for the CDE Star Awards. Read more here regarding the awards and its categories - Community Engagement, Design & Media, Leadership, Performing Arts and Sports Competition.
Apply now! Applications will close on Sunday, 11 August 2024.
For enquiries, please email: cde.student.life@nus.edu.sg
Bonding through fun and games at the CDE orientation camps
As the start of the new academic year inches closer, CDE is ramping up preparations to welcome a new batch of freshmen this coming August! Classes officially start on 12 Aug 2024. Still, some freshmen have already gotten their feet wet, taking part in the multitude of orientation camps available to them. Here at CDE, three camps were held for freshmen to kick-start their life on campus.
- CDE Orientation Camp
- Rag Exposure Camp
- CDE O’Week
From navigating an obstacle course set on water to putting together mini-floats and costumes in preparation for a mini-Rag, these camps allow freshmen to meet and mingle with each other, setting the foundation for friendships that will last through their time at CDE and beyond. On top of that, it also offers them an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the campus and larger CDE community.
“The camp definitely helped me forge potential friendships with freshies and seniors across the different courses, as there was a good balance of each course in my group. My group had strong group dynamics, and we were able to all click after just one round of icebreakers. The group itself was a motivational factor for me to continue coming for the subsequent days of camp!” - Rinn, Department of the Built Environment (IPM).
“From the various sharing sessions, I learned more about the seniors' insights into the various mods and how to arrange my schedule to work best. I also learned about the different student clubs and CIPs we can participate in. I also learned about the different student clubs and community engagement projects we can participate in. I definitely feel that I made friends across the different faculties whom I will try to keep in touch with! The part of the camp that I enjoyed most were the games organised by the OGLs and how well-planned the programme flow was - especially at the beach where it could have gotten very hectic but it was executed super efficiently!” - Alexandria, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Check out some of the highlights below!
Welcoming our incoming freshmen!
The EA Atrium was buzzing with life as our incoming freshmen attended the CDE Freshmen Welcome 2024 on 19 July 2024.
In his welcome speech, our Dean, Professor Teo Kie Leong, encouraged the freshmen to equip themselves with a sense of curiosity and be open to different viewpoints as they navigate their way through university. He added, “Be innovative and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zones.” Prof Teo also discussed the importance of interdisciplinary learning, as “real-world problems nowadays are not confined to a single discipline.”
Assoc Prof Darren Chian, Vice Dean (Student Life), took the floor to share about the numerous student club activities and events at CDE and how freshmen can tap into these networks and enrich their university experience. There are also countless career development opportunities for students to undertake internships and connect with working professionals. And of course, the various wellness programmes and workshops curated by the Office of Student Life specifically to help students unwind.
Not forgetting academics, Dr Elliot Law, Assistant Dean (Undergraduate Programmes) then took the freshmen through CDE’s curriculum structure, student systems as well as academic resources and services at their disposal.
During the lunch break, the freshmen flocked to the CDE and NUS booths to chat with the students and faculty there. Many showed great interest in the student competition project teams like NUS Formula SAE, Bumblebee, NUS Calibur Robotics and Galassia. CDE Club President, Fan Qing Yao, was seen passionately promoting his club and encouraging the freshmen to sign up. There were also many resources available on hand — with booths from NUS Libraries, uNivUS, the Centre for Future Ready Graduates and even the Campus Emergency and Security – all set up to equip freshmen with necessary information before they start officially as undergraduates in CDE.
Of course, we did not forget the most essential booth — the food stations, where the vendors worked hard to ensure that our freshmen were well-fed. The freshmen had their selection of curry puffs, hotdogs, nachos, all freshly made on the spot, and traditional ‘potong’ ice cream in 11 different flavours before they headed off for their welcome sessions with their respective Departments.
Auxobrace Wins iF Design Student Award 2024!
Auxobrace, designed by Siew E Ian (Class of 2023), won the iF Design Student Award 2024 and attended the award ceremony on 13 June at the Triennale Milano, Milan. During the ceremony, E Ian was presented with the Award Certificate by iF Design CEO Uwe Cremering.
Almost 10,000 student concepts from 72 countries entered this year. After the first round of judging via an online jury, 300 entries qualified for the shortlist. After the final jury, which took place on 26 April 2024 in Berlin, 76 winners from 24 nations were awarded the iF Design Student Award.
2nd Year Electrical Engineering Undergraduate, Chew Yong Zhang Clinches 2nd Place in the Space and Global Health Hackathon
The Space & Global Health Hackathon, organised by the Geneva Digital Health Hub (gdhub) of the University of Geneva and the European Space Agency (ESA), explored the integration of space technology with global health, covering topics from TB screening in remote areas to creating an open-access dermatology image dataset for AI research.
For the hackathon, Yong Zhang got to join a team led by Martyn Clark from the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) under the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The project the team presented utilised satellite geospatial data to monitor and predict urban heat distribution, assisting urban planners and policymakers. Yong Zhang's contributions focused on data sourcing, basic UI/UX design, and pitch preparation.
Reflecting on his experience, Yong Zheng shares, "I realised that executing an idea doesn't always require following typical startup procedures; international organisations, with their flexible goals, can bring ideas to life more effectively. This insight has inspired me to consider pursuing a PhD in my technical domain and potentially joining an international organisation to implement impactful ideas, with the hope of contributing to positive change for humanity."
PhD Student Li Zhuo Nets Prize at SIWW2024
PhD student Mr Li Zhuo, under the supervision of Assistant Professor Iris Yu, was awarded the Best Student Poster award for “Food Waste as a Sustainable Substrate for Microalgae Cultivation and Bioproduction” under the theme "Nexus and Circularity" at the SIWW2024 Water Convention.