A spirit of celebration filled NUS University Cultural Centre on 1 November 2025 as the University honoured students’ achievements at NUS Achievement Awards (NAA) under this year’s theme: “Step Up, Stand Out.” The university’s only institution-wide award recognising outstanding student life beyond academics, NAA celebrates the diversity of experiences supported by the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), spanning arts, community engagement, hostel admissions, residential life, student accessibility, sports, student leadership, and student wellness.
Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS President, the Guest-of-Honour, highlighted the importance of celebrating students' journeys and achievements. He said, “I would like to congratulate our award winners. I am glad to see each of you growing, nurturing, contributing, and excelling beyond our classrooms. I hope you continue to stay engaged, to step up and stand out!”
Among the honourees, CDE students and their outstanding projects earned three Merit awards and six Commendation awards.
Low Tse Han (Year 3, Electrical Engineering, Second Major in Innovation and Design) and Kashfy Zulkarnain (Year 3, Computer Engineering, Second Major in Innovation and Design) received a Merit Award in the Campus Vibrancy category, which recognises inspiring projects that have elevated life and community spirit on campus.
The duo first met during the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) orientation in 2023. It was through that chance encounter that they realised they shared a passion for making music. As they embarked on their journey in the Innovation and Design Programme (iDP) with the Value Creation in Innovation course, they identified a gap in the music scene at NUS.
While there are CCAs that cater to musicians in NUS, they often require rigorous audition sessions to join the clubs, Tse Han and Kashfy felt that there were no avenues for casual musicians who just wanted to perform or share their music with an audience in NUS. This led them to create Studyo, an open mic session at UTown, where any musician in NUS could perform in front of an audience and meet other like-minded performers.
Under the tutelage of their iDP supervisor Dr Jovan Tan, Studyo has grown from a small group of performers to a collective of over 100 musicians who regularly exchange ideas and perform on Fridays at UTown.
Remarking on the NAA Merit award, Tse Han says, “This award is a testament to how we, as engineering students, can achieve things beyond our primary field. We often picture ourselves building devices through hardware and software, not communities driven by a shared passion for music. But with consistency, hard work, and a strong support system, we’ve learned to apply our skills from a different perspective—to create something bigger than ourselves.”
“We believe Singapore has the potential to be a vibrant hub for music, and with STUDYO, we hope to play even a small part in bringing that vision to life,” added Kashfy.
Liu Congzhi (Year 4 Civil Engineering, Specialisation in Digitalisation of Urban Infrastructure) has been recognised with a merit award in the Leadership category, which honours student leaders who have significantly enhanced student life through their vision, initiative, and embodiment of NUS core values. Congzhi served as Vice-President and Internal Sports Director of Temasek Hall’s Junior Common Room Committee (JCRC), focusing on strengthening both leadership systems and hall spirit. Together with his fellow Vice President, he introduced the Temasek Hall Leadership Development Framework, connecting leadership milestones to personal growth. Initiatives such as the Letter of Commendation system and the LinkedIn Visibility Campaign formally recognise outstanding leaders and help residents translate hall experiences into professional narratives.
As Internal Sports Director, he oversaw the planning and administration of 30 sports teams, encompassing finance, procurement, sponsorships, and event coordination. He ensured captains and teams had the guidance and resources needed to thrive, developing sponsorship guidelines to maintain integrity while balancing coaching and administrative duties.
Balancing these responsibilities with a full-time overseas internship under the NOC Munich programme, Congzhi honed forward planning, disciplined time management, and clear communication. He reflects that meaningful leadership is about people, building trust, resolving conflicts, and creating systems that allow others to succeed.
Through this journey, Congzhi has learnt that leadership is not about authority, but about enabling growth in others, a principle that will guide him long after his time at NUS.
Terence Tan Jia Ren (Architecture, Class of 2025) was recognised with a merit award at the NUS Achievement Awards 2025 in the Competition (General) category for his award-winning project, “The Way of the Dojo”, which earned the Spatial Design Award (SPADES Award) for Best Public Design (GOLD) at the Design Excellence Award 2024, organised by the Interior Design Confederation Singapore (IDCS).
Developed during his Year 4 Design 6 Studio course under Professor Joseph Lim, “The Way of the Dojo” transforms overlooked campus spaces into a sanctuary for martial arts. The design celebrates tradition, community, and self-discovery through a sloped avenue lined with dojo entrances and façades adorned with martial arts motifs.
“Charred wood was chosen for its scarred yet resilient nature, serving as the design’s cornerstone. In parallel to the toughness that martial artists cultivate, the weathered texture reflects perseverance and transformation, with each mark telling a story. The material resonates with the essence of martial arts, where resilience is forged through adversity,” Terence shared.
Reflecting on his win at the NAA 2025, he reflected, “There is still a lot for me to explore and learn. At the end of the day, I hope my work leaves communities and environments better than I found them, from the fine detail to the broadest vision!”
To learn more about Terence’s winning submission, visit the IDCS website here.
We also congratulate the Commendation award recipients: Project OceaNUS (Community Service), Bumblebee (Competition), NUS Calibur Robotics (Competition), Brien Lim Chong (Sportsman of the Year), Ashwin Seetharaman (Performing Arts student of the Year) and Chia Min Shen (Performing Arts student of the Year).
Project OceaNUS (Community Service)
Project OceaNUS is a student-initiated overseas community involvement project founded by Environmental Engineering students to promote environmental awareness and sustainable practices within developing communities. The team embarked on a two-week trip to Laos, spending ten days in a homestay at Na Xath Village, where they installed 30 solar-powered lampposts along the village’s main road and a solar-powered water pump at Pa Bong Secondary School.
“This award means more than just recognition of our committee’s hard work. It also reflects the resilience, warmth, and kindness of our partners in Na Xath Village,” said Lin Shuowang (Year 3 Environmental Engineering), Project Director of Project OceaNUS AY2024/25.
Find out more about Project OceaNUS: Instagram
Bumblebee (Competition)
Team Bumblebee, comprising students from the College of Design and Engineering, the School of Computing, and the NUS Business School, represents the spirit of interdisciplinary innovation at NUS. The team designs and builds autonomous maritime vehicles capable of navigating both underwater and on the water surface, executing complex tasks with precision and full autonomy. Integrating advanced sensors, intelligent systems, and robust actuators, Bumblebee pushes the boundaries of autonomous systems design.
At the Maritime RobotX Challenge 2024, the team won first place overall and became the first team ever to win the championship twice since the competition’s inception in 2014. They also swept several sub-awards, including Best Design Documentation (Website), Best Team Introduction Video, Best System Assessment, and Best Presentation, outperforming 15 international teams from countries including Australia, Chile, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Recognised at this year’s NUS Achievement Awards (NAA) in the Competition category with a commendation award, Team Bumblebee’s success showcases the power of collaboration across disciplines. Beyond the accolades, their achievement showcases the engineering ingenuity and teamwork driving the future of autonomous maritime systems.
Learn more about them here
NUS Calibur Robotics (Competition)
NUS Calibur Robotics was recognised for its outstanding performance at the RoboMaster University League (RMUL) 2025 in San Diego. RoboMaster is an advanced robotics competition that challenges university teams to design, build, and command squads of robots in a strategy-based arena, where engineering skill meets tactical gameplay in fast-paced, video game-like battles.
In their first year competing across three categories, the team achieved 1st place in the Engineer Challenge, 2nd place in the 1v1 Infantry Match, and Top 8 in the 3v3 Match, standing out among 28 international teams from the US, China, South Korea, and Singapore.
The multidisciplinary team of over 50 students from Engineering, Computing, and Science showcased their newly developed generation of autonomous combat robots, a testament to their innovation, teamwork, and technical mastery. Guided by staff advisors Mr Chew Wanlong Nicholas and Dr Yen Shih-Cheng from the Engineering Design and Innovation Centre (EDIC), the team continues to push boundaries in robotics research and competition excellence.
Learn more about them here
Brien Lim Chong (Sportsman of the Year)
Brien Lim Chong (Year 2 Computer Engineering), men’s vice-captain of the NUS varsity swim team, has demonstrated outstanding dedication both in and out of the pool. Over the past year, he achieved top finishes at IVP 2025 and the Singapore University Games 2024, and competed alongside Olympic and world champions at international events, including the World Aquatics World Cup, where he continued to set new personal bests. Beyond his own performances, Brien has elevated his team through leadership initiatives such as joint training with the National Taiwan University swim team and organising a Learn-to-Swim programme for the university community. His journey reflects resilience and strategic growth, turning challenges into stepping stones for success, all while embodying fairness and sportsmanship.
Ashwin Seetharaman (Performing Arts Student of the Year)
Ashwin Seetharaman (PhD candidate, Biomedical Engineering) has been a central figure in the NUS Indian Instrumental Ensemble (IIE) since 2019, evolving from a quiet keyboardist into a composer, performer, and creative leader. He has shaped the ensemble’s artistic direction, bridging Indian classical traditions with contemporary storytelling, and was instrumental in forming the IIE Creatives Team to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. Some of Ashwin’s work includes the acclaimed production Desi Lah! – The Rhythm of Home, which reflects the emotional landscape of Singapore’s migrant community, and Yuddhānta – War, which vividly brings Tamil traditions to life. His leadership strikes a balance between artistic vision and collaboration, mentoring juniors, and uniting diverse creative voices. For Ashwin, IIE is more than performance. It is a home where music, mentorship, and community intersect.
Chia Min Shen (Performing Arts Student of the Year)
Chia Min Shen (Year 3 Environmental Engineering) has been an active oboist in the NUS Symphony Orchestra (NUSSO), performing in both a community engagement concert with primary school students and the Semester 2 classical concert, "Where Worlds Converge: A Night at the Crossroads," as part of NUS Arts Festival. This milestone concert featured NUSSO’s first-ever performance of Mahler’s Symphony No.1 and the world premiere of Jin Ta’s orchestral arrangement of Life of a Rice, with the composer as soloist. Beyond performing, Min Shen contributed to the orchestra’s curatorial and logistics teams, helping to design outreach concert programme as well as coordinate stage planning, scheduling, and instruments transportation for over 90 musicians and crew members. Balancing these responsibilities alongside academic commitments, he drew strength from his peers, tutors, and staff advisors. Min Shen likens his journey with NUSSO to Mahler’s symphony itself: a blend of challenges, growth, and ultimate fulfilment.
We also congratulate our NUS Student Life Scholarship (Sports Scholarship for mid-term community sports) recognised students who have made outstanding contributions to campus sports and community engagement. This year’s recipients from CDE are:
- Cheok Xiu Yang (Year 2 Mechanical Engineering), NUS Students’ Sports Club
- Cheah Wei Jie Avan (Year 2 Materials Science and Engineering), Volleyball
- Edwin Lee Teck Kai (Year 2 Chemical Engineering), Volleyball
