NTU appoints new dean for School of Medicine

Best man for the job as NTU appoints new dean for Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine


Professor James Best, who currently heads the medical school at the University of Melbourne, will assume his new role at NTU from July 29. -- PHOTO: NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has appointed a new dean for its Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.

Professor James Best, who currently heads the medical school at the University of Melbourne, will assume his new role at NTU from July 29.

A graduate of the University of Melbourne in 1972, Prof Best has practised endocrinology in Australia, Hong Kong, the USA and the UK.

He joined the the University of Melbourne as deputy head of the Department of Medicine at St Vincent's Hospital after having worked there from 1982 to 1989.

~News courtesy of Straits Times~

南大设计制造 我国第3、4颗卫星升空

南大设计制造　我国第3、4颗卫星升空

新加坡第3颗和第4颗国产人造卫星刚于本周一从印度一个发射基地升空并进入轨道。

2颗分别名为VELOX-I和VELOX-PIII的小型人造卫星，是由南洋理工大学学生及研究员设计和建造。

2颗卫星同时进入太空，是因为重量约4公斤的纳米级（Nano）卫星VELOX-I被发射时，装载着犹如智能手机般大小，重量仅193克的皮可级（Pico）微型卫星VELOX-PIII。

2个月后，VELOX-I将在太空中将VELOX-PIII释放出来。2颗卫星会以每秒7.5公里的速度在距离地面650公里太空运行至少一年，每天环绕地球15次，每天经过新加坡上空范围4次。

南大目前相信是首个成功让皮可卫星“乘搭”纳米卫星“顺风车”升空的大学。

南大分别在2011年和去年发射我国第1颗卫星X-SAT第2颗卫星VELOX-PII。

另1颗南大卫星VELOX-P将在今年底发射；另外2颗卫星VELOX-II、VELOX-CI的发射日期预计明年底。到时，南大将有7颗卫星环绕地球。

为了监控这些卫星，南大昨天启用新的卫星控制室。这个约105平方米的卫星控制室，设有先进的卫星通讯及电脑系统，以及可同时监控7颗卫星的大型屏幕。

南大卫星研究所所长卢家顺副教授说，南大这次“二合一”发射2颗卫星并让它们并行环绕地球，是为测试2颗卫星彼此能否有效互通信息，为将来采用“顺风车”技术将数颗卫星送入太空，再协调它们同步执行任务的科技铺路。

~我报~

NUS ranked second, NTU 11th among Asian universities

NUS ranked second, NTU 11th among Asian universities

The National University of Singapore (NUS) retained its second position while the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) came in 11th in the latest Asia University Rankings by the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine released on Thursday (June 19).

The NUS and NTU both maintained their 2013 position in the top 100 universities ranking list, which identifies the best universities in Asia including Turkey and the Middle East.

According to THE’s website, the ranking takes into account 13 separate performance indicators covering all the core missions of the modern globally focused university - research, teaching, knowledge transfer and international activity.

NUS President Tan Chorh Chuan said of the results: “This is an affirmation of NUS’ strong international reputation, and a recognition of the University’s quality education and world-class research. We will continue to innovate to deliver world-class education with both a global and Asian perspective, and to spearhead groundbreaking research that will benefit Singapore, Asia and beyond.”

Mr Phil Baty, Editor of the Times Higher Education Ranking, said the latest ranking confirms NUS as a “truly outstanding institution”.

“What is more, NUS has been consistently moving up the overall World University Rankings, which suggests that it is poised, one day, to become Asia’s undisputed number one university,” he added.

NUS was ranked 26th in the latest World University Rankings, behind The University of Tokyo in 23rd place. Singapore’s other university, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), came in at 76th, according to the rankings.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

New treatment for glaucoma unveiled

New treatment for glaucoma unveiled

A new treatment for glaucoma may mean that patients can do away with the use of daily eye drops.

Unveiled on Tuesday (June 3), the treatment involves a painless injection to the front of the eye which delivers millions of nano-sized capsules – thousands of times smaller than a speck of dust – that release anti-glaucoma drugs slowly over six months.

Glaucoma is a condition that causes damage to the eye's optic nerve and could lead to blindness.

Jointly developed by scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Singapore Eye Research Institute, the new therapy has undergone a pilot study with six patients. Researchers said it has yielded exceptional results, and has been both safe and effective in the treatment of glaucoma.

The new nanomedicine is also expected to benefit the elderly, who often forget to use the daily eye drops, leading to their conditions worsening.

The researchers estimated that at least 10 per cent of blindness from glaucoma is directly caused by patients not adhering correctly to prescribed medications.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

南大毕业生 纽约交易所最年轻总裁

南大毕业生　纽约交易所最年轻总裁


聚美优品上周五在纽约交易所正式上市，由陈欧主持敲钟仪式。（图／路透社）

南大毕业生成为纽约交易所史上最年轻中国总裁，仅31岁就晋升亿万富翁行列。

出生中国的陈欧在年仅16岁就以全额奖学金被南洋理工大学录取，到我国留学，在南洋理工大学修读电脑工程。大学期间，爱玩电脑游戏的陈欧曾创办一在线游戏平台，结果大受欢迎，令他成功赚到人生中的第一桶金。

陈欧也到过美国斯坦福大学进修，26岁获得工商管理硕士（MBA）学位后，他与朋友创立“聚美优品”公司，专门在网上售卖化妆品，包括许多知名品牌如Calvin Klein、雅诗兰黛（Estee Lauder）和Elizabeth Arden等。

全球财经杂志《福布斯》（Forbes）报道，陈欧现任公司董事长兼首席执行官，聚美优品上周五在纽约交易所挂牌上市，令持公司约41％股份的陈欧身价暴涨，估计达12亿美元（约15亿新元），使陈欧成为中国最新的亿万富翁之一。

新华网也报道，这使得来自四川的陈欧成为纽约交易所史上最年轻中国总裁。

《新明日报》

NTU MBAs value for money: global ranking

NTU MBAs value for money: global ranking

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is one of the world's most value-for-money ones, trumping prestigious American institutions in offering its graduates a higher return on investment (ROI), said The Economist.

The magazine used data from its 2013 global rankings of full-time MBA programmes to calculate ROI one year after graduation. It did this by dividing salary increases post-MBA against foregone salary and the cost of tuition fees.

The Nanyang MBA offers a 30.8 per cent ROI one year after graduation, making it 39th out of 109 institutions worldwide.

It beat the MBA programmes offered by two other institutions in Singapore, which The Economist also ranked: Insead, which has a campus here, ranked 58th, with a ROI of 24.4 per cent. The National University of Singapore was 106th, with a ROI of 10.8 per cent.

Topping the charts is HEC Paris, with a 66.5 per cent ROI. The University of Hong Kong is first in Asia, at 60.2 per cent ROI, and third worldwide.

Being ranked 39th is the latest feather in the cap for the Nanyang MBA. In January, it was ranked 38th in the Financial Times' global ranking of MBA programmes; this study did not distinguish between part-time and full-time programmes.

In The Economist's 2013 global rankings of full-time MBA programmes as a whole, NTU emerged 64th, up from 72nd in 2012. This was the highest ranking for a Singapore business school. Every year, 80 students enrol in the Nanyang MBA full-time, and 40 for the part-time programme.

Referring to the ROI ranking, Ravi Kumar, the Shaw chair professor and Nanyang Business School dean said: "It is gratifying that our commitment to our students' interests is recognised. I am glad that the world-class education our students receive is paying dividends in their lives."

Surprisingly, prestigious American institutions rank low on ROI a year after graduation.

In 109th place is Pennsylvania Wharton, at 6.3 per cent ROI. The ROI for Harvard, Stanford and Columbia stood at the low end of double-digit figures.

The Economist said that two-year MBAs at prestigious American institutions tend to be the most expensive; an MBA at Wharton, for example, costs about US$330,000 (S$413,000) on average.

The immediate return on such degrees is relatively small, as graduates tend to land jobs only a few notches above their previous posts.

The Economist added, however, that although shorter and less expensive MBA programmes around the world may bring higher immediate returns, MBAs from prestigious US schools are still likely to reap higher returns in the long run.

~News courtesy of Business Times~

NTU graduate appeals against nine-week sentence for paid sex with underage girl

NTU graduate appeals against nine-week sentence for paid sex with underage girl


University undergraduate Ernest Lee Min Chong is pictured on Sept 4, 2013. Lee has appealed against a nine-week sentence for having commercial sex with an underage girl. -- TNP FILE PHOTO: GARY GOH

A Nanyang Technological University graduate was sentenced to nine weeks' jail for engaging in commercial sex with an underage girl.

Ernest Lee Min Chong, 25, is released on $10,000 bail, pending his appeal against sentence.

He had admitted to paying $60 for the sexual services of the 17-year-old Chinese national at Min Wah Hotel in Lorong 22 Geylang on a day between May 20 and 24 last year.

More than 20 men have been convicted of engaging in paid sex with the minor, who was forced into prostitution by her pimp, Tang Huisheng, 37, also from China.

~News courtesy of Straits Times~