Research

20 Years of the Malaysia-Singapore Forum

victoria Events, Research
Participants from FASS, UNiversity of Malaya and FASS, NUS on day one of the Forum
Participants from FASS, University of Malaya and FASS, NUS on day one of the Forum

FASS is delighted to be hosting the 13th Malaysia-Singapore Forum here at NUS, marking 20 years of networking and collaboration between the two Arts and Social Sciences Faculties of University of Malaya (UM) and NUS respectively. The UM delegation was warmly welcomed by Dean of FASS, Prof Brenda Yeoh who referred to the special historical ties between the two universities and to the collegiate relations that have built over the years between faculty and students involved in the Forum.

The Forum is held every two years at alternating campuses and this year focused the two day discussions on the subject of ‘Nation-State and Development’. Faculty and graduate students from both universities have presented on themes covering development, gender, literature, ethnicity, history and identity. To mark this special anniversary FASS NUS has produced a short film with photo archives from past fora and interviews with academics from both universities.
The film can be viewed by clicking here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCb2dPitpYg 

Psychology’s A/Prof Eddie Tong recognized by APS Observer as a “Rising Star”

victoria Alumni, Research, Staff Achievements

eddietongAssociate Professor Eddie Tong from FASS’ Department of Psychology has just been featured in the latest issue of the Association for Psychology Science (APS) Observer, and has been listed as a “Rising Star” in the field!

In the feature, Eddie discusses how his research centres on appraisal theories of emotion as well as the cognitive processes associated with different emotions. Amongst others, he gives credit to his Master’s supervisor George Bishop (Head of Psychology at NUS) for encouraging him to explore areas outside of his research to help him in his work. When asked what advice he would give to younger psychological scientists he replies:

“It is important to work in areas that your advisors have expertise in, but you should also carve out an area of research that you can call your own. Try to do what everyone else is not doing, but not so much that no one takes you seriously. Science is an adventure where you often start out not knowing what to do and whether it will work. It is often a risky enterprise and a gamble. Publication is as heartbreaking as it is gratifying — sometimes even more so. I have had many more rejections than acceptances. Don’t be discouraged, you must keep trying.”

Congratualtions to A/P Eddie Tong from FASS for this well-earned international recognition.

For the full article click here: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2011/october-11/rising-stars-6.html#tong

Dr. Stephen Lim receives 2011 NUS-Japan Scientist Exchange Programme Scholarship

victoria Announcements, Research, Staff Achievements
Dr Stephen Lim
Dr Stephen Lim

Dr. Stephen Lim, who joined the NUS Department of Psychology as a Lecturer in July 2010, recently competed for and successfully earned the 2011 NUS-Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Scientist Exchange Programme Scholarship. The NUS-JSPS programme encourages and funds research collaborations between scientists based in Japan and researchers based in Singapore at the NUS in the areas of Natural Science, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Dr. Lim will be visiting Associate Professor Hiroshi Ashida at Kyoto University in December 2011 to work on research projects concerning visual and auditory perception and cognition. Heartiest congratulations!

Ee Peng Liang Memorial Forum gets policy makers thinking

victoria Alumni, Events, Research
Mr Ng Kok Hoe, Dr Vasoo and BG (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister of State for Manpower and National Development
Mr Ng Kok Hoe, Dr Vasoo and BG (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister of State for Manpower and National Development

On August 22nd the Department of Social Work held the second Ee Peng Liang Memorial Fund Forum. The Guest-of-Honour for the Forum was BG (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister of State for Manpower and National Development. NUS alumnus Mr Ng Kok Hoe, who was awarded the Ee Peng Liang Memorial Fund Scholarship last year to pursue his PhD in Social Policy at the London School of Economics, presented some findings from his research, titled “Old-age income security and intergenerational co-residence in Hong Kong and Singapore”.

In a very thorough and clear presentation, Mr Ng discussed how the sources of income and the living arrangements for the aged in Singapore and Hong Kong have changed between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s. Mr Ng noted that the aged who live with their children are more financially secure. However the number of elderly living with their children here is going down; as Singapore’s retirement income system is built on inter-generational family support, he said, the sustainability of the current system, particularly related to CPF, is in doubt. Some of the more shocking findings showed the income and assets disparity between the sexes going into retirement.

Guest-of-Honour , BG (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin, spoke on meeting the challenge of securing retirement adequacy in the face of an ageing population. He remarked that Mr Ng’s presentation broughtup some interesting issues which will be further analyzed by policy makers.

Mr Gerald Ee, Chairman of the National Kidney Foundation and son of the late Mr Ee Peng Liang, also spoke on the hopes for his father’s legacy. The event is named after the late Dr Ee, widely acknowledged as Singapore’s Father of Charity and a founder member of what is today called the National Council of Social Service, and the Community Chest.

Prof David Higgitt – Guest Editor of Innovation and Secretary General of AOGS

victoria Announcements, Research, Staff Achievements
Professor David Higgitt
Professor David Higgitt

Prof David Higgitt, Geomorphologist and Professor in the Department of Geography, is the co-guest editor of the latest issue of Innovation, the Singapore Magazine of Research, Technology and Education (Vol.10 No.2, 2011). This special issue on Earth Sciences in Singapore is co-edited by Dr Grahame Oliver, a Geologist from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.  Grahame is now Visiting Senior Fellow in the Department of Geography, where he teaches modules in geology and petroleum geoscience.

Earth Science comprises the four basic sciences of geology, meteorology, oceanography and astronomy. As Prof Higgitt notes, “For much of its history, there has been no formal teaching in earth sciences in Singapore.” However this is all changing with the establishment of the Earth Observatory of Singapore at NTU and the Singapore Geological Office, as well as the reintroduction of Geology to the curriculum at NUS. A Geosciences Minor programme, administered through the Department of Geography, has proved very popular with students.  The current issue of Innovation shows how earth scientists in Singapore are playing key roles in efforts to resolve problems ranging from volcanoes, earthquakes and landslides to floods, tornadoes and cyclones. In August 2012 Singapore will be hosting a major geosciences conference as Asia Oceania Geosciences Society and the American Geophysical Union host a joint assembly.

In related news, Prof Higgitt has recently been elected as the Secretary General of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS), by a vote of 464 to 3. Congratulations from FASS to Prof Higgitt on this remarkable appointment.

Limited copies of Innovation magazine are available in the Geography Department and more on AOGS can be found at: http://www.asiaoceania.org/society/index.asp

FASS Researchers headline Masculinities in Asia Conference

victoria Events, Graduate Studies, Research

masculinitiestitle

FASS Researchers and workshop organisers are currently attending the inaugural International Workshop on Masculinities in Asia. The workshop is jointly organized by the Asia Research Institute (ARI) and FASS (the Asian Studies Division, the Gender Studies Minor Programme and the ‘Doing Asian Studies’ Reading Group).

Victor Zhuang (NUS) presents his paper on male disability in Singapore
Victor Zhuang (NUS) presents his paper on male disability in Singapore

In the opening and welcome remarks by Prof Prasenjit Duara (Director of ARI and ODPRT ) and A/P Robbie Goh (FASS) it was noted that gender studies has become one of the most productive areas within the academic study of Asia. However, the analytical category of ‘men/masculinities’ remains largely underexamined and under-theorized in gender studies of Asia.

More than 30 academics from across Asia, Europe and the Americas are speaking on very diverse issues covering class, ethnicity, religion,  sexual identity, family, nationalism and the male body. As such the workshop addresses the need for a regional, comparative and interdisciplinary dialogue to establish new frameworks for anlaysis and interpretation.

For the full programme click here: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/showfile.asp?eventfileid=649

Applications welcomed for the Lee Kong Chian NUS-Stanford Distinguished Fellowship on Contemporary Southeast Asia

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NUS-Stanford

The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Stanford University (Stanford) are pleased to announce that applications are welcome between now and 1st September 2011 for the 2011-12 Lee Kong Chian NUS-Stanford Distinguished Fellowship on Southeast Asia.   Interested individuals with backgrounds or positions in the social sciences or humanities are encouraged to apply.  Candidates may be of any nationality or seniority.

For information on elligibility and the application process click here: http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/nusstanfordsea/appointments.html

New Publications of the Month from FASS

victoria Announcements, Research, Staff Achievements

booksCN_0245

A/P Ho Kong Chong, Vice-Dean of Research, has announced a new initiative designed to showcase our faculty’s top research publications. 

Publications of the Month, on the FASS website, will highlight two or three recent publications from Tier 1 journals or books published by faculty. The first three submissions for April 2011 (from CNM, Economics and Sociology) already begin to show the quality and breadth of research undertaken by FASS colleagues. The new pages can be viewed here : http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/research/pubsofthemonth.html

Psychology students win EuroCogSci 2011 Best Student Paper Prize

victoria Announcements, Research, Student Achievements, Undergraduate
Stephen Lim and the students of the project group
Stephen Lim and the students of the project group

A recent research project entitled Effects of harmonic structure on phonological priming in vocal music accomplished by a team of undergraduate students under the direction of Dr. Stephen Lim, who joined the NUS Department of Psychology as a Lecturer last July, has been officially conferred the prestigious Best Student Research Paper Prize by the Chairpersons of the international European Conference on Cognitive Science (EuroCogSci 2011).

This research seeks to understand how musical harmony disrupts the linguistic aggregations of sung words, and was first pursued as a student project in PL3281 Lab in Cognitive Psychology, a module that Dr. Lim teaches at the NUS Department of Psychology. Here, Dr. Lim shares his delightful sentiments: “Our group of students worked very diligently at this project – they even voluntarily came back to the Department’s teaching lab daily during E-learning week and spent unusually long hours with me at it. I am very heartened to see how my students in several weeks caught on a passionate posture towards, and are as unwavering as I am about, research.”

This work spanned one semester and emerged as the most outstanding piece of student research at the end of the module, receiving the Stephen Lim Commendation. This commendation was originally created by Dr. Lim as part of his pedagogical innovation to encourage good fundamental research in cognitive psychology, and to congratulate the best student project in his class. Subsequently, this work was submitted for review for the EuroCogSci 2011 and eventually earned, among a competitive number of entries, the highest possible ratings from all of its independent international peer-reviewers.

Dr. Lim, the Principal Investigator of this award-winning research, will deliver an oral presentation, along with two other research talks, at the conference which will take place from 21 to 24 May 2011 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Jamie Peck delivers Lim Chong Yah Professorship Lecture

victoria Events, Faculty Events, Research
Professor Jamie Peck delivers his unflinching critique of the 'creative city' argument
Professor Jamie Peck delivers his unflinching critique of the ‘creative city’ argument

Professor Jamie Peck spared no punches in his Lim Chong Yah Professorship lecture on April 27th when he delivered a ‘withering critique’ of Richard Florida’s ‘creative class’ agenda. Present at the special lecture, titled ‘Creative City Limits: Winners and Losers in the Creative Economy’, were guests of honour Professor Lim Chong Yah himself and Mrs Lim Chong Yah.

Peck is the Canada Research Chair in Urban and Regional Political Economy and Professor of Geography at the University of British Columbia and has been with FASS for this semester. One of the world’s foremost economic and political geographers, he became drawn into the debate on the idea of a ‘creative class’ in the early 2000s. Richard Florida had then formulated the concept that a city’s dynamic economic success is predicated on the flourishing of a ‘creative class’, a mobile, highly-skilled, cosmopolitan elite.  Public policy makers and city planners are therefore encouraged to cater to the cultural and lifestyle needs of this ‘creative class’.

Peck argued that the reason for the continued inordinate success of Florida’s argument is that the premise offers a low-cost but high-hype makeover for a city which neatly fits the needs of public policy makers. It is emblematic of a ‘fast policy’ fix which can be reduplicated as a generizable model to suit the needs of any given city. The only problem with this ‘creativity fix’ is that there is absolutely no evidence that the prescription has worked in any city in the world where it has been administered. It is ultimately an attractive yet baseless thesis.

The lecture ended with a robust question and answer session and with Prof Peck thanking FASS for his visiting tenure enjoyed here at NUS.