The world’s top young university has much to celebrate as it marks its 30th anniversary since its inception as NTU in 1991
by Derek Rodriguez / Video by Ei Ei Thei
Minister for Education Mr Chan Chun Sing (left) and NTU President Prof Subra Suresh with a copy of the limited-edition 30th anniversary commemorative book.
Engineering student Melvin Foo, creator of an autonomous delivery robot, one of the entries in the digital time capsule, introducing his invention to Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.
What better way to commemorate NTU’s 30th birthday than to celebrate its pioneering spirit and achievements in its relatively short history?
Since its inauguration in July 1991, NTU has built on its rich heritage and risen spectacularly from being a university serving Singapore’s manpower needs to a global research and education powerhouse that is also highly regarded for its architecture and beautiful campus.
A highlight of the celebration that you don’t want to miss is the Thirty Years of Momentum, 30 Perspectives Exhibition, which runs at the Nanyang Auditorium until June. It’s an interactive showcase of three decades of impactful innovation and achievements by the university community (worth checking out are a 3D-printed toilet and made-in-NTU race cars), along with personal insights of those who have been part of NTU’s growth.
From left: NTU President Prof Subra Suresh, Education Minister Mr Chan Chun Sing, NTU Board Chair Ms Goh Swee Chen and NTU Deputy President and Provost Prof Ling San at NTU’s 30th birthday celebrations.
Get up close with NTU-made race cars.
At the public exhibition, you can also view the contents of the digital time capsule that was launched last September and sealed during the exhibition launch ceremony in December with the help of Education Minister Mr Chan Chun Sing. His open letter to the Class of 2041 is among the keepsakes of precious NTU memories, achievements and milestones. Representing our lives and times, the digital time capsule will surely serve as an inspiration to future generations of NTU students when it is unearthed on NTU’s 50th birthday.
One entry in the time capsule is a unique panel discussion between all four NTU Presidents past and present held last year. On this historic occasion, Profs Cham Tao Soon, Su Guaning, Bertil Andersson and Subra Suresh shared the stage as they traced the evolution of NTU and recounted their individual NTU journeys, revealing interesting tidbits such as the fact that NTU was almost situated near Changi.
Don’t miss the interactive 30th anniversary exhibition at the Nanyang Auditorium that runs until June.
SOME DEFINING MOMENTS
So what’s in the digital time capsule? We steal a peek inside…
NTU sent the first Singapore-built micro-satellite into space in 2011. We have since put nine satellites in orbit.
NTU’s social robots aren’t exactly human, but that hasn’t stopped them from having jobs. Nadine has worked at AIA Singapore and at the ArtScience Museum and EDGAR (pictured) hosted the 2017 National Day Parade.
In 20 years, those who lived through the era of the face mask will remember it well. But what will students of 2041 think of it?
HEY! We made it into the time capsule! The NTU magazine made the cut with its longevity and ever-evolving use of communication technologies such as augmented reality in this issue you are holding now.
HEY! AR
Click or tap here to see Lyon in 3D and snap a photo of him in your reality!
Conceived by an NTU computer science undergrad in 2013, Lyon was given a makeover for NTU’s 30th anniversary celebrations. We wonder what he will look like in 2041…
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.
