\r\nProspective students turned out in force for the NUS Open House 2026, one of the University's largest events of the year, with some 21,500 visitors packing University Town on 7 March for a first-hand look at the University's distinctive academic programmes and its vibrant campus community.<\/p>\r\nFeaturing an extensive line-up of programme booths, faculty talks, special classes, and campus tours, this year's event - which spotlighted NUS' suite of AI-focused programmes, cutting-edge innovations, and a sampling of student performances - also marked a new chapter for\u00a0NUS Law<\/a>, which hosted its entire showcase at UTown for the first time since\u00a0moving to Kent Ridge<\/a>\u00a0in January.<\/p>\r\nComplementing the full-day showcase was a six-day virtual segment featuring online talks on global and career opportunities, as well as information sessions by\u00a0NUS Business School<\/a>,\u00a0NUS Pharmacy<\/a>, and the\u00a0Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\"I found the programme talks and student sharing sessions especially enjoyable and informative because they provided real insights into student life and the academic experience at NUS,\" said Suriya Selvarayar, a Ngee Ann Polytechnic student who is interested in applying to technology-related programmes.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\nNew \"AI+X\" degrees for emerging careers<\/strong>At a panel led by NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost Professor Aaron Thean entitled \"Earth, Space, Data and AI: Degrees that Launch You into the Future\", visitors were introduced to NUS' expanding slate of \"AI+X\" programmes, designed to integrate AI across diverse disciplines to meet the demand for new careers and fields driven by the technology.\r\nIts latest effort is the\u00a0new Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Geospatial Intelligence Cross-Disciplinary Programme (GIX)<\/a>, the first bachelor's degree of its kind in Asia, which welcomes its first cohort in August 2026. Co-hosted by the Department of Geography at the\u00a0College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS)<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0NUS Computing<\/a>, it will train students to synthesise earth, space, and environmental data - such as those collected by satellites, drones and mobile devices - with AI tools to tackle challenges in urban planning, transportation, and climate change. With courses spanning geography and computer science, and an emphasis on integrated problem-solving, the programme opens doors to sectors including smart cities and sustainable development, as well as the space and satellite industries.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13122\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Prospective students had the chance to hear from NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost Professor Aaron Thean (third from left) at a talk on NUS' suite of AI-focused degree programmes. Joining him were (from left to right) Associate Professor Peter Chan from the College of Design and Engineering, Associate Professor Kan Min-Yen from NUS Computing, Associate Professor Wang Yi-Chen from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Professor Gary Ang from NUS Enterprise.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nThree other \"AI+X\" degrees were also highlighted. Admitting its second intake in August, the\u00a0Bachelor of Computing in Artificial Intelligence<\/a>\u00a0provides students with deep technical expertise, preparing them to design solutions to real-world problems using AI systems and models, grounded in a critical understanding of AI governance.<\/p>\r\nFormerly known as Information Systems, the\u00a0revamped Bachelor of Computing in Business Artificial Intelligence Systems<\/a>\u00a0integrates AI systems with business expertise to solve enterprise challenges and drive digital innovation.<\/p>\r\nAlso welcoming its second cohort in August is the\u00a0College of Design and Engineering<\/a>'s (CDE)\u00a0Bachelor of Engineering in Robotics and Machine Intelligence<\/a>\u00a0programme. Combining hardware, software, and AI, it prepares students to lead the applications of AI-enabled robotics - systems capable of sophisticated decisions and learning from their environments - in markets that are fast expanding beyond manufacturing to sectors such as healthcare, agriculture and logistics.<\/p>\r\nProf Thean emphasised that while NUS seeks to produce graduates who can capitalise on AI, the human element remains essential. \"New jobs and careers are emerging, and the question is how we prepare for them,\" he added, noting that the ultimate goal is for graduates to be adept at using the tools while possessing the critical thinking, decision-making and creativity to excel in the AI era.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13120\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye (second from right) visited the various booths, including the CDE's showcase of its innovative projects and models.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nFuture-ready engineering\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\nAside from showcasing the new robotics and machine intelligence degree, CDE delivered a comprehensive overview of the available programmes tailored to the evolving landscape - from\u00a0Mechanical Engineering<\/a>\u00a0to the\u00a0Minor in Artificial Intelligence (Design and Engineering)<\/a>.<\/p>\r\nThe Mechanical Engineering talk explored AI's applications in a wide range of industries, from aeronautics and urban transportation to sustainable energy and future cities. Students were given an overview of their career prospects, ranging from thermal R&D engineers to process development scientists.<\/p>\r\nAnother exciting new programme highlighted was the Artificial Intelligence minor. In the light of AI's position as a national priority in Singapore, prospective students got a snapshot of the industry landscape, as well as how the minor's industry-focused approach provides hands-on learning experiences in fundamental AI concepts like machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13118\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The interactive Innovation and Robotics Showcase drew visitors to experience the cutting-edge technological innovations created by NUS faculty and students that are transforming our world for the better.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\n<\/article>\r\nInnovations in action<\/strong>An interactive experience awaited visitors at the Innovation and Robotics Showcase, which featured futuristic projects by faculty and students at CDE,\u00a0NUS College<\/a>\u00a0(NUSC), and the\u00a0Centre for Quantum Technologies<\/a>\u00a0(CQT) that exemplify the spirit of cutting-edge innovation at NUS.<\/p>\r\nCDE presented an array of technologies making an impact in the real world, from virtual reality simulations that help users identify safety hazards in the construction industry to robot dogs that assist in search and rescue operations in hazardous terrain.<\/p>\r\nNUSC's \"Gut Guard\", a gamified learning\u00a0Impact Experience<\/a> project that tackles misconceptions about gut health, as well as CQT's technologies developed for Singapore's National Quantum-Safe Network testbed, were also on display.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13117\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The College of Humanities and Sciences unveiled a refreshed programme booth experience, grouping related disciplines into thematic zones to help prospective students better understand each discipline and how they can be meaningfully combined within the college's flexible curriculum.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nExploring real-world connections at CHS<\/strong>CHS, which brings together the\u00a0Faculty of Science<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>, traded individual programme booths for immersive thematic zones, allowing visitors to understand how diverse disciplines converge in the real world as part of a new approach that brought its interdisciplinary ethos to life.\r\nIn \"Understanding People and Societies\", which linked anthropology with sociology and psychology, they explored the role of these social sciences in understanding human behaviour, while \"Science in our Lives\" demonstrated the interconnected fields of chemical, biological and pharmaceutical science in contributing to better therapies.<\/p>\r\nUnderscoring this approach was \"Beyond the Textbook: Play, Policy, and Plants\", a panel which gathered faculty members from three interdisciplinary courses to discuss timely issues such as the importance of play in learning, the multifaceted aspects of drug regulation, and the study of plants as a lens for examining Southeast Asia's ecology, communities and livelihoods.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13116\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Apart from introducing its new campus at University Town, Law hosted an engaging line-up of talks, moot court demonstrations and masterclasses to welcome prospective students.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new chapter at UTown<\/strong>Following its\u00a0relocation from Bukit Timah<\/a>\u00a0to Kent Ridge, NUS Law offered prospective students a one-stop shop of what the faculty had to offer, with mooting sessions, thought-provoking masterclasses, and talks that highlighted its world-class faculty and illustrious alumni network.\r\nUnlike previous years, visitors no longer needed to shuttle between both campuses to explore all the Open House activities, said Mr Justin Tan, NUS Law's Vice-Dean (Student Affairs), who gave a welcome talk to prospective students. Remarking on the vibrant setting of its newly upgraded campus, he said, \"I think (visitors) will really love the fact that there are literally thousands of people living in UTown's apartment blocks, all within a few minutes' walk of our new campus. This translates to endless possibilities for a fantastic undergraduate life!\"<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\nBeyond the books<\/strong>NUSC<\/a>, the University's honours college, held sessions showcasing its\u00a0Global Experience<\/a>\u00a0(GEx) programme, which immerses students in 14 overseas sites for a month to engage deeply with their themes. In GEx New York, students examine its identity as a global city, investigating its urban development and cultural heritage through interactions with high-level diplomats, non-government organisations, and industry professionals.\r\nNUS Nursing<\/a>\u00a0held special classes where users learned empathetic communication in palliative care by conversing with an AI chatbot, and showcased its\u00a0new Concurrent Degree Programme<\/a>, which combines the Bachelor of Science (Nursing) (Honours) with the Master of Science (Biomedical Informatics).<\/p>\r\nMeanwhile,\u00a0NUS Medicine<\/a> offered a hands-on look at the future of medical education through clinical simulations, virtual reality stations, and insightful talks on its curriculum.<\/p>\r\nInside scoop on residential life<\/strong>Through talks, booths, and guided tours, Masters, Resident Fellows, and student leaders from the Residential Colleges, Halls, and Houses offered prospective students insights on the culture of their residences, the partnership between resident fellows and residents, and the vast array of student-led initiatives that foster vibrancy, community spirit, and inclusivity.\r\nNUS' newest hostel, the sports-themed\u00a0Valour House<\/a>, highlighted its key pillars of courage, strength, and resilience - characteristics not just of athletes but of students - to demonstrate its culture of supporting sporting achievements and encouraging residents to step out of their comfort zones.<\/p>\r\nVibrancy of NUS student life<\/strong>A dynamic line-up of performances and showcases, spotlighting some of NUS' finest talents in the performing arts, was presented by the various student clubs and interest groups at the Student Village. From upbeat, catchy tunes by\u00a0NUS Fingerstyle Guitar<\/a>\u00a0and a capella groups\u00a0NUS Resonance<\/a>,\u00a0RHythm<\/a>\u00a0from Raffles Hall, and\u00a0Eusoff Chorapella<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Eusoff Hall<\/a>\u00a0to skilful renditions by\u00a0Helix House<\/a>'s Helix Band and\u00a0Sheares Hall<\/a>'s Sheares Band, visitors were treated to a glimpse into the vibrant student experience at NUS beyond academic pursuits.<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 13 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>New Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS to advance interdisciplinary research on complex societal challenges<\/a><\/h3>05 March 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13076\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Present at the launch of the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS today were (from left) CSSH Deputy Director Assoc Prof Dandan Qiao from NUS School of Computing; CSSH Co-Director Prof Atreyi Kankanhalli from NUS School of Computing; Prof Tulika Mitra, Dean of NUS School of Computing; Prof Liu Bin, NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology); Prof Lionel Wee, Dean of NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; CSSH Co-Director Prof Peter Millican from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Assoc Prof Miguel Escobar Varela from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new research centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is bringing together data science, AI and computational methods with deep insights from social sciences and humanities to better understand complex social phenomena and develop solutions to pressing societal challenges. By combining technological innovation with human insight, the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities (CSSH) aims to generate research that improves lives, strengthens institutions, preserves cultural knowledge, and shapes more inclusive and resilient societies in Singapore and beyond.<\/p>\r\n\r\nOfficially launched today, CSSH is the first in Singapore to systematically bring together computational social science and the humanities within a single centre to bridge research, policy and real-world applications.<\/p>\r\nThe Centre draws on expertise across disciplines including computing, new media, linguistics, geography, public policy and healthcare, amongst others. This interdisciplinary foundation enables CSSH to examine how digital technologies intersect with social systems, such as assessing the societal implications of AI-enabled platforms, using digital tools to help preserve Singapore's cultural heritage, and strengthening digital literacy in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\r\nNUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Professor Liu Bin said, \"Rapid advances in digital technologies and AI are transforming our world. But technological breakthroughs are only as valuable as the difference they make to peoples' lives. CSSH reflects NUS' commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements in how we live, work and build stronger communities. By integrating computational methods with social science and humanities, the Centre will help translate research insights into policies and practices that deliver real-world impact.\"<\/p>\r\nShe added that the Centre complements Singapore's broader push for innovative, responsible harnessing of technology and AI which emphasises that progress should be not only technically advanced, but trusted, inclusive and grounded in real social needs.<\/p>\r\nDriving real-world impact through interdisciplinary innovation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\r\nCSSH is led by Co-Directors Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the\u00a0NUS School of Computing<\/a>\u00a0and Professor Peter Millican from the\u00a0NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>. The Centre supports both seed funding for emerging ideas and larger projects, all designed to generate real-world impact.<\/p>\r\nProf Kankanhalli said, \"What distinguishes CSSH is our ability to study human behaviour, institutions and societies at a scale and depth that was not previously possible. By combining computational methods with rich domain expertise in the social sciences and humanities, we can uncover patterns, test ideas, and generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice. Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people.\"<\/p>\r\nSince beginning operations in the second half of 2024, CSSH has embarked on more than 50 interdisciplinary projects involving 105 researchers from across NUS and their external collaborators. The projects demonstrate the breadth of its work - from AI-enabled analysis of social media impacts to digital preservation of historical archives.<\/p>\r\nAmongst the major research projects currently being undertaken by CSSH is one titled \"Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design\", led by Prof Kankanhalli. In this five-year project, researchers from NUS and three other local universities are collaborating to develop an AI-driven social simulation platform for policymakers to help test and refine policy interventions before they are rolled out.<\/p>\r\nUsing large language models (LLMs), the platform will model diverse public personas to enable policymakers to conduct swift preliminary testing of policy ideas. The simulations will complement traditional research methods by reducing the frequency of costly, time-consuming large-scale surveys and field studies during early policy development, while retaining real-world validation and community engagement at critical decision points. CSSH Deputy Director Associate Professor Dandan Qiao from the NUS School of Computing is also contributing her expertise to the project.<\/p>\r\nAnother project titled \"The Jawi AI Project\", led by NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela, harnesses AI to enable large-scale transliteration and analysis of Jawi texts. Early Malay-language newspapers in Singapore, published between 1870 and 1970 were written in Jawi, a script few can read today.<\/p>\r\nIn collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), the team comprising local and foreign experts is transforming thousands of archived pages into searchable Malay text, significantly expanding the range of materials available at NLB's digitised archives. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, who is also Deputy Director at CSSH, noted that the project could significantly expand research into Malay-language journalism and public debate in the region, broadening how Singapore's history is understood and taught.<\/p>\r\nProf Millican highlighted that a core mission of CSSH is to break down the walls between disciplines. By connecting humanities and social science researchers with computing and data science experts, the Centre fosters collaborations that neither field could achieve alone. \"Many of today's biggest challenges demand both deep specialist insight and serious technical firepower\", he explained, \"whether they involve untangling complex social issues, tackling health crises, anticipating future problems, or building the tools to address these. CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations.\"<\/p>\r\nHe added that the Centre looks forward to developing more projects addressing societal challenges to which computational insights can make the greatest difference. Focus areas include AI and emerging technologies, sustainability and environmental policy, population trends and demographic change, public health and social care, and the preservation and understanding of history and cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 4 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>New Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS to advance interdisciplinary research on complex societal challenges<\/a><\/h3>05 March 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13076\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Present at the launch of the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS today were (from left) CSSH Deputy Director Assoc Prof Dandan Qiao from NUS School of Computing; CSSH Co-Director Prof Atreyi Kankanhalli from NUS School of Computing; Prof Tulika Mitra, Dean of NUS School of Computing; Prof Liu Bin, NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology); Prof Lionel Wee, Dean of NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; CSSH Co-Director Prof Peter Millican from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Assoc Prof Miguel Escobar Varela from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new research centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is bringing together data science, AI and computational methods with deep insights from social sciences and humanities to better understand complex social phenomena and develop solutions to pressing societal challenges. By combining technological innovation with human insight, the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities (CSSH) aims to generate research that improves lives, strengthens institutions, preserves cultural knowledge, and shapes more inclusive and resilient societies in Singapore and beyond.<\/p>\r\n\r\nOfficially launched today, CSSH is the first in Singapore to systematically bring together computational social science and the humanities within a single centre to bridge research, policy and real-world applications.<\/p>\r\nThe Centre draws on expertise across disciplines including computing, new media, linguistics, geography, public policy and healthcare, amongst others. This interdisciplinary foundation enables CSSH to examine how digital technologies intersect with social systems, such as assessing the societal implications of AI-enabled platforms, using digital tools to help preserve Singapore's cultural heritage, and strengthening digital literacy in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\r\nNUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Professor Liu Bin said, \"Rapid advances in digital technologies and AI are transforming our world. But technological breakthroughs are only as valuable as the difference they make to peoples' lives. CSSH reflects NUS' commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements in how we live, work and build stronger communities. By integrating computational methods with social science and humanities, the Centre will help translate research insights into policies and practices that deliver real-world impact.\"<\/p>\r\nShe added that the Centre complements Singapore's broader push for innovative, responsible harnessing of technology and AI which emphasises that progress should be not only technically advanced, but trusted, inclusive and grounded in real social needs.<\/p>\r\nDriving real-world impact through interdisciplinary innovation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\r\nCSSH is led by Co-Directors Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the\u00a0NUS School of Computing<\/a>\u00a0and Professor Peter Millican from the\u00a0NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>. The Centre supports both seed funding for emerging ideas and larger projects, all designed to generate real-world impact.<\/p>\r\nProf Kankanhalli said, \"What distinguishes CSSH is our ability to study human behaviour, institutions and societies at a scale and depth that was not previously possible. By combining computational methods with rich domain expertise in the social sciences and humanities, we can uncover patterns, test ideas, and generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice. Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people.\"<\/p>\r\nSince beginning operations in the second half of 2024, CSSH has embarked on more than 50 interdisciplinary projects involving 105 researchers from across NUS and their external collaborators. The projects demonstrate the breadth of its work - from AI-enabled analysis of social media impacts to digital preservation of historical archives.<\/p>\r\nAmongst the major research projects currently being undertaken by CSSH is one titled \"Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design\", led by Prof Kankanhalli. In this five-year project, researchers from NUS and three other local universities are collaborating to develop an AI-driven social simulation platform for policymakers to help test and refine policy interventions before they are rolled out.<\/p>\r\nUsing large language models (LLMs), the platform will model diverse public personas to enable policymakers to conduct swift preliminary testing of policy ideas. The simulations will complement traditional research methods by reducing the frequency of costly, time-consuming large-scale surveys and field studies during early policy development, while retaining real-world validation and community engagement at critical decision points. CSSH Deputy Director Associate Professor Dandan Qiao from the NUS School of Computing is also contributing her expertise to the project.<\/p>\r\nAnother project titled \"The Jawi AI Project\", led by NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela, harnesses AI to enable large-scale transliteration and analysis of Jawi texts. Early Malay-language newspapers in Singapore, published between 1870 and 1970 were written in Jawi, a script few can read today.<\/p>\r\nIn collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), the team comprising local and foreign experts is transforming thousands of archived pages into searchable Malay text, significantly expanding the range of materials available at NLB's digitised archives. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, who is also Deputy Director at CSSH, noted that the project could significantly expand research into Malay-language journalism and public debate in the region, broadening how Singapore's history is understood and taught.<\/p>\r\nProf Millican highlighted that a core mission of CSSH is to break down the walls between disciplines. By connecting humanities and social science researchers with computing and data science experts, the Centre fosters collaborations that neither field could achieve alone. \"Many of today's biggest challenges demand both deep specialist insight and serious technical firepower\", he explained, \"whether they involve untangling complex social issues, tackling health crises, anticipating future problems, or building the tools to address these. CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations.\"<\/p>\r\nHe added that the Centre looks forward to developing more projects addressing societal challenges to which computational insights can make the greatest difference. Focus areas include AI and emerging technologies, sustainability and environmental policy, population trends and demographic change, public health and social care, and the preservation and understanding of history and cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 4 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Beyond Belief: Why Magic Matters in Modern SEA<\/a><\/h3>02 March 2026 <\/div>\r\nLiving in Southeast Asia and being Southeast Asian often entails an implicit understanding and awareness of magic in some form. But the crucial question to ask is: what IS magic?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\nAcross Southeast Asia there are many forms of magic, whether rooted in animistic, indigenous or folk practices, or in the syncretic practices of 'world religions'. Many beliefs and practices are simply accepted as an indubitable norm, and although sometimes we may not realise it, many of our everyday practices, habits and rituals are based in some sort of magical or spiritual belief that we simply accept as true.<\/p>\r\nThe course GEC1046, Magic Myth<\/a>s will dig deeper into these realities and explore what magic means in Southeast Asia. Not only do we examine local beliefs or adaptations of larger faith systems in the region, but we also look into how religious miracles are in themselves magical. We explore how magic happens, what people believe in, and how magic is seen and manifested - and why people might or might not believe in it.<\/p>\r\nThis course provides you with an alternative view of the world, tucked away in natural spaces, almost unseen between the shiny skyscrapers of modern Southeast Asia, yet always alive and thriving in a world that we\u00a0sometimes\u00a0barely discern.\u00a0This module will examine the duality that magic envelopes; at once the secret hand behind myriad facets of life, from politics to love and living; yet simply accepted as an obvious given. Magic and mythmaking alleviate fear, help people cope with change and the unknown, and make the intangible, tangible. Whether you believe in magic or not, taking this course will help you realise that magic really is almost everywhere in Southeast Asia - and discover its role in righting injustices, recording denied history, and highlighting gender inequalities.<\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Is This Home, Truly?<\/a><\/h3>13 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThis story first appeared on <\/em>NUS Cares Our Stories<\/a>\u00a0on February 2026 .\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\nSE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia was taught by Dr Simon Rowedder in Semester 1 AY25\/26.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIs This Home, Truly?<\/h2>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\nNUR Insyirah Binte Aidil, Faculty of Science<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHello! I\u2019m Insyirah, a Year 3 Environmental Studies major in the Faculty of Science, with minors in Geographic Information Systems and Southeast Asian Studies. While SE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia fulfils the Communities and Engagement pillar under the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) programme and can be double-counted towards my Southeast Asian Studies minor, what truly motivated me to take it was its focus on mobility and displacement in the region. As a region connected by seas and shaped by centuries of movement, migration is a shared reality in Southeast Asia \u2013 yet it remains a topic that is not often discussed extensively. For someone like me, with relatives in different parts of Malaysia, and having spent much of my childhood there despite being Singaporean, I was particularly curious about what drove migration, the different forms it could take, and the ways it shaped people\u2019s lives. This course offered an opportunity to engage with these narratives more deeply and critically.\r\n\r\nGrowing up in Singapore, Home by Dick Lee was more than just a song. It was the soundtrack of every August, an annual signal that National Day was coming. I sang along without thinking; it was one of those iconic National Day Parade songs everyone seemed to know by heart. The lyrics offered reassurance and certainty that home is fixed, familiar, and waiting. \u201cThis is where I won\u2019t be alone,\u201d the song promised, and for a long time, I believed it. I believed that home was something stable, unquestioned, and easily claimed.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A familiar landscape of Singapore. Photograph by Nur Insyirah\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIt was only while taking SE3216 that the song began to sound different. The course seeks to understand the complex trajectories, meanings, and outcomes of human mobility in Southeast Asia through both theoretical frameworks and empirical case studies. Throughout the course, we explored Southeast Asia as a space of migration and mobility, then and now, examining how diasporas emerged through trade, conflict, and colonial and post-colonial transformations. Case studies such as the different historical migration flows of \u2018Haw Chinese\u2019, who moved as traders and later as anti-communists Kuomintang into neighbouring mainland Southeast Asia, highlight how trade, conflict, and political change have shaped diasporic and hybrid identities, as well as the formation of racial, ethnic, political, and cultural minorities.\r\n\r\nThe course also foregrounded contemporary issues, including citizenship and belonging, the gendered dimensions of labour migration, irregular and undocumented migration, human trafficking, and refugee crises across Southeast Asia. Later seminars examined intergenerational mobilities, such as aspiring students and retirees, highlighting how mobility is structured not only by necessity and crisis but also by aspiration, privilege, and life stage. Together, these topics complicated any singular narrative of migration, revealing instead a region marked by uneven mobility and unequal access to rights, protection, and recognition.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBeyond lectures, SE3216 emphasised active engagement. Each week, a group of students led class discussions, summarising assigned readings and connecting theoretical concepts to real-world cases. Following each presentation, the discussion leaders were required to write an individual reflective response on the week\u2019s topic. For my group, this reflection centred on the refugee crisis, with my paper focusing on the Rohingya. The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Rakhine State in western Myanmar. Despite having lived in the region for generations, they are not recognised as one of Myanmar\u2019s official ethnic groups and were effectively rendered stateless by the 1982 Citizenship Law. As a result, they have faced systemic discrimination and repeated outbreaks of violence, most notably in 2012 and 2017, which led to mass displacement, with hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighbouring countries, particularly Bangladesh. Today, the Rohingya crisis is widely regarded as one of the most severe and protracted refugee situations in Southeast Asia, marked by ongoing humanitarian, political, and ethical challenges.\r\n\r\nThrough engaging with this topic, I started to realise that the idea of \u201chome\u201d is not experienced equally by everyone. The belief that home \u201cstays within me wherever I may choose to go\u201d presumes security and recognition, privileges that many migrants and refugees do not have. For the Rohingya, movement often involves managing what must be left behind, negotiating safety, and navigating complex social and political landscapes.\r\n\r\nOne of the assigned readings, From Refugees to Legitimate Minority? Rohingya Performing National Belongings in Thailand by Jaehn, M. (2022), explored how many Rohingya have sought refuge in Thailand, only to encounter another state governed by a narrow vision of \u201cThai-ness,\u201d where citizenship and belonging are tied to nation, religion, and monarchy. Denied formal refugee status and stripped of legal recognition, the Rohingya perform belonging as a survival strategy: blending in, adapting their outward appearance, mimicking cultural norms, and suppressing visible markers of Rohingya identity to avoid deportation or detention, while preserving aspects of their ethnicity and culture in private and community spaces. This duality illustrates how \u201chome\u201d can be a contested, dynamic, and politically mediated concept, shaped by borders, policies, histories, and power.\r\n\r\nIn my reflective paper, I examined how the Rohingya crisis challenges not only ASEAN\u2019s moral authority but also our own roles as observers and scholars. Rather than treating suffering as an object of study, the paper questioned what it means to analyse invisibility or translate endurance into academic or artistic form. While ASEAN\u2019s \u201cpaper diplomacy\u201d gestures toward responsibility without enforcement, I argued that scholarly work risks replicating this distance if it remains detached from accountability.\r\n\r\nAnother key assignment involved constructing a family migration history, where students interviewed a family member with a migrant experience, whether cross-border or within Singapore, to explore migration as an intimate, lived process rather than a purely structural phenomenon. I interviewed my maternal grandmother, who moved to Singapore from Malacca first for work and later for marriage. Through questions about the journey itself, what she carried, who she travelled with, and the emotions associated with movement, as well as the analysis of photographs and hand-drawn objects connected to her migration, the assignment foregrounded memory, affect, and materiality. This exercise revealed that migration is often experienced through a complex mix of nostalgia, loss, and aspiration, complicating dominant narratives of mobility.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A drawing of a traditional clothing hand-sewn by my grandmother, carefully packed and carried with her on her migration to Singapore.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFinally, the research proposal or media analysis assignment invited students to develop an original research idea or critically examine representations of migration in various media forms. This open-ended format allowed for creative and interdisciplinary approaches, while requiring sustained engagement with academic debates on (im)mobility and migration in Southeast Asia. Together, these assessments reflected the course\u2019s broader aim: to move beyond abstract discussions of migration and instead cultivate critical, empathetic, and context-sensitive ways of understanding mobility in the region.\r\n\r\nUltimately, SE3216 taught me that migration is not merely about crossing borders, but about navigating uncertainty, negotiating belonging, and carrying fragments of home across time and space. Where Home once offered uncomplicated reassurance, it now invites a more careful reflection on who is able to claim home with certainty, and who must continually work to build and sustain it.\r\n\r\nI would wholeheartedly recommend this course to students, especially those looking to explore topics beyond their primary field of study. While it may feel different from more conventional Communities and Engagement courses, particularly as the form of \u201cengagement\u201d is less immediate or visible compared to the GEN-coded courses, I found that its impact was no less significant.\r\n\r\nSE3216 encourages a different kind of engagement: one that reshapes how you think, listen, and interact with people across the region. The course asks students to approach its material with openness, not only to unfamiliar concepts but also to the emotional weight that comes with discussions of migration, displacement, and belonging. It does not offer easy conclusions. Instead, it invites sustained reflection on ideas of citizenship, identity, and home \u2013 questions that are deeply relevant to Southeast Asia and, arguably, to the kind of work many of us may eventually do. Long after the seminars end, the questions raised in this course continue to linger, much like a familiar song that, once reinterpreted, can never quite be heard in the same way again.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>Learning to walk like an elephant Reflections on an NUS College Impact Experience project<\/a><\/h3>05 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12990\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team returned to Thailand in December 2025 to share their completed book with members of the elephant care community in Huay Pakkoot, including one of their interviewees, Root (back row, centre), a former elephant caretaker who started the village's first coffeeshop. On the far right in the front row is Ryan Lim, who shared his thoughts on his Impact Experience project for this article.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nThe Impact Experience<\/a>\u00a0(IEx) programme is a rite of passage for all\u00a0NUS College<\/a>\u00a0(NUSC) students, embodying the experiential learning and interdisciplinary approach that are hallmarks of the NUS honours college's curriculum.<\/p>\r\nA service-learning and community engagement project spanning two years, IEx takes students into communities in Singapore and Southeast Asia to apply their classroom theories to real-world issues. Each team comprises six to seven students from a variety of academic backgrounds who work closely with community partners, faculty supervisors and local residents to understand the communities' challenges and devise solutions.<\/p>\r\nRyan Lim, a Year 4 student majoring in\u00a0Southeast Asian Studies<\/a>, is among the first cohort of NUSC students who recently completed their IEx projects and showcased their work at the inaugural\u00a0Impact Festival in September 2025<\/a>. Reflecting on his extraordinary experience living with and learning from elephant caretakers in Huay Pakkoot, Thailand, Ryan shares the impact that this incredible opportunity has had on him and his educational development.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12989\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The team spent some time in nature with Rambo, one of the elephants in the Huay Pakkoot community, while his caretaker Thanet perused the Alongside Elephants book.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nAs part of the first cohort to go through the IEx programme, what were your thoughts when you first learnt about IEx?<\/strong>I felt IEx was something exciting and meaningful to look forward to as I was always keen to deepen my engagement with Southeast Asia. Also, unlike the usual university programmes, there was a lot of trust and autonomy given to students to ideate, plan, and run their IEx projects over the course of two years. For instance, IEx teams were mostly given project budgets upfront rather than on a reimbursement basis, and I felt this was very important from an equity angle, as it allowed all students to pursue regional projects if they were keen to. Since each group got to define the scope of their project, it was a good opportunity for the first NUSC cohort to bring ideas and learnings from the classroom into real life. How did your team collectively decide on your IEx project topic and scope?<\/strong>We had team members from different faculties and schools, but we were all keen on storytelling as an approach and grounding our work in lived realities. With that in mind, we approached a former NUSC anthropology lecturer, Dr Alexandra Dalferro, to be our advisor. Anthropology is about understanding people's lives and social systems across various contexts. This shaped our approach to let our engagement with the community guide how the project developed.<\/p>\r\nWe were keen to explore the topic of human-elephant relations in Southeast Asia, inspired by Dr Dalferro's research in Thailand, where elephants form a vital part of national culture. Another NUSC instructor, Associate Professor Peter Vail, invited us to join a trip to Chiang Mai, where we were introduced to the Thai elephant space by Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Coming in as students who only had touristic experiences with elephants and speaking to the diverse set of actors involved in elephant care in Thailand such as vets, tourist camp owners, and local communities with a long tradition of living with and caring for elephants, we felt there was a gap between what outsiders thought they knew about elephant care and what the Thai insiders shared with us.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12988\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] From left: Village elephant medicine maker Patti Johnee and P'Dee, founder of the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, check out the photobook. P'Dee expressed pride at its quality and appreciation for the nuance with which it presents different approaches to elephant care. He added that what mattered most to him was how it would help others understand the village's culture and elephant caretaking traditions across language barriers. Photo credit: Nigel Teh<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nOne of the moments that crystallised this for me was when we were speaking with Satit Trachookwamdee, or P'Dee, the founder of Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation. P'Dee, who comes from a Karen community that has lived and worked alongside elephants for more than 200 years, said to us that he wanted to show both the black and white of elephant care in Thailand. While he and his community loved their elephants and treated them as kin, he also wanted people to understand that caring for elephants is a resource-intensive and dangerous job.<\/p>\r\nAn example of how they balance these realities daily is the practice of tethering an elephant to a tree with a chain when its carer has to leave it alone. What may seem cruel at first glance is actually a practical compromise, giving the elephant some freedom while reducing the risk of human-elephant conflict that may occur if the elephant wanders into farmland or homes.<\/p>\r\nWe decided to interview and follow different local people on their daily routines of caring for elephants and compiled their various stories into a photobook and companion website. Our different skillsets - Luke and Nigel's photography and filmmaking; Chee Yan and Jia Liang's writing; Eryn and Gillian's design and drawing; supported by the Thai language skills I picked up to bridge the communication gap - came together nicely to create a rich and compelling final product. In curating these stories, we also sought to showcase diverse perspectives from the medical and commercial to the sociocultural.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12987\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team comprises five Year 4 students from NUS College and two Yale-NUS College alumni. Back row, from left: Nigel Teh, Environmental Engineering; Luke Goh, Information Systems; Koh Jia Liang (Global Affairs + Yale-NUS '24). Front row, from left: Gillian Ang, Communications and New Media; Eryn Lim, Sociology; Teo Chee Yan (Anthropology + Yale-NUS '24); Ryan Lim, Southeast Asian Studies.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nWhat are some lessons you have learned, and what do you hope other NUSC students will take away from their own community projects?<\/strong>This experience with managing our own project for two years taught me how much it takes to really drive something to make an impact. I was thankful that as a team, we were aligned and believed in the purpose of our project, and that how much we wanted to do was never a function of academic requirements but really grew out organically from what engaged and interested the team.<\/p>\r\nOne of our interviewees gave us this advice, which I think would be helpful to students now thinking about or working on their own IEx projects: He told us that since we are working on a project about elephants, we must also learn to 'walk like an elephant'. Elephants, he said, use their trunks to sense the ground before them before taking the next step. His advice reminded us to be humble and come in with an open, curious attitude to listen intentionally before thinking about impact.<\/p>\r\nIn December 2025, we made one final trip to Huay Pakkoot to deliver copies of the photobook back to the community who helped to create it. It is now on display in several local institutions, like a coffee shop and the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, where we hope it will be used to deepen understanding of elephant care among visitors.\u00a0Even though the project has now come to an official close, we are trying to continue it in our personal capacity, such as by producing a Thai version so the community can read the stories in their own language and distributing more books in Thailand. Please reach out to us if you are interested to collaborate!<\/p>\r\nHow has the IEx experience shaped your educational development?<\/strong>This experience ended up shaping my educational path more deeply than I initially expected. Working on the project taught me to think differently about learning - instead of applying theories we already knew, we had to listen carefully, sit with uncertainty, and allow the community's lived realities to guide our understanding.<\/p>\r\nThat shift carried over into my academic choices at NUS. I decided to take Thai language classes to better connect with the people we were working with and also spent four months on exchange in Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand, to improve my Thai language for daily use. This eventually led me to major in Southeast Asian Studies as a flexible pathway to combine my interest in the field of anthropology with my engagement with the region. Together, these experiences have influenced not just what I study, but how I approach learning and living in the region more broadly.<\/p>\r\nTo learn more about the Alongside Elephants project, check out\u00a0<\/i>their website<\/i><\/a>, this\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram post<\/i><\/a>\u00a0and these\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram highlights<\/i><\/a>\u00a0from their December 2025 trip.\u00a0The photobook is also available for browsing in the NUS Libraries collection.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 5 February 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Urbanising islands: A critical history of Singapore\u2019s offshore islands<\/a><\/h3>09 January 2026 <\/div>Did you know that Singapore boasts up to 54 surrounding islands, many of which were established through land reclamation post-independence? While most of these islands remain untouched, some play crucial roles in the city-state\u2019s development. Given their relative obscurity and historical significance to most Singaporeans, \u2018Urbanising Islands: A Critical History of Singapore\u2019s Offshore Islands\u2019, a chapter in Turning up the Heat: Urban Political Ecology for a Climate Emergency <\/em>(Manchester UP, 2023) by Dr. Creighton Connolly (The University of Hong Kong) and Associate Professor Hamzah Muzaini (NUS Southeast Asian Studies), explores the transformative nature of these islands.<\/p>\r\nThe authors highlight that capitalistic governance has significantly influenced the development of Singapore\u2019s Southern and Western Islands, shaping nature even beyond the city. Since independence, these islands have been redeveloped to support territorial organisation and key economic sectors. For example, they have been transformed into \u2018spatial envelopes\u2019 for brownfield activities like petrochemical industries and landfills. Jurong Island's creation has positioned Singapore as a global leader in the chemical industry, contributing approximately 34% of local manufacturing output in 2014. Similarly, Pulau Semakau, consisting of 220 hectares of reclaimed land, is Southeast Asia\u2019s largest offshore landfill. These islands play a crucial role given the land scarcity on the mainland, helping it remain clean and green while enabling economic progress.<\/p>\r\nThese transformations, however, have come at a high cost. Land reclamation, involving the dredging of sand, has led to the loss of up to 60% of Singapore\u2019s coral reefs and much of its natural shoreline. Additionally, waste incineration produces harmful air and aquatic pollution due to the toxins from the incineration ash, affecting Semakau and its surrounding areas throughout its operational lifetime. This process has irreversibly damaged the socio-ecologies of the islands. These outcomes underscore the political aspect of urban political ecology, highlighting the consequences of excessive capitalist accumulation and the socio-environmental inequalities that arise to meet economic demands.<\/p>\r\nLastly, the authors explore the tense dialectical relationship between city and countryside, noting that many indigenous communities who once inhabited these islands were pressured to leave to make way for repurposing projects. For instance, Pulau Seking once had a population of over 300 people before it was reclaimed to become part of Pulau Semakau\u2019s landfill.<\/p>\r\nThe authors conclude by suggesting that Singapore\u2019s offshore islands should be viewed as hybrid rural\/urban areas, as they exhibit characteristics of both. These islands should not be considered in isolation; instead, they should be preserved and utilised sustainably to ensure that socio-spatial transformations are accountable to all stakeholders, not just driven by economic considerations.<\/p>\r\nRead the chapter here<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12094\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"936\"] Photo: iStock\/Jennzhen[\/caption]<\/div><\/div>To Singapore for the buzz. To Johor for vast skies, open seas<\/a><\/h3>10 December 2025 <\/div><\/a>\r\nDiscover a thoughtful reflection on the contrasting charms of Singapore and Johor, written by our lecturer Dr Serina Rahman. She shares personal insights on the buzz of city life versus the calm of open skies and wide-open spaces across the Causeway. A meaningful read for those curious about both places and the lives lived between them.This article is available to subscribers.<\/em><\/div><\/div>Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood | Looking Back, Moving Forward Video Series \u2013 Episode 5: Innovation at the Intersections<\/a><\/h3>14 November 2025 <\/div>As part of our 'Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood' campaign for SG60, we present the 'Looking Back, Moving Forward' video series \u2014 inviting reflection on how Singapore\u2019s past shapes its future.\r\n\r\nThrough the work of NUS FASS researchers, the series uncovers the complexities behind the nation\u2019s celebrated 'success story', bringing to light the inequalities, contradictions, and costs often overlooked.\r\n\r\nThe fifth video, 'Innovation at the intersections', shows that studying Singapore helps us understand how innovation emerges at the intersections of technology, culture, and everyday life.<\/span>\r\n\r\nResearch by FASS faculty and students illustrates how AI, digital culture, public health, and youth sports are transforming urban life, with this video showing how technology and society are shaping Singapore today and tomorrow.\r\n\r\nLooking closely at Singapore today is, in this way, also a way of anticipating the Singapore we want to build for the next generation.\r\n\r\nRead more about the four publications featured in this episode on the Singapore Research Nexus (SRN) website using the link above each publication.\r\n\r\n \r\n1. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2024\/11\/21\/understanding-user-interactions-and-perceptions-of-ai-risk-in-singapore-3\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tNeyazi, T. A., Ng, S. W. T., Hobbs, M., & Yue, A. (2023). Understanding user interactions and perceptions of AI risk in Singapore. <\/span>Big Data & Society<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>10<\/span>(2), 20539517231213823. <\/span>https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/yfmfn87t<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n2. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2025\/07\/09\/excavating-amnesia-a-media-archaeology-of-early-internet-art-from-singapore\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tYamin, J., & Mitchell, A. (2023). Excavating Amnesia: A Media Archaeology of Early Internet Art from Singapore. <\/span>Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>7<\/span>(2), 47\u201378. <\/span>
New \"AI+X\" degrees for emerging careers<\/strong>At a panel led by NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost Professor Aaron Thean entitled \"Earth, Space, Data and AI: Degrees that Launch You into the Future\", visitors were introduced to NUS' expanding slate of \"AI+X\" programmes, designed to integrate AI across diverse disciplines to meet the demand for new careers and fields driven by the technology.\r\nIts latest effort is the\u00a0new Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Geospatial Intelligence Cross-Disciplinary Programme (GIX)<\/a>, the first bachelor's degree of its kind in Asia, which welcomes its first cohort in August 2026. Co-hosted by the Department of Geography at the\u00a0College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS)<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0NUS Computing<\/a>, it will train students to synthesise earth, space, and environmental data - such as those collected by satellites, drones and mobile devices - with AI tools to tackle challenges in urban planning, transportation, and climate change. With courses spanning geography and computer science, and an emphasis on integrated problem-solving, the programme opens doors to sectors including smart cities and sustainable development, as well as the space and satellite industries.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13122\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Prospective students had the chance to hear from NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost Professor Aaron Thean (third from left) at a talk on NUS' suite of AI-focused degree programmes. Joining him were (from left to right) Associate Professor Peter Chan from the College of Design and Engineering, Associate Professor Kan Min-Yen from NUS Computing, Associate Professor Wang Yi-Chen from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Professor Gary Ang from NUS Enterprise.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nThree other \"AI+X\" degrees were also highlighted. Admitting its second intake in August, the\u00a0Bachelor of Computing in Artificial Intelligence<\/a>\u00a0provides students with deep technical expertise, preparing them to design solutions to real-world problems using AI systems and models, grounded in a critical understanding of AI governance.<\/p>\r\nFormerly known as Information Systems, the\u00a0revamped Bachelor of Computing in Business Artificial Intelligence Systems<\/a>\u00a0integrates AI systems with business expertise to solve enterprise challenges and drive digital innovation.<\/p>\r\nAlso welcoming its second cohort in August is the\u00a0College of Design and Engineering<\/a>'s (CDE)\u00a0Bachelor of Engineering in Robotics and Machine Intelligence<\/a>\u00a0programme. Combining hardware, software, and AI, it prepares students to lead the applications of AI-enabled robotics - systems capable of sophisticated decisions and learning from their environments - in markets that are fast expanding beyond manufacturing to sectors such as healthcare, agriculture and logistics.<\/p>\r\nProf Thean emphasised that while NUS seeks to produce graduates who can capitalise on AI, the human element remains essential. \"New jobs and careers are emerging, and the question is how we prepare for them,\" he added, noting that the ultimate goal is for graduates to be adept at using the tools while possessing the critical thinking, decision-making and creativity to excel in the AI era.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13120\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye (second from right) visited the various booths, including the CDE's showcase of its innovative projects and models.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nFuture-ready engineering\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\nAside from showcasing the new robotics and machine intelligence degree, CDE delivered a comprehensive overview of the available programmes tailored to the evolving landscape - from\u00a0Mechanical Engineering<\/a>\u00a0to the\u00a0Minor in Artificial Intelligence (Design and Engineering)<\/a>.<\/p>\r\nThe Mechanical Engineering talk explored AI's applications in a wide range of industries, from aeronautics and urban transportation to sustainable energy and future cities. Students were given an overview of their career prospects, ranging from thermal R&D engineers to process development scientists.<\/p>\r\nAnother exciting new programme highlighted was the Artificial Intelligence minor. In the light of AI's position as a national priority in Singapore, prospective students got a snapshot of the industry landscape, as well as how the minor's industry-focused approach provides hands-on learning experiences in fundamental AI concepts like machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13118\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The interactive Innovation and Robotics Showcase drew visitors to experience the cutting-edge technological innovations created by NUS faculty and students that are transforming our world for the better.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\n<\/article>\r\nInnovations in action<\/strong>An interactive experience awaited visitors at the Innovation and Robotics Showcase, which featured futuristic projects by faculty and students at CDE,\u00a0NUS College<\/a>\u00a0(NUSC), and the\u00a0Centre for Quantum Technologies<\/a>\u00a0(CQT) that exemplify the spirit of cutting-edge innovation at NUS.<\/p>\r\nCDE presented an array of technologies making an impact in the real world, from virtual reality simulations that help users identify safety hazards in the construction industry to robot dogs that assist in search and rescue operations in hazardous terrain.<\/p>\r\nNUSC's \"Gut Guard\", a gamified learning\u00a0Impact Experience<\/a> project that tackles misconceptions about gut health, as well as CQT's technologies developed for Singapore's National Quantum-Safe Network testbed, were also on display.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13117\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The College of Humanities and Sciences unveiled a refreshed programme booth experience, grouping related disciplines into thematic zones to help prospective students better understand each discipline and how they can be meaningfully combined within the college's flexible curriculum.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nExploring real-world connections at CHS<\/strong>CHS, which brings together the\u00a0Faculty of Science<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>, traded individual programme booths for immersive thematic zones, allowing visitors to understand how diverse disciplines converge in the real world as part of a new approach that brought its interdisciplinary ethos to life.\r\nIn \"Understanding People and Societies\", which linked anthropology with sociology and psychology, they explored the role of these social sciences in understanding human behaviour, while \"Science in our Lives\" demonstrated the interconnected fields of chemical, biological and pharmaceutical science in contributing to better therapies.<\/p>\r\nUnderscoring this approach was \"Beyond the Textbook: Play, Policy, and Plants\", a panel which gathered faculty members from three interdisciplinary courses to discuss timely issues such as the importance of play in learning, the multifaceted aspects of drug regulation, and the study of plants as a lens for examining Southeast Asia's ecology, communities and livelihoods.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13116\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Apart from introducing its new campus at University Town, Law hosted an engaging line-up of talks, moot court demonstrations and masterclasses to welcome prospective students.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new chapter at UTown<\/strong>Following its\u00a0relocation from Bukit Timah<\/a>\u00a0to Kent Ridge, NUS Law offered prospective students a one-stop shop of what the faculty had to offer, with mooting sessions, thought-provoking masterclasses, and talks that highlighted its world-class faculty and illustrious alumni network.\r\nUnlike previous years, visitors no longer needed to shuttle between both campuses to explore all the Open House activities, said Mr Justin Tan, NUS Law's Vice-Dean (Student Affairs), who gave a welcome talk to prospective students. Remarking on the vibrant setting of its newly upgraded campus, he said, \"I think (visitors) will really love the fact that there are literally thousands of people living in UTown's apartment blocks, all within a few minutes' walk of our new campus. This translates to endless possibilities for a fantastic undergraduate life!\"<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\nBeyond the books<\/strong>NUSC<\/a>, the University's honours college, held sessions showcasing its\u00a0Global Experience<\/a>\u00a0(GEx) programme, which immerses students in 14 overseas sites for a month to engage deeply with their themes. In GEx New York, students examine its identity as a global city, investigating its urban development and cultural heritage through interactions with high-level diplomats, non-government organisations, and industry professionals.\r\nNUS Nursing<\/a>\u00a0held special classes where users learned empathetic communication in palliative care by conversing with an AI chatbot, and showcased its\u00a0new Concurrent Degree Programme<\/a>, which combines the Bachelor of Science (Nursing) (Honours) with the Master of Science (Biomedical Informatics).<\/p>\r\nMeanwhile,\u00a0NUS Medicine<\/a> offered a hands-on look at the future of medical education through clinical simulations, virtual reality stations, and insightful talks on its curriculum.<\/p>\r\nInside scoop on residential life<\/strong>Through talks, booths, and guided tours, Masters, Resident Fellows, and student leaders from the Residential Colleges, Halls, and Houses offered prospective students insights on the culture of their residences, the partnership between resident fellows and residents, and the vast array of student-led initiatives that foster vibrancy, community spirit, and inclusivity.\r\nNUS' newest hostel, the sports-themed\u00a0Valour House<\/a>, highlighted its key pillars of courage, strength, and resilience - characteristics not just of athletes but of students - to demonstrate its culture of supporting sporting achievements and encouraging residents to step out of their comfort zones.<\/p>\r\nVibrancy of NUS student life<\/strong>A dynamic line-up of performances and showcases, spotlighting some of NUS' finest talents in the performing arts, was presented by the various student clubs and interest groups at the Student Village. From upbeat, catchy tunes by\u00a0NUS Fingerstyle Guitar<\/a>\u00a0and a capella groups\u00a0NUS Resonance<\/a>,\u00a0RHythm<\/a>\u00a0from Raffles Hall, and\u00a0Eusoff Chorapella<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Eusoff Hall<\/a>\u00a0to skilful renditions by\u00a0Helix House<\/a>'s Helix Band and\u00a0Sheares Hall<\/a>'s Sheares Band, visitors were treated to a glimpse into the vibrant student experience at NUS beyond academic pursuits.<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 13 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>New Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS to advance interdisciplinary research on complex societal challenges<\/a><\/h3>05 March 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13076\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Present at the launch of the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS today were (from left) CSSH Deputy Director Assoc Prof Dandan Qiao from NUS School of Computing; CSSH Co-Director Prof Atreyi Kankanhalli from NUS School of Computing; Prof Tulika Mitra, Dean of NUS School of Computing; Prof Liu Bin, NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology); Prof Lionel Wee, Dean of NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; CSSH Co-Director Prof Peter Millican from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Assoc Prof Miguel Escobar Varela from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new research centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is bringing together data science, AI and computational methods with deep insights from social sciences and humanities to better understand complex social phenomena and develop solutions to pressing societal challenges. By combining technological innovation with human insight, the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities (CSSH) aims to generate research that improves lives, strengthens institutions, preserves cultural knowledge, and shapes more inclusive and resilient societies in Singapore and beyond.<\/p>\r\n\r\nOfficially launched today, CSSH is the first in Singapore to systematically bring together computational social science and the humanities within a single centre to bridge research, policy and real-world applications.<\/p>\r\nThe Centre draws on expertise across disciplines including computing, new media, linguistics, geography, public policy and healthcare, amongst others. This interdisciplinary foundation enables CSSH to examine how digital technologies intersect with social systems, such as assessing the societal implications of AI-enabled platforms, using digital tools to help preserve Singapore's cultural heritage, and strengthening digital literacy in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\r\nNUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Professor Liu Bin said, \"Rapid advances in digital technologies and AI are transforming our world. But technological breakthroughs are only as valuable as the difference they make to peoples' lives. CSSH reflects NUS' commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements in how we live, work and build stronger communities. By integrating computational methods with social science and humanities, the Centre will help translate research insights into policies and practices that deliver real-world impact.\"<\/p>\r\nShe added that the Centre complements Singapore's broader push for innovative, responsible harnessing of technology and AI which emphasises that progress should be not only technically advanced, but trusted, inclusive and grounded in real social needs.<\/p>\r\nDriving real-world impact through interdisciplinary innovation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\r\nCSSH is led by Co-Directors Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the\u00a0NUS School of Computing<\/a>\u00a0and Professor Peter Millican from the\u00a0NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>. The Centre supports both seed funding for emerging ideas and larger projects, all designed to generate real-world impact.<\/p>\r\nProf Kankanhalli said, \"What distinguishes CSSH is our ability to study human behaviour, institutions and societies at a scale and depth that was not previously possible. By combining computational methods with rich domain expertise in the social sciences and humanities, we can uncover patterns, test ideas, and generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice. Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people.\"<\/p>\r\nSince beginning operations in the second half of 2024, CSSH has embarked on more than 50 interdisciplinary projects involving 105 researchers from across NUS and their external collaborators. The projects demonstrate the breadth of its work - from AI-enabled analysis of social media impacts to digital preservation of historical archives.<\/p>\r\nAmongst the major research projects currently being undertaken by CSSH is one titled \"Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design\", led by Prof Kankanhalli. In this five-year project, researchers from NUS and three other local universities are collaborating to develop an AI-driven social simulation platform for policymakers to help test and refine policy interventions before they are rolled out.<\/p>\r\nUsing large language models (LLMs), the platform will model diverse public personas to enable policymakers to conduct swift preliminary testing of policy ideas. The simulations will complement traditional research methods by reducing the frequency of costly, time-consuming large-scale surveys and field studies during early policy development, while retaining real-world validation and community engagement at critical decision points. CSSH Deputy Director Associate Professor Dandan Qiao from the NUS School of Computing is also contributing her expertise to the project.<\/p>\r\nAnother project titled \"The Jawi AI Project\", led by NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela, harnesses AI to enable large-scale transliteration and analysis of Jawi texts. Early Malay-language newspapers in Singapore, published between 1870 and 1970 were written in Jawi, a script few can read today.<\/p>\r\nIn collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), the team comprising local and foreign experts is transforming thousands of archived pages into searchable Malay text, significantly expanding the range of materials available at NLB's digitised archives. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, who is also Deputy Director at CSSH, noted that the project could significantly expand research into Malay-language journalism and public debate in the region, broadening how Singapore's history is understood and taught.<\/p>\r\nProf Millican highlighted that a core mission of CSSH is to break down the walls between disciplines. By connecting humanities and social science researchers with computing and data science experts, the Centre fosters collaborations that neither field could achieve alone. \"Many of today's biggest challenges demand both deep specialist insight and serious technical firepower\", he explained, \"whether they involve untangling complex social issues, tackling health crises, anticipating future problems, or building the tools to address these. CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations.\"<\/p>\r\nHe added that the Centre looks forward to developing more projects addressing societal challenges to which computational insights can make the greatest difference. Focus areas include AI and emerging technologies, sustainability and environmental policy, population trends and demographic change, public health and social care, and the preservation and understanding of history and cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 4 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>New Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS to advance interdisciplinary research on complex societal challenges<\/a><\/h3>05 March 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13076\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Present at the launch of the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS today were (from left) CSSH Deputy Director Assoc Prof Dandan Qiao from NUS School of Computing; CSSH Co-Director Prof Atreyi Kankanhalli from NUS School of Computing; Prof Tulika Mitra, Dean of NUS School of Computing; Prof Liu Bin, NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology); Prof Lionel Wee, Dean of NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; CSSH Co-Director Prof Peter Millican from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Assoc Prof Miguel Escobar Varela from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new research centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is bringing together data science, AI and computational methods with deep insights from social sciences and humanities to better understand complex social phenomena and develop solutions to pressing societal challenges. By combining technological innovation with human insight, the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities (CSSH) aims to generate research that improves lives, strengthens institutions, preserves cultural knowledge, and shapes more inclusive and resilient societies in Singapore and beyond.<\/p>\r\n\r\nOfficially launched today, CSSH is the first in Singapore to systematically bring together computational social science and the humanities within a single centre to bridge research, policy and real-world applications.<\/p>\r\nThe Centre draws on expertise across disciplines including computing, new media, linguistics, geography, public policy and healthcare, amongst others. This interdisciplinary foundation enables CSSH to examine how digital technologies intersect with social systems, such as assessing the societal implications of AI-enabled platforms, using digital tools to help preserve Singapore's cultural heritage, and strengthening digital literacy in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\r\nNUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Professor Liu Bin said, \"Rapid advances in digital technologies and AI are transforming our world. But technological breakthroughs are only as valuable as the difference they make to peoples' lives. CSSH reflects NUS' commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements in how we live, work and build stronger communities. By integrating computational methods with social science and humanities, the Centre will help translate research insights into policies and practices that deliver real-world impact.\"<\/p>\r\nShe added that the Centre complements Singapore's broader push for innovative, responsible harnessing of technology and AI which emphasises that progress should be not only technically advanced, but trusted, inclusive and grounded in real social needs.<\/p>\r\nDriving real-world impact through interdisciplinary innovation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\r\nCSSH is led by Co-Directors Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the\u00a0NUS School of Computing<\/a>\u00a0and Professor Peter Millican from the\u00a0NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>. The Centre supports both seed funding for emerging ideas and larger projects, all designed to generate real-world impact.<\/p>\r\nProf Kankanhalli said, \"What distinguishes CSSH is our ability to study human behaviour, institutions and societies at a scale and depth that was not previously possible. By combining computational methods with rich domain expertise in the social sciences and humanities, we can uncover patterns, test ideas, and generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice. Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people.\"<\/p>\r\nSince beginning operations in the second half of 2024, CSSH has embarked on more than 50 interdisciplinary projects involving 105 researchers from across NUS and their external collaborators. The projects demonstrate the breadth of its work - from AI-enabled analysis of social media impacts to digital preservation of historical archives.<\/p>\r\nAmongst the major research projects currently being undertaken by CSSH is one titled \"Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design\", led by Prof Kankanhalli. In this five-year project, researchers from NUS and three other local universities are collaborating to develop an AI-driven social simulation platform for policymakers to help test and refine policy interventions before they are rolled out.<\/p>\r\nUsing large language models (LLMs), the platform will model diverse public personas to enable policymakers to conduct swift preliminary testing of policy ideas. The simulations will complement traditional research methods by reducing the frequency of costly, time-consuming large-scale surveys and field studies during early policy development, while retaining real-world validation and community engagement at critical decision points. CSSH Deputy Director Associate Professor Dandan Qiao from the NUS School of Computing is also contributing her expertise to the project.<\/p>\r\nAnother project titled \"The Jawi AI Project\", led by NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela, harnesses AI to enable large-scale transliteration and analysis of Jawi texts. Early Malay-language newspapers in Singapore, published between 1870 and 1970 were written in Jawi, a script few can read today.<\/p>\r\nIn collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), the team comprising local and foreign experts is transforming thousands of archived pages into searchable Malay text, significantly expanding the range of materials available at NLB's digitised archives. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, who is also Deputy Director at CSSH, noted that the project could significantly expand research into Malay-language journalism and public debate in the region, broadening how Singapore's history is understood and taught.<\/p>\r\nProf Millican highlighted that a core mission of CSSH is to break down the walls between disciplines. By connecting humanities and social science researchers with computing and data science experts, the Centre fosters collaborations that neither field could achieve alone. \"Many of today's biggest challenges demand both deep specialist insight and serious technical firepower\", he explained, \"whether they involve untangling complex social issues, tackling health crises, anticipating future problems, or building the tools to address these. CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations.\"<\/p>\r\nHe added that the Centre looks forward to developing more projects addressing societal challenges to which computational insights can make the greatest difference. Focus areas include AI and emerging technologies, sustainability and environmental policy, population trends and demographic change, public health and social care, and the preservation and understanding of history and cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 4 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Beyond Belief: Why Magic Matters in Modern SEA<\/a><\/h3>02 March 2026 <\/div>\r\nLiving in Southeast Asia and being Southeast Asian often entails an implicit understanding and awareness of magic in some form. But the crucial question to ask is: what IS magic?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\nAcross Southeast Asia there are many forms of magic, whether rooted in animistic, indigenous or folk practices, or in the syncretic practices of 'world religions'. Many beliefs and practices are simply accepted as an indubitable norm, and although sometimes we may not realise it, many of our everyday practices, habits and rituals are based in some sort of magical or spiritual belief that we simply accept as true.<\/p>\r\nThe course GEC1046, Magic Myth<\/a>s will dig deeper into these realities and explore what magic means in Southeast Asia. Not only do we examine local beliefs or adaptations of larger faith systems in the region, but we also look into how religious miracles are in themselves magical. We explore how magic happens, what people believe in, and how magic is seen and manifested - and why people might or might not believe in it.<\/p>\r\nThis course provides you with an alternative view of the world, tucked away in natural spaces, almost unseen between the shiny skyscrapers of modern Southeast Asia, yet always alive and thriving in a world that we\u00a0sometimes\u00a0barely discern.\u00a0This module will examine the duality that magic envelopes; at once the secret hand behind myriad facets of life, from politics to love and living; yet simply accepted as an obvious given. Magic and mythmaking alleviate fear, help people cope with change and the unknown, and make the intangible, tangible. Whether you believe in magic or not, taking this course will help you realise that magic really is almost everywhere in Southeast Asia - and discover its role in righting injustices, recording denied history, and highlighting gender inequalities.<\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Is This Home, Truly?<\/a><\/h3>13 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThis story first appeared on <\/em>NUS Cares Our Stories<\/a>\u00a0on February 2026 .\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\nSE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia was taught by Dr Simon Rowedder in Semester 1 AY25\/26.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIs This Home, Truly?<\/h2>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\nNUR Insyirah Binte Aidil, Faculty of Science<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHello! I\u2019m Insyirah, a Year 3 Environmental Studies major in the Faculty of Science, with minors in Geographic Information Systems and Southeast Asian Studies. While SE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia fulfils the Communities and Engagement pillar under the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) programme and can be double-counted towards my Southeast Asian Studies minor, what truly motivated me to take it was its focus on mobility and displacement in the region. As a region connected by seas and shaped by centuries of movement, migration is a shared reality in Southeast Asia \u2013 yet it remains a topic that is not often discussed extensively. For someone like me, with relatives in different parts of Malaysia, and having spent much of my childhood there despite being Singaporean, I was particularly curious about what drove migration, the different forms it could take, and the ways it shaped people\u2019s lives. This course offered an opportunity to engage with these narratives more deeply and critically.\r\n\r\nGrowing up in Singapore, Home by Dick Lee was more than just a song. It was the soundtrack of every August, an annual signal that National Day was coming. I sang along without thinking; it was one of those iconic National Day Parade songs everyone seemed to know by heart. The lyrics offered reassurance and certainty that home is fixed, familiar, and waiting. \u201cThis is where I won\u2019t be alone,\u201d the song promised, and for a long time, I believed it. I believed that home was something stable, unquestioned, and easily claimed.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A familiar landscape of Singapore. Photograph by Nur Insyirah\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIt was only while taking SE3216 that the song began to sound different. The course seeks to understand the complex trajectories, meanings, and outcomes of human mobility in Southeast Asia through both theoretical frameworks and empirical case studies. Throughout the course, we explored Southeast Asia as a space of migration and mobility, then and now, examining how diasporas emerged through trade, conflict, and colonial and post-colonial transformations. Case studies such as the different historical migration flows of \u2018Haw Chinese\u2019, who moved as traders and later as anti-communists Kuomintang into neighbouring mainland Southeast Asia, highlight how trade, conflict, and political change have shaped diasporic and hybrid identities, as well as the formation of racial, ethnic, political, and cultural minorities.\r\n\r\nThe course also foregrounded contemporary issues, including citizenship and belonging, the gendered dimensions of labour migration, irregular and undocumented migration, human trafficking, and refugee crises across Southeast Asia. Later seminars examined intergenerational mobilities, such as aspiring students and retirees, highlighting how mobility is structured not only by necessity and crisis but also by aspiration, privilege, and life stage. Together, these topics complicated any singular narrative of migration, revealing instead a region marked by uneven mobility and unequal access to rights, protection, and recognition.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBeyond lectures, SE3216 emphasised active engagement. Each week, a group of students led class discussions, summarising assigned readings and connecting theoretical concepts to real-world cases. Following each presentation, the discussion leaders were required to write an individual reflective response on the week\u2019s topic. For my group, this reflection centred on the refugee crisis, with my paper focusing on the Rohingya. The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Rakhine State in western Myanmar. Despite having lived in the region for generations, they are not recognised as one of Myanmar\u2019s official ethnic groups and were effectively rendered stateless by the 1982 Citizenship Law. As a result, they have faced systemic discrimination and repeated outbreaks of violence, most notably in 2012 and 2017, which led to mass displacement, with hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighbouring countries, particularly Bangladesh. Today, the Rohingya crisis is widely regarded as one of the most severe and protracted refugee situations in Southeast Asia, marked by ongoing humanitarian, political, and ethical challenges.\r\n\r\nThrough engaging with this topic, I started to realise that the idea of \u201chome\u201d is not experienced equally by everyone. The belief that home \u201cstays within me wherever I may choose to go\u201d presumes security and recognition, privileges that many migrants and refugees do not have. For the Rohingya, movement often involves managing what must be left behind, negotiating safety, and navigating complex social and political landscapes.\r\n\r\nOne of the assigned readings, From Refugees to Legitimate Minority? Rohingya Performing National Belongings in Thailand by Jaehn, M. (2022), explored how many Rohingya have sought refuge in Thailand, only to encounter another state governed by a narrow vision of \u201cThai-ness,\u201d where citizenship and belonging are tied to nation, religion, and monarchy. Denied formal refugee status and stripped of legal recognition, the Rohingya perform belonging as a survival strategy: blending in, adapting their outward appearance, mimicking cultural norms, and suppressing visible markers of Rohingya identity to avoid deportation or detention, while preserving aspects of their ethnicity and culture in private and community spaces. This duality illustrates how \u201chome\u201d can be a contested, dynamic, and politically mediated concept, shaped by borders, policies, histories, and power.\r\n\r\nIn my reflective paper, I examined how the Rohingya crisis challenges not only ASEAN\u2019s moral authority but also our own roles as observers and scholars. Rather than treating suffering as an object of study, the paper questioned what it means to analyse invisibility or translate endurance into academic or artistic form. While ASEAN\u2019s \u201cpaper diplomacy\u201d gestures toward responsibility without enforcement, I argued that scholarly work risks replicating this distance if it remains detached from accountability.\r\n\r\nAnother key assignment involved constructing a family migration history, where students interviewed a family member with a migrant experience, whether cross-border or within Singapore, to explore migration as an intimate, lived process rather than a purely structural phenomenon. I interviewed my maternal grandmother, who moved to Singapore from Malacca first for work and later for marriage. Through questions about the journey itself, what she carried, who she travelled with, and the emotions associated with movement, as well as the analysis of photographs and hand-drawn objects connected to her migration, the assignment foregrounded memory, affect, and materiality. This exercise revealed that migration is often experienced through a complex mix of nostalgia, loss, and aspiration, complicating dominant narratives of mobility.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A drawing of a traditional clothing hand-sewn by my grandmother, carefully packed and carried with her on her migration to Singapore.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFinally, the research proposal or media analysis assignment invited students to develop an original research idea or critically examine representations of migration in various media forms. This open-ended format allowed for creative and interdisciplinary approaches, while requiring sustained engagement with academic debates on (im)mobility and migration in Southeast Asia. Together, these assessments reflected the course\u2019s broader aim: to move beyond abstract discussions of migration and instead cultivate critical, empathetic, and context-sensitive ways of understanding mobility in the region.\r\n\r\nUltimately, SE3216 taught me that migration is not merely about crossing borders, but about navigating uncertainty, negotiating belonging, and carrying fragments of home across time and space. Where Home once offered uncomplicated reassurance, it now invites a more careful reflection on who is able to claim home with certainty, and who must continually work to build and sustain it.\r\n\r\nI would wholeheartedly recommend this course to students, especially those looking to explore topics beyond their primary field of study. While it may feel different from more conventional Communities and Engagement courses, particularly as the form of \u201cengagement\u201d is less immediate or visible compared to the GEN-coded courses, I found that its impact was no less significant.\r\n\r\nSE3216 encourages a different kind of engagement: one that reshapes how you think, listen, and interact with people across the region. The course asks students to approach its material with openness, not only to unfamiliar concepts but also to the emotional weight that comes with discussions of migration, displacement, and belonging. It does not offer easy conclusions. Instead, it invites sustained reflection on ideas of citizenship, identity, and home \u2013 questions that are deeply relevant to Southeast Asia and, arguably, to the kind of work many of us may eventually do. Long after the seminars end, the questions raised in this course continue to linger, much like a familiar song that, once reinterpreted, can never quite be heard in the same way again.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>Learning to walk like an elephant Reflections on an NUS College Impact Experience project<\/a><\/h3>05 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12990\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team returned to Thailand in December 2025 to share their completed book with members of the elephant care community in Huay Pakkoot, including one of their interviewees, Root (back row, centre), a former elephant caretaker who started the village's first coffeeshop. On the far right in the front row is Ryan Lim, who shared his thoughts on his Impact Experience project for this article.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nThe Impact Experience<\/a>\u00a0(IEx) programme is a rite of passage for all\u00a0NUS College<\/a>\u00a0(NUSC) students, embodying the experiential learning and interdisciplinary approach that are hallmarks of the NUS honours college's curriculum.<\/p>\r\nA service-learning and community engagement project spanning two years, IEx takes students into communities in Singapore and Southeast Asia to apply their classroom theories to real-world issues. Each team comprises six to seven students from a variety of academic backgrounds who work closely with community partners, faculty supervisors and local residents to understand the communities' challenges and devise solutions.<\/p>\r\nRyan Lim, a Year 4 student majoring in\u00a0Southeast Asian Studies<\/a>, is among the first cohort of NUSC students who recently completed their IEx projects and showcased their work at the inaugural\u00a0Impact Festival in September 2025<\/a>. Reflecting on his extraordinary experience living with and learning from elephant caretakers in Huay Pakkoot, Thailand, Ryan shares the impact that this incredible opportunity has had on him and his educational development.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12989\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The team spent some time in nature with Rambo, one of the elephants in the Huay Pakkoot community, while his caretaker Thanet perused the Alongside Elephants book.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nAs part of the first cohort to go through the IEx programme, what were your thoughts when you first learnt about IEx?<\/strong>I felt IEx was something exciting and meaningful to look forward to as I was always keen to deepen my engagement with Southeast Asia. Also, unlike the usual university programmes, there was a lot of trust and autonomy given to students to ideate, plan, and run their IEx projects over the course of two years. For instance, IEx teams were mostly given project budgets upfront rather than on a reimbursement basis, and I felt this was very important from an equity angle, as it allowed all students to pursue regional projects if they were keen to. Since each group got to define the scope of their project, it was a good opportunity for the first NUSC cohort to bring ideas and learnings from the classroom into real life. How did your team collectively decide on your IEx project topic and scope?<\/strong>We had team members from different faculties and schools, but we were all keen on storytelling as an approach and grounding our work in lived realities. With that in mind, we approached a former NUSC anthropology lecturer, Dr Alexandra Dalferro, to be our advisor. Anthropology is about understanding people's lives and social systems across various contexts. This shaped our approach to let our engagement with the community guide how the project developed.<\/p>\r\nWe were keen to explore the topic of human-elephant relations in Southeast Asia, inspired by Dr Dalferro's research in Thailand, where elephants form a vital part of national culture. Another NUSC instructor, Associate Professor Peter Vail, invited us to join a trip to Chiang Mai, where we were introduced to the Thai elephant space by Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Coming in as students who only had touristic experiences with elephants and speaking to the diverse set of actors involved in elephant care in Thailand such as vets, tourist camp owners, and local communities with a long tradition of living with and caring for elephants, we felt there was a gap between what outsiders thought they knew about elephant care and what the Thai insiders shared with us.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12988\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] From left: Village elephant medicine maker Patti Johnee and P'Dee, founder of the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, check out the photobook. P'Dee expressed pride at its quality and appreciation for the nuance with which it presents different approaches to elephant care. He added that what mattered most to him was how it would help others understand the village's culture and elephant caretaking traditions across language barriers. Photo credit: Nigel Teh<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nOne of the moments that crystallised this for me was when we were speaking with Satit Trachookwamdee, or P'Dee, the founder of Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation. P'Dee, who comes from a Karen community that has lived and worked alongside elephants for more than 200 years, said to us that he wanted to show both the black and white of elephant care in Thailand. While he and his community loved their elephants and treated them as kin, he also wanted people to understand that caring for elephants is a resource-intensive and dangerous job.<\/p>\r\nAn example of how they balance these realities daily is the practice of tethering an elephant to a tree with a chain when its carer has to leave it alone. What may seem cruel at first glance is actually a practical compromise, giving the elephant some freedom while reducing the risk of human-elephant conflict that may occur if the elephant wanders into farmland or homes.<\/p>\r\nWe decided to interview and follow different local people on their daily routines of caring for elephants and compiled their various stories into a photobook and companion website. Our different skillsets - Luke and Nigel's photography and filmmaking; Chee Yan and Jia Liang's writing; Eryn and Gillian's design and drawing; supported by the Thai language skills I picked up to bridge the communication gap - came together nicely to create a rich and compelling final product. In curating these stories, we also sought to showcase diverse perspectives from the medical and commercial to the sociocultural.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12987\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team comprises five Year 4 students from NUS College and two Yale-NUS College alumni. Back row, from left: Nigel Teh, Environmental Engineering; Luke Goh, Information Systems; Koh Jia Liang (Global Affairs + Yale-NUS '24). Front row, from left: Gillian Ang, Communications and New Media; Eryn Lim, Sociology; Teo Chee Yan (Anthropology + Yale-NUS '24); Ryan Lim, Southeast Asian Studies.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nWhat are some lessons you have learned, and what do you hope other NUSC students will take away from their own community projects?<\/strong>This experience with managing our own project for two years taught me how much it takes to really drive something to make an impact. I was thankful that as a team, we were aligned and believed in the purpose of our project, and that how much we wanted to do was never a function of academic requirements but really grew out organically from what engaged and interested the team.<\/p>\r\nOne of our interviewees gave us this advice, which I think would be helpful to students now thinking about or working on their own IEx projects: He told us that since we are working on a project about elephants, we must also learn to 'walk like an elephant'. Elephants, he said, use their trunks to sense the ground before them before taking the next step. His advice reminded us to be humble and come in with an open, curious attitude to listen intentionally before thinking about impact.<\/p>\r\nIn December 2025, we made one final trip to Huay Pakkoot to deliver copies of the photobook back to the community who helped to create it. It is now on display in several local institutions, like a coffee shop and the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, where we hope it will be used to deepen understanding of elephant care among visitors.\u00a0Even though the project has now come to an official close, we are trying to continue it in our personal capacity, such as by producing a Thai version so the community can read the stories in their own language and distributing more books in Thailand. Please reach out to us if you are interested to collaborate!<\/p>\r\nHow has the IEx experience shaped your educational development?<\/strong>This experience ended up shaping my educational path more deeply than I initially expected. Working on the project taught me to think differently about learning - instead of applying theories we already knew, we had to listen carefully, sit with uncertainty, and allow the community's lived realities to guide our understanding.<\/p>\r\nThat shift carried over into my academic choices at NUS. I decided to take Thai language classes to better connect with the people we were working with and also spent four months on exchange in Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand, to improve my Thai language for daily use. This eventually led me to major in Southeast Asian Studies as a flexible pathway to combine my interest in the field of anthropology with my engagement with the region. Together, these experiences have influenced not just what I study, but how I approach learning and living in the region more broadly.<\/p>\r\nTo learn more about the Alongside Elephants project, check out\u00a0<\/i>their website<\/i><\/a>, this\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram post<\/i><\/a>\u00a0and these\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram highlights<\/i><\/a>\u00a0from their December 2025 trip.\u00a0The photobook is also available for browsing in the NUS Libraries collection.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 5 February 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Urbanising islands: A critical history of Singapore\u2019s offshore islands<\/a><\/h3>09 January 2026 <\/div>Did you know that Singapore boasts up to 54 surrounding islands, many of which were established through land reclamation post-independence? While most of these islands remain untouched, some play crucial roles in the city-state\u2019s development. Given their relative obscurity and historical significance to most Singaporeans, \u2018Urbanising Islands: A Critical History of Singapore\u2019s Offshore Islands\u2019, a chapter in Turning up the Heat: Urban Political Ecology for a Climate Emergency <\/em>(Manchester UP, 2023) by Dr. Creighton Connolly (The University of Hong Kong) and Associate Professor Hamzah Muzaini (NUS Southeast Asian Studies), explores the transformative nature of these islands.<\/p>\r\nThe authors highlight that capitalistic governance has significantly influenced the development of Singapore\u2019s Southern and Western Islands, shaping nature even beyond the city. Since independence, these islands have been redeveloped to support territorial organisation and key economic sectors. For example, they have been transformed into \u2018spatial envelopes\u2019 for brownfield activities like petrochemical industries and landfills. Jurong Island's creation has positioned Singapore as a global leader in the chemical industry, contributing approximately 34% of local manufacturing output in 2014. Similarly, Pulau Semakau, consisting of 220 hectares of reclaimed land, is Southeast Asia\u2019s largest offshore landfill. These islands play a crucial role given the land scarcity on the mainland, helping it remain clean and green while enabling economic progress.<\/p>\r\nThese transformations, however, have come at a high cost. Land reclamation, involving the dredging of sand, has led to the loss of up to 60% of Singapore\u2019s coral reefs and much of its natural shoreline. Additionally, waste incineration produces harmful air and aquatic pollution due to the toxins from the incineration ash, affecting Semakau and its surrounding areas throughout its operational lifetime. This process has irreversibly damaged the socio-ecologies of the islands. These outcomes underscore the political aspect of urban political ecology, highlighting the consequences of excessive capitalist accumulation and the socio-environmental inequalities that arise to meet economic demands.<\/p>\r\nLastly, the authors explore the tense dialectical relationship between city and countryside, noting that many indigenous communities who once inhabited these islands were pressured to leave to make way for repurposing projects. For instance, Pulau Seking once had a population of over 300 people before it was reclaimed to become part of Pulau Semakau\u2019s landfill.<\/p>\r\nThe authors conclude by suggesting that Singapore\u2019s offshore islands should be viewed as hybrid rural\/urban areas, as they exhibit characteristics of both. These islands should not be considered in isolation; instead, they should be preserved and utilised sustainably to ensure that socio-spatial transformations are accountable to all stakeholders, not just driven by economic considerations.<\/p>\r\nRead the chapter here<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12094\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"936\"] Photo: iStock\/Jennzhen[\/caption]<\/div><\/div>To Singapore for the buzz. To Johor for vast skies, open seas<\/a><\/h3>10 December 2025 <\/div><\/a>\r\nDiscover a thoughtful reflection on the contrasting charms of Singapore and Johor, written by our lecturer Dr Serina Rahman. She shares personal insights on the buzz of city life versus the calm of open skies and wide-open spaces across the Causeway. A meaningful read for those curious about both places and the lives lived between them.This article is available to subscribers.<\/em><\/div><\/div>Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood | Looking Back, Moving Forward Video Series \u2013 Episode 5: Innovation at the Intersections<\/a><\/h3>14 November 2025 <\/div>As part of our 'Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood' campaign for SG60, we present the 'Looking Back, Moving Forward' video series \u2014 inviting reflection on how Singapore\u2019s past shapes its future.\r\n\r\nThrough the work of NUS FASS researchers, the series uncovers the complexities behind the nation\u2019s celebrated 'success story', bringing to light the inequalities, contradictions, and costs often overlooked.\r\n\r\nThe fifth video, 'Innovation at the intersections', shows that studying Singapore helps us understand how innovation emerges at the intersections of technology, culture, and everyday life.<\/span>\r\n\r\nResearch by FASS faculty and students illustrates how AI, digital culture, public health, and youth sports are transforming urban life, with this video showing how technology and society are shaping Singapore today and tomorrow.\r\n\r\nLooking closely at Singapore today is, in this way, also a way of anticipating the Singapore we want to build for the next generation.\r\n\r\nRead more about the four publications featured in this episode on the Singapore Research Nexus (SRN) website using the link above each publication.\r\n\r\n \r\n1. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2024\/11\/21\/understanding-user-interactions-and-perceptions-of-ai-risk-in-singapore-3\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tNeyazi, T. A., Ng, S. W. T., Hobbs, M., & Yue, A. (2023). Understanding user interactions and perceptions of AI risk in Singapore. <\/span>Big Data & Society<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>10<\/span>(2), 20539517231213823. <\/span>https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/yfmfn87t<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n2. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2025\/07\/09\/excavating-amnesia-a-media-archaeology-of-early-internet-art-from-singapore\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tYamin, J., & Mitchell, A. (2023). Excavating Amnesia: A Media Archaeology of Early Internet Art from Singapore. <\/span>Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>7<\/span>(2), 47\u201378. <\/span>
Exploring real-world connections at CHS<\/strong>CHS, which brings together the\u00a0Faculty of Science<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>, traded individual programme booths for immersive thematic zones, allowing visitors to understand how diverse disciplines converge in the real world as part of a new approach that brought its interdisciplinary ethos to life.\r\nIn \"Understanding People and Societies\", which linked anthropology with sociology and psychology, they explored the role of these social sciences in understanding human behaviour, while \"Science in our Lives\" demonstrated the interconnected fields of chemical, biological and pharmaceutical science in contributing to better therapies.<\/p>\r\nUnderscoring this approach was \"Beyond the Textbook: Play, Policy, and Plants\", a panel which gathered faculty members from three interdisciplinary courses to discuss timely issues such as the importance of play in learning, the multifaceted aspects of drug regulation, and the study of plants as a lens for examining Southeast Asia's ecology, communities and livelihoods.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13116\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Apart from introducing its new campus at University Town, Law hosted an engaging line-up of talks, moot court demonstrations and masterclasses to welcome prospective students.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new chapter at UTown<\/strong>Following its\u00a0relocation from Bukit Timah<\/a>\u00a0to Kent Ridge, NUS Law offered prospective students a one-stop shop of what the faculty had to offer, with mooting sessions, thought-provoking masterclasses, and talks that highlighted its world-class faculty and illustrious alumni network.\r\nUnlike previous years, visitors no longer needed to shuttle between both campuses to explore all the Open House activities, said Mr Justin Tan, NUS Law's Vice-Dean (Student Affairs), who gave a welcome talk to prospective students. Remarking on the vibrant setting of its newly upgraded campus, he said, \"I think (visitors) will really love the fact that there are literally thousands of people living in UTown's apartment blocks, all within a few minutes' walk of our new campus. This translates to endless possibilities for a fantastic undergraduate life!\"<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\nBeyond the books<\/strong>NUSC<\/a>, the University's honours college, held sessions showcasing its\u00a0Global Experience<\/a>\u00a0(GEx) programme, which immerses students in 14 overseas sites for a month to engage deeply with their themes. In GEx New York, students examine its identity as a global city, investigating its urban development and cultural heritage through interactions with high-level diplomats, non-government organisations, and industry professionals.\r\nNUS Nursing<\/a>\u00a0held special classes where users learned empathetic communication in palliative care by conversing with an AI chatbot, and showcased its\u00a0new Concurrent Degree Programme<\/a>, which combines the Bachelor of Science (Nursing) (Honours) with the Master of Science (Biomedical Informatics).<\/p>\r\nMeanwhile,\u00a0NUS Medicine<\/a> offered a hands-on look at the future of medical education through clinical simulations, virtual reality stations, and insightful talks on its curriculum.<\/p>\r\nInside scoop on residential life<\/strong>Through talks, booths, and guided tours, Masters, Resident Fellows, and student leaders from the Residential Colleges, Halls, and Houses offered prospective students insights on the culture of their residences, the partnership between resident fellows and residents, and the vast array of student-led initiatives that foster vibrancy, community spirit, and inclusivity.\r\nNUS' newest hostel, the sports-themed\u00a0Valour House<\/a>, highlighted its key pillars of courage, strength, and resilience - characteristics not just of athletes but of students - to demonstrate its culture of supporting sporting achievements and encouraging residents to step out of their comfort zones.<\/p>\r\nVibrancy of NUS student life<\/strong>A dynamic line-up of performances and showcases, spotlighting some of NUS' finest talents in the performing arts, was presented by the various student clubs and interest groups at the Student Village. From upbeat, catchy tunes by\u00a0NUS Fingerstyle Guitar<\/a>\u00a0and a capella groups\u00a0NUS Resonance<\/a>,\u00a0RHythm<\/a>\u00a0from Raffles Hall, and\u00a0Eusoff Chorapella<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Eusoff Hall<\/a>\u00a0to skilful renditions by\u00a0Helix House<\/a>'s Helix Band and\u00a0Sheares Hall<\/a>'s Sheares Band, visitors were treated to a glimpse into the vibrant student experience at NUS beyond academic pursuits.<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 13 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>New Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS to advance interdisciplinary research on complex societal challenges<\/a><\/h3>05 March 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13076\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Present at the launch of the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS today were (from left) CSSH Deputy Director Assoc Prof Dandan Qiao from NUS School of Computing; CSSH Co-Director Prof Atreyi Kankanhalli from NUS School of Computing; Prof Tulika Mitra, Dean of NUS School of Computing; Prof Liu Bin, NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology); Prof Lionel Wee, Dean of NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; CSSH Co-Director Prof Peter Millican from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Assoc Prof Miguel Escobar Varela from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new research centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is bringing together data science, AI and computational methods with deep insights from social sciences and humanities to better understand complex social phenomena and develop solutions to pressing societal challenges. By combining technological innovation with human insight, the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities (CSSH) aims to generate research that improves lives, strengthens institutions, preserves cultural knowledge, and shapes more inclusive and resilient societies in Singapore and beyond.<\/p>\r\n\r\nOfficially launched today, CSSH is the first in Singapore to systematically bring together computational social science and the humanities within a single centre to bridge research, policy and real-world applications.<\/p>\r\nThe Centre draws on expertise across disciplines including computing, new media, linguistics, geography, public policy and healthcare, amongst others. This interdisciplinary foundation enables CSSH to examine how digital technologies intersect with social systems, such as assessing the societal implications of AI-enabled platforms, using digital tools to help preserve Singapore's cultural heritage, and strengthening digital literacy in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\r\nNUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Professor Liu Bin said, \"Rapid advances in digital technologies and AI are transforming our world. But technological breakthroughs are only as valuable as the difference they make to peoples' lives. CSSH reflects NUS' commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements in how we live, work and build stronger communities. By integrating computational methods with social science and humanities, the Centre will help translate research insights into policies and practices that deliver real-world impact.\"<\/p>\r\nShe added that the Centre complements Singapore's broader push for innovative, responsible harnessing of technology and AI which emphasises that progress should be not only technically advanced, but trusted, inclusive and grounded in real social needs.<\/p>\r\nDriving real-world impact through interdisciplinary innovation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\r\nCSSH is led by Co-Directors Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the\u00a0NUS School of Computing<\/a>\u00a0and Professor Peter Millican from the\u00a0NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>. The Centre supports both seed funding for emerging ideas and larger projects, all designed to generate real-world impact.<\/p>\r\nProf Kankanhalli said, \"What distinguishes CSSH is our ability to study human behaviour, institutions and societies at a scale and depth that was not previously possible. By combining computational methods with rich domain expertise in the social sciences and humanities, we can uncover patterns, test ideas, and generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice. Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people.\"<\/p>\r\nSince beginning operations in the second half of 2024, CSSH has embarked on more than 50 interdisciplinary projects involving 105 researchers from across NUS and their external collaborators. The projects demonstrate the breadth of its work - from AI-enabled analysis of social media impacts to digital preservation of historical archives.<\/p>\r\nAmongst the major research projects currently being undertaken by CSSH is one titled \"Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design\", led by Prof Kankanhalli. In this five-year project, researchers from NUS and three other local universities are collaborating to develop an AI-driven social simulation platform for policymakers to help test and refine policy interventions before they are rolled out.<\/p>\r\nUsing large language models (LLMs), the platform will model diverse public personas to enable policymakers to conduct swift preliminary testing of policy ideas. The simulations will complement traditional research methods by reducing the frequency of costly, time-consuming large-scale surveys and field studies during early policy development, while retaining real-world validation and community engagement at critical decision points. CSSH Deputy Director Associate Professor Dandan Qiao from the NUS School of Computing is also contributing her expertise to the project.<\/p>\r\nAnother project titled \"The Jawi AI Project\", led by NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela, harnesses AI to enable large-scale transliteration and analysis of Jawi texts. Early Malay-language newspapers in Singapore, published between 1870 and 1970 were written in Jawi, a script few can read today.<\/p>\r\nIn collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), the team comprising local and foreign experts is transforming thousands of archived pages into searchable Malay text, significantly expanding the range of materials available at NLB's digitised archives. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, who is also Deputy Director at CSSH, noted that the project could significantly expand research into Malay-language journalism and public debate in the region, broadening how Singapore's history is understood and taught.<\/p>\r\nProf Millican highlighted that a core mission of CSSH is to break down the walls between disciplines. By connecting humanities and social science researchers with computing and data science experts, the Centre fosters collaborations that neither field could achieve alone. \"Many of today's biggest challenges demand both deep specialist insight and serious technical firepower\", he explained, \"whether they involve untangling complex social issues, tackling health crises, anticipating future problems, or building the tools to address these. CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations.\"<\/p>\r\nHe added that the Centre looks forward to developing more projects addressing societal challenges to which computational insights can make the greatest difference. Focus areas include AI and emerging technologies, sustainability and environmental policy, population trends and demographic change, public health and social care, and the preservation and understanding of history and cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 4 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>New Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS to advance interdisciplinary research on complex societal challenges<\/a><\/h3>05 March 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13076\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Present at the launch of the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS today were (from left) CSSH Deputy Director Assoc Prof Dandan Qiao from NUS School of Computing; CSSH Co-Director Prof Atreyi Kankanhalli from NUS School of Computing; Prof Tulika Mitra, Dean of NUS School of Computing; Prof Liu Bin, NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology); Prof Lionel Wee, Dean of NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; CSSH Co-Director Prof Peter Millican from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Assoc Prof Miguel Escobar Varela from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new research centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is bringing together data science, AI and computational methods with deep insights from social sciences and humanities to better understand complex social phenomena and develop solutions to pressing societal challenges. By combining technological innovation with human insight, the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities (CSSH) aims to generate research that improves lives, strengthens institutions, preserves cultural knowledge, and shapes more inclusive and resilient societies in Singapore and beyond.<\/p>\r\n\r\nOfficially launched today, CSSH is the first in Singapore to systematically bring together computational social science and the humanities within a single centre to bridge research, policy and real-world applications.<\/p>\r\nThe Centre draws on expertise across disciplines including computing, new media, linguistics, geography, public policy and healthcare, amongst others. This interdisciplinary foundation enables CSSH to examine how digital technologies intersect with social systems, such as assessing the societal implications of AI-enabled platforms, using digital tools to help preserve Singapore's cultural heritage, and strengthening digital literacy in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\r\nNUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Professor Liu Bin said, \"Rapid advances in digital technologies and AI are transforming our world. But technological breakthroughs are only as valuable as the difference they make to peoples' lives. CSSH reflects NUS' commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements in how we live, work and build stronger communities. By integrating computational methods with social science and humanities, the Centre will help translate research insights into policies and practices that deliver real-world impact.\"<\/p>\r\nShe added that the Centre complements Singapore's broader push for innovative, responsible harnessing of technology and AI which emphasises that progress should be not only technically advanced, but trusted, inclusive and grounded in real social needs.<\/p>\r\nDriving real-world impact through interdisciplinary innovation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\r\nCSSH is led by Co-Directors Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the\u00a0NUS School of Computing<\/a>\u00a0and Professor Peter Millican from the\u00a0NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>. The Centre supports both seed funding for emerging ideas and larger projects, all designed to generate real-world impact.<\/p>\r\nProf Kankanhalli said, \"What distinguishes CSSH is our ability to study human behaviour, institutions and societies at a scale and depth that was not previously possible. By combining computational methods with rich domain expertise in the social sciences and humanities, we can uncover patterns, test ideas, and generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice. Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people.\"<\/p>\r\nSince beginning operations in the second half of 2024, CSSH has embarked on more than 50 interdisciplinary projects involving 105 researchers from across NUS and their external collaborators. The projects demonstrate the breadth of its work - from AI-enabled analysis of social media impacts to digital preservation of historical archives.<\/p>\r\nAmongst the major research projects currently being undertaken by CSSH is one titled \"Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design\", led by Prof Kankanhalli. In this five-year project, researchers from NUS and three other local universities are collaborating to develop an AI-driven social simulation platform for policymakers to help test and refine policy interventions before they are rolled out.<\/p>\r\nUsing large language models (LLMs), the platform will model diverse public personas to enable policymakers to conduct swift preliminary testing of policy ideas. The simulations will complement traditional research methods by reducing the frequency of costly, time-consuming large-scale surveys and field studies during early policy development, while retaining real-world validation and community engagement at critical decision points. CSSH Deputy Director Associate Professor Dandan Qiao from the NUS School of Computing is also contributing her expertise to the project.<\/p>\r\nAnother project titled \"The Jawi AI Project\", led by NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela, harnesses AI to enable large-scale transliteration and analysis of Jawi texts. Early Malay-language newspapers in Singapore, published between 1870 and 1970 were written in Jawi, a script few can read today.<\/p>\r\nIn collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), the team comprising local and foreign experts is transforming thousands of archived pages into searchable Malay text, significantly expanding the range of materials available at NLB's digitised archives. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, who is also Deputy Director at CSSH, noted that the project could significantly expand research into Malay-language journalism and public debate in the region, broadening how Singapore's history is understood and taught.<\/p>\r\nProf Millican highlighted that a core mission of CSSH is to break down the walls between disciplines. By connecting humanities and social science researchers with computing and data science experts, the Centre fosters collaborations that neither field could achieve alone. \"Many of today's biggest challenges demand both deep specialist insight and serious technical firepower\", he explained, \"whether they involve untangling complex social issues, tackling health crises, anticipating future problems, or building the tools to address these. CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations.\"<\/p>\r\nHe added that the Centre looks forward to developing more projects addressing societal challenges to which computational insights can make the greatest difference. Focus areas include AI and emerging technologies, sustainability and environmental policy, population trends and demographic change, public health and social care, and the preservation and understanding of history and cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 4 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Beyond Belief: Why Magic Matters in Modern SEA<\/a><\/h3>02 March 2026 <\/div>\r\nLiving in Southeast Asia and being Southeast Asian often entails an implicit understanding and awareness of magic in some form. But the crucial question to ask is: what IS magic?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\nAcross Southeast Asia there are many forms of magic, whether rooted in animistic, indigenous or folk practices, or in the syncretic practices of 'world religions'. Many beliefs and practices are simply accepted as an indubitable norm, and although sometimes we may not realise it, many of our everyday practices, habits and rituals are based in some sort of magical or spiritual belief that we simply accept as true.<\/p>\r\nThe course GEC1046, Magic Myth<\/a>s will dig deeper into these realities and explore what magic means in Southeast Asia. Not only do we examine local beliefs or adaptations of larger faith systems in the region, but we also look into how religious miracles are in themselves magical. We explore how magic happens, what people believe in, and how magic is seen and manifested - and why people might or might not believe in it.<\/p>\r\nThis course provides you with an alternative view of the world, tucked away in natural spaces, almost unseen between the shiny skyscrapers of modern Southeast Asia, yet always alive and thriving in a world that we\u00a0sometimes\u00a0barely discern.\u00a0This module will examine the duality that magic envelopes; at once the secret hand behind myriad facets of life, from politics to love and living; yet simply accepted as an obvious given. Magic and mythmaking alleviate fear, help people cope with change and the unknown, and make the intangible, tangible. Whether you believe in magic or not, taking this course will help you realise that magic really is almost everywhere in Southeast Asia - and discover its role in righting injustices, recording denied history, and highlighting gender inequalities.<\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Is This Home, Truly?<\/a><\/h3>13 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThis story first appeared on <\/em>NUS Cares Our Stories<\/a>\u00a0on February 2026 .\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\nSE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia was taught by Dr Simon Rowedder in Semester 1 AY25\/26.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIs This Home, Truly?<\/h2>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\nNUR Insyirah Binte Aidil, Faculty of Science<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHello! I\u2019m Insyirah, a Year 3 Environmental Studies major in the Faculty of Science, with minors in Geographic Information Systems and Southeast Asian Studies. While SE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia fulfils the Communities and Engagement pillar under the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) programme and can be double-counted towards my Southeast Asian Studies minor, what truly motivated me to take it was its focus on mobility and displacement in the region. As a region connected by seas and shaped by centuries of movement, migration is a shared reality in Southeast Asia \u2013 yet it remains a topic that is not often discussed extensively. For someone like me, with relatives in different parts of Malaysia, and having spent much of my childhood there despite being Singaporean, I was particularly curious about what drove migration, the different forms it could take, and the ways it shaped people\u2019s lives. This course offered an opportunity to engage with these narratives more deeply and critically.\r\n\r\nGrowing up in Singapore, Home by Dick Lee was more than just a song. It was the soundtrack of every August, an annual signal that National Day was coming. I sang along without thinking; it was one of those iconic National Day Parade songs everyone seemed to know by heart. The lyrics offered reassurance and certainty that home is fixed, familiar, and waiting. \u201cThis is where I won\u2019t be alone,\u201d the song promised, and for a long time, I believed it. I believed that home was something stable, unquestioned, and easily claimed.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A familiar landscape of Singapore. Photograph by Nur Insyirah\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIt was only while taking SE3216 that the song began to sound different. The course seeks to understand the complex trajectories, meanings, and outcomes of human mobility in Southeast Asia through both theoretical frameworks and empirical case studies. Throughout the course, we explored Southeast Asia as a space of migration and mobility, then and now, examining how diasporas emerged through trade, conflict, and colonial and post-colonial transformations. Case studies such as the different historical migration flows of \u2018Haw Chinese\u2019, who moved as traders and later as anti-communists Kuomintang into neighbouring mainland Southeast Asia, highlight how trade, conflict, and political change have shaped diasporic and hybrid identities, as well as the formation of racial, ethnic, political, and cultural minorities.\r\n\r\nThe course also foregrounded contemporary issues, including citizenship and belonging, the gendered dimensions of labour migration, irregular and undocumented migration, human trafficking, and refugee crises across Southeast Asia. Later seminars examined intergenerational mobilities, such as aspiring students and retirees, highlighting how mobility is structured not only by necessity and crisis but also by aspiration, privilege, and life stage. Together, these topics complicated any singular narrative of migration, revealing instead a region marked by uneven mobility and unequal access to rights, protection, and recognition.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBeyond lectures, SE3216 emphasised active engagement. Each week, a group of students led class discussions, summarising assigned readings and connecting theoretical concepts to real-world cases. Following each presentation, the discussion leaders were required to write an individual reflective response on the week\u2019s topic. For my group, this reflection centred on the refugee crisis, with my paper focusing on the Rohingya. The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Rakhine State in western Myanmar. Despite having lived in the region for generations, they are not recognised as one of Myanmar\u2019s official ethnic groups and were effectively rendered stateless by the 1982 Citizenship Law. As a result, they have faced systemic discrimination and repeated outbreaks of violence, most notably in 2012 and 2017, which led to mass displacement, with hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighbouring countries, particularly Bangladesh. Today, the Rohingya crisis is widely regarded as one of the most severe and protracted refugee situations in Southeast Asia, marked by ongoing humanitarian, political, and ethical challenges.\r\n\r\nThrough engaging with this topic, I started to realise that the idea of \u201chome\u201d is not experienced equally by everyone. The belief that home \u201cstays within me wherever I may choose to go\u201d presumes security and recognition, privileges that many migrants and refugees do not have. For the Rohingya, movement often involves managing what must be left behind, negotiating safety, and navigating complex social and political landscapes.\r\n\r\nOne of the assigned readings, From Refugees to Legitimate Minority? Rohingya Performing National Belongings in Thailand by Jaehn, M. (2022), explored how many Rohingya have sought refuge in Thailand, only to encounter another state governed by a narrow vision of \u201cThai-ness,\u201d where citizenship and belonging are tied to nation, religion, and monarchy. Denied formal refugee status and stripped of legal recognition, the Rohingya perform belonging as a survival strategy: blending in, adapting their outward appearance, mimicking cultural norms, and suppressing visible markers of Rohingya identity to avoid deportation or detention, while preserving aspects of their ethnicity and culture in private and community spaces. This duality illustrates how \u201chome\u201d can be a contested, dynamic, and politically mediated concept, shaped by borders, policies, histories, and power.\r\n\r\nIn my reflective paper, I examined how the Rohingya crisis challenges not only ASEAN\u2019s moral authority but also our own roles as observers and scholars. Rather than treating suffering as an object of study, the paper questioned what it means to analyse invisibility or translate endurance into academic or artistic form. While ASEAN\u2019s \u201cpaper diplomacy\u201d gestures toward responsibility without enforcement, I argued that scholarly work risks replicating this distance if it remains detached from accountability.\r\n\r\nAnother key assignment involved constructing a family migration history, where students interviewed a family member with a migrant experience, whether cross-border or within Singapore, to explore migration as an intimate, lived process rather than a purely structural phenomenon. I interviewed my maternal grandmother, who moved to Singapore from Malacca first for work and later for marriage. Through questions about the journey itself, what she carried, who she travelled with, and the emotions associated with movement, as well as the analysis of photographs and hand-drawn objects connected to her migration, the assignment foregrounded memory, affect, and materiality. This exercise revealed that migration is often experienced through a complex mix of nostalgia, loss, and aspiration, complicating dominant narratives of mobility.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A drawing of a traditional clothing hand-sewn by my grandmother, carefully packed and carried with her on her migration to Singapore.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFinally, the research proposal or media analysis assignment invited students to develop an original research idea or critically examine representations of migration in various media forms. This open-ended format allowed for creative and interdisciplinary approaches, while requiring sustained engagement with academic debates on (im)mobility and migration in Southeast Asia. Together, these assessments reflected the course\u2019s broader aim: to move beyond abstract discussions of migration and instead cultivate critical, empathetic, and context-sensitive ways of understanding mobility in the region.\r\n\r\nUltimately, SE3216 taught me that migration is not merely about crossing borders, but about navigating uncertainty, negotiating belonging, and carrying fragments of home across time and space. Where Home once offered uncomplicated reassurance, it now invites a more careful reflection on who is able to claim home with certainty, and who must continually work to build and sustain it.\r\n\r\nI would wholeheartedly recommend this course to students, especially those looking to explore topics beyond their primary field of study. While it may feel different from more conventional Communities and Engagement courses, particularly as the form of \u201cengagement\u201d is less immediate or visible compared to the GEN-coded courses, I found that its impact was no less significant.\r\n\r\nSE3216 encourages a different kind of engagement: one that reshapes how you think, listen, and interact with people across the region. The course asks students to approach its material with openness, not only to unfamiliar concepts but also to the emotional weight that comes with discussions of migration, displacement, and belonging. It does not offer easy conclusions. Instead, it invites sustained reflection on ideas of citizenship, identity, and home \u2013 questions that are deeply relevant to Southeast Asia and, arguably, to the kind of work many of us may eventually do. Long after the seminars end, the questions raised in this course continue to linger, much like a familiar song that, once reinterpreted, can never quite be heard in the same way again.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>Learning to walk like an elephant Reflections on an NUS College Impact Experience project<\/a><\/h3>05 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12990\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team returned to Thailand in December 2025 to share their completed book with members of the elephant care community in Huay Pakkoot, including one of their interviewees, Root (back row, centre), a former elephant caretaker who started the village's first coffeeshop. On the far right in the front row is Ryan Lim, who shared his thoughts on his Impact Experience project for this article.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nThe Impact Experience<\/a>\u00a0(IEx) programme is a rite of passage for all\u00a0NUS College<\/a>\u00a0(NUSC) students, embodying the experiential learning and interdisciplinary approach that are hallmarks of the NUS honours college's curriculum.<\/p>\r\nA service-learning and community engagement project spanning two years, IEx takes students into communities in Singapore and Southeast Asia to apply their classroom theories to real-world issues. Each team comprises six to seven students from a variety of academic backgrounds who work closely with community partners, faculty supervisors and local residents to understand the communities' challenges and devise solutions.<\/p>\r\nRyan Lim, a Year 4 student majoring in\u00a0Southeast Asian Studies<\/a>, is among the first cohort of NUSC students who recently completed their IEx projects and showcased their work at the inaugural\u00a0Impact Festival in September 2025<\/a>. Reflecting on his extraordinary experience living with and learning from elephant caretakers in Huay Pakkoot, Thailand, Ryan shares the impact that this incredible opportunity has had on him and his educational development.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12989\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The team spent some time in nature with Rambo, one of the elephants in the Huay Pakkoot community, while his caretaker Thanet perused the Alongside Elephants book.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nAs part of the first cohort to go through the IEx programme, what were your thoughts when you first learnt about IEx?<\/strong>I felt IEx was something exciting and meaningful to look forward to as I was always keen to deepen my engagement with Southeast Asia. Also, unlike the usual university programmes, there was a lot of trust and autonomy given to students to ideate, plan, and run their IEx projects over the course of two years. For instance, IEx teams were mostly given project budgets upfront rather than on a reimbursement basis, and I felt this was very important from an equity angle, as it allowed all students to pursue regional projects if they were keen to. Since each group got to define the scope of their project, it was a good opportunity for the first NUSC cohort to bring ideas and learnings from the classroom into real life. How did your team collectively decide on your IEx project topic and scope?<\/strong>We had team members from different faculties and schools, but we were all keen on storytelling as an approach and grounding our work in lived realities. With that in mind, we approached a former NUSC anthropology lecturer, Dr Alexandra Dalferro, to be our advisor. Anthropology is about understanding people's lives and social systems across various contexts. This shaped our approach to let our engagement with the community guide how the project developed.<\/p>\r\nWe were keen to explore the topic of human-elephant relations in Southeast Asia, inspired by Dr Dalferro's research in Thailand, where elephants form a vital part of national culture. Another NUSC instructor, Associate Professor Peter Vail, invited us to join a trip to Chiang Mai, where we were introduced to the Thai elephant space by Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Coming in as students who only had touristic experiences with elephants and speaking to the diverse set of actors involved in elephant care in Thailand such as vets, tourist camp owners, and local communities with a long tradition of living with and caring for elephants, we felt there was a gap between what outsiders thought they knew about elephant care and what the Thai insiders shared with us.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12988\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] From left: Village elephant medicine maker Patti Johnee and P'Dee, founder of the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, check out the photobook. P'Dee expressed pride at its quality and appreciation for the nuance with which it presents different approaches to elephant care. He added that what mattered most to him was how it would help others understand the village's culture and elephant caretaking traditions across language barriers. Photo credit: Nigel Teh<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nOne of the moments that crystallised this for me was when we were speaking with Satit Trachookwamdee, or P'Dee, the founder of Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation. P'Dee, who comes from a Karen community that has lived and worked alongside elephants for more than 200 years, said to us that he wanted to show both the black and white of elephant care in Thailand. While he and his community loved their elephants and treated them as kin, he also wanted people to understand that caring for elephants is a resource-intensive and dangerous job.<\/p>\r\nAn example of how they balance these realities daily is the practice of tethering an elephant to a tree with a chain when its carer has to leave it alone. What may seem cruel at first glance is actually a practical compromise, giving the elephant some freedom while reducing the risk of human-elephant conflict that may occur if the elephant wanders into farmland or homes.<\/p>\r\nWe decided to interview and follow different local people on their daily routines of caring for elephants and compiled their various stories into a photobook and companion website. Our different skillsets - Luke and Nigel's photography and filmmaking; Chee Yan and Jia Liang's writing; Eryn and Gillian's design and drawing; supported by the Thai language skills I picked up to bridge the communication gap - came together nicely to create a rich and compelling final product. In curating these stories, we also sought to showcase diverse perspectives from the medical and commercial to the sociocultural.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12987\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team comprises five Year 4 students from NUS College and two Yale-NUS College alumni. Back row, from left: Nigel Teh, Environmental Engineering; Luke Goh, Information Systems; Koh Jia Liang (Global Affairs + Yale-NUS '24). Front row, from left: Gillian Ang, Communications and New Media; Eryn Lim, Sociology; Teo Chee Yan (Anthropology + Yale-NUS '24); Ryan Lim, Southeast Asian Studies.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nWhat are some lessons you have learned, and what do you hope other NUSC students will take away from their own community projects?<\/strong>This experience with managing our own project for two years taught me how much it takes to really drive something to make an impact. I was thankful that as a team, we were aligned and believed in the purpose of our project, and that how much we wanted to do was never a function of academic requirements but really grew out organically from what engaged and interested the team.<\/p>\r\nOne of our interviewees gave us this advice, which I think would be helpful to students now thinking about or working on their own IEx projects: He told us that since we are working on a project about elephants, we must also learn to 'walk like an elephant'. Elephants, he said, use their trunks to sense the ground before them before taking the next step. His advice reminded us to be humble and come in with an open, curious attitude to listen intentionally before thinking about impact.<\/p>\r\nIn December 2025, we made one final trip to Huay Pakkoot to deliver copies of the photobook back to the community who helped to create it. It is now on display in several local institutions, like a coffee shop and the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, where we hope it will be used to deepen understanding of elephant care among visitors.\u00a0Even though the project has now come to an official close, we are trying to continue it in our personal capacity, such as by producing a Thai version so the community can read the stories in their own language and distributing more books in Thailand. Please reach out to us if you are interested to collaborate!<\/p>\r\nHow has the IEx experience shaped your educational development?<\/strong>This experience ended up shaping my educational path more deeply than I initially expected. Working on the project taught me to think differently about learning - instead of applying theories we already knew, we had to listen carefully, sit with uncertainty, and allow the community's lived realities to guide our understanding.<\/p>\r\nThat shift carried over into my academic choices at NUS. I decided to take Thai language classes to better connect with the people we were working with and also spent four months on exchange in Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand, to improve my Thai language for daily use. This eventually led me to major in Southeast Asian Studies as a flexible pathway to combine my interest in the field of anthropology with my engagement with the region. Together, these experiences have influenced not just what I study, but how I approach learning and living in the region more broadly.<\/p>\r\nTo learn more about the Alongside Elephants project, check out\u00a0<\/i>their website<\/i><\/a>, this\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram post<\/i><\/a>\u00a0and these\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram highlights<\/i><\/a>\u00a0from their December 2025 trip.\u00a0The photobook is also available for browsing in the NUS Libraries collection.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 5 February 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Urbanising islands: A critical history of Singapore\u2019s offshore islands<\/a><\/h3>09 January 2026 <\/div>Did you know that Singapore boasts up to 54 surrounding islands, many of which were established through land reclamation post-independence? While most of these islands remain untouched, some play crucial roles in the city-state\u2019s development. Given their relative obscurity and historical significance to most Singaporeans, \u2018Urbanising Islands: A Critical History of Singapore\u2019s Offshore Islands\u2019, a chapter in Turning up the Heat: Urban Political Ecology for a Climate Emergency <\/em>(Manchester UP, 2023) by Dr. Creighton Connolly (The University of Hong Kong) and Associate Professor Hamzah Muzaini (NUS Southeast Asian Studies), explores the transformative nature of these islands.<\/p>\r\nThe authors highlight that capitalistic governance has significantly influenced the development of Singapore\u2019s Southern and Western Islands, shaping nature even beyond the city. Since independence, these islands have been redeveloped to support territorial organisation and key economic sectors. For example, they have been transformed into \u2018spatial envelopes\u2019 for brownfield activities like petrochemical industries and landfills. Jurong Island's creation has positioned Singapore as a global leader in the chemical industry, contributing approximately 34% of local manufacturing output in 2014. Similarly, Pulau Semakau, consisting of 220 hectares of reclaimed land, is Southeast Asia\u2019s largest offshore landfill. These islands play a crucial role given the land scarcity on the mainland, helping it remain clean and green while enabling economic progress.<\/p>\r\nThese transformations, however, have come at a high cost. Land reclamation, involving the dredging of sand, has led to the loss of up to 60% of Singapore\u2019s coral reefs and much of its natural shoreline. Additionally, waste incineration produces harmful air and aquatic pollution due to the toxins from the incineration ash, affecting Semakau and its surrounding areas throughout its operational lifetime. This process has irreversibly damaged the socio-ecologies of the islands. These outcomes underscore the political aspect of urban political ecology, highlighting the consequences of excessive capitalist accumulation and the socio-environmental inequalities that arise to meet economic demands.<\/p>\r\nLastly, the authors explore the tense dialectical relationship between city and countryside, noting that many indigenous communities who once inhabited these islands were pressured to leave to make way for repurposing projects. For instance, Pulau Seking once had a population of over 300 people before it was reclaimed to become part of Pulau Semakau\u2019s landfill.<\/p>\r\nThe authors conclude by suggesting that Singapore\u2019s offshore islands should be viewed as hybrid rural\/urban areas, as they exhibit characteristics of both. These islands should not be considered in isolation; instead, they should be preserved and utilised sustainably to ensure that socio-spatial transformations are accountable to all stakeholders, not just driven by economic considerations.<\/p>\r\nRead the chapter here<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12094\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"936\"] Photo: iStock\/Jennzhen[\/caption]<\/div><\/div>To Singapore for the buzz. To Johor for vast skies, open seas<\/a><\/h3>10 December 2025 <\/div><\/a>\r\nDiscover a thoughtful reflection on the contrasting charms of Singapore and Johor, written by our lecturer Dr Serina Rahman. She shares personal insights on the buzz of city life versus the calm of open skies and wide-open spaces across the Causeway. A meaningful read for those curious about both places and the lives lived between them.This article is available to subscribers.<\/em><\/div><\/div>Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood | Looking Back, Moving Forward Video Series \u2013 Episode 5: Innovation at the Intersections<\/a><\/h3>14 November 2025 <\/div>As part of our 'Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood' campaign for SG60, we present the 'Looking Back, Moving Forward' video series \u2014 inviting reflection on how Singapore\u2019s past shapes its future.\r\n\r\nThrough the work of NUS FASS researchers, the series uncovers the complexities behind the nation\u2019s celebrated 'success story', bringing to light the inequalities, contradictions, and costs often overlooked.\r\n\r\nThe fifth video, 'Innovation at the intersections', shows that studying Singapore helps us understand how innovation emerges at the intersections of technology, culture, and everyday life.<\/span>\r\n\r\nResearch by FASS faculty and students illustrates how AI, digital culture, public health, and youth sports are transforming urban life, with this video showing how technology and society are shaping Singapore today and tomorrow.\r\n\r\nLooking closely at Singapore today is, in this way, also a way of anticipating the Singapore we want to build for the next generation.\r\n\r\nRead more about the four publications featured in this episode on the Singapore Research Nexus (SRN) website using the link above each publication.\r\n\r\n \r\n1. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2024\/11\/21\/understanding-user-interactions-and-perceptions-of-ai-risk-in-singapore-3\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tNeyazi, T. A., Ng, S. W. T., Hobbs, M., & Yue, A. (2023). Understanding user interactions and perceptions of AI risk in Singapore. <\/span>Big Data & Society<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>10<\/span>(2), 20539517231213823. <\/span>https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/yfmfn87t<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n2. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2025\/07\/09\/excavating-amnesia-a-media-archaeology-of-early-internet-art-from-singapore\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tYamin, J., & Mitchell, A. (2023). Excavating Amnesia: A Media Archaeology of Early Internet Art from Singapore. <\/span>Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>7<\/span>(2), 47\u201378. <\/span>
Beyond the books<\/strong>NUSC<\/a>, the University's honours college, held sessions showcasing its\u00a0Global Experience<\/a>\u00a0(GEx) programme, which immerses students in 14 overseas sites for a month to engage deeply with their themes. In GEx New York, students examine its identity as a global city, investigating its urban development and cultural heritage through interactions with high-level diplomats, non-government organisations, and industry professionals.\r\nNUS Nursing<\/a>\u00a0held special classes where users learned empathetic communication in palliative care by conversing with an AI chatbot, and showcased its\u00a0new Concurrent Degree Programme<\/a>, which combines the Bachelor of Science (Nursing) (Honours) with the Master of Science (Biomedical Informatics).<\/p>\r\nMeanwhile,\u00a0NUS Medicine<\/a> offered a hands-on look at the future of medical education through clinical simulations, virtual reality stations, and insightful talks on its curriculum.<\/p>\r\nInside scoop on residential life<\/strong>Through talks, booths, and guided tours, Masters, Resident Fellows, and student leaders from the Residential Colleges, Halls, and Houses offered prospective students insights on the culture of their residences, the partnership between resident fellows and residents, and the vast array of student-led initiatives that foster vibrancy, community spirit, and inclusivity.\r\nNUS' newest hostel, the sports-themed\u00a0Valour House<\/a>, highlighted its key pillars of courage, strength, and resilience - characteristics not just of athletes but of students - to demonstrate its culture of supporting sporting achievements and encouraging residents to step out of their comfort zones.<\/p>\r\nVibrancy of NUS student life<\/strong>A dynamic line-up of performances and showcases, spotlighting some of NUS' finest talents in the performing arts, was presented by the various student clubs and interest groups at the Student Village. From upbeat, catchy tunes by\u00a0NUS Fingerstyle Guitar<\/a>\u00a0and a capella groups\u00a0NUS Resonance<\/a>,\u00a0RHythm<\/a>\u00a0from Raffles Hall, and\u00a0Eusoff Chorapella<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Eusoff Hall<\/a>\u00a0to skilful renditions by\u00a0Helix House<\/a>'s Helix Band and\u00a0Sheares Hall<\/a>'s Sheares Band, visitors were treated to a glimpse into the vibrant student experience at NUS beyond academic pursuits.<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 13 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>New Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS to advance interdisciplinary research on complex societal challenges<\/a><\/h3>05 March 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13076\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Present at the launch of the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS today were (from left) CSSH Deputy Director Assoc Prof Dandan Qiao from NUS School of Computing; CSSH Co-Director Prof Atreyi Kankanhalli from NUS School of Computing; Prof Tulika Mitra, Dean of NUS School of Computing; Prof Liu Bin, NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology); Prof Lionel Wee, Dean of NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; CSSH Co-Director Prof Peter Millican from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Assoc Prof Miguel Escobar Varela from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new research centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is bringing together data science, AI and computational methods with deep insights from social sciences and humanities to better understand complex social phenomena and develop solutions to pressing societal challenges. By combining technological innovation with human insight, the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities (CSSH) aims to generate research that improves lives, strengthens institutions, preserves cultural knowledge, and shapes more inclusive and resilient societies in Singapore and beyond.<\/p>\r\n\r\nOfficially launched today, CSSH is the first in Singapore to systematically bring together computational social science and the humanities within a single centre to bridge research, policy and real-world applications.<\/p>\r\nThe Centre draws on expertise across disciplines including computing, new media, linguistics, geography, public policy and healthcare, amongst others. This interdisciplinary foundation enables CSSH to examine how digital technologies intersect with social systems, such as assessing the societal implications of AI-enabled platforms, using digital tools to help preserve Singapore's cultural heritage, and strengthening digital literacy in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\r\nNUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Professor Liu Bin said, \"Rapid advances in digital technologies and AI are transforming our world. But technological breakthroughs are only as valuable as the difference they make to peoples' lives. CSSH reflects NUS' commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements in how we live, work and build stronger communities. By integrating computational methods with social science and humanities, the Centre will help translate research insights into policies and practices that deliver real-world impact.\"<\/p>\r\nShe added that the Centre complements Singapore's broader push for innovative, responsible harnessing of technology and AI which emphasises that progress should be not only technically advanced, but trusted, inclusive and grounded in real social needs.<\/p>\r\nDriving real-world impact through interdisciplinary innovation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\r\nCSSH is led by Co-Directors Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the\u00a0NUS School of Computing<\/a>\u00a0and Professor Peter Millican from the\u00a0NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>. The Centre supports both seed funding for emerging ideas and larger projects, all designed to generate real-world impact.<\/p>\r\nProf Kankanhalli said, \"What distinguishes CSSH is our ability to study human behaviour, institutions and societies at a scale and depth that was not previously possible. By combining computational methods with rich domain expertise in the social sciences and humanities, we can uncover patterns, test ideas, and generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice. Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people.\"<\/p>\r\nSince beginning operations in the second half of 2024, CSSH has embarked on more than 50 interdisciplinary projects involving 105 researchers from across NUS and their external collaborators. The projects demonstrate the breadth of its work - from AI-enabled analysis of social media impacts to digital preservation of historical archives.<\/p>\r\nAmongst the major research projects currently being undertaken by CSSH is one titled \"Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design\", led by Prof Kankanhalli. In this five-year project, researchers from NUS and three other local universities are collaborating to develop an AI-driven social simulation platform for policymakers to help test and refine policy interventions before they are rolled out.<\/p>\r\nUsing large language models (LLMs), the platform will model diverse public personas to enable policymakers to conduct swift preliminary testing of policy ideas. The simulations will complement traditional research methods by reducing the frequency of costly, time-consuming large-scale surveys and field studies during early policy development, while retaining real-world validation and community engagement at critical decision points. CSSH Deputy Director Associate Professor Dandan Qiao from the NUS School of Computing is also contributing her expertise to the project.<\/p>\r\nAnother project titled \"The Jawi AI Project\", led by NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela, harnesses AI to enable large-scale transliteration and analysis of Jawi texts. Early Malay-language newspapers in Singapore, published between 1870 and 1970 were written in Jawi, a script few can read today.<\/p>\r\nIn collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), the team comprising local and foreign experts is transforming thousands of archived pages into searchable Malay text, significantly expanding the range of materials available at NLB's digitised archives. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, who is also Deputy Director at CSSH, noted that the project could significantly expand research into Malay-language journalism and public debate in the region, broadening how Singapore's history is understood and taught.<\/p>\r\nProf Millican highlighted that a core mission of CSSH is to break down the walls between disciplines. By connecting humanities and social science researchers with computing and data science experts, the Centre fosters collaborations that neither field could achieve alone. \"Many of today's biggest challenges demand both deep specialist insight and serious technical firepower\", he explained, \"whether they involve untangling complex social issues, tackling health crises, anticipating future problems, or building the tools to address these. CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations.\"<\/p>\r\nHe added that the Centre looks forward to developing more projects addressing societal challenges to which computational insights can make the greatest difference. Focus areas include AI and emerging technologies, sustainability and environmental policy, population trends and demographic change, public health and social care, and the preservation and understanding of history and cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 4 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>New Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS to advance interdisciplinary research on complex societal challenges<\/a><\/h3>05 March 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13076\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Present at the launch of the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS today were (from left) CSSH Deputy Director Assoc Prof Dandan Qiao from NUS School of Computing; CSSH Co-Director Prof Atreyi Kankanhalli from NUS School of Computing; Prof Tulika Mitra, Dean of NUS School of Computing; Prof Liu Bin, NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology); Prof Lionel Wee, Dean of NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; CSSH Co-Director Prof Peter Millican from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Assoc Prof Miguel Escobar Varela from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new research centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is bringing together data science, AI and computational methods with deep insights from social sciences and humanities to better understand complex social phenomena and develop solutions to pressing societal challenges. By combining technological innovation with human insight, the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities (CSSH) aims to generate research that improves lives, strengthens institutions, preserves cultural knowledge, and shapes more inclusive and resilient societies in Singapore and beyond.<\/p>\r\n\r\nOfficially launched today, CSSH is the first in Singapore to systematically bring together computational social science and the humanities within a single centre to bridge research, policy and real-world applications.<\/p>\r\nThe Centre draws on expertise across disciplines including computing, new media, linguistics, geography, public policy and healthcare, amongst others. This interdisciplinary foundation enables CSSH to examine how digital technologies intersect with social systems, such as assessing the societal implications of AI-enabled platforms, using digital tools to help preserve Singapore's cultural heritage, and strengthening digital literacy in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\r\nNUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Professor Liu Bin said, \"Rapid advances in digital technologies and AI are transforming our world. But technological breakthroughs are only as valuable as the difference they make to peoples' lives. CSSH reflects NUS' commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements in how we live, work and build stronger communities. By integrating computational methods with social science and humanities, the Centre will help translate research insights into policies and practices that deliver real-world impact.\"<\/p>\r\nShe added that the Centre complements Singapore's broader push for innovative, responsible harnessing of technology and AI which emphasises that progress should be not only technically advanced, but trusted, inclusive and grounded in real social needs.<\/p>\r\nDriving real-world impact through interdisciplinary innovation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\r\nCSSH is led by Co-Directors Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the\u00a0NUS School of Computing<\/a>\u00a0and Professor Peter Millican from the\u00a0NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>. The Centre supports both seed funding for emerging ideas and larger projects, all designed to generate real-world impact.<\/p>\r\nProf Kankanhalli said, \"What distinguishes CSSH is our ability to study human behaviour, institutions and societies at a scale and depth that was not previously possible. By combining computational methods with rich domain expertise in the social sciences and humanities, we can uncover patterns, test ideas, and generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice. Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people.\"<\/p>\r\nSince beginning operations in the second half of 2024, CSSH has embarked on more than 50 interdisciplinary projects involving 105 researchers from across NUS and their external collaborators. The projects demonstrate the breadth of its work - from AI-enabled analysis of social media impacts to digital preservation of historical archives.<\/p>\r\nAmongst the major research projects currently being undertaken by CSSH is one titled \"Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design\", led by Prof Kankanhalli. In this five-year project, researchers from NUS and three other local universities are collaborating to develop an AI-driven social simulation platform for policymakers to help test and refine policy interventions before they are rolled out.<\/p>\r\nUsing large language models (LLMs), the platform will model diverse public personas to enable policymakers to conduct swift preliminary testing of policy ideas. The simulations will complement traditional research methods by reducing the frequency of costly, time-consuming large-scale surveys and field studies during early policy development, while retaining real-world validation and community engagement at critical decision points. CSSH Deputy Director Associate Professor Dandan Qiao from the NUS School of Computing is also contributing her expertise to the project.<\/p>\r\nAnother project titled \"The Jawi AI Project\", led by NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela, harnesses AI to enable large-scale transliteration and analysis of Jawi texts. Early Malay-language newspapers in Singapore, published between 1870 and 1970 were written in Jawi, a script few can read today.<\/p>\r\nIn collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), the team comprising local and foreign experts is transforming thousands of archived pages into searchable Malay text, significantly expanding the range of materials available at NLB's digitised archives. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, who is also Deputy Director at CSSH, noted that the project could significantly expand research into Malay-language journalism and public debate in the region, broadening how Singapore's history is understood and taught.<\/p>\r\nProf Millican highlighted that a core mission of CSSH is to break down the walls between disciplines. By connecting humanities and social science researchers with computing and data science experts, the Centre fosters collaborations that neither field could achieve alone. \"Many of today's biggest challenges demand both deep specialist insight and serious technical firepower\", he explained, \"whether they involve untangling complex social issues, tackling health crises, anticipating future problems, or building the tools to address these. CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations.\"<\/p>\r\nHe added that the Centre looks forward to developing more projects addressing societal challenges to which computational insights can make the greatest difference. Focus areas include AI and emerging technologies, sustainability and environmental policy, population trends and demographic change, public health and social care, and the preservation and understanding of history and cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 4 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Beyond Belief: Why Magic Matters in Modern SEA<\/a><\/h3>02 March 2026 <\/div>\r\nLiving in Southeast Asia and being Southeast Asian often entails an implicit understanding and awareness of magic in some form. But the crucial question to ask is: what IS magic?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\nAcross Southeast Asia there are many forms of magic, whether rooted in animistic, indigenous or folk practices, or in the syncretic practices of 'world religions'. Many beliefs and practices are simply accepted as an indubitable norm, and although sometimes we may not realise it, many of our everyday practices, habits and rituals are based in some sort of magical or spiritual belief that we simply accept as true.<\/p>\r\nThe course GEC1046, Magic Myth<\/a>s will dig deeper into these realities and explore what magic means in Southeast Asia. Not only do we examine local beliefs or adaptations of larger faith systems in the region, but we also look into how religious miracles are in themselves magical. We explore how magic happens, what people believe in, and how magic is seen and manifested - and why people might or might not believe in it.<\/p>\r\nThis course provides you with an alternative view of the world, tucked away in natural spaces, almost unseen between the shiny skyscrapers of modern Southeast Asia, yet always alive and thriving in a world that we\u00a0sometimes\u00a0barely discern.\u00a0This module will examine the duality that magic envelopes; at once the secret hand behind myriad facets of life, from politics to love and living; yet simply accepted as an obvious given. Magic and mythmaking alleviate fear, help people cope with change and the unknown, and make the intangible, tangible. Whether you believe in magic or not, taking this course will help you realise that magic really is almost everywhere in Southeast Asia - and discover its role in righting injustices, recording denied history, and highlighting gender inequalities.<\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Is This Home, Truly?<\/a><\/h3>13 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThis story first appeared on <\/em>NUS Cares Our Stories<\/a>\u00a0on February 2026 .\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\nSE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia was taught by Dr Simon Rowedder in Semester 1 AY25\/26.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIs This Home, Truly?<\/h2>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\nNUR Insyirah Binte Aidil, Faculty of Science<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHello! I\u2019m Insyirah, a Year 3 Environmental Studies major in the Faculty of Science, with minors in Geographic Information Systems and Southeast Asian Studies. While SE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia fulfils the Communities and Engagement pillar under the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) programme and can be double-counted towards my Southeast Asian Studies minor, what truly motivated me to take it was its focus on mobility and displacement in the region. As a region connected by seas and shaped by centuries of movement, migration is a shared reality in Southeast Asia \u2013 yet it remains a topic that is not often discussed extensively. For someone like me, with relatives in different parts of Malaysia, and having spent much of my childhood there despite being Singaporean, I was particularly curious about what drove migration, the different forms it could take, and the ways it shaped people\u2019s lives. This course offered an opportunity to engage with these narratives more deeply and critically.\r\n\r\nGrowing up in Singapore, Home by Dick Lee was more than just a song. It was the soundtrack of every August, an annual signal that National Day was coming. I sang along without thinking; it was one of those iconic National Day Parade songs everyone seemed to know by heart. The lyrics offered reassurance and certainty that home is fixed, familiar, and waiting. \u201cThis is where I won\u2019t be alone,\u201d the song promised, and for a long time, I believed it. I believed that home was something stable, unquestioned, and easily claimed.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A familiar landscape of Singapore. Photograph by Nur Insyirah\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIt was only while taking SE3216 that the song began to sound different. The course seeks to understand the complex trajectories, meanings, and outcomes of human mobility in Southeast Asia through both theoretical frameworks and empirical case studies. Throughout the course, we explored Southeast Asia as a space of migration and mobility, then and now, examining how diasporas emerged through trade, conflict, and colonial and post-colonial transformations. Case studies such as the different historical migration flows of \u2018Haw Chinese\u2019, who moved as traders and later as anti-communists Kuomintang into neighbouring mainland Southeast Asia, highlight how trade, conflict, and political change have shaped diasporic and hybrid identities, as well as the formation of racial, ethnic, political, and cultural minorities.\r\n\r\nThe course also foregrounded contemporary issues, including citizenship and belonging, the gendered dimensions of labour migration, irregular and undocumented migration, human trafficking, and refugee crises across Southeast Asia. Later seminars examined intergenerational mobilities, such as aspiring students and retirees, highlighting how mobility is structured not only by necessity and crisis but also by aspiration, privilege, and life stage. Together, these topics complicated any singular narrative of migration, revealing instead a region marked by uneven mobility and unequal access to rights, protection, and recognition.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBeyond lectures, SE3216 emphasised active engagement. Each week, a group of students led class discussions, summarising assigned readings and connecting theoretical concepts to real-world cases. Following each presentation, the discussion leaders were required to write an individual reflective response on the week\u2019s topic. For my group, this reflection centred on the refugee crisis, with my paper focusing on the Rohingya. The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Rakhine State in western Myanmar. Despite having lived in the region for generations, they are not recognised as one of Myanmar\u2019s official ethnic groups and were effectively rendered stateless by the 1982 Citizenship Law. As a result, they have faced systemic discrimination and repeated outbreaks of violence, most notably in 2012 and 2017, which led to mass displacement, with hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighbouring countries, particularly Bangladesh. Today, the Rohingya crisis is widely regarded as one of the most severe and protracted refugee situations in Southeast Asia, marked by ongoing humanitarian, political, and ethical challenges.\r\n\r\nThrough engaging with this topic, I started to realise that the idea of \u201chome\u201d is not experienced equally by everyone. The belief that home \u201cstays within me wherever I may choose to go\u201d presumes security and recognition, privileges that many migrants and refugees do not have. For the Rohingya, movement often involves managing what must be left behind, negotiating safety, and navigating complex social and political landscapes.\r\n\r\nOne of the assigned readings, From Refugees to Legitimate Minority? Rohingya Performing National Belongings in Thailand by Jaehn, M. (2022), explored how many Rohingya have sought refuge in Thailand, only to encounter another state governed by a narrow vision of \u201cThai-ness,\u201d where citizenship and belonging are tied to nation, religion, and monarchy. Denied formal refugee status and stripped of legal recognition, the Rohingya perform belonging as a survival strategy: blending in, adapting their outward appearance, mimicking cultural norms, and suppressing visible markers of Rohingya identity to avoid deportation or detention, while preserving aspects of their ethnicity and culture in private and community spaces. This duality illustrates how \u201chome\u201d can be a contested, dynamic, and politically mediated concept, shaped by borders, policies, histories, and power.\r\n\r\nIn my reflective paper, I examined how the Rohingya crisis challenges not only ASEAN\u2019s moral authority but also our own roles as observers and scholars. Rather than treating suffering as an object of study, the paper questioned what it means to analyse invisibility or translate endurance into academic or artistic form. While ASEAN\u2019s \u201cpaper diplomacy\u201d gestures toward responsibility without enforcement, I argued that scholarly work risks replicating this distance if it remains detached from accountability.\r\n\r\nAnother key assignment involved constructing a family migration history, where students interviewed a family member with a migrant experience, whether cross-border or within Singapore, to explore migration as an intimate, lived process rather than a purely structural phenomenon. I interviewed my maternal grandmother, who moved to Singapore from Malacca first for work and later for marriage. Through questions about the journey itself, what she carried, who she travelled with, and the emotions associated with movement, as well as the analysis of photographs and hand-drawn objects connected to her migration, the assignment foregrounded memory, affect, and materiality. This exercise revealed that migration is often experienced through a complex mix of nostalgia, loss, and aspiration, complicating dominant narratives of mobility.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A drawing of a traditional clothing hand-sewn by my grandmother, carefully packed and carried with her on her migration to Singapore.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFinally, the research proposal or media analysis assignment invited students to develop an original research idea or critically examine representations of migration in various media forms. This open-ended format allowed for creative and interdisciplinary approaches, while requiring sustained engagement with academic debates on (im)mobility and migration in Southeast Asia. Together, these assessments reflected the course\u2019s broader aim: to move beyond abstract discussions of migration and instead cultivate critical, empathetic, and context-sensitive ways of understanding mobility in the region.\r\n\r\nUltimately, SE3216 taught me that migration is not merely about crossing borders, but about navigating uncertainty, negotiating belonging, and carrying fragments of home across time and space. Where Home once offered uncomplicated reassurance, it now invites a more careful reflection on who is able to claim home with certainty, and who must continually work to build and sustain it.\r\n\r\nI would wholeheartedly recommend this course to students, especially those looking to explore topics beyond their primary field of study. While it may feel different from more conventional Communities and Engagement courses, particularly as the form of \u201cengagement\u201d is less immediate or visible compared to the GEN-coded courses, I found that its impact was no less significant.\r\n\r\nSE3216 encourages a different kind of engagement: one that reshapes how you think, listen, and interact with people across the region. The course asks students to approach its material with openness, not only to unfamiliar concepts but also to the emotional weight that comes with discussions of migration, displacement, and belonging. It does not offer easy conclusions. Instead, it invites sustained reflection on ideas of citizenship, identity, and home \u2013 questions that are deeply relevant to Southeast Asia and, arguably, to the kind of work many of us may eventually do. Long after the seminars end, the questions raised in this course continue to linger, much like a familiar song that, once reinterpreted, can never quite be heard in the same way again.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>Learning to walk like an elephant Reflections on an NUS College Impact Experience project<\/a><\/h3>05 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12990\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team returned to Thailand in December 2025 to share their completed book with members of the elephant care community in Huay Pakkoot, including one of their interviewees, Root (back row, centre), a former elephant caretaker who started the village's first coffeeshop. On the far right in the front row is Ryan Lim, who shared his thoughts on his Impact Experience project for this article.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nThe Impact Experience<\/a>\u00a0(IEx) programme is a rite of passage for all\u00a0NUS College<\/a>\u00a0(NUSC) students, embodying the experiential learning and interdisciplinary approach that are hallmarks of the NUS honours college's curriculum.<\/p>\r\nA service-learning and community engagement project spanning two years, IEx takes students into communities in Singapore and Southeast Asia to apply their classroom theories to real-world issues. Each team comprises six to seven students from a variety of academic backgrounds who work closely with community partners, faculty supervisors and local residents to understand the communities' challenges and devise solutions.<\/p>\r\nRyan Lim, a Year 4 student majoring in\u00a0Southeast Asian Studies<\/a>, is among the first cohort of NUSC students who recently completed their IEx projects and showcased their work at the inaugural\u00a0Impact Festival in September 2025<\/a>. Reflecting on his extraordinary experience living with and learning from elephant caretakers in Huay Pakkoot, Thailand, Ryan shares the impact that this incredible opportunity has had on him and his educational development.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12989\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The team spent some time in nature with Rambo, one of the elephants in the Huay Pakkoot community, while his caretaker Thanet perused the Alongside Elephants book.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nAs part of the first cohort to go through the IEx programme, what were your thoughts when you first learnt about IEx?<\/strong>I felt IEx was something exciting and meaningful to look forward to as I was always keen to deepen my engagement with Southeast Asia. Also, unlike the usual university programmes, there was a lot of trust and autonomy given to students to ideate, plan, and run their IEx projects over the course of two years. For instance, IEx teams were mostly given project budgets upfront rather than on a reimbursement basis, and I felt this was very important from an equity angle, as it allowed all students to pursue regional projects if they were keen to. Since each group got to define the scope of their project, it was a good opportunity for the first NUSC cohort to bring ideas and learnings from the classroom into real life. How did your team collectively decide on your IEx project topic and scope?<\/strong>We had team members from different faculties and schools, but we were all keen on storytelling as an approach and grounding our work in lived realities. With that in mind, we approached a former NUSC anthropology lecturer, Dr Alexandra Dalferro, to be our advisor. Anthropology is about understanding people's lives and social systems across various contexts. This shaped our approach to let our engagement with the community guide how the project developed.<\/p>\r\nWe were keen to explore the topic of human-elephant relations in Southeast Asia, inspired by Dr Dalferro's research in Thailand, where elephants form a vital part of national culture. Another NUSC instructor, Associate Professor Peter Vail, invited us to join a trip to Chiang Mai, where we were introduced to the Thai elephant space by Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Coming in as students who only had touristic experiences with elephants and speaking to the diverse set of actors involved in elephant care in Thailand such as vets, tourist camp owners, and local communities with a long tradition of living with and caring for elephants, we felt there was a gap between what outsiders thought they knew about elephant care and what the Thai insiders shared with us.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12988\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] From left: Village elephant medicine maker Patti Johnee and P'Dee, founder of the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, check out the photobook. P'Dee expressed pride at its quality and appreciation for the nuance with which it presents different approaches to elephant care. He added that what mattered most to him was how it would help others understand the village's culture and elephant caretaking traditions across language barriers. Photo credit: Nigel Teh<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nOne of the moments that crystallised this for me was when we were speaking with Satit Trachookwamdee, or P'Dee, the founder of Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation. P'Dee, who comes from a Karen community that has lived and worked alongside elephants for more than 200 years, said to us that he wanted to show both the black and white of elephant care in Thailand. While he and his community loved their elephants and treated them as kin, he also wanted people to understand that caring for elephants is a resource-intensive and dangerous job.<\/p>\r\nAn example of how they balance these realities daily is the practice of tethering an elephant to a tree with a chain when its carer has to leave it alone. What may seem cruel at first glance is actually a practical compromise, giving the elephant some freedom while reducing the risk of human-elephant conflict that may occur if the elephant wanders into farmland or homes.<\/p>\r\nWe decided to interview and follow different local people on their daily routines of caring for elephants and compiled their various stories into a photobook and companion website. Our different skillsets - Luke and Nigel's photography and filmmaking; Chee Yan and Jia Liang's writing; Eryn and Gillian's design and drawing; supported by the Thai language skills I picked up to bridge the communication gap - came together nicely to create a rich and compelling final product. In curating these stories, we also sought to showcase diverse perspectives from the medical and commercial to the sociocultural.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12987\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team comprises five Year 4 students from NUS College and two Yale-NUS College alumni. Back row, from left: Nigel Teh, Environmental Engineering; Luke Goh, Information Systems; Koh Jia Liang (Global Affairs + Yale-NUS '24). Front row, from left: Gillian Ang, Communications and New Media; Eryn Lim, Sociology; Teo Chee Yan (Anthropology + Yale-NUS '24); Ryan Lim, Southeast Asian Studies.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nWhat are some lessons you have learned, and what do you hope other NUSC students will take away from their own community projects?<\/strong>This experience with managing our own project for two years taught me how much it takes to really drive something to make an impact. I was thankful that as a team, we were aligned and believed in the purpose of our project, and that how much we wanted to do was never a function of academic requirements but really grew out organically from what engaged and interested the team.<\/p>\r\nOne of our interviewees gave us this advice, which I think would be helpful to students now thinking about or working on their own IEx projects: He told us that since we are working on a project about elephants, we must also learn to 'walk like an elephant'. Elephants, he said, use their trunks to sense the ground before them before taking the next step. His advice reminded us to be humble and come in with an open, curious attitude to listen intentionally before thinking about impact.<\/p>\r\nIn December 2025, we made one final trip to Huay Pakkoot to deliver copies of the photobook back to the community who helped to create it. It is now on display in several local institutions, like a coffee shop and the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, where we hope it will be used to deepen understanding of elephant care among visitors.\u00a0Even though the project has now come to an official close, we are trying to continue it in our personal capacity, such as by producing a Thai version so the community can read the stories in their own language and distributing more books in Thailand. Please reach out to us if you are interested to collaborate!<\/p>\r\nHow has the IEx experience shaped your educational development?<\/strong>This experience ended up shaping my educational path more deeply than I initially expected. Working on the project taught me to think differently about learning - instead of applying theories we already knew, we had to listen carefully, sit with uncertainty, and allow the community's lived realities to guide our understanding.<\/p>\r\nThat shift carried over into my academic choices at NUS. I decided to take Thai language classes to better connect with the people we were working with and also spent four months on exchange in Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand, to improve my Thai language for daily use. This eventually led me to major in Southeast Asian Studies as a flexible pathway to combine my interest in the field of anthropology with my engagement with the region. Together, these experiences have influenced not just what I study, but how I approach learning and living in the region more broadly.<\/p>\r\nTo learn more about the Alongside Elephants project, check out\u00a0<\/i>their website<\/i><\/a>, this\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram post<\/i><\/a>\u00a0and these\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram highlights<\/i><\/a>\u00a0from their December 2025 trip.\u00a0The photobook is also available for browsing in the NUS Libraries collection.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 5 February 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Urbanising islands: A critical history of Singapore\u2019s offshore islands<\/a><\/h3>09 January 2026 <\/div>Did you know that Singapore boasts up to 54 surrounding islands, many of which were established through land reclamation post-independence? While most of these islands remain untouched, some play crucial roles in the city-state\u2019s development. Given their relative obscurity and historical significance to most Singaporeans, \u2018Urbanising Islands: A Critical History of Singapore\u2019s Offshore Islands\u2019, a chapter in Turning up the Heat: Urban Political Ecology for a Climate Emergency <\/em>(Manchester UP, 2023) by Dr. Creighton Connolly (The University of Hong Kong) and Associate Professor Hamzah Muzaini (NUS Southeast Asian Studies), explores the transformative nature of these islands.<\/p>\r\nThe authors highlight that capitalistic governance has significantly influenced the development of Singapore\u2019s Southern and Western Islands, shaping nature even beyond the city. Since independence, these islands have been redeveloped to support territorial organisation and key economic sectors. For example, they have been transformed into \u2018spatial envelopes\u2019 for brownfield activities like petrochemical industries and landfills. Jurong Island's creation has positioned Singapore as a global leader in the chemical industry, contributing approximately 34% of local manufacturing output in 2014. Similarly, Pulau Semakau, consisting of 220 hectares of reclaimed land, is Southeast Asia\u2019s largest offshore landfill. These islands play a crucial role given the land scarcity on the mainland, helping it remain clean and green while enabling economic progress.<\/p>\r\nThese transformations, however, have come at a high cost. Land reclamation, involving the dredging of sand, has led to the loss of up to 60% of Singapore\u2019s coral reefs and much of its natural shoreline. Additionally, waste incineration produces harmful air and aquatic pollution due to the toxins from the incineration ash, affecting Semakau and its surrounding areas throughout its operational lifetime. This process has irreversibly damaged the socio-ecologies of the islands. These outcomes underscore the political aspect of urban political ecology, highlighting the consequences of excessive capitalist accumulation and the socio-environmental inequalities that arise to meet economic demands.<\/p>\r\nLastly, the authors explore the tense dialectical relationship between city and countryside, noting that many indigenous communities who once inhabited these islands were pressured to leave to make way for repurposing projects. For instance, Pulau Seking once had a population of over 300 people before it was reclaimed to become part of Pulau Semakau\u2019s landfill.<\/p>\r\nThe authors conclude by suggesting that Singapore\u2019s offshore islands should be viewed as hybrid rural\/urban areas, as they exhibit characteristics of both. These islands should not be considered in isolation; instead, they should be preserved and utilised sustainably to ensure that socio-spatial transformations are accountable to all stakeholders, not just driven by economic considerations.<\/p>\r\nRead the chapter here<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12094\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"936\"] Photo: iStock\/Jennzhen[\/caption]<\/div><\/div>To Singapore for the buzz. To Johor for vast skies, open seas<\/a><\/h3>10 December 2025 <\/div><\/a>\r\nDiscover a thoughtful reflection on the contrasting charms of Singapore and Johor, written by our lecturer Dr Serina Rahman. She shares personal insights on the buzz of city life versus the calm of open skies and wide-open spaces across the Causeway. A meaningful read for those curious about both places and the lives lived between them.This article is available to subscribers.<\/em><\/div><\/div>Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood | Looking Back, Moving Forward Video Series \u2013 Episode 5: Innovation at the Intersections<\/a><\/h3>14 November 2025 <\/div>As part of our 'Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood' campaign for SG60, we present the 'Looking Back, Moving Forward' video series \u2014 inviting reflection on how Singapore\u2019s past shapes its future.\r\n\r\nThrough the work of NUS FASS researchers, the series uncovers the complexities behind the nation\u2019s celebrated 'success story', bringing to light the inequalities, contradictions, and costs often overlooked.\r\n\r\nThe fifth video, 'Innovation at the intersections', shows that studying Singapore helps us understand how innovation emerges at the intersections of technology, culture, and everyday life.<\/span>\r\n\r\nResearch by FASS faculty and students illustrates how AI, digital culture, public health, and youth sports are transforming urban life, with this video showing how technology and society are shaping Singapore today and tomorrow.\r\n\r\nLooking closely at Singapore today is, in this way, also a way of anticipating the Singapore we want to build for the next generation.\r\n\r\nRead more about the four publications featured in this episode on the Singapore Research Nexus (SRN) website using the link above each publication.\r\n\r\n \r\n1. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2024\/11\/21\/understanding-user-interactions-and-perceptions-of-ai-risk-in-singapore-3\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tNeyazi, T. A., Ng, S. W. T., Hobbs, M., & Yue, A. (2023). Understanding user interactions and perceptions of AI risk in Singapore. <\/span>Big Data & Society<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>10<\/span>(2), 20539517231213823. <\/span>https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/yfmfn87t<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n2. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2025\/07\/09\/excavating-amnesia-a-media-archaeology-of-early-internet-art-from-singapore\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tYamin, J., & Mitchell, A. (2023). Excavating Amnesia: A Media Archaeology of Early Internet Art from Singapore. <\/span>Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>7<\/span>(2), 47\u201378. <\/span>
\r\nOfficially launched today, CSSH is the first in Singapore to systematically bring together computational social science and the humanities within a single centre to bridge research, policy and real-world applications.<\/p>\r\nThe Centre draws on expertise across disciplines including computing, new media, linguistics, geography, public policy and healthcare, amongst others. This interdisciplinary foundation enables CSSH to examine how digital technologies intersect with social systems, such as assessing the societal implications of AI-enabled platforms, using digital tools to help preserve Singapore's cultural heritage, and strengthening digital literacy in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\r\nNUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Professor Liu Bin said, \"Rapid advances in digital technologies and AI are transforming our world. But technological breakthroughs are only as valuable as the difference they make to peoples' lives. CSSH reflects NUS' commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements in how we live, work and build stronger communities. By integrating computational methods with social science and humanities, the Centre will help translate research insights into policies and practices that deliver real-world impact.\"<\/p>\r\nShe added that the Centre complements Singapore's broader push for innovative, responsible harnessing of technology and AI which emphasises that progress should be not only technically advanced, but trusted, inclusive and grounded in real social needs.<\/p>\r\nDriving real-world impact through interdisciplinary innovation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\r\nCSSH is led by Co-Directors Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the\u00a0NUS School of Computing<\/a>\u00a0and Professor Peter Millican from the\u00a0NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>. The Centre supports both seed funding for emerging ideas and larger projects, all designed to generate real-world impact.<\/p>\r\nProf Kankanhalli said, \"What distinguishes CSSH is our ability to study human behaviour, institutions and societies at a scale and depth that was not previously possible. By combining computational methods with rich domain expertise in the social sciences and humanities, we can uncover patterns, test ideas, and generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice. Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people.\"<\/p>\r\nSince beginning operations in the second half of 2024, CSSH has embarked on more than 50 interdisciplinary projects involving 105 researchers from across NUS and their external collaborators. The projects demonstrate the breadth of its work - from AI-enabled analysis of social media impacts to digital preservation of historical archives.<\/p>\r\nAmongst the major research projects currently being undertaken by CSSH is one titled \"Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design\", led by Prof Kankanhalli. In this five-year project, researchers from NUS and three other local universities are collaborating to develop an AI-driven social simulation platform for policymakers to help test and refine policy interventions before they are rolled out.<\/p>\r\nUsing large language models (LLMs), the platform will model diverse public personas to enable policymakers to conduct swift preliminary testing of policy ideas. The simulations will complement traditional research methods by reducing the frequency of costly, time-consuming large-scale surveys and field studies during early policy development, while retaining real-world validation and community engagement at critical decision points. CSSH Deputy Director Associate Professor Dandan Qiao from the NUS School of Computing is also contributing her expertise to the project.<\/p>\r\nAnother project titled \"The Jawi AI Project\", led by NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela, harnesses AI to enable large-scale transliteration and analysis of Jawi texts. Early Malay-language newspapers in Singapore, published between 1870 and 1970 were written in Jawi, a script few can read today.<\/p>\r\nIn collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), the team comprising local and foreign experts is transforming thousands of archived pages into searchable Malay text, significantly expanding the range of materials available at NLB's digitised archives. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, who is also Deputy Director at CSSH, noted that the project could significantly expand research into Malay-language journalism and public debate in the region, broadening how Singapore's history is understood and taught.<\/p>\r\nProf Millican highlighted that a core mission of CSSH is to break down the walls between disciplines. By connecting humanities and social science researchers with computing and data science experts, the Centre fosters collaborations that neither field could achieve alone. \"Many of today's biggest challenges demand both deep specialist insight and serious technical firepower\", he explained, \"whether they involve untangling complex social issues, tackling health crises, anticipating future problems, or building the tools to address these. CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations.\"<\/p>\r\nHe added that the Centre looks forward to developing more projects addressing societal challenges to which computational insights can make the greatest difference. Focus areas include AI and emerging technologies, sustainability and environmental policy, population trends and demographic change, public health and social care, and the preservation and understanding of history and cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 4 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>New Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS to advance interdisciplinary research on complex societal challenges<\/a><\/h3>05 March 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_13076\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Present at the launch of the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities at NUS today were (from left) CSSH Deputy Director Assoc Prof Dandan Qiao from NUS School of Computing; CSSH Co-Director Prof Atreyi Kankanhalli from NUS School of Computing; Prof Tulika Mitra, Dean of NUS School of Computing; Prof Liu Bin, NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology); Prof Lionel Wee, Dean of NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; CSSH Co-Director Prof Peter Millican from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Assoc Prof Miguel Escobar Varela from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nA new research centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is bringing together data science, AI and computational methods with deep insights from social sciences and humanities to better understand complex social phenomena and develop solutions to pressing societal challenges. By combining technological innovation with human insight, the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities (CSSH) aims to generate research that improves lives, strengthens institutions, preserves cultural knowledge, and shapes more inclusive and resilient societies in Singapore and beyond.<\/p>\r\n\r\nOfficially launched today, CSSH is the first in Singapore to systematically bring together computational social science and the humanities within a single centre to bridge research, policy and real-world applications.<\/p>\r\nThe Centre draws on expertise across disciplines including computing, new media, linguistics, geography, public policy and healthcare, amongst others. This interdisciplinary foundation enables CSSH to examine how digital technologies intersect with social systems, such as assessing the societal implications of AI-enabled platforms, using digital tools to help preserve Singapore's cultural heritage, and strengthening digital literacy in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\r\nNUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Professor Liu Bin said, \"Rapid advances in digital technologies and AI are transforming our world. But technological breakthroughs are only as valuable as the difference they make to peoples' lives. CSSH reflects NUS' commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements in how we live, work and build stronger communities. By integrating computational methods with social science and humanities, the Centre will help translate research insights into policies and practices that deliver real-world impact.\"<\/p>\r\nShe added that the Centre complements Singapore's broader push for innovative, responsible harnessing of technology and AI which emphasises that progress should be not only technically advanced, but trusted, inclusive and grounded in real social needs.<\/p>\r\nDriving real-world impact through interdisciplinary innovation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\r\nCSSH is led by Co-Directors Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the\u00a0NUS School of Computing<\/a>\u00a0and Professor Peter Millican from the\u00a0NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>. The Centre supports both seed funding for emerging ideas and larger projects, all designed to generate real-world impact.<\/p>\r\nProf Kankanhalli said, \"What distinguishes CSSH is our ability to study human behaviour, institutions and societies at a scale and depth that was not previously possible. By combining computational methods with rich domain expertise in the social sciences and humanities, we can uncover patterns, test ideas, and generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice. Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people.\"<\/p>\r\nSince beginning operations in the second half of 2024, CSSH has embarked on more than 50 interdisciplinary projects involving 105 researchers from across NUS and their external collaborators. The projects demonstrate the breadth of its work - from AI-enabled analysis of social media impacts to digital preservation of historical archives.<\/p>\r\nAmongst the major research projects currently being undertaken by CSSH is one titled \"Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design\", led by Prof Kankanhalli. In this five-year project, researchers from NUS and three other local universities are collaborating to develop an AI-driven social simulation platform for policymakers to help test and refine policy interventions before they are rolled out.<\/p>\r\nUsing large language models (LLMs), the platform will model diverse public personas to enable policymakers to conduct swift preliminary testing of policy ideas. The simulations will complement traditional research methods by reducing the frequency of costly, time-consuming large-scale surveys and field studies during early policy development, while retaining real-world validation and community engagement at critical decision points. CSSH Deputy Director Associate Professor Dandan Qiao from the NUS School of Computing is also contributing her expertise to the project.<\/p>\r\nAnother project titled \"The Jawi AI Project\", led by NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela, harnesses AI to enable large-scale transliteration and analysis of Jawi texts. Early Malay-language newspapers in Singapore, published between 1870 and 1970 were written in Jawi, a script few can read today.<\/p>\r\nIn collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), the team comprising local and foreign experts is transforming thousands of archived pages into searchable Malay text, significantly expanding the range of materials available at NLB's digitised archives. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, who is also Deputy Director at CSSH, noted that the project could significantly expand research into Malay-language journalism and public debate in the region, broadening how Singapore's history is understood and taught.<\/p>\r\nProf Millican highlighted that a core mission of CSSH is to break down the walls between disciplines. By connecting humanities and social science researchers with computing and data science experts, the Centre fosters collaborations that neither field could achieve alone. \"Many of today's biggest challenges demand both deep specialist insight and serious technical firepower\", he explained, \"whether they involve untangling complex social issues, tackling health crises, anticipating future problems, or building the tools to address these. CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations.\"<\/p>\r\nHe added that the Centre looks forward to developing more projects addressing societal challenges to which computational insights can make the greatest difference. Focus areas include AI and emerging technologies, sustainability and environmental policy, population trends and demographic change, public health and social care, and the preservation and understanding of history and cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 4 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Beyond Belief: Why Magic Matters in Modern SEA<\/a><\/h3>02 March 2026 <\/div>\r\nLiving in Southeast Asia and being Southeast Asian often entails an implicit understanding and awareness of magic in some form. But the crucial question to ask is: what IS magic?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\nAcross Southeast Asia there are many forms of magic, whether rooted in animistic, indigenous or folk practices, or in the syncretic practices of 'world religions'. Many beliefs and practices are simply accepted as an indubitable norm, and although sometimes we may not realise it, many of our everyday practices, habits and rituals are based in some sort of magical or spiritual belief that we simply accept as true.<\/p>\r\nThe course GEC1046, Magic Myth<\/a>s will dig deeper into these realities and explore what magic means in Southeast Asia. Not only do we examine local beliefs or adaptations of larger faith systems in the region, but we also look into how religious miracles are in themselves magical. We explore how magic happens, what people believe in, and how magic is seen and manifested - and why people might or might not believe in it.<\/p>\r\nThis course provides you with an alternative view of the world, tucked away in natural spaces, almost unseen between the shiny skyscrapers of modern Southeast Asia, yet always alive and thriving in a world that we\u00a0sometimes\u00a0barely discern.\u00a0This module will examine the duality that magic envelopes; at once the secret hand behind myriad facets of life, from politics to love and living; yet simply accepted as an obvious given. Magic and mythmaking alleviate fear, help people cope with change and the unknown, and make the intangible, tangible. Whether you believe in magic or not, taking this course will help you realise that magic really is almost everywhere in Southeast Asia - and discover its role in righting injustices, recording denied history, and highlighting gender inequalities.<\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Is This Home, Truly?<\/a><\/h3>13 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThis story first appeared on <\/em>NUS Cares Our Stories<\/a>\u00a0on February 2026 .\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\nSE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia was taught by Dr Simon Rowedder in Semester 1 AY25\/26.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIs This Home, Truly?<\/h2>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\nNUR Insyirah Binte Aidil, Faculty of Science<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHello! I\u2019m Insyirah, a Year 3 Environmental Studies major in the Faculty of Science, with minors in Geographic Information Systems and Southeast Asian Studies. While SE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia fulfils the Communities and Engagement pillar under the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) programme and can be double-counted towards my Southeast Asian Studies minor, what truly motivated me to take it was its focus on mobility and displacement in the region. As a region connected by seas and shaped by centuries of movement, migration is a shared reality in Southeast Asia \u2013 yet it remains a topic that is not often discussed extensively. For someone like me, with relatives in different parts of Malaysia, and having spent much of my childhood there despite being Singaporean, I was particularly curious about what drove migration, the different forms it could take, and the ways it shaped people\u2019s lives. This course offered an opportunity to engage with these narratives more deeply and critically.\r\n\r\nGrowing up in Singapore, Home by Dick Lee was more than just a song. It was the soundtrack of every August, an annual signal that National Day was coming. I sang along without thinking; it was one of those iconic National Day Parade songs everyone seemed to know by heart. The lyrics offered reassurance and certainty that home is fixed, familiar, and waiting. \u201cThis is where I won\u2019t be alone,\u201d the song promised, and for a long time, I believed it. I believed that home was something stable, unquestioned, and easily claimed.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A familiar landscape of Singapore. Photograph by Nur Insyirah\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIt was only while taking SE3216 that the song began to sound different. The course seeks to understand the complex trajectories, meanings, and outcomes of human mobility in Southeast Asia through both theoretical frameworks and empirical case studies. Throughout the course, we explored Southeast Asia as a space of migration and mobility, then and now, examining how diasporas emerged through trade, conflict, and colonial and post-colonial transformations. Case studies such as the different historical migration flows of \u2018Haw Chinese\u2019, who moved as traders and later as anti-communists Kuomintang into neighbouring mainland Southeast Asia, highlight how trade, conflict, and political change have shaped diasporic and hybrid identities, as well as the formation of racial, ethnic, political, and cultural minorities.\r\n\r\nThe course also foregrounded contemporary issues, including citizenship and belonging, the gendered dimensions of labour migration, irregular and undocumented migration, human trafficking, and refugee crises across Southeast Asia. Later seminars examined intergenerational mobilities, such as aspiring students and retirees, highlighting how mobility is structured not only by necessity and crisis but also by aspiration, privilege, and life stage. Together, these topics complicated any singular narrative of migration, revealing instead a region marked by uneven mobility and unequal access to rights, protection, and recognition.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBeyond lectures, SE3216 emphasised active engagement. Each week, a group of students led class discussions, summarising assigned readings and connecting theoretical concepts to real-world cases. Following each presentation, the discussion leaders were required to write an individual reflective response on the week\u2019s topic. For my group, this reflection centred on the refugee crisis, with my paper focusing on the Rohingya. The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Rakhine State in western Myanmar. Despite having lived in the region for generations, they are not recognised as one of Myanmar\u2019s official ethnic groups and were effectively rendered stateless by the 1982 Citizenship Law. As a result, they have faced systemic discrimination and repeated outbreaks of violence, most notably in 2012 and 2017, which led to mass displacement, with hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighbouring countries, particularly Bangladesh. Today, the Rohingya crisis is widely regarded as one of the most severe and protracted refugee situations in Southeast Asia, marked by ongoing humanitarian, political, and ethical challenges.\r\n\r\nThrough engaging with this topic, I started to realise that the idea of \u201chome\u201d is not experienced equally by everyone. The belief that home \u201cstays within me wherever I may choose to go\u201d presumes security and recognition, privileges that many migrants and refugees do not have. For the Rohingya, movement often involves managing what must be left behind, negotiating safety, and navigating complex social and political landscapes.\r\n\r\nOne of the assigned readings, From Refugees to Legitimate Minority? Rohingya Performing National Belongings in Thailand by Jaehn, M. (2022), explored how many Rohingya have sought refuge in Thailand, only to encounter another state governed by a narrow vision of \u201cThai-ness,\u201d where citizenship and belonging are tied to nation, religion, and monarchy. Denied formal refugee status and stripped of legal recognition, the Rohingya perform belonging as a survival strategy: blending in, adapting their outward appearance, mimicking cultural norms, and suppressing visible markers of Rohingya identity to avoid deportation or detention, while preserving aspects of their ethnicity and culture in private and community spaces. This duality illustrates how \u201chome\u201d can be a contested, dynamic, and politically mediated concept, shaped by borders, policies, histories, and power.\r\n\r\nIn my reflective paper, I examined how the Rohingya crisis challenges not only ASEAN\u2019s moral authority but also our own roles as observers and scholars. Rather than treating suffering as an object of study, the paper questioned what it means to analyse invisibility or translate endurance into academic or artistic form. While ASEAN\u2019s \u201cpaper diplomacy\u201d gestures toward responsibility without enforcement, I argued that scholarly work risks replicating this distance if it remains detached from accountability.\r\n\r\nAnother key assignment involved constructing a family migration history, where students interviewed a family member with a migrant experience, whether cross-border or within Singapore, to explore migration as an intimate, lived process rather than a purely structural phenomenon. I interviewed my maternal grandmother, who moved to Singapore from Malacca first for work and later for marriage. Through questions about the journey itself, what she carried, who she travelled with, and the emotions associated with movement, as well as the analysis of photographs and hand-drawn objects connected to her migration, the assignment foregrounded memory, affect, and materiality. This exercise revealed that migration is often experienced through a complex mix of nostalgia, loss, and aspiration, complicating dominant narratives of mobility.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A drawing of a traditional clothing hand-sewn by my grandmother, carefully packed and carried with her on her migration to Singapore.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFinally, the research proposal or media analysis assignment invited students to develop an original research idea or critically examine representations of migration in various media forms. This open-ended format allowed for creative and interdisciplinary approaches, while requiring sustained engagement with academic debates on (im)mobility and migration in Southeast Asia. Together, these assessments reflected the course\u2019s broader aim: to move beyond abstract discussions of migration and instead cultivate critical, empathetic, and context-sensitive ways of understanding mobility in the region.\r\n\r\nUltimately, SE3216 taught me that migration is not merely about crossing borders, but about navigating uncertainty, negotiating belonging, and carrying fragments of home across time and space. Where Home once offered uncomplicated reassurance, it now invites a more careful reflection on who is able to claim home with certainty, and who must continually work to build and sustain it.\r\n\r\nI would wholeheartedly recommend this course to students, especially those looking to explore topics beyond their primary field of study. While it may feel different from more conventional Communities and Engagement courses, particularly as the form of \u201cengagement\u201d is less immediate or visible compared to the GEN-coded courses, I found that its impact was no less significant.\r\n\r\nSE3216 encourages a different kind of engagement: one that reshapes how you think, listen, and interact with people across the region. The course asks students to approach its material with openness, not only to unfamiliar concepts but also to the emotional weight that comes with discussions of migration, displacement, and belonging. It does not offer easy conclusions. Instead, it invites sustained reflection on ideas of citizenship, identity, and home \u2013 questions that are deeply relevant to Southeast Asia and, arguably, to the kind of work many of us may eventually do. Long after the seminars end, the questions raised in this course continue to linger, much like a familiar song that, once reinterpreted, can never quite be heard in the same way again.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>Learning to walk like an elephant Reflections on an NUS College Impact Experience project<\/a><\/h3>05 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12990\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team returned to Thailand in December 2025 to share their completed book with members of the elephant care community in Huay Pakkoot, including one of their interviewees, Root (back row, centre), a former elephant caretaker who started the village's first coffeeshop. On the far right in the front row is Ryan Lim, who shared his thoughts on his Impact Experience project for this article.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nThe Impact Experience<\/a>\u00a0(IEx) programme is a rite of passage for all\u00a0NUS College<\/a>\u00a0(NUSC) students, embodying the experiential learning and interdisciplinary approach that are hallmarks of the NUS honours college's curriculum.<\/p>\r\nA service-learning and community engagement project spanning two years, IEx takes students into communities in Singapore and Southeast Asia to apply their classroom theories to real-world issues. Each team comprises six to seven students from a variety of academic backgrounds who work closely with community partners, faculty supervisors and local residents to understand the communities' challenges and devise solutions.<\/p>\r\nRyan Lim, a Year 4 student majoring in\u00a0Southeast Asian Studies<\/a>, is among the first cohort of NUSC students who recently completed their IEx projects and showcased their work at the inaugural\u00a0Impact Festival in September 2025<\/a>. Reflecting on his extraordinary experience living with and learning from elephant caretakers in Huay Pakkoot, Thailand, Ryan shares the impact that this incredible opportunity has had on him and his educational development.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12989\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The team spent some time in nature with Rambo, one of the elephants in the Huay Pakkoot community, while his caretaker Thanet perused the Alongside Elephants book.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nAs part of the first cohort to go through the IEx programme, what were your thoughts when you first learnt about IEx?<\/strong>I felt IEx was something exciting and meaningful to look forward to as I was always keen to deepen my engagement with Southeast Asia. Also, unlike the usual university programmes, there was a lot of trust and autonomy given to students to ideate, plan, and run their IEx projects over the course of two years. For instance, IEx teams were mostly given project budgets upfront rather than on a reimbursement basis, and I felt this was very important from an equity angle, as it allowed all students to pursue regional projects if they were keen to. Since each group got to define the scope of their project, it was a good opportunity for the first NUSC cohort to bring ideas and learnings from the classroom into real life. How did your team collectively decide on your IEx project topic and scope?<\/strong>We had team members from different faculties and schools, but we were all keen on storytelling as an approach and grounding our work in lived realities. With that in mind, we approached a former NUSC anthropology lecturer, Dr Alexandra Dalferro, to be our advisor. Anthropology is about understanding people's lives and social systems across various contexts. This shaped our approach to let our engagement with the community guide how the project developed.<\/p>\r\nWe were keen to explore the topic of human-elephant relations in Southeast Asia, inspired by Dr Dalferro's research in Thailand, where elephants form a vital part of national culture. Another NUSC instructor, Associate Professor Peter Vail, invited us to join a trip to Chiang Mai, where we were introduced to the Thai elephant space by Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Coming in as students who only had touristic experiences with elephants and speaking to the diverse set of actors involved in elephant care in Thailand such as vets, tourist camp owners, and local communities with a long tradition of living with and caring for elephants, we felt there was a gap between what outsiders thought they knew about elephant care and what the Thai insiders shared with us.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12988\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] From left: Village elephant medicine maker Patti Johnee and P'Dee, founder of the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, check out the photobook. P'Dee expressed pride at its quality and appreciation for the nuance with which it presents different approaches to elephant care. He added that what mattered most to him was how it would help others understand the village's culture and elephant caretaking traditions across language barriers. Photo credit: Nigel Teh<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nOne of the moments that crystallised this for me was when we were speaking with Satit Trachookwamdee, or P'Dee, the founder of Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation. P'Dee, who comes from a Karen community that has lived and worked alongside elephants for more than 200 years, said to us that he wanted to show both the black and white of elephant care in Thailand. While he and his community loved their elephants and treated them as kin, he also wanted people to understand that caring for elephants is a resource-intensive and dangerous job.<\/p>\r\nAn example of how they balance these realities daily is the practice of tethering an elephant to a tree with a chain when its carer has to leave it alone. What may seem cruel at first glance is actually a practical compromise, giving the elephant some freedom while reducing the risk of human-elephant conflict that may occur if the elephant wanders into farmland or homes.<\/p>\r\nWe decided to interview and follow different local people on their daily routines of caring for elephants and compiled their various stories into a photobook and companion website. Our different skillsets - Luke and Nigel's photography and filmmaking; Chee Yan and Jia Liang's writing; Eryn and Gillian's design and drawing; supported by the Thai language skills I picked up to bridge the communication gap - came together nicely to create a rich and compelling final product. In curating these stories, we also sought to showcase diverse perspectives from the medical and commercial to the sociocultural.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12987\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team comprises five Year 4 students from NUS College and two Yale-NUS College alumni. Back row, from left: Nigel Teh, Environmental Engineering; Luke Goh, Information Systems; Koh Jia Liang (Global Affairs + Yale-NUS '24). Front row, from left: Gillian Ang, Communications and New Media; Eryn Lim, Sociology; Teo Chee Yan (Anthropology + Yale-NUS '24); Ryan Lim, Southeast Asian Studies.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nWhat are some lessons you have learned, and what do you hope other NUSC students will take away from their own community projects?<\/strong>This experience with managing our own project for two years taught me how much it takes to really drive something to make an impact. I was thankful that as a team, we were aligned and believed in the purpose of our project, and that how much we wanted to do was never a function of academic requirements but really grew out organically from what engaged and interested the team.<\/p>\r\nOne of our interviewees gave us this advice, which I think would be helpful to students now thinking about or working on their own IEx projects: He told us that since we are working on a project about elephants, we must also learn to 'walk like an elephant'. Elephants, he said, use their trunks to sense the ground before them before taking the next step. His advice reminded us to be humble and come in with an open, curious attitude to listen intentionally before thinking about impact.<\/p>\r\nIn December 2025, we made one final trip to Huay Pakkoot to deliver copies of the photobook back to the community who helped to create it. It is now on display in several local institutions, like a coffee shop and the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, where we hope it will be used to deepen understanding of elephant care among visitors.\u00a0Even though the project has now come to an official close, we are trying to continue it in our personal capacity, such as by producing a Thai version so the community can read the stories in their own language and distributing more books in Thailand. Please reach out to us if you are interested to collaborate!<\/p>\r\nHow has the IEx experience shaped your educational development?<\/strong>This experience ended up shaping my educational path more deeply than I initially expected. Working on the project taught me to think differently about learning - instead of applying theories we already knew, we had to listen carefully, sit with uncertainty, and allow the community's lived realities to guide our understanding.<\/p>\r\nThat shift carried over into my academic choices at NUS. I decided to take Thai language classes to better connect with the people we were working with and also spent four months on exchange in Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand, to improve my Thai language for daily use. This eventually led me to major in Southeast Asian Studies as a flexible pathway to combine my interest in the field of anthropology with my engagement with the region. Together, these experiences have influenced not just what I study, but how I approach learning and living in the region more broadly.<\/p>\r\nTo learn more about the Alongside Elephants project, check out\u00a0<\/i>their website<\/i><\/a>, this\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram post<\/i><\/a>\u00a0and these\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram highlights<\/i><\/a>\u00a0from their December 2025 trip.\u00a0The photobook is also available for browsing in the NUS Libraries collection.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 5 February 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Urbanising islands: A critical history of Singapore\u2019s offshore islands<\/a><\/h3>09 January 2026 <\/div>Did you know that Singapore boasts up to 54 surrounding islands, many of which were established through land reclamation post-independence? While most of these islands remain untouched, some play crucial roles in the city-state\u2019s development. Given their relative obscurity and historical significance to most Singaporeans, \u2018Urbanising Islands: A Critical History of Singapore\u2019s Offshore Islands\u2019, a chapter in Turning up the Heat: Urban Political Ecology for a Climate Emergency <\/em>(Manchester UP, 2023) by Dr. Creighton Connolly (The University of Hong Kong) and Associate Professor Hamzah Muzaini (NUS Southeast Asian Studies), explores the transformative nature of these islands.<\/p>\r\nThe authors highlight that capitalistic governance has significantly influenced the development of Singapore\u2019s Southern and Western Islands, shaping nature even beyond the city. Since independence, these islands have been redeveloped to support territorial organisation and key economic sectors. For example, they have been transformed into \u2018spatial envelopes\u2019 for brownfield activities like petrochemical industries and landfills. Jurong Island's creation has positioned Singapore as a global leader in the chemical industry, contributing approximately 34% of local manufacturing output in 2014. Similarly, Pulau Semakau, consisting of 220 hectares of reclaimed land, is Southeast Asia\u2019s largest offshore landfill. These islands play a crucial role given the land scarcity on the mainland, helping it remain clean and green while enabling economic progress.<\/p>\r\nThese transformations, however, have come at a high cost. Land reclamation, involving the dredging of sand, has led to the loss of up to 60% of Singapore\u2019s coral reefs and much of its natural shoreline. Additionally, waste incineration produces harmful air and aquatic pollution due to the toxins from the incineration ash, affecting Semakau and its surrounding areas throughout its operational lifetime. This process has irreversibly damaged the socio-ecologies of the islands. These outcomes underscore the political aspect of urban political ecology, highlighting the consequences of excessive capitalist accumulation and the socio-environmental inequalities that arise to meet economic demands.<\/p>\r\nLastly, the authors explore the tense dialectical relationship between city and countryside, noting that many indigenous communities who once inhabited these islands were pressured to leave to make way for repurposing projects. For instance, Pulau Seking once had a population of over 300 people before it was reclaimed to become part of Pulau Semakau\u2019s landfill.<\/p>\r\nThe authors conclude by suggesting that Singapore\u2019s offshore islands should be viewed as hybrid rural\/urban areas, as they exhibit characteristics of both. These islands should not be considered in isolation; instead, they should be preserved and utilised sustainably to ensure that socio-spatial transformations are accountable to all stakeholders, not just driven by economic considerations.<\/p>\r\nRead the chapter here<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12094\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"936\"] Photo: iStock\/Jennzhen[\/caption]<\/div><\/div>To Singapore for the buzz. To Johor for vast skies, open seas<\/a><\/h3>10 December 2025 <\/div><\/a>\r\nDiscover a thoughtful reflection on the contrasting charms of Singapore and Johor, written by our lecturer Dr Serina Rahman. She shares personal insights on the buzz of city life versus the calm of open skies and wide-open spaces across the Causeway. A meaningful read for those curious about both places and the lives lived between them.This article is available to subscribers.<\/em><\/div><\/div>Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood | Looking Back, Moving Forward Video Series \u2013 Episode 5: Innovation at the Intersections<\/a><\/h3>14 November 2025 <\/div>As part of our 'Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood' campaign for SG60, we present the 'Looking Back, Moving Forward' video series \u2014 inviting reflection on how Singapore\u2019s past shapes its future.\r\n\r\nThrough the work of NUS FASS researchers, the series uncovers the complexities behind the nation\u2019s celebrated 'success story', bringing to light the inequalities, contradictions, and costs often overlooked.\r\n\r\nThe fifth video, 'Innovation at the intersections', shows that studying Singapore helps us understand how innovation emerges at the intersections of technology, culture, and everyday life.<\/span>\r\n\r\nResearch by FASS faculty and students illustrates how AI, digital culture, public health, and youth sports are transforming urban life, with this video showing how technology and society are shaping Singapore today and tomorrow.\r\n\r\nLooking closely at Singapore today is, in this way, also a way of anticipating the Singapore we want to build for the next generation.\r\n\r\nRead more about the four publications featured in this episode on the Singapore Research Nexus (SRN) website using the link above each publication.\r\n\r\n \r\n1. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2024\/11\/21\/understanding-user-interactions-and-perceptions-of-ai-risk-in-singapore-3\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tNeyazi, T. A., Ng, S. W. T., Hobbs, M., & Yue, A. (2023). Understanding user interactions and perceptions of AI risk in Singapore. <\/span>Big Data & Society<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>10<\/span>(2), 20539517231213823. <\/span>https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/yfmfn87t<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n2. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2025\/07\/09\/excavating-amnesia-a-media-archaeology-of-early-internet-art-from-singapore\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tYamin, J., & Mitchell, A. (2023). Excavating Amnesia: A Media Archaeology of Early Internet Art from Singapore. <\/span>Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>7<\/span>(2), 47\u201378. <\/span>
\r\nOfficially launched today, CSSH is the first in Singapore to systematically bring together computational social science and the humanities within a single centre to bridge research, policy and real-world applications.<\/p>\r\nThe Centre draws on expertise across disciplines including computing, new media, linguistics, geography, public policy and healthcare, amongst others. This interdisciplinary foundation enables CSSH to examine how digital technologies intersect with social systems, such as assessing the societal implications of AI-enabled platforms, using digital tools to help preserve Singapore's cultural heritage, and strengthening digital literacy in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\r\nNUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Professor Liu Bin said, \"Rapid advances in digital technologies and AI are transforming our world. But technological breakthroughs are only as valuable as the difference they make to peoples' lives. CSSH reflects NUS' commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements in how we live, work and build stronger communities. By integrating computational methods with social science and humanities, the Centre will help translate research insights into policies and practices that deliver real-world impact.\"<\/p>\r\nShe added that the Centre complements Singapore's broader push for innovative, responsible harnessing of technology and AI which emphasises that progress should be not only technically advanced, but trusted, inclusive and grounded in real social needs.<\/p>\r\nDriving real-world impact through interdisciplinary innovation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\r\nCSSH is led by Co-Directors Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the\u00a0NUS School of Computing<\/a>\u00a0and Professor Peter Millican from the\u00a0NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences<\/a>. The Centre supports both seed funding for emerging ideas and larger projects, all designed to generate real-world impact.<\/p>\r\nProf Kankanhalli said, \"What distinguishes CSSH is our ability to study human behaviour, institutions and societies at a scale and depth that was not previously possible. By combining computational methods with rich domain expertise in the social sciences and humanities, we can uncover patterns, test ideas, and generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice. Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people.\"<\/p>\r\nSince beginning operations in the second half of 2024, CSSH has embarked on more than 50 interdisciplinary projects involving 105 researchers from across NUS and their external collaborators. The projects demonstrate the breadth of its work - from AI-enabled analysis of social media impacts to digital preservation of historical archives.<\/p>\r\nAmongst the major research projects currently being undertaken by CSSH is one titled \"Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design\", led by Prof Kankanhalli. In this five-year project, researchers from NUS and three other local universities are collaborating to develop an AI-driven social simulation platform for policymakers to help test and refine policy interventions before they are rolled out.<\/p>\r\nUsing large language models (LLMs), the platform will model diverse public personas to enable policymakers to conduct swift preliminary testing of policy ideas. The simulations will complement traditional research methods by reducing the frequency of costly, time-consuming large-scale surveys and field studies during early policy development, while retaining real-world validation and community engagement at critical decision points. CSSH Deputy Director Associate Professor Dandan Qiao from the NUS School of Computing is also contributing her expertise to the project.<\/p>\r\nAnother project titled \"The Jawi AI Project\", led by NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela, harnesses AI to enable large-scale transliteration and analysis of Jawi texts. Early Malay-language newspapers in Singapore, published between 1870 and 1970 were written in Jawi, a script few can read today.<\/p>\r\nIn collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), the team comprising local and foreign experts is transforming thousands of archived pages into searchable Malay text, significantly expanding the range of materials available at NLB's digitised archives. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, who is also Deputy Director at CSSH, noted that the project could significantly expand research into Malay-language journalism and public debate in the region, broadening how Singapore's history is understood and taught.<\/p>\r\nProf Millican highlighted that a core mission of CSSH is to break down the walls between disciplines. By connecting humanities and social science researchers with computing and data science experts, the Centre fosters collaborations that neither field could achieve alone. \"Many of today's biggest challenges demand both deep specialist insight and serious technical firepower\", he explained, \"whether they involve untangling complex social issues, tackling health crises, anticipating future problems, or building the tools to address these. CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations.\"<\/p>\r\nHe added that the Centre looks forward to developing more projects addressing societal challenges to which computational insights can make the greatest difference. Focus areas include AI and emerging technologies, sustainability and environmental policy, population trends and demographic change, public health and social care, and the preservation and understanding of history and cultural heritage.<\/p>\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 4 March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Beyond Belief: Why Magic Matters in Modern SEA<\/a><\/h3>02 March 2026 <\/div>\r\nLiving in Southeast Asia and being Southeast Asian often entails an implicit understanding and awareness of magic in some form. But the crucial question to ask is: what IS magic?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\nAcross Southeast Asia there are many forms of magic, whether rooted in animistic, indigenous or folk practices, or in the syncretic practices of 'world religions'. Many beliefs and practices are simply accepted as an indubitable norm, and although sometimes we may not realise it, many of our everyday practices, habits and rituals are based in some sort of magical or spiritual belief that we simply accept as true.<\/p>\r\nThe course GEC1046, Magic Myth<\/a>s will dig deeper into these realities and explore what magic means in Southeast Asia. Not only do we examine local beliefs or adaptations of larger faith systems in the region, but we also look into how religious miracles are in themselves magical. We explore how magic happens, what people believe in, and how magic is seen and manifested - and why people might or might not believe in it.<\/p>\r\nThis course provides you with an alternative view of the world, tucked away in natural spaces, almost unseen between the shiny skyscrapers of modern Southeast Asia, yet always alive and thriving in a world that we\u00a0sometimes\u00a0barely discern.\u00a0This module will examine the duality that magic envelopes; at once the secret hand behind myriad facets of life, from politics to love and living; yet simply accepted as an obvious given. Magic and mythmaking alleviate fear, help people cope with change and the unknown, and make the intangible, tangible. Whether you believe in magic or not, taking this course will help you realise that magic really is almost everywhere in Southeast Asia - and discover its role in righting injustices, recording denied history, and highlighting gender inequalities.<\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Is This Home, Truly?<\/a><\/h3>13 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThis story first appeared on <\/em>NUS Cares Our Stories<\/a>\u00a0on February 2026 .\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\nSE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia was taught by Dr Simon Rowedder in Semester 1 AY25\/26.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIs This Home, Truly?<\/h2>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\nNUR Insyirah Binte Aidil, Faculty of Science<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHello! I\u2019m Insyirah, a Year 3 Environmental Studies major in the Faculty of Science, with minors in Geographic Information Systems and Southeast Asian Studies. While SE3216: Migration, Diaspora and Refugees in Southeast Asia fulfils the Communities and Engagement pillar under the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) programme and can be double-counted towards my Southeast Asian Studies minor, what truly motivated me to take it was its focus on mobility and displacement in the region. As a region connected by seas and shaped by centuries of movement, migration is a shared reality in Southeast Asia \u2013 yet it remains a topic that is not often discussed extensively. For someone like me, with relatives in different parts of Malaysia, and having spent much of my childhood there despite being Singaporean, I was particularly curious about what drove migration, the different forms it could take, and the ways it shaped people\u2019s lives. This course offered an opportunity to engage with these narratives more deeply and critically.\r\n\r\nGrowing up in Singapore, Home by Dick Lee was more than just a song. It was the soundtrack of every August, an annual signal that National Day was coming. I sang along without thinking; it was one of those iconic National Day Parade songs everyone seemed to know by heart. The lyrics offered reassurance and certainty that home is fixed, familiar, and waiting. \u201cThis is where I won\u2019t be alone,\u201d the song promised, and for a long time, I believed it. I believed that home was something stable, unquestioned, and easily claimed.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A familiar landscape of Singapore. Photograph by Nur Insyirah\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIt was only while taking SE3216 that the song began to sound different. The course seeks to understand the complex trajectories, meanings, and outcomes of human mobility in Southeast Asia through both theoretical frameworks and empirical case studies. Throughout the course, we explored Southeast Asia as a space of migration and mobility, then and now, examining how diasporas emerged through trade, conflict, and colonial and post-colonial transformations. Case studies such as the different historical migration flows of \u2018Haw Chinese\u2019, who moved as traders and later as anti-communists Kuomintang into neighbouring mainland Southeast Asia, highlight how trade, conflict, and political change have shaped diasporic and hybrid identities, as well as the formation of racial, ethnic, political, and cultural minorities.\r\n\r\nThe course also foregrounded contemporary issues, including citizenship and belonging, the gendered dimensions of labour migration, irregular and undocumented migration, human trafficking, and refugee crises across Southeast Asia. Later seminars examined intergenerational mobilities, such as aspiring students and retirees, highlighting how mobility is structured not only by necessity and crisis but also by aspiration, privilege, and life stage. Together, these topics complicated any singular narrative of migration, revealing instead a region marked by uneven mobility and unequal access to rights, protection, and recognition.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBeyond lectures, SE3216 emphasised active engagement. Each week, a group of students led class discussions, summarising assigned readings and connecting theoretical concepts to real-world cases. Following each presentation, the discussion leaders were required to write an individual reflective response on the week\u2019s topic. For my group, this reflection centred on the refugee crisis, with my paper focusing on the Rohingya. The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Rakhine State in western Myanmar. Despite having lived in the region for generations, they are not recognised as one of Myanmar\u2019s official ethnic groups and were effectively rendered stateless by the 1982 Citizenship Law. As a result, they have faced systemic discrimination and repeated outbreaks of violence, most notably in 2012 and 2017, which led to mass displacement, with hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighbouring countries, particularly Bangladesh. Today, the Rohingya crisis is widely regarded as one of the most severe and protracted refugee situations in Southeast Asia, marked by ongoing humanitarian, political, and ethical challenges.\r\n\r\nThrough engaging with this topic, I started to realise that the idea of \u201chome\u201d is not experienced equally by everyone. The belief that home \u201cstays within me wherever I may choose to go\u201d presumes security and recognition, privileges that many migrants and refugees do not have. For the Rohingya, movement often involves managing what must be left behind, negotiating safety, and navigating complex social and political landscapes.\r\n\r\nOne of the assigned readings, From Refugees to Legitimate Minority? Rohingya Performing National Belongings in Thailand by Jaehn, M. (2022), explored how many Rohingya have sought refuge in Thailand, only to encounter another state governed by a narrow vision of \u201cThai-ness,\u201d where citizenship and belonging are tied to nation, religion, and monarchy. Denied formal refugee status and stripped of legal recognition, the Rohingya perform belonging as a survival strategy: blending in, adapting their outward appearance, mimicking cultural norms, and suppressing visible markers of Rohingya identity to avoid deportation or detention, while preserving aspects of their ethnicity and culture in private and community spaces. This duality illustrates how \u201chome\u201d can be a contested, dynamic, and politically mediated concept, shaped by borders, policies, histories, and power.\r\n\r\nIn my reflective paper, I examined how the Rohingya crisis challenges not only ASEAN\u2019s moral authority but also our own roles as observers and scholars. Rather than treating suffering as an object of study, the paper questioned what it means to analyse invisibility or translate endurance into academic or artistic form. While ASEAN\u2019s \u201cpaper diplomacy\u201d gestures toward responsibility without enforcement, I argued that scholarly work risks replicating this distance if it remains detached from accountability.\r\n\r\nAnother key assignment involved constructing a family migration history, where students interviewed a family member with a migrant experience, whether cross-border or within Singapore, to explore migration as an intimate, lived process rather than a purely structural phenomenon. I interviewed my maternal grandmother, who moved to Singapore from Malacca first for work and later for marriage. Through questions about the journey itself, what she carried, who she travelled with, and the emotions associated with movement, as well as the analysis of photographs and hand-drawn objects connected to her migration, the assignment foregrounded memory, affect, and materiality. This exercise revealed that migration is often experienced through a complex mix of nostalgia, loss, and aspiration, complicating dominant narratives of mobility.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto: A drawing of a traditional clothing hand-sewn by my grandmother, carefully packed and carried with her on her migration to Singapore.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFinally, the research proposal or media analysis assignment invited students to develop an original research idea or critically examine representations of migration in various media forms. This open-ended format allowed for creative and interdisciplinary approaches, while requiring sustained engagement with academic debates on (im)mobility and migration in Southeast Asia. Together, these assessments reflected the course\u2019s broader aim: to move beyond abstract discussions of migration and instead cultivate critical, empathetic, and context-sensitive ways of understanding mobility in the region.\r\n\r\nUltimately, SE3216 taught me that migration is not merely about crossing borders, but about navigating uncertainty, negotiating belonging, and carrying fragments of home across time and space. Where Home once offered uncomplicated reassurance, it now invites a more careful reflection on who is able to claim home with certainty, and who must continually work to build and sustain it.\r\n\r\nI would wholeheartedly recommend this course to students, especially those looking to explore topics beyond their primary field of study. While it may feel different from more conventional Communities and Engagement courses, particularly as the form of \u201cengagement\u201d is less immediate or visible compared to the GEN-coded courses, I found that its impact was no less significant.\r\n\r\nSE3216 encourages a different kind of engagement: one that reshapes how you think, listen, and interact with people across the region. The course asks students to approach its material with openness, not only to unfamiliar concepts but also to the emotional weight that comes with discussions of migration, displacement, and belonging. It does not offer easy conclusions. Instead, it invites sustained reflection on ideas of citizenship, identity, and home \u2013 questions that are deeply relevant to Southeast Asia and, arguably, to the kind of work many of us may eventually do. Long after the seminars end, the questions raised in this course continue to linger, much like a familiar song that, once reinterpreted, can never quite be heard in the same way again.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>Learning to walk like an elephant Reflections on an NUS College Impact Experience project<\/a><\/h3>05 February 2026 <\/div>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12990\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team returned to Thailand in December 2025 to share their completed book with members of the elephant care community in Huay Pakkoot, including one of their interviewees, Root (back row, centre), a former elephant caretaker who started the village's first coffeeshop. On the far right in the front row is Ryan Lim, who shared his thoughts on his Impact Experience project for this article.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nThe Impact Experience<\/a>\u00a0(IEx) programme is a rite of passage for all\u00a0NUS College<\/a>\u00a0(NUSC) students, embodying the experiential learning and interdisciplinary approach that are hallmarks of the NUS honours college's curriculum.<\/p>\r\nA service-learning and community engagement project spanning two years, IEx takes students into communities in Singapore and Southeast Asia to apply their classroom theories to real-world issues. Each team comprises six to seven students from a variety of academic backgrounds who work closely with community partners, faculty supervisors and local residents to understand the communities' challenges and devise solutions.<\/p>\r\nRyan Lim, a Year 4 student majoring in\u00a0Southeast Asian Studies<\/a>, is among the first cohort of NUSC students who recently completed their IEx projects and showcased their work at the inaugural\u00a0Impact Festival in September 2025<\/a>. Reflecting on his extraordinary experience living with and learning from elephant caretakers in Huay Pakkoot, Thailand, Ryan shares the impact that this incredible opportunity has had on him and his educational development.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12989\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The team spent some time in nature with Rambo, one of the elephants in the Huay Pakkoot community, while his caretaker Thanet perused the Alongside Elephants book.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nAs part of the first cohort to go through the IEx programme, what were your thoughts when you first learnt about IEx?<\/strong>I felt IEx was something exciting and meaningful to look forward to as I was always keen to deepen my engagement with Southeast Asia. Also, unlike the usual university programmes, there was a lot of trust and autonomy given to students to ideate, plan, and run their IEx projects over the course of two years. For instance, IEx teams were mostly given project budgets upfront rather than on a reimbursement basis, and I felt this was very important from an equity angle, as it allowed all students to pursue regional projects if they were keen to. Since each group got to define the scope of their project, it was a good opportunity for the first NUSC cohort to bring ideas and learnings from the classroom into real life. How did your team collectively decide on your IEx project topic and scope?<\/strong>We had team members from different faculties and schools, but we were all keen on storytelling as an approach and grounding our work in lived realities. With that in mind, we approached a former NUSC anthropology lecturer, Dr Alexandra Dalferro, to be our advisor. Anthropology is about understanding people's lives and social systems across various contexts. This shaped our approach to let our engagement with the community guide how the project developed.<\/p>\r\nWe were keen to explore the topic of human-elephant relations in Southeast Asia, inspired by Dr Dalferro's research in Thailand, where elephants form a vital part of national culture. Another NUSC instructor, Associate Professor Peter Vail, invited us to join a trip to Chiang Mai, where we were introduced to the Thai elephant space by Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Coming in as students who only had touristic experiences with elephants and speaking to the diverse set of actors involved in elephant care in Thailand such as vets, tourist camp owners, and local communities with a long tradition of living with and caring for elephants, we felt there was a gap between what outsiders thought they knew about elephant care and what the Thai insiders shared with us.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12988\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] From left: Village elephant medicine maker Patti Johnee and P'Dee, founder of the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, check out the photobook. P'Dee expressed pride at its quality and appreciation for the nuance with which it presents different approaches to elephant care. He added that what mattered most to him was how it would help others understand the village's culture and elephant caretaking traditions across language barriers. Photo credit: Nigel Teh<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nOne of the moments that crystallised this for me was when we were speaking with Satit Trachookwamdee, or P'Dee, the founder of Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation. P'Dee, who comes from a Karen community that has lived and worked alongside elephants for more than 200 years, said to us that he wanted to show both the black and white of elephant care in Thailand. While he and his community loved their elephants and treated them as kin, he also wanted people to understand that caring for elephants is a resource-intensive and dangerous job.<\/p>\r\nAn example of how they balance these realities daily is the practice of tethering an elephant to a tree with a chain when its carer has to leave it alone. What may seem cruel at first glance is actually a practical compromise, giving the elephant some freedom while reducing the risk of human-elephant conflict that may occur if the elephant wanders into farmland or homes.<\/p>\r\nWe decided to interview and follow different local people on their daily routines of caring for elephants and compiled their various stories into a photobook and companion website. Our different skillsets - Luke and Nigel's photography and filmmaking; Chee Yan and Jia Liang's writing; Eryn and Gillian's design and drawing; supported by the Thai language skills I picked up to bridge the communication gap - came together nicely to create a rich and compelling final product. In curating these stories, we also sought to showcase diverse perspectives from the medical and commercial to the sociocultural.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12987\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] The Alongside Elephants team comprises five Year 4 students from NUS College and two Yale-NUS College alumni. Back row, from left: Nigel Teh, Environmental Engineering; Luke Goh, Information Systems; Koh Jia Liang (Global Affairs + Yale-NUS '24). Front row, from left: Gillian Ang, Communications and New Media; Eryn Lim, Sociology; Teo Chee Yan (Anthropology + Yale-NUS '24); Ryan Lim, Southeast Asian Studies.<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\nWhat are some lessons you have learned, and what do you hope other NUSC students will take away from their own community projects?<\/strong>This experience with managing our own project for two years taught me how much it takes to really drive something to make an impact. I was thankful that as a team, we were aligned and believed in the purpose of our project, and that how much we wanted to do was never a function of academic requirements but really grew out organically from what engaged and interested the team.<\/p>\r\nOne of our interviewees gave us this advice, which I think would be helpful to students now thinking about or working on their own IEx projects: He told us that since we are working on a project about elephants, we must also learn to 'walk like an elephant'. Elephants, he said, use their trunks to sense the ground before them before taking the next step. His advice reminded us to be humble and come in with an open, curious attitude to listen intentionally before thinking about impact.<\/p>\r\nIn December 2025, we made one final trip to Huay Pakkoot to deliver copies of the photobook back to the community who helped to create it. It is now on display in several local institutions, like a coffee shop and the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Community Foundation, where we hope it will be used to deepen understanding of elephant care among visitors.\u00a0Even though the project has now come to an official close, we are trying to continue it in our personal capacity, such as by producing a Thai version so the community can read the stories in their own language and distributing more books in Thailand. Please reach out to us if you are interested to collaborate!<\/p>\r\nHow has the IEx experience shaped your educational development?<\/strong>This experience ended up shaping my educational path more deeply than I initially expected. Working on the project taught me to think differently about learning - instead of applying theories we already knew, we had to listen carefully, sit with uncertainty, and allow the community's lived realities to guide our understanding.<\/p>\r\nThat shift carried over into my academic choices at NUS. I decided to take Thai language classes to better connect with the people we were working with and also spent four months on exchange in Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand, to improve my Thai language for daily use. This eventually led me to major in Southeast Asian Studies as a flexible pathway to combine my interest in the field of anthropology with my engagement with the region. Together, these experiences have influenced not just what I study, but how I approach learning and living in the region more broadly.<\/p>\r\nTo learn more about the Alongside Elephants project, check out\u00a0<\/i>their website<\/i><\/a>, this\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram post<\/i><\/a>\u00a0and these\u00a0<\/i>NUS Instagram highlights<\/i><\/a>\u00a0from their December 2025 trip.\u00a0The photobook is also available for browsing in the NUS Libraries collection.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\nThis story\u00a0first appeared in <\/em>NUSnews<\/a> on 5 February 2026.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>Urbanising islands: A critical history of Singapore\u2019s offshore islands<\/a><\/h3>09 January 2026 <\/div>Did you know that Singapore boasts up to 54 surrounding islands, many of which were established through land reclamation post-independence? While most of these islands remain untouched, some play crucial roles in the city-state\u2019s development. Given their relative obscurity and historical significance to most Singaporeans, \u2018Urbanising Islands: A Critical History of Singapore\u2019s Offshore Islands\u2019, a chapter in Turning up the Heat: Urban Political Ecology for a Climate Emergency <\/em>(Manchester UP, 2023) by Dr. Creighton Connolly (The University of Hong Kong) and Associate Professor Hamzah Muzaini (NUS Southeast Asian Studies), explores the transformative nature of these islands.<\/p>\r\nThe authors highlight that capitalistic governance has significantly influenced the development of Singapore\u2019s Southern and Western Islands, shaping nature even beyond the city. Since independence, these islands have been redeveloped to support territorial organisation and key economic sectors. For example, they have been transformed into \u2018spatial envelopes\u2019 for brownfield activities like petrochemical industries and landfills. Jurong Island's creation has positioned Singapore as a global leader in the chemical industry, contributing approximately 34% of local manufacturing output in 2014. Similarly, Pulau Semakau, consisting of 220 hectares of reclaimed land, is Southeast Asia\u2019s largest offshore landfill. These islands play a crucial role given the land scarcity on the mainland, helping it remain clean and green while enabling economic progress.<\/p>\r\nThese transformations, however, have come at a high cost. Land reclamation, involving the dredging of sand, has led to the loss of up to 60% of Singapore\u2019s coral reefs and much of its natural shoreline. Additionally, waste incineration produces harmful air and aquatic pollution due to the toxins from the incineration ash, affecting Semakau and its surrounding areas throughout its operational lifetime. This process has irreversibly damaged the socio-ecologies of the islands. These outcomes underscore the political aspect of urban political ecology, highlighting the consequences of excessive capitalist accumulation and the socio-environmental inequalities that arise to meet economic demands.<\/p>\r\nLastly, the authors explore the tense dialectical relationship between city and countryside, noting that many indigenous communities who once inhabited these islands were pressured to leave to make way for repurposing projects. For instance, Pulau Seking once had a population of over 300 people before it was reclaimed to become part of Pulau Semakau\u2019s landfill.<\/p>\r\nThe authors conclude by suggesting that Singapore\u2019s offshore islands should be viewed as hybrid rural\/urban areas, as they exhibit characteristics of both. These islands should not be considered in isolation; instead, they should be preserved and utilised sustainably to ensure that socio-spatial transformations are accountable to all stakeholders, not just driven by economic considerations.<\/p>\r\nRead the chapter here<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_12094\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"936\"] Photo: iStock\/Jennzhen[\/caption]<\/div><\/div>To Singapore for the buzz. To Johor for vast skies, open seas<\/a><\/h3>10 December 2025 <\/div><\/a>\r\nDiscover a thoughtful reflection on the contrasting charms of Singapore and Johor, written by our lecturer Dr Serina Rahman. She shares personal insights on the buzz of city life versus the calm of open skies and wide-open spaces across the Causeway. A meaningful read for those curious about both places and the lives lived between them.This article is available to subscribers.<\/em><\/div><\/div>Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood | Looking Back, Moving Forward Video Series \u2013 Episode 5: Innovation at the Intersections<\/a><\/h3>14 November 2025 <\/div>As part of our 'Celebrating Singapore Studies: Sixty Years of Nationhood' campaign for SG60, we present the 'Looking Back, Moving Forward' video series \u2014 inviting reflection on how Singapore\u2019s past shapes its future.\r\n\r\nThrough the work of NUS FASS researchers, the series uncovers the complexities behind the nation\u2019s celebrated 'success story', bringing to light the inequalities, contradictions, and costs often overlooked.\r\n\r\nThe fifth video, 'Innovation at the intersections', shows that studying Singapore helps us understand how innovation emerges at the intersections of technology, culture, and everyday life.<\/span>\r\n\r\nResearch by FASS faculty and students illustrates how AI, digital culture, public health, and youth sports are transforming urban life, with this video showing how technology and society are shaping Singapore today and tomorrow.\r\n\r\nLooking closely at Singapore today is, in this way, also a way of anticipating the Singapore we want to build for the next generation.\r\n\r\nRead more about the four publications featured in this episode on the Singapore Research Nexus (SRN) website using the link above each publication.\r\n\r\n \r\n1. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2024\/11\/21\/understanding-user-interactions-and-perceptions-of-ai-risk-in-singapore-3\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tNeyazi, T. A., Ng, S. W. T., Hobbs, M., & Yue, A. (2023). Understanding user interactions and perceptions of AI risk in Singapore. <\/span>Big Data & Society<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>10<\/span>(2), 20539517231213823. <\/span>https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/yfmfn87t<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n2. https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2025\/07\/09\/excavating-amnesia-a-media-archaeology-of-early-internet-art-from-singapore\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \tYamin, J., & Mitchell, A. (2023). Excavating Amnesia: A Media Archaeology of Early Internet Art from Singapore. <\/span>Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>7<\/span>(2), 47\u201378. <\/span>