FYI – Jul/Aug 2025

by Derek Rodriguez

Scene + heard

“Its curriculum sparks intellectual curiosity, fosters a spirit of service, and challenges our students to turn ideas into action. Our aim is to nurture gamechangers who are driven to create a better world.”

– NTU President Prof Ho Teck Hua on the NTU Honours College, a new flagship undergraduate college that empowers high-potential students to harness technology for a good cause

Our quantum champ

NTU represent! Applied physics undergrad Dev Verma is heading to Geneva, Switzerland, to present his solution to an international audience of leading artificial intelligence and tech experts as well as world leaders. As part of the experience, he’ll also get the chance to visit CERN, Europe’s renowned physics lab. Dev scored this opportunity with a winning innovation to bridge learning gaps in quantum computing in an international hackathon.

Expo-unding climate conversations

Bold ideas took centre stage at the World Expo in Osaka, where NTU experts shared solutions for a more sustainable future. Speaking at the Singapore Pavilion, they led discussions about sustainable materials, water innovation and climate risks in Southeast Asia. In line with the Expo’s theme, the spotlight was on the pivotal role of global partnerships in driving meaningful change.

The cure for procrastination

Paralysed by procrastination? It doesn’t mean that you’re lazy or a poor planner, says an NTU prof. More often than not, you’re avoiding the task because of deeper reasons like fear of failing or the complexity of the task.

One tip the prof offers is adopting the two-minute rule: If something takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. For bigger tasks, commit to just two minutes of work. Since starting is the hardest part, you’ll be chipping away at it quickly. And consider giving yourself a small reward for each small goal you complete, she adds.

The next big things

NTU's AI star shines

Hailey has added another feather to her cap. The artificial intelligence (AI) persona earned NTU the Best Use of Content award at the recent PR Awards Asia-Pacific, held in Hong Kong. Far from a novelty, Hailey, the hyper-realistic persona you’ve seen in HEY! and on NTU’s social media, is an in-house project by NTU’s communications team that challenges us to rethink the boundaries between human and machine as part of creative storytelling. Thanks too to you, our readers, for continuing to inspire and support us.

This story ends well

It’s been quite the journey for Jemimah Wei, who made waves as an NTU student when she wrote and produced a viral short film for Korean makeup brand Laneige that was packed with K-drama tropes. The English graduate recently made her literary debut with The Original Daughter, a novel about two half-sisters who grew up in a cramped HDB flat. The book has quickly received major acclaim, landing on The Straits Times’ bestsellers list and becoming a Good Morning America Book Club pick and a New York Times Editors’ Pick.

Retro chill pill

Hello darkness, my old flaw

White hat hackers from NTU are keeping cybercriminals in the dark. They uncovered a critical vulnerability in Windows Hello’s facial recognition feature that allowed unauthorised users to unlock the system in low-light conditions such as a dark room. This prompted Microsoft to disable the function, tightening security for millions of Windows users worldwide.

This story was published in the Jul-Aug 2025 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.