Convocation 2022 – Medals & Awards

Name of Award	Name of Recipient	Programme
Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal Infocomm Media Development (IMDA) Gold Medal	Somani Palak	Computer Science
Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal Yoozoo Gold Medal	Vincent Ribli	Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI)
Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal Information Technology Management Association (ITMA) Gold Medal cum Book Prize	Yew Wei Chee	Computer Engineering
Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) Gold Medal cum Cash Award	Tanay Bharadwaja	Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI)
Tata Consultancy Services Gold Medal	Ng Yi Liang, Randy	Computer Science
Accenture Gold Medal – Book Prize (for students from Non-Graduating Year)	Dong Luojie	Computer Engineering

Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal*
Infocomm Media Development (IMDA) Gold Medal

Winner: SOMANI PALAK, Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Science)

I am honoured for being awarded the Lee Kuan Yew and IMDA Gold Medal. I would like to thank my parents, professors and peers, especially my roommate Aditya Bansal for helping me throughout my academic journey. The enrolment to Computer Science and Business program in 2018 was the start of my challenging but rewarding journey with NTU. 

I vividly remember the first day I stepped on the NTU Campus - excited for what lies ahead. That was a special moment, and a start of a beautiful journey for the next 3.5 years. NTU is an amazing place and will provide you with all the tools, exposures and opportunities you would need to succeed.

The university has helped lay a strong engineering and business foundation. It helped me believe that if I have an idea, then there would be nothing stopping me from turning an idea into a reality. I was fortunate enough to broaden my understanding and gain industry exposure through various diverse internships at Goldman Sachs, Visa, Shopee, KPMG and Singtel. I also had several opportunities to put my learning to use outside of the classroom doors, in the form of hackathons. 

There were a lot of memorable moments and interesting experiences from my time with NTU. One of such unforgettable experiences was my exchange semester with Melbourne University, Australia. I had the wonderful opportunity to experience a vastly different culture and develop valuable skills to prepare for a global future.

To my juniors and incoming freshmen, one of my biggest takeaways is that there are no shortcuts to success (Just embrace hard work). You are at a new place, with new people, surrounded by new horizons and infinite possibilities. Make your stay count. Inculcate a habit of responding rather than reacting and observing rather than watching. Also remember, everyone is different. Everyone is unique in their own ways. You should keenly explore on topics which you are genuinely passionate about.

To the class of 2022, it was my pleasure being in NTU with all of you and I wish you all the best for your future endeavours. I won’t make the mistake of saying goodbye, instead - till next time!

As I shift from a student to an alumni status, I think it is simply the next step in a lifelong NTU journey. I am privileged to join a huge cohort who call our community a second home!

 

Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal*
Yoozoo Gold Medal

Winner: VINCENT RIBLI, Bachelor of Science (Data Science and Artificial Intelligence)

My journey with the School of Computer Science and Engineering (SCSE) started in an interesting way. I did not plan to join SCSE right from the start, and in fact I was actually offered admission into another programme under the College of Engineering.  

Without any prior experience in data science or artificial intelligence, I was fortunate enough to land an internship with Nanyang Technological University’s Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Research Centre (DSAIR) in May 2018. The experience at DSAIR was nothing short of amazing and eye-opening. I still remember vividly how I was so amazed with what data science and artificial intelligence could do; realising that many of the things I use in my daily life such as voice recognition on my phone and recommendation systems on my favourite social media platforms are all built on data science and artificial intelligence. I have always been passionate in mathematics, and the idea that I could harness mathematics to transform seemingly cold, inanimate numbers into useful insights and products never ceases to amaze me, even until today. 

With this conviction, I decided to join SCSE’s Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI) programme. With no prior background in actual coding, I was initially scared, and signing up for DSAI feels a lot like venturing into the unknown. Fortunately, the curriculum is designed in such a way such that everything is taught from the fundamentals, so that everyone can keep up with the curriculum.

The four years at SCSE have been four years of learning and self-discovery, and I met mentors who have inspired me in many ways. Dr Sourav Sen Gupta, who has introduced me to the exciting wonders of data science and the magic of uncovering stories behind data. Prof Sinno Jialin Pan and Dr Shen Ren, who have shown me the endless possibilities in the field of data science and computer vision research, in which there is so much to be explored and to be amazed with.

In January 2021, I remember surprising myself because my team came in First Place for NUS Computer Vision Competition 2021, in which we had to build a computer vision solution for Hewlett-Packard for their chip production. The judges loved that my team placed emphasis on data storytelling and how my team created a web app considering that the user of the computer vision solution may not necessarily have any knowledge in coding. One thing I took away through this experience, is that we should never lose sight of why we do things. Data science is not only about the technical aspects, but also about how data science could be delivered to the relevant stakeholders.  

As I navigate through the four years of university education, I also try not to lose sight of why I am doing this programme in the first place. I will always remember the conviction I had at the very start. Every single day in this DSAI programme, I have always felt grateful and purposeful because I thoroughly enjoyed what I was doing. As hectic as it can get, I always consider it as a privilege as I have always been busy doing what I love and what I am passionate about. Furthermore, I had a lot of fun over the four years thanks to the friends I met in NTU. 

There were definitely moments when I felt uncertain, and when I am not sure where I am heading. But I know, as I navigate through the unknown, I will continue to listen to my heart, as I know that my love and passion for what I am doing will bring me far in life.

 

Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal*
Information Technology Management Association (ITMA) Gold Medal cum Book Prize

Winner: YEW WEI CHEE, Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Engineering)

Having attended a sharing session from NTU, it convinced me to apply for admission into NTU. With strong passion in mathematics and curiosity of how computing is strongly related to mathematics, I applied for and got accepted into the Computer Engineering course. Thus, embarking my undergraduate journey with NTU SCSE. 

I entered NTU with no prior coding experience and had to strengthen my coding skills through watching YouTube tutorials, starting from the basic. SCSE uses a hybrid mode of teaching with a combination of online and physical learning. Therefore, time management had become a very important aspect throughout the journey of my university life.

One of the most memorable projects in NTU was my first group project, which was for the course, “Introduction to Computational Thinking”. In this project, we were tasked to design an application that recommends F&B in NTU based on the criteria that users select. The learning curve for this project was very steep but I had teammates who had good practices in writing and organizing codes; thus helping me to lay a good coding foundation.  

Multi-Disciplinary Project (MDP) was one of the most memorable projects throughout my university life. In this project, I have to work closely with 7 other teammates from both Computer Science and Computer Engineering courses to develop an autonomous robot for maze exploration. Through this project, we managed to build up strong bonds and without any one of us, we would not make it to the end. And I would like to thank every team member in my MDP project for making this project a great success. 

My proudest achievement would be the accomplishment of my Final Year Project (FYP). Through the advices of my mentor and supervisor, I was able to submit a paper to an international conference – MICCAI 2022.

There are too many people to thank throughout my university life and I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all my professors for their dedicated help along the way, and my fellow teammates in all my group projects. 

Finally, I would like to wish all my juniors and all the freshmen of SCSE all the best. And I would like to wish my fellow friends of the same batch happy graduation and wish all of you a bright and happy future after graduation.

 

Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) Gold Medal cum Cash Award

Winner: TANAY BHARADWAJA, Bachelor of Science (Data Science and Artificial Intelligence)

Since young, I marvelled at how computers profoundly catalyse the progress of human society. From my first LEGO Mindstorms set in 2006, as I played with the little pieces and put them together, pieces became programming blocks, and sooner than I knew, turned into blocks of code in a computer.

A distinct point where passion turned to motivation, however, was when I spoke to a team at the Government Technology Agency of Singapore who talked about their work on using data techniques to identify reasons for train disruptions. While first appearing random, analysis and visualization led to the identification of a rouge train that was causing nearby trains to break down. This discovery was then found to have been linked to 95% of all train breakdowns in that year. I found it fascinating at the time how such a small data-driven discovery could lead to such a meaningful outcome, with data proving useful not only for policy, but for the average Joe. As I grew older and saw data-based fields grow into what they are today, this gave me the belief and desire to be part of the next leap that computing would take, and most importantly how it makes a difference to society at large. 

It was this realization that motivated my undergraduate study in the field of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in SCSE under a government scholarship. My journey with SCSE started in 2018, coming into a new computing course with passion but no prior computing experience. I was scared to say the least, but the welcoming community at SCSE was particularly instrumental to easing me into the subject. Comfortable with my school and with the help of the wonderful faculty at the school, I was able to pick up and learn concepts from the ground up and become the Data Scientist that I am today. 

Over my four years in SCSE, I’ve met some great people through the SCSE Ambassador programme, where gave back to the SCSE community and served to attract new students to the DSAI and associated programmes. This included participating in events such as the Open House and organizing SCSE’s in-house Computing Challenge. In addition, I also had the opportunity to serve as the Operations Executive in the 21^st Computer Science and Engineering Club, where I organised welfare initiatives for SCSE students. Events such as these brought meaning and actual impact to my SCSE journey, a two way street for the juniors as well. 

The DSTA Gold Medal symbolises the development of talent in the field of science and technology. This holds an especially important meaning for me, as it speaks to my ambition of developing myself to be exactly this talent in the public sector. I’d like to thank my family, friends, faculty and the SCSE Class of 2022 for supporting me throughout this journey, through thick and thin. Without the support, encouragement and understanding of these people, I’d be lucky to have half the impact on the SCSE community. 

As for the freshmen and my fellow juniors, be safe and stay strong! This degree and the job that comes with it is not easy - give it your all, help others along the way and most importantly, find an area that you're passionate to apply what you've learnt in SCSE to the fullest. 

 

Tata Consultancy Services Gold Medal

Winner: NG YI LIANG, RANDY, Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Science)  

Receiving the news that I had won this award took me completely by surprise. I am deeply grateful to my family for moulding me into the person I am today. Thank you too, to all my friends whom I have met and had been with me throughout this journey of ups and downs. This has been a great opportunity for me to look back and pen some thoughts which I find are important - to my juniors, to whoever is reading this, and more so to my future self if he ever loses his way. 

While you may not be the most important person in the world, you remain the most important person in your life. You are ultimately the one who relishes in your victories, and you will be the one who tastes the bitterness of your setbacks. Often, we get so embroiled in living up to the expectations of others that we forgo certain areas of our well-being in the process. Even if you are the one setting expectations for yourself, always consider if something you are doing is truly helping yourself on a whole. If extended periods of work or revision is causing yourself undue stress, take a step back for a breather with something else that helps you relax. Cultivating a resilient mindset of trying is far more important than the fleeting results of your next assessment, and as long as you have properly tried you can surely be proud of your effort. 

At the same time, let us not forget to be kind to one another. Everyone has struggles of their own, be it family issues, financial woes, or even not knowing what to have for lunch day after day. It is meaningless to compare about who has it worse, but a little shared kindness can go a long way. If it is not too much trouble, help someone you come across who’s in need. Even a friendly chat with an acquaintance you wouldn’t usually talk to can make a difference in brightening someone’s day. This in turn creates an invigorating environment where people are motivated to work towards their goals in a supportive community. 

Finally, never stop challenging yourself. Challenges push us to grow and improve, and without them we become stagnant in the comfort of familiarity. Take measured risks, for it is the unpredictability of the future that makes life thrilling and a delight. Even if you do end up missing the mark, the experience itself will make you a stronger person more ready to face the next venture. 

It seems that my points above can very easily be summarised: take care of yourself, take care of your neighbours, and take care to not lose your drive. Yet, these principles will not always be the easiest to follow during our darker times. Hold true to them, for they will be the force that propels you closer towards the light in the distance. 

To everyone still reading this, you’ve been doing a great job in paving a path for yourselves to walk down. In the future, let us look back and behold a colourful scene that has blossomed in its place.

 

Accenture Gold Medal – Book Prize

Winner: DONG LUOJIE, (CE, Year 3) 

I am glad to be awarded the Accenture Book Prize and would like to thank my professors for the constant guidance while I was pursuing the computer network course, for which I was awarded.  

Lab works allow me to gain hands-on experience and to explore new things. One such example was utilizing free access time to explore loading more functions in robots than required. It was also interesting to see the packet analyzer Wireshark in practice during the computer network course. 

My advice to the juniors is to follow your heart and do what you feel is right and do not be shy to ask your professors questions. Although resources are just a website aside, instead of copying the answer and risk plagiarism, try to understand the rationale behind it and learn from there.

Watch Medals & Awards video here:

School of Computer Science and Engineering is extremely proud of all our students’ achievements. We congratulate them on their graduation and wish them every success and excellence in pursuing their dreams and careers. 

Congratulations to the Class of 2022.

*The gold medals were awarded to top NTU students who were first in general proficiency throughout their respective programmes of study and who have obtained First Class Honours.