This year, Kent Ridge Hall celebrates its 40th anniversary with the theme “Remembering the Past, Living the Future”, a timely reminder to look back upon their past successes while striving for more in the future.

Politics took centre stage at this year’s Singapore Perspectives conference, organised by the Institute of Policy Studies at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS. Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing provided their views on Singapore’s path over the years, the implications for the Republic’s political institutions and values, as well as emerging forms of citizenry.

Students from the NUS Ridge View Residential College embarked on a reforestation project in Tahura Forest Reserve in Sumatra, Indonesia. They planted over 200 trees and more than 300 seedlings, helping to restore the forest.

The University launched NUS115 — a year-long commemoration of its 115th year of founding — at the annual NUS Bizad Charity Run on 11 January. The event was graced by Singapore President and NUS Chancellor Halimah Yacob. 

An increasing number of NUS alumni are taking up courses under the NUS Lifelong Learners programme, which lets them enrol in continuing education and training courses that are skills-based and industry-relevant.

Digital pets, virtual communities for the elderly, and inter-generational storytelling devices – these were among the projects on display at this year’s NUS Makerthon. Sixteen teams harnessed technology to develop innovative solutions to address social isolation and the generational gap.

Former Chief Justice of Singapore Dr Yong Pung How passed away on 9 January 2020 at the age of 93. Dr Yong, who received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University in 2001, was the Trustee of the Yong Loo Lin Trust, a strong supporter of NUS.

NUS Enterprise's BLOCK71 is part of the thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem at LaunchPad @ one-north, which houses 800 start-ups and 50 enablers. Among the start-ups that have thrived is igloohome, a smart lock company which started out with four seats within BLOCK71 in 2015.

Under the darkened sky on 26 December, silence fell over the crowd of NUS students, staff, alumni and members of the public gathered at the University’s multipurpose field. Gasps and cheers arose at exactly 1:22pm as the crowd finally took in the rare celestial phenomenon of an annular solar eclipse.

AI Singapore has helped to propel Singapore into being named a centre of excellence in artificial intelligence (AI) in the latest edition of the AI Index Report by Stanford University.