Speeches

The STEAMunity programme, which stands for “STEAM community” is not just another exercise aimed at encouraging our youth to pick up STEAM or Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, it is much more meaningful.

There are a few firsts happening today. The first is the conferment of University Professorship on Professor Chong Tow Chong, who stepped down as President of SUTD end of July this year after helming SUTD for 14 years. The next “first” is a personal one – I am participating in this important occasion as President of SUTD for the very first time. Lastly, today’s commencement ceremony is the first for our pioneer batch of postgraduates from our Masters of Science in Technology and Design in Cybersecurity and Sustainable Product Design.

We are thrilled to be a part of “Trees for a Better World” Plant a Tree with Mapletree at our SUTD campus – the planting of 250 trees – the highest number of trees ever donated to an Institution of Higher Learning in Singapore, and our largest Campus sustainability initiative yet. This is made possible only by Mapletree’s generosity. It not only aligns with the Singapore Green Plan, but also embodies a science-based approach to regenerative sustainability.

Our new Vision, "Trailblazing a Better World by Design”, resonates deeply with every SUTDian aspirations. We will continue to redefine design, education and research, working closely with industry partners throughout the educational journey to nurture technically grounded leaders who embrace risks to continuously innovate for a better tomorrow.

Some time back, I challenged SUTD to continue to pioneer new ways of teaching and learning. I challenged them to learn from the best across the world so that we can develop new models of teaching and learning that is scalable, affordable, accessible. It sounds simple, but perhaps not so easy to achieve.

We have students whose education levels range from those without degrees to those with post-graduate degrees. About a third are in full-time employment and will be juggling studies and work at the same time. Another third are currently unemployed and will be using this opportunity to upskill themselves...

Don’t be afraid to experiment, and test the boundaries of your ideas, even when it strays from what is expected. This is how the best solutions are found. Build prototypes, test them, iterate, and challenge the status quo. You should expect failure. Embrace it, since it is how we all learn.

We believe this partnership will continue to inspire future generations of design innovators and provide many opportunities to both the SUTD family and the wider community in Singapore to bring ideas out of the academic environment into the real world, into the real economy.

Our world is changing fast. We want to help our people keep pace. But no amount of frontloading can prepare our people for an ever-evolving world. Lifelong learning is not just a good-to-have, but a necessity for us to stay competitive and relevant.