National Research Foundation awards S$1.5m in scholarships to 3 students

[Garlic]

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin.../355127/1/.html

 

 

SINGAPORE: For the first time, three students have been awarded scholarships to pursue their PhD studies in clean energy overseas.

 

In total, they received 1.5 million Singapore dollars from the National Research Foundation (NRF). Each will receive 500,000 Singapore dollars.

 

They are Darryl Wang, a Nanyang Technological University graduate, Joel Li and Zheng Cheng, both from the National University of Singapore.

 

Two of the recipients will pursue their PhD in the University of New South Wales, Australia, while the third will head to the University of California, Berkeley, US.

 

The three, aged between 22 and 26, were selected from some 40 applicants.

They will spend about four years overseas to pursue their studies and when they return, they will serve a four-year bond in the clean energy industry.

 

The monetary award is part of the 25-million-Singapore-dollar programme for clean energy scholarships. The programme was launched last year by the Clean Energy Programme Office.

 

"In the long term, I hope to promote the solar industry in Singapore, to encourage people to adopt solar panels in their homes and roof tops so that one day we'll see a cleaner, greener Singapore...and to encourage students from secondary schools, JCs and universities to embark on research projects in SERIS, the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, to spark off their interest in this area and hopefully the solar industry in Singapore will grow," said 24-year-old Joel Li, who will pursue his PhD in solar energy at the University of New South Wales, Australia.

 

Joining him is 26-year-old Darryl Wang.

 

Darryl said: "It opens up a new chapter in my life. I'll be able to spend four years overseas and it'll be a new experience. Moreover, I'll be learning from some of the top professors in the world in the solar energy field. So it really means a lot to me. Without this scholarship, I wouldn't have the financial means to pursue my career path in solar energy research at the University of New South Wales."

 

Zheng Cheng, 22, will head to the University of California, Berkeley in the US.

 

The Chinese national, who received a prior scholarship for his graduate studies in Singapore, plans to make Singapore his permanent home.

 

He said: "I come to Singapore under MOE scholarship. With the scholarship, there are a lot of opportunities to develop myself and that's how you see me right now with first-class honours degree. I think in that sense, I'm indebted to Singapore, because you support me and without your support, I may not be what I am right now. Now, there's another scholarship supporting my further studies in the US, so I'm further indebted to this country."

 

Dr Tony Tan, chairman of National Research Foundation, said: "To be able to compete in the global market, Singapore has to differentiate itself by training an elite pool of talent who are well-versed in technology and innovation. This is one of the reasons why we decided to have the NRF Clean Energy PhD Scholarships programme. We know that for a robust clean energy ecosystem to be in place, manpower development is vital."

 

Over the next five years, the National Research Foundation hopes to sponsor more than 100 students to take up post-graduate degrees in the clean energy sector. This industry is a key growth engine for Singapore. It is expected to contribute over one billion Singapore dollars to the country's GDP and create 7,000 jobs by 2015. - CNA/ir