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BME CONNECTBiannual Newsletter on What’s On at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, NUS

 

WE’RE BACK!

2015/2016 | SEMESTER 1 ISSUE

Welcome to the re-launch of our department’s newsletter! Read more in We’re Back! for what you can expect;

Student Exchange Programme (SEP): Tips on how to prepare in feature;

The compulsory Industrial Attachment Programme will start in July 2016. More information for students and employers in Industry Relations;

Snapshots from this year’s Commencement in Gaudeamus!;

A collage from the BME’s freshmen orientation camp in Freshers. More pictures can be found in their Facebook page.

FEB 2015 Dr Yeow Chen Hua, together with Low Fanzhe (1st year PhD student, BME) and Dr Lim Jeong Hoon (Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine) have come up with a robotic sock which will help prevent deep vein thrombosis. Clinical trials are currently underway at NUH. 

The BME Showcase held at University Hall, showcased poster presentations from graduating students, a panel discussion and talks from invited guests. Approximately 130 students, department staff and industry guests attended the event

MAY 2015

Dr. James Kah is one of the 4 young biomedical engineers selected for the Asian Pacific Research Networking Fellowship.

JUNE 2015

Prof Lim Chwee Teck was the first researcher in Asia to receive the Vladimir K. Zworykin Award. This award is presented every 3 years to outstanding individuals in the field of medical and biological engineering. 

Prof James Goh was elected President of the International Federation of Medical Biological Engineering (IFMBE) on 10 June 2015.

Congratulations to all our graduates at this year’s commencement!

JULY 2015

Editors: Prof Lim Chwee Teck, Chng Chin Han

Dear Readers,

A very warm welcome to all first year Biomedical Engineering undergraduates, and a warm welcome back to all returning students! We hope you had a fulfilling summer break and ready for another academic year.

This year is a significant one as the country celebrates its 50th year of independence. In addition to that, NUS celebrates its 110th anniversary and the Faculty of Engineering, its 60th.

In terms of programmes, we are also excited about the Industry Attachment Programme that is now part of our curriculum for all students enrolled from AY2014/15.

This would be an opportunity for all our students to intern in the biomedical industry, get to apply their learnt skills, pick up soft skills and get some work experience along the way.

We are also excited to re-launch our department's newsletter, “BME Connect”. This biannual publication will be a platform where we can share information of who we are, and what we do in the department.

In each issue, we will have varying sections to: (1) keep in touch with our BME alumni; (2) recap what has happened in the previous semester; (3) highlight achievements, new appointments and staff; (4) showcase our current research by our faculty members; (5) and features and tips for current students.

In this issue, we have a special feature on students who have been on the Student Exchange Programme (SEP), and they share some of their tips on the application process as well as pre-SEP preparation.

Best wishes. - Prof. James Goh, Head of Department

IN THIS ISSUE...  

   

ZtâwxtÅâá4 CONGRATULATIONS to all our graduates in this year’s commencement on 8 July 2015.

COMMENCEMENT 2015

Photo credits: Mr L

ui Wah H

on

    f e a t u r eSEP: STUDENTEXCHANGE PROGRAMME

We all know it is a great experience to be part of, but just how do you get started? We get some of our BME

students to share their top tips for a typical application.

Joshua Cheah University of Calgary, Canada

SEP: Jan’15, 1 semester No. of modules taken: 4 department modules

Ryan Young Tampere University of Technology, Finland

SEP: Jan’15, 1 semester No. of modules taken:

5 department modules, 1 UEM (Finnish)

Kimberly Lee University of Ulm, Germany

SEP: Mar’16, 1 semester No. of modules taken: 5 department modules

Mapping Requests: Get mapping approval for all the modules that require them, including the contingency ones. Faculty/subject-specific forms are found in a table on the SEP website§. (E.g. for a law module, use the Faculty of Law Module Mapping form and email to the addresses corresponding to that line.) Expect delays here.

Let the modules choose the universities: Shortlist universities which can offer the most number of modules that can be mapped to the modules you need to take during that semester.

12 months: To prepare and apply before your intended SEP period.

Draft Study Plans§: Required for application, and also for your own reference. As a contingency, plan 1-2 more SEP modules in addition to the ones you intend to take (e.g. in the situation where particular modules are not offered when you get there). Plan 5 universities covering 3 continents.

Department modules: We have pre-approved mappings# between our BME subjects and those in the partner universities. No Mapping approval needed. UEM: Visit the partner uni’s website to search for module information if there is no pre-approved list.

GEM: Students admitted from AY2015/16 are not allowed to fulfil their GE requirements by reading equivalent modules while on SEP †. Students admitted before this can. Mapping form is in Section 3 on the Registrar’s webpage ‡ along with their email address. Notification of the outcome will be in 3-5 days. There’s no need to map the equivalent module to an NUS GEM.

Study Plan form§: Complete this soon after confirmation on the university you are going to. Get Module Mapping approval of all the modules that require them, including the contingency ones.

Submitting Study Plan: Submit with all the approved mappings, to the BME SEP coordinator ^ for approval. Finally, submit the approved hardcopy to OUP (EA-04-10). Keep a copy for yourself.

NOTE: This article is targeted at BME students and its application information is mostly taken from the SEP website (www.eng.nus.edu.sg/sep). The information is correct at time of publication. If you are not from BME (thank you very much for your interest in reading this article anyway!), please refer to your own department websites for more specific information. Your department-specific SEP coordinators and administrators can be found here (www.eng.nus.edu.sg/sep/contact.htm)

On Return: Your transcript will be sent to OUP from the partner university. You will be asked to collect this from OUP and pass it on to the department administrators for them to credit the modules to you. 

Contact: The partner university (or OUP) will give you more information to help you get you started. Get on these as soon as you get information about them as some of these applications take time (e.g. registration, insurance, transcripts and visa).

Registration with partner uni: Do as soon as possible. For some visas, confirmation of enrolment is needed.   

Visa: Complexity depends on the country. Processing time and requirements can vary: e.g. you may require an approval number (by the partner university upon successful registration), or a bank account number in the country of exchange.  

Arrival: It’s good to get to the country 1-2 weeks before the semester starts. This would give you enough time to settle in, explore the place, set up your bank account, move into your accommodation, get your local SIM card, internet in your apartment, etc.

NUS Transcript: You can order a hardcopy online via the Registrar’s website* if you require. Allow for 4-5 working days. 

Nina Chang University of California, Riverside, USA

SEP: Jan’16, 1 semester No. of modules taken:

1 GEM, 1 UEM, 3 department modules

Banking: If you can set up a bank account there, bring some cash to tie you over a month. Do a Telegraphic Transfer (TT) on the rest of your money. Some countries may not allow you to set up a bank account if your stay is less than a certain period (e.g. 18 months). In this case, you may have to bring cash. 

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Application: Round 1 [for Sem 5, 6 and full year]. Opens Oct 2015, results by end Dec 2015. Round 2 [for Sem 6 only]. Opens Jan 2016, results by Mar 2016. Round 3 opens Apr 2016.

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Hillary Toh Lund University, Sweden SEP: Jan’16, 1 semester

No. of modules taken: 1 UEM, 3 TE

Wong Jia Ying University of Nottingham, UK

SEP: Jan’16, 1 semester No. of modules taken:

5 department modules, 3 TE, 2 Core Websites where you can get more information: † www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/gem/frequently-asked-questions ‡ www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/gem/pre2015/guidelines-student-exchange-

programmes-sep § www.eng.nus.edu.sg/sep/mapping.htm # www.bioeng.nus.edu.sg/Current_Student/ugrad/Special_Programme.html ^ www.eng.nus.edu.sg/sep/contact.htm *www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/adminpolicy/transcripts.html

Accommodation: Confirm BEFORE leaving. 13 

 

F O L L O W U S O N www.facebook.com/BiomedicalEngineeringNUS

www.youtube.com/user/bioengnus

NUS Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering Alumni

INDUSTRY RELATIONS

 

BME CAMP 2015 AND since a picture tells a thousand words, here is a collage of the many shots taken in this year’s BME camp that was held from 25th to 28 June.

For more pictures, visit www.facebook.com/bmecamp2015

INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT PROGRAMME (IAP)

FROM July 2016, the IAP will be compulsory to all Year 3 students in the Faculty of Engineering, NUS.

This is a 6-month internship with two intakes: January- June and July-December.

For students, it will be an opportunity to apply the theories learnt in the classroom, and also to assess their future roles in the industry.

Students will be able to develop soft skills, for example, how to interact with other people in the organisation, and experience the work dynamics in a company.

Companies will have a chance to gain access to the pool of undergraduates through their resumes, and can assess the possibility of post-internship employment opportunities.

Registered companies may also receive invitations to participate in outreach programmes, for example career fairs.

The next window is for the July-Dec 2016 intake, which will open in December 2015 for companies to post their positions on the faculty’s online IAP portal.

For companies to register visit: https: //myaces.nus.edu.sg/ugep/companyLogin.html

For more on the IAP and placement windows, visit the main website at: www.eng.nus.edu.sg/undergrad/epmc/

For enquiries, companies may approach: Assoc Prof Huang Zhiwei (biehzw@nus.edu,sg) Mr Chng Chin Han (biechng@nus.edu.sg)

 

Photo credits: Daren Poh, Shirley Lim, Bing Zhi

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