Executive Council  
A/P Kenneth Paul Tan (Chair)
A/P Johan Geertsema
(Vice Chair)
A/P Alice Christudason
Prof Farooq Shamsuzzaman
A/P Victor Tan
A/P Erle Lim Chuen Hian
Prof Bernard Tan Cheng Yian
A/P Laksh Samavedham
Fellows  
Prof A Kumaralingam
A/P Phil Chan Aik Hui
A/P Chan Wai Meng
Mr Cheah Kok Ming
A/P Teofilo C Daquila
A/P Goh Say Song
Prof Matthew Gwee Choon Eng
A/P Hooi Shing Chuan
Prof Andy Hor Tzi Sum
Prof Alex Ip Yuen Kwong
A/P K Rajendran
A/P Ashwin M Khambadkone
Prof Koh Khee Meng
Dr Adrian Michael Lee
Dr Lee Kooi Cheng
A/P Joel Lee Tye Beng
A/P Cecilia Lim
A/P Lim Lum Peng
Dr Lo Mun Hou
A/P Narayanan Ganapathy
A/P Joseph Ooi Thian Leong
Prof Seah Kar Heng
Dr Soo Yuen Jien
A/P Sow Chorng Haur
Prof Jochen Wirtz
A/P Yap Von Bing
Prof Zhou Weibiao

Professor Andy Hor Tzi Sum

Fellow

Teaching Aspirations

Everyone can teach, more or less, but how many of us are truly WILLING and ABLE to shape the intellectual development of our students? Many of us complain that our students are not good enough, or not serious enough in their learning. Can I turn this around and ask ourselves – Isn’t it more fulfilling for us as an educator that we undertake the challenge to transform (or reform?) these young minds? Why should we hesitate to take on such challenge? If all our students were the best in the world, and could learn by themselves, why would they need (and want) to come to our classes?

For example, many of us want to take up Hons and graduate students to join our research team. How many of us do this primarily because we want to develop our young talent in research, instead of merely looking for extra pair of hands in the laboratory to do experimental work and generate research data for publication? If we are truly committed in working with young people and serving their interest, we would have much less problem in getting fellow professors to take up students from schools for project work, and we would not need to provide so much incentives to get academics to participate in outreach activities.

Education is a reformation and transformation of thoughts and behaviors. It is a process through which we develop a student to a scholar, and a scholar to leader, and a leader to someone who can make a difference in people’s lives, and someone who can shape our future. An educator whom I respect is the one who is truly able and willing to take on this mission.

Biodata

Andy Hor [D.Sc.(Lond), D.Phil.(Oxford), B.Sc.(Hon)(Imperial College), Postdoc(Yale)] is Professor of Chemistry in the National University of Singapore and President of Singapore National Institute of Chemistry. He has published over 240 international papers in heterometallic syntheses, homogeneous catalysis and supramolecular assembly with about 3,500 citations and an h-index of 29. He has been conferred different fellowship such as Humboldt, Wilsmour, Anthony Mason, Frances Lion Memorial, Jackson Memorial and professorship at Nagoya, Sydney, Melbourne, Münster, Strasbourg, etc. He is the Associate Editor (Commissioning) of Aust. J. Chem. (CSIRO) and member of the international advisory panel of Chem. Asian J. (VCH/Wiley) and Inorg. Chim. Acta. (Elsevier) He has delivered numerous invited/keynote/plenary lectures in different conferences and symposia, and will chair the 41st International Coordination Chemistry Conference (ICCC) in Singapore in 2014. To date, he has supervised about 30 Ph.D., 20 M.Sc. students and over 100 B.Sc. Hon students as well as 70 SRP, 15 SMP and over 80 school students on projects. Over the years, he has received numerous teaching awards, including the Outstanding Educator Award (NUS) in 2002. He is currently the advisor of Victoria Junior College, Nanyang Girls’ High School and World Scientific.

For more information, please visit http://staff.science.nus.edu.sg/~andyhor/ .

Teaching Awards / Accolades

  • Fellow, Teaching Academy, NUS (2009-1012);
  • Outstanding Scientist Award, Faculty of Science NUS (2007);
  • Outstanding Educator Award, NUS (2002);
  • Honor Roll (2003/4 & 2004/5);
  • Teaching Excellence Awards (numerous);
  • Finalist, The Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) of Singapore Awards (1996 & 1994);
  • ASEAN Achievement Award (Science) (1994);
  • SNIC Service Medal (1994);
  • National Young Scientist and Engineer Award, National Science & Technology Board (Singapore) (1991)
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