Outstanding Educator Award

Prof HOR Tzi Sum, Andy

Department of Chemistry

The Outstanding Educator Award is conferred on Prof Hor for providing a quality education that underpins NUS as a global knowledge enterprise. His pedagogical approach grooms robust individuals enriched with broad intellectual strengths and the emotional maturity to be effective problem-solvers in the real world.

In facilitating the assimilation of knowledge, Prof Hor is not only a teacher, but an educator. For him, the two roles are interrelated, yet the difference is stark. He does not subscribe to the view of education as a quick fix in the paper chase, but instead, aligns himself with its broader nurturing agenda. He defines education as a ceaseless learning process that extends outside the walls of the classroom, stretches beyond lecture hours and ricochets throughout the learner's lifetime.

Prof Hor's record as a faculty member attests to his practicing what he preaches. He has taken a leading role in every major initiative geared towards developing students' potential; these include the Core Curriculum, Talent Development and Special Science Programmes.

What distinguishes Prof Hor as an educator is how he thrives on education as a people-centred activity. It is the human engagement - the interaction and exchange enriching both mentor and learner - that he finds most fulfilling. He conducts lively classes that end in climatic brainstorming sessions. Students are stimulated to think and probe through such Hor-created activities as Food for Thought, Snap Shots and Take Home Messages.

For Prof Hor, the award is an endorsement that he is on the right track as an educator. He is particularly encouraged that the recognition comes not just from his peers, but from the people most directly affected by his approach - his students.