Outstanding Educator Award

Professor IP Yuen Kwong, Alex

PhD, MA (Rice University), BSc (University of Minnesota)
Department of Biological Sciences

“ For me, a teacher is a guide whose job is to arouse students' curiosity. ”

• General Physiology;
• Comparative Animal Physiology;
• Teaching in Biology.

• contributes to the development of teaching and learning in the University in his capacity as the Associate Director of NUS' Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning;
• an effective educator not only to students but as a teachers' teacher.

• relates abstract theories to real life;
• relates abstract theories to real-life experiences;
• draws correlations across all disciplines to broaden students' intellectual horizons;
• encourages students to question - uses the internet classroom not for posting notes and information but for questions and answers;
• deregulates practical and tutorial sessions so that they are student-centred;
• helps students to acquire critical thinking by guiding them to take uncertainty as a challenge.

• has papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology, American Journal of Physiology and Cell and Tissue Research;
• author of 12 short articles published as Ideas on Teaching and 5 short articles published as Ideas on Learning, NUS Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning.

• member, editorial board, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A (Molecular and Integrative Physiology), Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology B (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology C (Toxicology and Pharmacology) and Journal of Comparative Physiology;
• reviewer of international journals including Journal of Experimental Biology, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology; and Journal of Experimental Zoology;
• member, organising committee, International Union of Physiological Sciences (Comparative Physiology Commission, Environmental Physiology Section).

• Teaching Excellence Award, NUS Faculty of Science 2003, 2002, 2001;
• NUS Outstanding Educator Award 2000;
• Outstanding Science Lecturer Award, NUS Faculty of Science, 2000, 1998, 1996;
• Innovative Teaching Award, NUS Faculty of Science, 1999;
• NUS Staff Achievement Award (Teaching Excellence) 1999, 1998, 1997;
• Science Teaching Award, NUS Faculty of Science, 1997.