BY TAN ZHENG HAO
On 24 to 26 Jul 2018, CN Yang Scholars Club conducted its Freshmen Orientation Programme (FOP) for incoming freshmen of AY2018/19. The title of the orientation programme is Veritas: Inquisition. The theme of the program involved the freshmen being “detectives” solving a heinous crime – the murder of Dr Harry Ong, leader of Scientists’ Syndicate, a leading organisation at the frontier of medicinal research, and one of the most brilliant scientists in the world. The “detectives” were tasked with figuring out who killed Dr Ong (it was Dr Bob Seow, one of Dr Ong’s co-worker), and stopping Dr Bob Seow and his minions from detonating a weapon of mass destruction.
In line with the theme, the freshmen were split into four orientation groups: Conan, Watsons, Scooby-doo, and Bao Qing Tian. The first day of the FOP was spent playing ice-breaker games to know each other better. The highlight of the day happened at night, when the “detectives” were informed that Dr Ong was murdered. They had to examine the crime scene, conduct forensic experiments, interview persons-of-interest, and piece together all that information to deduce who murdered Dr Ong.
On the second day, the “detectives” took part in an amazing race to collect clues and find out where Dr Bob Seow was hiding at. The “detectives” successfully figured out the hiding place of Dr Bob Seow and captured him. It turns out that Dr Ong had discovered the cure to cancer, and Dr Bob Seow wanted to steal the cure. However, he escaped from the “jail” at night, which leads us to the third day of activities.
Dr Bob Seow and his remaining minions escaped to Sentosa and had plans to detonate a biological bomb. The “detectives” pursued them to Sentosa, and finally defeated Dr Bob Seow and rescued the cure to cancer.
Overall, the FOP was a meaningful and engaging experience for the freshmen. The freshmen were welcomed into the CNYSP community, gained the skills and knowledge for navigating through their first academic year and developed a sense of belonging to NTU.