After overseas travel was severely restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Singaporeans were once again able to enjoy travelling, thanks to a greater easing of travel restrictions over the last several months. No longer limited to solely virtual outreach events for international students, NTU College of Science recently organised a series of physical and virtual overseas outreach events in September, targeting students from Malaysia and Indonesia.
In Malaysia, the College of Science gave outreach talks in both Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur. Assistant Professor Wei Shengji, from the Asian School of the Environment (ASE), delivered talks at both Foon Yew High School and the Sunway College campus in Johor Bahru, whilst Associate Professor Melissa Fullwood, from the School of Biological Sciences (SBS), visited the Sunway College campus in Kuala Lumpur.
 Assistant Professor Wei Shengji at Sunway College, Johor Bahru
College of Science also reached out to schools in Indonesia. Virtual talks were organised for SMAK 5 Penabur, SMA Kanisius, and Ipeka Christian School, all of whom were in Jakarta, with Dr Tang Wee Kee from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS) hosting the talks.
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Andrew James Kricker, also from SPMS, visited SMAK 1 Penabur in Jakarta, to introduce the College of Science to the students there during a two-day education fair.
Associate Professor Andrew James Kricker at SMAK 1 Penabur
Up in Medan, members of the College of Science outreach team, along with Dr Lu Yunpeng from the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB) and Fernando, ASE Year 3 student and Sutomo alumnus, joined the Sutomo World Education Expo (SWEE) 2022, hosted by SMA Sutomo 1. The two-day event saw over 7,000 students from North Sumatra schools and their parents coming down to meet local and international universities. Such was the demand for talks from the College of Science that the outreach team had to increase the number of talks from two-per-day to four-per-day, and each talk was packed to the rafters with a steady queue of eager students outside the classroom.
Fernando presenting to students during SWEE 2022
Dr Lu Yunpeng engaging a group of students.
The College of Science outreach team together with student volunteers from SMA Sutomo 1.
Overall, the College of Science reached out to more than a thousand students and their parents in Malaysia and Indonesia in its first post-pandemic foray into physical outreach events overseas. With the amount of enthusiasm shown by overseas students in the region for the College of Science, the outreach team looks forward to organising more of such events in this new post-pandemic era.