A new overseas study scholarship for communication and information undergraduates at NTU was launched on Friday. Named after Emeritus Professor Eddie Kuo, it will fund their stay and study for one semester at an overseas university. A maximum of two students will get the award in each academic year. Part of NTU's student exchange programme, the award will require those who receive it to write a report on their overseas experience. Prof Kuo is the founding dean of the school, and the new scholarship builds on his belief to give back, like his $10,000 gift to the school's Legacy Fund last year. Prof Kuo said the scholarship will help to realise his personal vision of nurturing top communication and information students who appreciate the role culture plays in communication and interaction. He hopes the students will gain valuable experience through the exchange programmes in both Asian and Western countries. To raise funds for the new scholarship, Prof Kuo auctioned several personal belongings on Friday. These included a Smith-Corona Galaxie DeLuxe typewriter he had used since the 1970s, and a 1944 war edition of a radio research textbook, which he had bought second-hand in 1965 when he was completing his master's at Columbia University in the United States.

Talented communication and information undergraduates of NTU will soon be able to gain valuable experience abroad, under a new overseas study scholarship. The Professor Eddie C Y Kuo Study Abroad Scholarship, named after Emeritus Professor Eddie C Y Kuo, founding father of communication studies in Singapore, will be launched today as part of the 20th anniversary of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. It will enable students to live and study abroad for up to one semester at a reputable university outside Singapore, as part of their exchange programme. After the completion of the exchange programme, students will have to submit a written report of their overseas experience. Up to two such scholarships will be awarded each academic year. Professor Eddie Kuo said he is touched that NTU is naming the scholarship after him. The scholarship will help to realise his personal vision of nurturing top communication and information students who appreciate the role that culture plays in communication and interaction. Associate Professor Benjamin H. Detenber, chair of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, said he is confident that the overseas experience gained through this new Professor Eddie C.Y. Kuo Study Abroad Scholarship will benefit our students immensely, as it enables them to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of other cultures.

A final year project, a film production, <Moris Mai- To be Born> on maternity issues in Timor-Leste, has been selected as the only documentary to be featured by the Chinese Communication Society during its 2012 annual conference. Supervised by Dr. Trisha Lin, the production team comprising Cai Yun, Har Jiawei, Loh Jingting and Toh Yanwei, has been invited to attend the conference in Taichung, Taiwan from July 6th - 8th, during which the documentary will be screened.

A documentary film produced by four final year students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Loh Jing Ting, Cai Yun, Har Jia Wei and Toh Yan Wei, supervised by Dr Trisha Lin Tsui-Chuan were featured on a one-page spread on Lianhe Zaobao. These students travelled to Timor-Leste twice to cover on a pertinent issue that the country is struggling with -- the high child and maternal mortality rates. The article details the difficulties these students faced during the trips (including securing an interview with the President of Timor-Leste, Dr Jose Ramos-Horta) and the entire childbirth process that they managed to capture in their documentary entitled Moris Mai – To Be Born. This report is also published on omy.sg.

"Operation C.Z.A.R" (short for Corporate Zombie Active Resistance) is a five-week Alternate Reality Game – the first such student-led initiative in Singapore and in Asia. The zombie-themed campaign created a social learning experience that took place in both the real and online worlds, with puzzles and competitions that engaged its participants. A breakaway from traditional forms of show-and-tell campaigns, this ARG was designed to be more engaging and appeal to youths. As described by the four final year WKWSCI students – Walter Sim, Hendric Tay, Eldon Ooi, and Poh Wee Koon – who created the project, “the overall objective was to enable undergraduates to manage school-to-work transition, helping them to lead full and active lives in the workplace.”

The campaign began with the villain, Nutricula Pharmaceutical Corporation (NPC), gearing up for the launch of Product X2, a controversial product that would turn consumers into corporate zombies who would be unable to do anything but work. They were then confronted by The Resistance, a guerrilla force that sought to thwart the company’s nefarious plans. Undergraduates who participated in the campaign were taught simple tips that would help them to lead full and active lives after transitioning to the workplace, and avoid becoming corporate zombies.

Tasks that propelled the storyline along included a campus zombie invasion on Valentine's Day, a national radio broadcast on 98.7FM and an urban Amazing Race. These strategies, and campaign collaterals such as the 'Corporate Zombie Survival Guide' and 'Kit', were integrated within the ongoing fictional narrative.

"Operation C.Z.A.R" was featured on Campaign Singapore, Yahoo!, JobsCentral and IN magazine by The Straits Times" and was supported by the Health Promotion Board, Tiger Balm ACTIVE, Mayor's Imagine Fund by Central Singapore CDC, Young ChangeMakers by NYC and Wee Kim Wee Legacy Fund.

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