NUS PEACE is recruiting!

NUS PEACE is a group of passionate undergraduates in NUS who manage our campus cats, organise the therapy dogs visit to campus (and perhaps cats in future too), raise awareness about animal welfare issues through talks and symposia and organise shelter visits regularly to help with maintenance, fund-raising and to bathe and walk the dogs there.

Read about what they do at their webpage at http://blog.nus.edu.sg/nuspeace/. It is a great community of undergrads who do something for animals. To join them, email nuspeace@gmail.com.

Why do some of my students avoid their NUS inbox? They are being spammed by NUS groups and NUS’ anti-spam software!

Students are told they need to check their NUS emails for critical messages from modules. Yesterday, my honours student was unaware of a briefing email to TAs sent a day before. I was surprised as she is very efficient on Gmail and LINE with me.

So she looked sheepish when we found it in her NUS student exchange inbox from the afternoon before. However, as I examined her inbox, I marvelled at the clutter present in there. No wonder she is hesitant about venturing into her student account.

So I showed her two things:

1) Unsubscribe from irrelevant NUS groups.
She was on 30+ lists (we had removed a few before I grabbed this screen shot). She purged herself of all but two. Not all were active, but a few certainly were, and enough to suffocate her inhibit efficient use.

All she had to do was to go to https://groups.nus.edu.sg/NUSgroups/, login (nusstu\userid or if staff, nusstf\userid) and enter her password.

2) Delete twice-daily spam digests from NoSpamMail@nus.edu.sg
All of us in NUS are subscribed to Proofpoint Protection Server, an anti-spam service. It delivers a spam-digest email into our inbox twice a day. This so you can check for false positives but these are rare, so I was essentially being exposed to junk mail subject lines twice a day. This delivery cannot be customised so I am ironically getting spammed by my own anti-spam protection!

An example of the spam-digest email. No, I don’t want to see this twice a day.

NUS IT Care will talk to the vendor. In the meantime, I told my students they could archive the emails from NoSpamMail@nus.edu.sg to a separate folder, and keep their inboxes clutter free – and now read the emails from their professors instead.

In my account, I set a rule which deletes the spam digests so I never ever have to see them. I can check for false positives at the server directly perhaps once a month. Or perhaps not at all – I can barely keep up with regular emails.

We barely have time to think. And inboxes are a stressful necessity in our fast-paced lives. So any method to relieve us of unwanted messages is a boon. Or maybe like my student, stop reading inboxes altogether.

Spam is quarantined efficiently in my account,
with no genuine emails labelled as spam and none getting through even without SpamSieve

There ARE needy students in schools and tertiary institutions

“Three wishes for the New Year,” by Tommy Koh. The Straits Times, 03 Jan 2015.

“Singapore is, however, not perfect. There are areas in which we can and should do better. I am disturbed by the inequality in Singapore. We have one of the highest Gini coefficients in the world. I am unhappy that many of our children are growing up in poverty. About a third of our students go to school with no pocket money to buy lunch.

As a trustee of two education trusts, I am reminded each year of the large number of needy students in our schools and tertiary institutions. I was shocked when the president of one of our universities told us recently that 60 per cent of his students need financial assistance.”

From The Straits Times “School Pocket Money Fund“,

“Giving pocket money to children and youth from low-income families for their school-related expenses, such as a meal at recess, transport fares to and from school is the main programme of The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

Primary school beneficiaries receive $60 a month and secondary school beneficiaries receive $95 a month. From 1 January 2013, the Fund earmarks an allocated amount to extend support to post- secondary students in ITE, Junior Colleges and Polytechnics at $120 a month for up to four academic years. Post-secondary assistance is extended to past and current SPMF recipients, as well as the siblings of current recipients.”

From the NUS Giving webpage,

“Any student still requiring financial assistance, even after receiving both government and NUS study loans, can apply for a student bursary.

To date, thanks to the generosity of the University’s alumni and friends, all applicants, who meet the criteria, have received a bursary.

Currently, a bursary award ranges from S$1,050 to S$20,000 per student, per year. The typical renewable bursary is S$1,850 per student, per year.”

The NUS Bursary Fund is open to students across the entire University or gifts can be designated to a specific Faculty, School, Hall or College.

A coastal cleanup date with Ridge View Residential College students in Feb 2015

I am taking some 100 Ridge View Residential College students to the beach next year as part of their core module GEM1917 Understanding and Critiquing Sustainability. Tasked with a marine life/marine pollution component through lectures/tutorials and field trips, I was motivated to have them tackle a beach cleanup after watching some other students fumble the use of wheelbarrow.

The lesson was simple – undergrads need to get their hands dirty for a realistic grasp of issues. In other modules, they have indeed gained confidence through exposure and acquired competence after analytical work. it’s not exactly blood sweat and tears, but baby steps at least.

So to the beach with this lot but they should organise the data-collecting coastal cleanup themselves. It’s not rocket science but the details can make or break an op.

The joint outing should be conducted after some exposure to ideas in a lecture and a tutorial. January can still be wet but February (Week 4) is a typically dry post-monsoon month, with little danger of lightning threat. Just as well since the long shore at the potential sites of Pasir Ris 6 or Tanah Merah 7 are without shelter.

A tidal height lower than 1.0 metres will allow them to interact with an adequately exposed shore. Thanks to friends at NParks via FTTA Gavan Leong, a hourly tide-table was procured and examined.

The only suitable dates seem to be during NUS’ Recess Week in late February, right after Chinese New Year. Many may be away during the long weekend, so an 8.00am start on Thursday 26 February 2015 beckons.

NUS VPN on OSX Yosemite? Install Juniper Pulse!

Update (04 Nov 2015) – Juniper version 5.1 works in El Capitan (NUS Comcen link has the update). Recommend after installation to delete old VPN profile, restart, add new NUS VPN profile. 14 Nov 2015 – I installed version 5.1.revision6 build 61491 (5.1r6.0-b61491) to battle a problem with Keychain Access [link].

It’s the time of the year to use NUS’ Integrated Mark Management System (IMMS) to upload exam and assignment marks for each module. I need NUS VPN in order to access IMMS at home and I was prompted to upgrade Juniper’s Network Connect application and would seemingly end up in a loop with Java. All very frustrating.

Even after the application of not a few sudo commands, and visits to a few forums, it finally seemed clear that Network Connect is incompatible with OS X Yosemite. Aaargh!

Juniper Pulse was suggested instead and happily as I began searching, an email from NUS Comcen directed me to their e-guides page where the Juniper Pulse installer has been made available, along with a step by step e-guide if you need it.

Installation and establishing a connection was simple:

1. Click the pkg icon to download the installer into your Downloads folder (or your browser’s default download folder).
2. Open the disk image file on your Desktop and Finder sidebar and run “JunosPulse.pkg”.
3. A few straightforward installation steps are required take before completion.
4. Open Juniper Pulse in your Application folder, or from the new icon in your menu bar (go to Finder first if your menu bar is crowded).
5. Add a new VPN profile with these parameters: use type: UAC or SSL‐VPN; provide your profile with a name and the server URL is https://webvpn.nus.edu.sg
6. Connect and save settings on your mac.
7. Provide your userid and password as prompted (you can also save this).

You should be a happy camper once more!

Semester end – a race to the finish: marking, collation, verification and what not

Before the final push, it is important to summarise the race to the finish for the three modules I run this semester with eh FTTAs – LSM1103 Biodiversity, LSM2251 Ecology and the Environment and LSM3261 Life Form and Function.

The marking load is less demanding this year due to smaller classes – 240 first year biodiversity essays, 154 x six short answers and 71 x six short answers and one essay. Open-ended questions punish the marker but are an interesting insight into the students’s mind and will result in tweaks or changes to the pedagogy of the modules the following year.

Mark, mark, mark, then page and script summations, verification, transfer to excel, verification then upload to the system.

After marking there is consolidation of assessments, verification, submission to the IMMS system, verification before checks by the DBS Exam Task Force. It’s my twice-yearly workout on Excel.

Then I put away my local disk image and it’s feedback for some assignments and the exam, and a final email to the class before we part ways. Unless, of course, they join Toddycats for the Sungei Buloh Anniversary Walk or research students for fieldwork.

LSM1103 Biodiversity, 240 students

LSM2251 Ecology and the Environment, 154 students

LSM3261 Life Form and Function, 71 students

NUS PEACE Therapy Dog Programme – relief for stressed-out students!

I was glad to hear that the NUS PEACE Therapy Dogs Programme once again conducted another successful session of stress relief for exam-pressured students. This is possible because of the kind support of Therapy Dogs Singapore, an NPO made up of volunteer dog owners.

This programme is in its second year now and this was the third time the programme has been run, with the support of NUS’ Office of Student Affairs.

Ironically Mary Rose Posa and myself could not join the students as we highly stressed staff advisors were busy wrestling our semestral responsibilities which have plagued us since late July. There is light ahead in the tunnel though and time to sleep in mid-December!

The Therapy Dog Programme is one of a three special programmes run by NUS PEACE members, the other two being Cat Cafe and Paw Friends.

See: “Dogs melt away exam stress for NUS undergrads,” by Jalelah Abu Baker. The Straits Times, 20 Nov 2014.

Photos from NUS PEACE Therapy Dog Programme.

Prof Chou Loke Ming officially retires today!

Humour, dignity and passion.

The Biodiversity Crew @ NUS

Prof Chou Loke Ming officially retires today – the end of an era which his Reef Ecology Study Team and many students in the department will continue to reminisce about for decades.

I thought I’d share his commencement speech delivered to the graduating class on 10th July 2014. I loved his “coconut speech” delivered with his quintessential humour, dignity and an understated deep feeling.

Thanks for the memories Prof!

Prof Chou Loke Ming heads to TMSI next (See “Marine conservation veteran continuing passion after retirement,” by Audrey Tan. The Straits Time, 15 Oct 2014 [link])

“Member, NUS Board of Trustees, Mr Philip Tan,
Distinguished Guests,
Graduates,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

This is certainly a cheerful occasion for the graduates. It marks a significant achievement on your part and I congratulate you on reaching this stage in the journey of your life.

You have heard time and again the saying that…

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A zoology practical exam tradition in LSM1103

As an undergrad, I experienced practical exams during all four years of undergraduate biology, even in biostatistics! It was part and parcel of of every module in botany and zoology which I read and it was an interesting experience which contributed to our development.

Practical exams probably began with the first biology class in NUS (post-war), as it is how biologists would think, but I can only attest to its practise in NUS from 1987.

Running practical exams faded with the phenomenal influx of life science students over a decade ago and staff then struggled to provide practicals, let along conduct practical exams. First year numbers eventually dropped to some 250-350 per semester when I returned to teach and it was right time to revive the tradition of practical exams. And I did so for LSM1103 and LSM3261 at least.

Importantly, the TAs, LO, FTTAs and the undergrads themselves were all enthusiastic about the experience.

It has been a hectic time with 18-hour days since August and time flies at this pace. Yesterday at the LSM1103 lecture, I realised (along with the students) that the practical exam was a mere two Saturdays away!

So FTTA Xu Weiting (civet girl) was activated over LINE and we sorted the admin out through GDrive by midnight. And this year I have included thirteen Kent Ridge plant species in the exam syllabus – finally!

By 2.00am, after some further tweaking, students were emailed necessary details. Online hiccup with an LT venue but I was feeling quite pleased. All this efficiency is thanks partly to SOPs written out over the past two years with former FTTA Amanda Tan, and the practise the three of us had of exhaustive and detailed evaluations. So it’s mostly all still in our heads.

This afternoon after some module meeting, Weiting and I grabbed module LO Morgany T who was passing by to review the workflow and fault-find the procedure. This is how version 4, and while the op has become simpler, it is more efficient and secure.

We’re ready to brief TAs and check specimens. The honours year TAs would have experienced the op themselves three years ago and it will be fun for them as they help run the op – a coming of age!

We trim the amount of the time the first year undergraduates have to wait as best we can and soften post-exam waiting time with Attenborough videos. Importantly, though, we’ve kept them amongst their group mates from the module, with whom they have experienced the four LSM1103 practicals they are being examined over – nothing like some pressure for bonding!

It’s stressful of course, but I’m always glad that we make the effort when we watch students respond to the bell in the exam, just like I did in the late 80’s. Some traditions are worth maintaining.

LSM2251 Ecological Observations in Singapore

In 2010, I asked students reading LSM2251 Ecology and the Environment to conduct non-interference observations of wildlife in Singapore. This was first carried out with LSM1303 Animal Behaviour and I ported the model over.

Students conduct their research independently but have two scheduled consultation sessions with TAs and the lecturer and are welcome to offline and face to face consultation.

After an eye-opening field trip to Pulau Ubin early in the semester, students presented research proposals through a three-minute elevator pitch. That usually results in lots of adjustments but by a fortnight later, field recces would have been conducted and they are in much better shape for data collection.

10 hours of observation are required, which could potentially result in 20 – 50 hours worth of observation in the field depending on project type and design. Not often, but possible.

Results are formally presented at parallel sessions of symposia chaired by their TAs and includes a Q&A session by their peers (we provide guidelines). Students ask questions actively and are typically very politely phrased. They do get marks for asking questions!

Having students figure things out themselves with some help is preferred above directed field trips because this removes them from a prescribed culture with little room to think – especially with typical class sizes of 150-200. And importantly, leeway is given for mistakes during evaluation so there is space to learn.

These students are just beginning their exploration of wildlife in Singapore so it is heartening to listen to their scrutinising observations during the symposia.

After the symposium yesterday, I asked some students which they preferred – and the room unanimously indicated it was independent exploration.

Okay then.

The programme and abstracts are hosted at blog.nus.edu.sg/lsm2251/.