NUS School of Computing (SoC) students have made a fine showing at this year’s National Infocomm Scholarship (NIS) awards. Seven of them won the prestigious scholarship, which is awarded annually to a select group of top-notch students pursuing or seeking university-level studies in information communications (infocomm) technologies.

Chew Boon Heng, Koo Kee Kiat and Yang Qingwei are in their freshmen year while Quak Yew Chong and Lau Wei Chong are in their fourth year of studies. Cai Jianxiong Clarence and Soh Yuan Chin, will begin their studies with SoC after matriculation in due course.

All seven students have faced keen competition in winning the scholarship. The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) received 633 NIS applications this year – the highest number since the inception of the scholarship in 2004. A total of 39 scholarships were given out to students from the three universities and various polytechnics.

Presenting the awards at a ceremony on 15 September 2007, IDA’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Chan Yeng Kit emphasised the importance of high-calibre infocomm professionals in today’s interconnected world: “Given the intensity of global competition, there is a growing demand for talent with not only technical expertise but also business insights in managing complex environments.”

To the freshmen, the NIS award is an affirming start to their university studies. Boon Heng spoke of his experience: “It is an ecstatic feeling to embark my journey in National University of Singapore with the National Infocomm Scholarship.” Concurring with the view, Kee Kiat added, “I feel very honoured to be awarded this scholarship as it reflects the confidence that the scholarship board has in me.”

NIS is a scholarship presented by IDA with the support of 21 public and private sector organisations. Under the scheme, a sponsoring company or public sector agency co-pays the scholarship for a particular student, which covers both tuition fees and living allowance. The scheme also allows for an internship stint with the sponsoring organisation. This allows NIS scholars to acquire industry experience even before they graduate.

“The invaluable experience that I will gain from working in an overseas regional office or with other higher-echelon professionals will allow me to further hone my skills and in return contribute to the IT industry of Singapore,” Qing Wei said. For final-year student Yew Chong, the benefit of industry linkage takes on an added urgency. He revealed: “I am excited and look forward to starting my work with Singtel next year.”

The NIS scholarship is tenable at both local and overseas universities, and may extend into graduate studies, depending on the programme for which the student is awarded the scholarship. Students who are starting their university studies may have the scholarship covering the entire course of their studies, while those already in the midst of a course could have the remainder of the programme sponsored.

For instance, Boon Heng, Clarence , Kee Kiat, Qing Wei and Yuan Chin will pursue their undergraduate studies with SoC under full NIS scholarship. Yew Chong and Wei Chong, both fourth-year students, will have the remaining part of their university studies covered under the partial NIS scholarship.

SoC has a track record in producing NIS scholars. Three SoC students won the scholarship in 2006 while six did so in 2005.