Institute of High Performance Computing

A*STAR Talent Search Award - Teh Ming Hwang

Below is the account of Teh Ming Hwang, a student of National Junior College who was attached to IHPC as part of the NJC-STaR Programme. Ming Hwang was later awarded the A*STAR Talent Search Award for his project on Silicon Chips 

Silicon chips, the building blocks of computers have struck me as one of the most beautiful masterpieces of human imagination. The first time I learnt about computing, as I recalled, was a thought provoking experience. To put it in the words of Bill Gates, “They"re tools of communication, they"re tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user.” This sense of empowerment and control has captivated me and indeed, empowered me. Perhaps this is the very reason why I chose the Institute of High Performance Computing for my research attachment through the NJC Science Research and Technology (STaR) Programme.

Silicon photonics is becoming an emerging forefront in information and communication technologies, unleashing virtually limitless bandwidth and possibly even revolutionizing microprocessors. Holding an unwavering interest in physics, computing and mathematics throughout my studies, pursuing this project was a relatively easy decision to make. Under the mentorship of Dr. Lim Soon Thor, I mastered research concepts, analytical skills and computational software necessary to conduct my experiments.

I always have a love for inventing, even pushing for a comprehensive inventions platform in NJC, possibly through the desire to be able to affect the lives of normal people on the streets. This ties in well with the power of computational physics. Having needed to run numerous simulations based on the ideas I had, the positive methodologies proposed would not have been possible without the flexibility of computational physics. However, the path of research is fraught with failures more than success. Eventually, the six-month research attachment became more of a test of character – perseverance and self-belief, having to juggle the stress of JC life with the uncertainty in research. There is always room for creativity and also failure in the pursuit of completely new ideas. Although in research, one will meet with failures, one should keep going at it, because no matter how small it is, there is always the possibility of success.

My attachment at IHPC has reaffirmed my interest to contribute to the growing R&D landscape in Singapore. I hope to be able to pursue a degree in Electrical and Electronics at The California Institute of Technology as an A*Star scholar. I believe that the knowledge and working experience I had gained from IHPC will help me make my mark in science research.

• IHPC-Science Mentorship Programme (SMP) 2007
  
  

• A*STAR Talent Search Award - Teh Ming Hwang
  
  

• Students from Hwa Chong Institution awarded SSEF Silver Medal
  
  

• The Twins Effect (RJC student attachment)
  
  

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