News Release

NTU's Earth Observatory of Singapore receives $2 million scholarship

New Stephen Riady Geosciences Scholars Fund to aid postgraduate education

Grant and Award Announcement

Nanyang Technological University

The Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) has received S$2 million to set up a postgraduate scholarship fund, to boost research in earth sciences.

This S$2 million endowment comes from a S$1 million gift from the Stephen Riady Group of Foundations, which will receive one-to-one government matching.

The Stephen Riady Geosciences Scholars Fund will be used to aid in the education of students pursuing PhD geoscience degrees at NTU.

NTU's Earth Observatory of Singapore was founded in 2009 as a national Research Centre of Excellence to conduct fundamental research on earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and climate change across Southeast Asia.

The income from the endowed fund will support research proposals by EOS graduate students to explore the Earth's dynamic processes, aimed at ensuring greater resilience and safety of the region's people, cultures and economies. The number and amount of awards will be determined annually after a careful and competitive review process of research proposals.

Professor Kerry Sieh, Director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, says the scholarship comes at a critical time for Southeast Asia, with increasing geohazard activity across the region.

"The past decade has shown that volcanic eruptions, climate change, devastating earthquakes and tsunamis play a large role in human loss and suffering. The magnitude 7.9 Nepal and 6.0 Sabah earthquakes and the eruption of Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra are just the most recent examples."

"The Riady scholarship will help enable our students to research such events and the processes that cause them in Southeast Asia. New knowledge will bring greater understanding of the geohazards we are facing, and with greater knowledge comes greater resilience. We are grateful for the Stephen Riady Group of Foundations' recognition and support through this new scholarship."

All new and current students pursuing a PhD degree at the Earth Observatory are eligible to apply for this new scholarship. All applications will be reviewed and evaluated based on their relation to the EOS mission and potential impact toward creating safer and more sustainable societies in the region.

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Media contact:

Lester Kok
Senior Assistant Manager
Corporate Communications Office
Nanyang Technological University
Tel: +65 6790 6804
Email: lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg

About Nanyang Technological University

A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and its Interdisciplinary Graduate School. It has a new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London.

NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes - the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering - and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) and the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI).

A fast-growing university with an international outlook, NTU is putting its global stamp on Five Peaks of Excellence: Sustainable Earth, Future Healthcare, New Media, New Silk Road, and Innovation Asia.

The University's main Yunnan Garden campus has been named one of the Top 15 Most Beautiful in the World. NTU also has a campus in Novena, Singapore's medical district.

For more information, visit http://www.ntu.edu.sg

About The Stephen Riady Group of Foundations

The Stephen Riady Group of Foundations is a philanthropic platform set up in collaboration with Credit Suisse Private Banking. Launched at the Credit Suisse Philanthropists Forum on 16 November 2012, the Stephen Riady Group of Foundations are dedicated to improving the lives of underprivileged, disadvantaged and impoverished communities through programs that focus on education, empowerment and engagement.

Guided by the personal philosophy of Dr. Stephen Riady, Executive Chairman of Singapore listed property owner and developer OUE Limited, the Foundations have donated generously to worthy causes in Hong Kong and Singapore and hopes to inspire future generations to keep giving. The key causes supported are in the areas of education, humanitarian and social development.

For more information about The Stephen Riady Group of Foundations, please visit http://www.stephenriadyfoundations.org

About Earth Observatory of Singapore

The Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) is Singapore's centre for conducting research on geohazards. Its scientists focus their research on tectonics, volcanoes, and climate change in and around Southeast Asia. The Observatory is committed to acquiring knowledge of these natural hazards, passing this information on to exposed communities by contributing to forecasts of such natural phenomena and helping them adapt to these environmental challenges.

The Earth Observatory of Singapore, an autonomous institute of Nanyang Technological University, is a Research Centre of Excellence located on the campus of the University. To learn more, please visit http://www.earthobservatory.sg.


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