“Amigos Para Siempre” – the official Barcelona 1992 Olympics song, speaks of a friendship that spans a lifetime. Synonymous to the theme of this song is the vision of the Graduate Students Welfare Committee (GSWC) – to cultivate a student-friendly research environment within the School of Materials Engineering (SME).

The GSWC came about as an idea sparked off by Professor Freddy Boey (Dean, SME), who wanted to see more activities, outside of research, that caters to the graduate students in SME. As such, a group of graduate students, including myself, decide to pull our resources together to see the birth of the 1^st GSWC. Though the committee members come from different backgrounds, culture and nationalities, we share this common vision of building a strongly knitted students research community, and are committed towards the realization of this vision.

In February 2004 the GSWC was officially inaugurated and integrated as part of the SME family. Social activities and events were subsequently organized, such as the Graduate Students’ BBQ night (jointly organized with the SME Alumni), research seminars, sports events and other social events. To encourage the integration of new graduate students into SME, the GSWC has also been organizing meet-up sessions to welcome new students, both foreigners and Singaporeans.

The hosting of this website is also part of the GSWC’s initiative in fostering closer ties among the students. My wish is to see this website become the main feedback and communication channel between the committee and the students. We would strongly encourage you for your feedback, suggestions and comments on issues pertaining to your graduate life, through this website.

As a chairperson, my acknowledgements go out to my team of dedicated committee members who have been passionate towards their portfolios and responsibilities. Without them, the GSWC would have been an empty shell.

Finally, I strongly believe that the GSWC is only possible because of you and the many graduate students in SME who make this idea a reality. My committee members and I are looking forward to your participation and we would like to invite you to join us, hand-in-hand in making this school a better place to work, to live and to build a deep and lasting friendship in. I wish you a fruitful time during your stay here in SME. Amigos Para Siempre – Friends for life!

Yours Truly,

Loo Say Chye, Joachim