A taste of durian mooncakes and cultural insights will highlight the evening when a New Mexico State University computer science professor shares his experiences in Singapore during the next installment of the College of Arts and Sciences “Global Connections” series.
William Yeoh will present “Singapore: Perspectives on this Little Red Dot,” from 5 to 6:30 p.m.Wednesday, October 14 at the College of Health and Social Services Annex Auditorium.
“The goal of it is to talk more about the culture, show lots of pictures about the different aspects of Singapore, maybe a little bit about the history of how Singapore came about,” said Yeoh, an assistant professor who has been teaching computer science at NMSU since the fall of 2012.
Originally from Malaysia, Yeoh has travelled to Singapore multiple times, both as a child and an adult. More recently, his trips have involved bringing awareness to the programs at NMSU and fostering collaborations with researchers in the country. During his time there, he helped set the groundwork for future apps used by Universal Studios Singapore and cab companies throughout the country, which he will discuss during his lecture.
Signs and instructions in Singapore are provided in four different languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil. “I appreciate the intricacies of the cultures in Singapore,” Yeoh said. “It’s a multicultural country. It’s dominated mostly by Chinese, but there is a large Indian population there and Malay population as well.”
Through his lecture, Yeoh hopes to create awareness of the cultural diversity of Singapore and promote tourism for the country.
“Singapore to me is like a microcosm that allows you to experience extremes,” Yeoh said, noting the difference between jungle-like rural areas and the new urban cityscapes that look like something out of a Star Trek episode.
As part of his presentation, Yeoh will offer the audience the chance to sample durian-flavored mooncakes. Durian is a tropical fruit known as the “king of fruits” among Singaporeans. It is native to the region and described as fruit people either love or hate because of its pungent smell.
The “Global Connections” series features faculty members’ trips around the world. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for members of the campus and surrounding community to listen and ask questions of NMSU professors about the kind of global first-hand experience they might otherwise never encounter.
Future lectures include: Elba Serrano, who will speak about Vietnam on Nov. 11; Brian Rourke, who will discuss Russia during a Feb. 10 presentation; Jeremy Klomp, who will give a talk about Taiwan on March 9; and Motoko Furuhashi, who will close the series with a lecture on Japan on April 13.
Information from NMSU