I wasn’t wrong. Singapore is a fantastic place, full of fantastic sites and wonderful people. From Sentosa Island to Singapore’s quartet of Zoo’s, I loved every minute of my time there. NTU/NIE is on the most beautiful campus’ I have seen (except for Flinders of course), although I did find the military training camp next door a little surprising at first, while there we stayed a fair trek from the University but it didn’t matter as Singapore’s public transport is immensely efficient.

I learned an incredible amount from my time working in the Plasma Sources and Applications Centre (PSAC): I learned of the existence of Black Silicon, I learnt how to ‘connect the dots’ of a particular problem through looking for creative solutions, I designed an experiment to investigate the properties of Black Silicon.

I left Adelaide not thinking I would have the slightest idea how to conduct a research project like this, but I return with a renewed confidence in my own abilities and through the research I conducted while at NTU/NIE I have more faith in my ability to conduct my own research.

I would urge any students considering study overseas, even just short term study like me, to go for it. You will learn so much about another country’s cultures and ways of life, and on top of that you learn a lot about yourself in how you adapt to your new surroundings. Singapore is a fantastic place to do this, I learnt so much from Prof. Xu and everyone in the PSAC that I can take into my future career and I have formed collegiate bonds that will be invaluable in my future endeavours.

Liam Brownlie, Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Nanotechnology) student, participating in Using Plasma Technology Program-New Colombo Plan project, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2016