USP BrainFood+: Past, Present, and Future
By Jen Chik Hui Xin (English Literature + USP, Class of 2022)
Jen is a student writer for USP Highlights.
Published: 28 July 2021
While USP prides itself in its diverse range of multi- and inter-disciplinary modules, the intellectual interests of the USP community extend far beyond the confines of the classroom. This is evident in a not-for-credit programme it offers, named BrainFood+.
In this programme, USP students get together in small groups with a professor or an USP alumnus and embark on an intellectual journey with a book in hand. Each BrainFood+ group is centered around a book chosen by the professor or alumnus, and students sign up for the group based on their interest in the chosen book. With no graded assignments or class participation marks, BrainFood+ is perfect for the inquisitive individuals who simply want to explore and engage with other members of the community.
To find out more about BrainFood+, I interviewed several professors, alumni, and current students on their experiences and takeaways from this special USP programme. Perhaps the most unique thing about BrainFood+ is that it involves alumni, who may have previously attended BrainFood+ sessions, to facilitate sessions. What makes them want to do so?
Woo Qiyun (Environmental Studies + USP, Class of 2020) reflects that what made BrainFood+ special for her was how each participant would read the same text, but glean from the book a different nuance and issue that each of them cared about—anything from authoritarianism, feminism, to storytelling. As an environmentalist, Qiyun’s book of choice for the session she facilitated was On Fire by Naomi Klein. Her session drew students from a variety of disciplines—political science, psychology, material science and even quantitative finance. For Qiyun, each student brought fresh eyes to the table with their unique academic backgrounds, introducing new angles to approach environmental issues.
Another alumnus Devesh Narayanan (Mechanical Engineering + USP, Class of 2019) views his BrainFood+ group as a space where everyone can learn from one another, rather than having an authority figure of an ‘expert’ dispensing knowledge. The collaborative learning, coupled with the genuine interest of the BrainFood+ circle (“we are here because we want to”) has made his experience greatly enjoyable.
For Lim Cheng Lei (Information System + USP, Class of 2018), he participated in BrainFood+ during his time as a student and after he graduated, he led his own session with his book choice, A World of Three Zeros by Prof Muhammad Yunus. He shared, "It's definitely a different experience on many fronts. As a participant, you immerse yourself in the conversation, offer your perspective and debate on conflicting viewpoints. However, as a facilitator, I had to switch gears...ensuring the discussion of the flow, injecting probing questions at the right time, and getting the participants to pause and reflect on their discussion."
Even some who have not previously participated in BrainFood+ during their undergraduate years took up the challenge to lead sessions. Gladys Ng (Geography + USP, Class of 2018) sees BrainFood+ as an extension of USP’s niche, honouring the value of exploring learning together outside of formal pursuits. She describes the BrainFood+ sessions and interacting with the diverse student body as an energising and engaging experience, that shows the power of community.
Hearing from the alumni, it is difficult to not be infected by their enthusiasm and eagerness to return to USP and contribute to keeping BrainFood+ going. Apart from alumni, professors also act as facilitators for the programme. In fact, it was A/P Barbara Ryan who started the programme a few years ago and painstakingly shaped it into what it is today.
A/P Luke O’Sullivan, whose session read Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, professes that the best part about BrainFood+ is that he never knows what is coming. The session depends heavily on what each student reads in the text, and the informal, conversational setting of BrainFood+ creates the space for possibilities to unfold.
Meanwhile, Dr Bart van Wassenhove’s session read Sophocles' Antigone. Each meeting had 2 or 3 students act out a short section of the dramatic dialogue, bringing the classical text alive. For him, these dramatic readings gave rise to new interpretative insights and personal sympathies when students took on the role of the characters and understood their motivations more personally.
Beyond classical texts, BrainFood+ groups also feature books from all disciplines. Dr Chan Chi-wang’s group read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! which explores the life of Nobel Prize physicist Richard Feynman. Dr Chan recalls fondly how USP Director A/P Kang Hway Chuan dropped in to share his experience as an alumnus of Caltech, where Feynman was a professor.
Of course, the most important part of BrainFood+ is the students who make up the community. I interviewed two fellow students who are active BrainFood+ participants and who both attended 3 BrainFood+ circles! Ajeya Mantri (Mechanical Engineering + USP, Class of 2022) shared about his favourite BrainFood+ memory with the group led by A/P Barbara Ryan. For the session on "How do you read a book when it comes with no labels", they covered up the first few pages of the book they were to read. Everyone in the session made a pact to not look up any information on the book, and Ajeya found it a unique experience as they had to approach it with no prior knowledge at all.
As for Tiffany Ho Zi Shan (Psychology + USP, Class of 2023), her favourite memory of BrainFood+ was in the session which inquired into the question of “Is there a Universal Morality”, and specifically when they brainstormed possible examples of socially accepted behaviour that could become morally wrong years into the future. Different ideas were brought to the table, no matter how bizarre they may seem to us now—from something simple such as choosing to eat meat, to more controversial ideas like raising a child with gendered pronouns.
While BrainFood+ has been well received by the USP community, as with all things, it has to constantly adapt and address challenges that come its way. Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic is one such challenge. Even as the meet-up sessions pivoted online, providing hard-copy books for the participants remains a main feature of BrainFood+. Staff at the USP administration who helped with the programme shared that they had to order books at least two months in advance in anticipation of shipping delays caused by the pandemic. Arrangements for the collection of books by participants and (subsidised) payments for the books also posed a challenge as admin staff’s work arrangement at the office were frequently changed. This meant that they had to be nimble and come up with creative solutions to get things done without delays.
As we eagerly await the resumption of BrainFood+ sessions in person and in small groups, many whom I interviewed offered some suggestions on how they would like to see the programme evolve in future. Some hope that students will also be able to propose books they are interested in, and have professors pick up those they are interested in, while others suggest a potential collaborative ending after each BrainFood+ instalment, so that the wider community can share in the conversations and benefit from more opened discussions all round. It is nice to know that in fact one such enhancement was made recently by the administrative staff team – books chosen for BrainFood+ over the years are now made available at the USP Reading Room, to allow students who were unable to join the groups to have access to these books. The administrative staff team has worked closely with the Student Head Librarian in the last semester to raise awareness of this, which has led to an increase in the number of books borrowed.
A/P Barbara Ryan has just passed the baton of managing and developing Brainfood+ on to A/P Joonmo Son. Regardless of how BrainFood+ may change in the years to come, social distancing measures or not, we are confident that the USP spirit of collaborative and communal learning will continue to thrive. We also have more to share on the experiences of our alumni as past facilitators, their book choices and recommendations, so watch out for our next Highlights article as we keenly look forward to the next instalment of BrainFood+!