The University Scholars Programme (USP) brims with students of diverse talents, disciplines and interests. What better way to capture this diversity than having a platform for students speakers to share their passions with the community? USPolymath, a student interest group that focuses on delivering compelling ideas through public speaking, serves exactly that purpose. First formed in 2015 by a group of USP students, USPolymath has since gone on to have eleven sessions, averaging about four to five student speakers per session. The most recent session, held on 1 November 2017, was one that I had the privilege of being part of. The goal of USPolymath, according to organiser Darryl Laiu (Philosophy + USP, Class of 2020), is to create a platform where USP students can critically share ideas that they have learnt in classes with the rest of the USP community.

The word “polymath” refers to a person of wide knowledge or learning. The ideal of “polymathy”, being proficient in multiple disciplines – intellectual, artistic, social and physical – was especially celebrated during the Italian Renaissance, where the great Renaissance Humanists believed that human beings are essentially infinite in their capacity for development.

A similar philosophy motivates the USPolymath organisers in their tireless efforts to keep the fire going. USPolymath sessions have spanned a wide range of topics – the principles of gravity, an introduction to Plato’s philosophy, a defense of feminism in Singapore and the effectiveness of anti-depressants are just some examples of the rich brew of ideas that have been articulated over the past eleven sessions.

Besides being passionate about the ideal of learning from multiple disciplines, the organisers also emphasise the importance of social connections in making learning possible. As Auyok Sean (Mechanical Engineering + USP, Class of 2020) says, “There is a quote by Confucius that I believe echoes with the USPolymath ethos. The quote is "三人行，必有我师焉" (sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī yān). The quote roughly translates to: "When three travel, one must be my teacher””. The message in this Confucius quote is to be humble and self-aware, to be mindful that everybody knows something that we do not, and hence, to be open to learning from one another. As Sean goes on to explain, “Hopefully, the audience would gain new perspectives on different issues, or even gain new insights into topics they are familiar with. Ideally, the audience will find the presentations thought-provoking and would want to discuss them.”

USPolymath comes with an interesting twist. Instead of allowing speakers complete freedom in their presentation styles, speakers are presented with a specific challenge to overcome. This challenge is called the “Pecha Kucha” format. The format enforces speakers to use only 20 slides, each lasting exactly 20 seconds. The timing is built into the presentation by setting the slides to automatically transit. Thus, once a Pecha Kucha presentation starts, the presenters have no control over when the slides change. With such a restrictive format, speakers find it challenging to synchronise their speech to the slides.

The rationale behind the Pecha Kucha format can perhaps be summed up by the phrase: “too much freedom can be incredibly limiting” (Source: commenter from Humans of New York). The presence of limits encourages speakers to pay more attention to the quality of their content, more so than if they were allowed to ramble without restraint. Speakers are forced to think through their organisation more thoroughly, and to distill their ideas down to their essential components. The result, as Sean says, is a presentation that is “short yet impactful”.