In ancient Greek mythology, the Muses are the nine goddesses who preside over the Arts and the Sciences. As the embodiments of knowledge, the Muses personify the very ethos of the University Scholars Programme in the National University of Singapore. Our magazine, MUSE, encompasses the work of seniors enrolled in the programme’s capstone module, Senior Seminar. Revolving around the theme of “Future Times”, the class invites students to critically engage materials and perspectives from multidisciplinary domains in preparation for life beyond university education.

For many, the future exists as a nebulous entity — it is exciting but it also incites trepidation. In this issue of MUSE, we offer numerous expositions of the future that are categorised under four broad categories: Society & Culture, Politics & Philosophy, Environment & Urban Planning and finally, Science & Technology. In addition to offering glimpses into the imminent, many of these articles aim to weld the past and present with the future, as well as the experienced with the unknown. Paul Wang, for instance, examines the possibility of adopting “womenomics” from Japan and implementing it in Singapore. In another article, Mary Park and Lam Kwok Foong investigate the future of smoking cessation and propose approaches that can help improve existing strategies that have not been as successful as expected. Why exactly should we care about the future? We offer one simple reason — understanding what lies ahead can help us to prepare for, and even productively participate in its creation. Indeed, the Human race has been trying to do so since time immemorial.

We are now living in a period of monumental change, turbulence and uncertainty. Our world is bubbling with both dangers as well as opportunities, and we, are in the pot. It is imperative that universities everywhere produce students who are both intellectually curious and responsible. With that said, however, we call upon everyone to think deeply about the articles in this magazine. Some people can muse on certain ideas for years……”