On 9 November 2001, the Board of Directors of ASQ elected Professor Goh Thong Ngee of the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department as a Fellow of the Society, citing his "continuous outstanding contributions to the quality profession". In his letter to Professor Goh, ASQ President Thomas J. Mosgaller states: "The grade of Fellow is an earned distinction. Your achievement of this grade is a token of respect from your colleagues that has been accepted by the highest officers of our organization". The newly elected Fellows will be personally honored at two ceremonies during the next Annual Quality Congress of ASQ in May 2002.

Professor Goh's academic and professional attainments in quality engineering need no introduction. Internationally known for his contributions to this specialized field, he is a frequent invited speaker at professional conferences and corporate meetings, and has served as advisory board member, external examiner or reviewer for various universities and research agencies abroad. He is currently on the editorial boards of several leading research journals including Quality Engineering, Quality and Reliability Engineering International, International Journal of Reliability, Quality and Safety Engineering, and International Journal of Production Economics.

Professor Goh's recognition is just the latest event that helps put NUS on the world map of academic and professional excellence. The Industrial and Systems Engineering Department in particular has been known for its activities in Quality and Reliability Engineering (QRE). Its QRE Group has been working with research collaborators from the US, Europe, Asia and Australia, and guides about 20 research students. The MSc (ISE) program offers a specialization in QRE, while in the B Eng (ISE) program, undergraduates may opt to specialize in Quality Engineering and Management. Indeed the spectrum of education and research opportunities offered by the Department has been unique in this part of the world.