Tag: Education

Imagine a place full of moving lights of a hundred different colours changing rapidly under precision control, and one of the first things that comes to mind is a discotheque.

A not-too-different scene is happening in the labs of two principal investigators at NUS – but at the nanoscale.

Professor Zhang Yong from NUS Biomedical Engineering and Professor Jiang Donglin from NUS Chemistry, however, are not doing this for entertainment. Their experiments with light could actually save lives and even help save the planet. And their efforts have earned each of them the Humboldt Research Award from Germany.

Next year, they will travel to different parts of Germany on €60,000 grants to collaborate with researchers and take their respective fields of study to the next level.

Funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany, the Humboldt Research Award honours international scientists who are outstanding researchers in their field and whose work have had a significant impact on their own discipline and beyond.

Zapping cancer with light

Prof Zhang’s specialty is in developing devices containing special nanoparticles that can be implanted in diseased locations deep in the human body, such as cancer. The nanoparticles emit light of specific colours when stimulated by X-rays or near-infrared light from a “remote control” outside the body. The light from the nanoparticles activates special light-sensitive drugs to accurately target and kill cancerous cells, in a treatment known as photodynamic therapy (PDT). This is more targeted and less debilitating than chemotherapy, which causes widespread damage to good tissue.

Prof Zhang’s team has described their latest nanoparticles as looking like watermelons under the transmission electron microscope. Materials with different functions are assembled at the nanoscale and combined in small nanocrystals. When excited by deep tissue-penetrating X-rays or near-infrared light, these nanoparticles emit light that could be used to activate anti-cancer drugs in precise locations in the body. This new nanoparticle is used as a nanotransducer to manipulate light at the nanoscale, and was published in Nature Communications in January 2021.

“As a child, I always wanted to be a scientist, but when I grew up I found that scientific research was not as simple as described in comic books,” said Prof Zhang. But as it turned out, there was a higher calling. After publishing his research papers as a young principal investigator at NUS, he started getting emails from cancer patients and their families from several countries, asking if the new materials he had developed could give them a chance at treating their illness. Prof Zhang shared, “They were in despair and were writing to scientists all over the world hoping to find a cure. I felt bad when I had to disappoint them.”

That spurred him to find ways of translating his research to medical treatments that could actually save lives. He began working with the National Cancer Centre Singapore, Duke-NUS Medical School and National University Health System, which helped identify clinical needs and how his devices could be harnessed to satisfy those needs. His efforts also coincide with one of NUS’ key research areas, Biomedical Science and Translational Medicine. “It takes time to develop a new technology and make it available for clinical use, but we are on the way,” he said.

Designing and manipulating two-dimensional polymeric materials

On the other side of campus, Prof Jiang is working on organic two-dimensional polymers, a kind of molecule that is very large but only a few molecules thick. He is a world expert in the field – in fact, he pioneered it.

When he got his first academic job working on 2D polymers in Japan many years ago, he wanted to do something no one had done before. Scientists had created self-assembling 2D polymers previously, but they had used noncovalent bonds, which are chemical bonds that do not involve the sharing of electrons between atoms.

Prof Jiang had the idea of creating 2D polymers using covalent bonds instead. These bonds can be found in organic compounds, which are substances that contain carbon-hydrogen bonds. The so-called covalent organic frameworks (COFs) created by Prof Jiang can form stable structures that are more complex than purely noncovalent polymers, giving scientists more flexibility in designing polymers with desired properties.

At NUS, Prof Jiang has been investigating the many potential “talents” of COFs, from energy storage to semiconductors to reducing emissions by absorbing and converting carbon dioxide. However, the chemical and physical properties of COFs cannot be easily controlled, making them unwieldy in practice.

In their latest research, Prof Jiang’s team found a way to easily and accurately modify the 2D molecular backbone of COFs with various atoms and molecules, such as hydrogen, chlorine and methyl groups, to induce emission of different wavelengths of light spanning the entire colour spectrum. Furthermore, their system is chemically stable and emits lots of light, taking it a big step towards actual light-emitting and sensing applications in the real world. Their findings were published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition in June 2021, and has been categorised by the journal as a “Very Important Paper”. The research on COFs also contributes to NUS’ key focus areas of Materials Science, Smart Nation and Integrative Sustainability Solutions.

Pushing the frontiers of science through international collaboration

Prof Zhang and a couple of his PhD students will visit Technische Universität Ilmenau in Germany to collaborate with a few researchers there, whom he met many years ago in a scientific meeting but has not had a chance to work with.

With expertise in nanofabrication, the combined team will develop new implantable PDT devices that combine the light-emitting nanoparticles and light-sensitive drugs in a single biodegradable package with better light transmission. This will make PDT less invasive and more effective. Prof Zhang’s devices are currently non-biodegradable and have to be left in the body permanently or removed surgically.

Meanwhile, Prof Jiang plans to deepen his existing collaborations with four principal investigators at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research and Technische Universität Dresden. Each of them will work on a different aspect of 2D polymers and COFs. Three of Prof Jiang’s PhD students will also be involved.

Collectively, the scientists will develop a whole range of new structures and functions for COFs with the potential to scale up and tackle global environmental and energy issues. “The collaboration will merge the strengths of our group and the German groups. COFs offer very promising materials for a sustainable development of our society,” said Prof Jiang.

Source: National University of Singapore(HighLights)

In a boost to Singapore’s future-built environment landscape, the National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of the Built Environment has established a new research centre to augment the digital capability of Singapore’s construction industry, accelerate 5G training and promote the adoption of 5G technologies in Smart Facilities Management (FM).

The Centre for 5G Digital Building Technology aims to play an important role in Singapore’s digital research transformation as the nation pushes to offer nation-wide 5G coverage by 2025. Specifically, it has set its sights to be a leading centre in digital building technology through high impact research, broad-based education, and implementing best practices. It will harness 5G connectivity, cloud-based digital twin and robotics for Smart FM and Built Environment industry applications and seek to transform the way people design, deliver and manage Singapore’s built environment.

The Centre’s 5G-enabled cloud-based digital twin platform for Smart FM integrates systems, processes, and technologies to enhance the management of a building’s facilities. A successful implementation of Smart FM will help to increase productivity and efficiency, and also improve the general health and well-being of the occupants within the buildings. Digital building technology innovations will also provide a boost to the construction sector, as it results in cost reductions, higher quality of work, improved safety and better performance of facilities.

“In this rapidly changing world, the built environment sector is confronted with unprecedented challenges to continuously evolve. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed the way we work and greatly accelerated the adoption of digital technology. Our new Centre for 5G Digital Building Technology will be a living laboratory where we can lead and test-bed innovative digital solutions to create healthier and smarter buildings. At the same time, it is a good learning ground for our students to be exposed to real-world scenarios and tools, where we can better nurture them into leaders of our smarter built environment,” said Professor Lam Khee Poh, Dean of the NUS School of Design and Environment (SDE).

5G living laboratory in net-zero energy building

Housed at SDE4, the 5G Centre is uniquely positioned at Singapore’s first new-built net-zero energy building. This allows its researchers the ability to test and develop 5G digital technologies, which typically consumes a high amount of energy, within a net-zero energy environment. This is significant as more businesses will increasingly adopt 5G technology along with the nation-wide coverage by 2025, and buildings are expected to be more energy-efficient by 2030 to mitigate climate change.

Helmed by Associate Professor Evelyn Teo, the 5G Centre will focus on the following:

1. Develop high-impact research that advances the boundaries of 5G digital building technologies and test-bed new solutions

2. Develop best practices, case studies and guidelines

3. Develop new executive training programmes, workshops and seminars for industry workforce enhancement

4. Collaborate with industry stakeholders to enable more effective adoption of 5G digital building technologies.

Centre Director Associate Professor Teo said, “Our Centre’s unique position within a net-zero energy building not only allows us to power 5G sustainably but also allows us to study and create new digital and innovative solutions in Built Environment and Smart FM which will translate into smarter systems that are more energy efficient and thereby reduce carbon emissions in the long-run.”

Spearheading innovative 5G solutions for Built Environment

The 5G Centre has kicked off a partnership with 12 organisations to collaborate in digital building technology. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in November with Singapore Land Authority, M1 Limited, Techmetics Solutions Pte Ltd, CBM Pte Ltd, Glodon International Pte Ltd, Nokia Solutions and Networks Singapore Pte Ltd, Hikvision Singapore Pte Ltd, Globotix Pte Ltd, Weston Robot Pte Ltd, VIRspatial Technologies Pte Ltd, Mind Pointeye Pte Ltd and Servo Dynamics Pte Ltd.

While organisations have started test-bedding isolated technologies, this partnership has enabled the Centre to effectively combine separate digital technologies into one integrated digital twin platform via 5G connectivity such that data can flow seamlessly through the cloud. Some exciting applications range from targeted disinfection, vertical façade cleaning robot, intelligent waste monitoring and collection, to building inspection drones to check for leaks and cracks.

5G Research Thrust Leader, Assistant Professor Shah Kwok Wei, said, “One of the applications which the Centre has embarked on is to use 5G digital twin platform to virtually replicate physical buildings to enable facility management specialists to better visualise, manage and control their property assets in real-time. The Centre has created a 3D virtual operating system of systems by complementing 5G cloud-based digital twin platform with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, and advanced robotics to enhance maintenance processes.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has also brought to the fore safety and hygiene issues, in particular of indoor spaces. Using digital twin, smart CCTVs and video analytics, the Centre is developing an application to effectively clean and disinfect high-risk and high-touch points.

The Centre is collaborating with CBM Pte Ltd to deploy some of these digital solutions for its customers. CBM CEO Mr Roy Chiang said, “These novel applications from the Centre for 5G Digital Building Technology which enable detection and tracking human positions will allow us to clean and disinfect in a more targeted and effective manner using 5G cloud-based 3D digital twin properties integrated with robotics, IoT, AR and VR.”

Training on 5G built environment applications

The 5G Centre is also supported by SkillsFuture Singapore. It will provide students and industry professionals hands-on opportunities to apply digital building technologies for 5G use case demonstrations. Equipped with video walls, holographic displays, AR and VR technologies, the Centre will bring concepts to life with immersive learning experience in a safe training environment under real-time supervision and remote guidance

Source: National University of Singapore(HighLights)

The memory of a heart-rending incident has remained vivid to Assistant Professor Benny Tan, though it happened more than 10 years ago, when he was an undergraduate at the NUS Faculty of Law (NUS Law) serving his internship.

Recalling the scene, he said, “I will never forget how anxious the mother looked. Her fists were clasped tightly, and she was praying quietly.”

That memory has stuck with him all this while as it made him understand that as law students, they often take many things for granted. He shared that he had initially assumed from the lady’s body language that her son was about to be sentenced, probably to a harsh punishment.

It turned out however, that the hearing was to decide on the bail amount which could determine whether the accused would get to go home after that hearing, or he would be kept in remand until the resolution of his case weeks away. To him then, the issue of bail was a relatively unimportant procedural issue in a criminal proceeding.

He recalled, “I learnt from that experience that it meant so much to the accused’s mother, because it made all the difference as to whether she would get to be with her son at home. That made me realise the importance of pro bono work, of trying to ensure as many needy persons out there receive some form of assistance, because we never know how much that assistance would mean to them.”

Moments like this, which can be seemingly miniscule, could be defining in one’s life and career. It made the difference in Asst Prof Tan’s life and fuelled his passion for law and justice.

Asst Prof Tan today is the Deputy Director of NUS Law’s Centre for Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education (CPBCLE), an appointment he has held since July 2020.

He graduated from NUS Law in 2012 and went on to pursue a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Criminological Research from the University of Cambridge, where he was awarded the Manuel López-Rey Graduate Prize for being overall top student across both MPhil programmes offered by the Cambridge Institute of Criminology.

He started his career as a Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) and State Counsel at the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and gradually ended up at NUS Law as a full-time academic. He currently teaches criminal law, sentencing law and evidence law to undergraduates and is also the course director for the Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice programme where senior investigation officers are among his students.

A coincidental calling

“It was a coincidence,” he shared. When I left legal service, I caught up, over lunch, with Associate Professor Eleanor Wong, one of my former teachers (now my mentor and colleague). She asked if I might be interested to teach in the faculty’s legal skills programme. I thought to give it a go, went through the selection process, and I guess the rest is history.”

“As an undergraduate, I had never thought to join academia, as I did not think I had the qualifications,” he quipped. “I ended up finding immense passion in teaching, and in doing impactful research.”

Since he joined NUS Law in 2014, Asst Prof Tan has received the NUS Faculty of Law Teaching Excellence Award three times, as well as the NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award. He began his academic journey as a legal skills tutor, turning into a full-time lecturer and then Sheridan Fellow, before being appointed Assistant Professor on a new Practice Track in May 2021.

He has also published articles in various peer-reviewed journals – with his work cited by the High Court and Court of Appeal of Singapore. Twice in a row, in 2015 and 2016, he won the Best Feature Article prize awarded by the Law Society of Singapore.

Teaching has been an “absolute joy and privilege” for Asst Prof Tan. He lets on that his motto is “impactful teaching, impactful research”. The dedicated teacher strives to ensure that his students pick up skills that will be relevant and useful to them in the working world (well after they have completed his course) and always maintain a keen sense of on-the-ground perspectives. And this includes showing them video clips from Crimewatch during a class on evidence law, as he wanted to give them an “enhanced understanding of how certain rules of criminal evidence play out in real-life.”

Clearly enjoying his work, he said, “It has been a wonderful experience for me learning from my students as well, during class discussions, hearing their views, questions, and insights. I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say that I have looked forward to going to every class that I teach!”

Helping the marginalised

Despite being in academia, his passion to help the marginalised has never waned. Between 2016 to 2018, he has acted, on a pro bono and ad-hoc basis, as defence counsel in criminal cases and appeals. He has also been appointed by the Supreme Court of Singapore to the Young Amicus Curiae panel from 2016 to 2017, where he was called upon to assist the courts in cases involving novel or complex issues of the law.

These experiences, including his time as DPP, have helped him in shaping the pro bono legal programme and in coordinating litigation-based clinics at NUS Law.

“After I joined NUS Law, I wanted to be able to continue to use my legal training and specialisation in criminal law to help accused persons who are unable to afford paid legal representation,” he shared.

“If anything, my experience in acting as defence counsel on a pro bono basis reinforced my beliefs in the importance and value of pro bono work. It certainly allowed me to keep in touch with criminal practice on the ground, and to apply my specialisation in criminal law in an impactful way.”

Big on pro bono projects

So what does the Centre for Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education (CPBCLE) do?

At NUS Law, students have to complete 20 hours of involvement in one or more pro bono projects, where students make use of their legal knowledge and skills to help less privileged persons, on a pro bono basis. The CPBCLE helps to ensure that there are sufficient pro bono opportunities available for students to participate in.

Asst Prof Tan shared that CPBCLE will oversee and run pro bono projects for students. It also runs legal clinics as academic modules where students who are enrolled in these modules assist practicing lawyers in real-life cases, files and other matters, usually involving clients who are less privileged. These clinics also include litigation-based types as well as clinics that involve corporate-type work such as drafting agreements.

“Offering opportunities for experiential learning and impactful assistance is a huge part of what we do at the Centre. Many of our students are also passionate and interested in being involved in pro bono projects beyond the 20 mandatory hours. So we do our best to make available opportunities to cater to these students,” he said.

Over the years, NUS Law students have been involved in a range of pro bono work. These include helping litigants-in-person, youths at risk, the elderly, migrant workers and voluntary welfare organisations through initiatives such as community legal clinics and Criminal Legal Aid Scheme cases, as well as through facilitating in-person in Deputyship applications. The Centre has worked with a growing number of partners, such as the State Courts, Ministry of Law, Law Society Pro Bono Office, Office of Public Guardian as well as various schools and institutions, to offer such pro bono opportunities to students.

In the past five years, NUS Law students have put in a total of over 60,000 hours of pro bono work. This is an average of about 50 hours per student which Asst Prof Tan says is an underestimate as many law students continue to put in time and effort in doing pro bono work beyond the 20 mandatory hours, but may not formally record them down.

Asst Prof Tan explained, “In one of the projects that I supervise, we had some potential challenges in continuing to run the project and I was beginning to contemplate whether to scale that down and redirect our time and effort to other causes. The next thing I know, the students in the project sent to me a proposal with a well thought-out plan on how to refresh the project and run it long term in a more sustainable way!”

One of the students that he mentored – Ms Tan Yean San – was recently recognised with the 2021 Outstanding Court Volunteer (Student category) Award which recognises individuals who have contributed significantly as committed volunteers with the State Courts and Family Justice Courts. Yean San volunteers under the Student Representatives Programme, a Singapore Institute of Legal Education approved pro bono project run by CPBCLE in collaboration with the State Courts. Besides her core task of assisting litigants-in-person, she was appointed a Senior Representative and managed the cohort of student volunteers, including recruiting new volunteers as well as training and supervising her juniors.

Asst Prof Tan sees the impact that pro bono projects have brought about – both to the beneficiaries and the students. He shared that beneficiaries have benefited from the legal research that the students have done; students also get to put into practice some of the skills that they learn in law school and pick up various soft skills such as client interaction and empathy.

Silver lining to COVID challenges

The pandemic has upended the programme in some ways. When COVID-19 hit early last year, many of the pro bono projects had to be immediately suspended because it became difficult for them to be run.

But there was a silver lining – it brought about newfound opportunities. NUS Law students and their partners started to think out of the box, to come up with ways through which the students can continue to provide pro bono assistance to those in need, within safe means.

Asst Prof Tan highlighted some examples, “For instance, we managed to run a number of our workshops and meetings with our beneficiaries online. Our students also had the opportunity to assist in Ministry of Law’s Re-alignment Framework, which was a scheme to provide a quick and fair way for small businesses and individuals to realign and renegotiate selected contracts, in light of the pandemic’s impact. Among other things, our students helped to explain certain legal terms and concepts to those who seek assistance under the Framework.”

Student groups like the NUS Law Pro Bono Group and the COV-AID project team were recognised for the impact that they have made in the community in this year’s NUS Law Pro Bono Awards ceremony. The NUS Law Pro Bono Group had developed a legal handbook for the foreign domestic workers to inform them of their legal rights, responsibilities, and liabilities.

The COV-AID team had launched a one-stop online portal on National Day last year to raise the public’s understanding of Singapore’s rapidly-changing COVID-19 rules and regulations. They also roped in more than 90 students to help compile opinion pieces and conduct interviews with academics and practitioners, who shared their insights on the impact of the pandemic on industries, regional politics and even mental health.

In his opinion, the pro bono culture in Singapore has come a long way since the programme was made mandatory in 2014. More law students and lawyers, in his observation, are interested in, or involved in pro bono work and understand its importance and value.

“To me, it is an enormous privilege to be involved in pro bono work. There will always be those in need of assistance, in one way or another, in respect of the law or some aspect of the legal system. And among these persons, there will always be those unable to afford to pay for the assistance that they may require. Pro bono work is a means to help those who may, so to speak, fall through the cracks.”

“To students who are unsure about doing pro bono work, I would say – just give it a try. In my view, there are not that many things in life more rewarding than being able to voluntarily apply one’s knowledge and skills to assist someone in need of help.”

Source: National University of Singapore(HighLights)

Students from NUS Food Science and Technology (FST), have worked with two companies from Hakodate City in Hokkaido, Japan, to develop two unique food products from Japanese produce while catering to Singaporean taste buds.

The products, Shiokamala and Sesame Miso Flounder, showcase key ingredients from Hakodate – shiokara seasoning, a powdered flavouring made from salted, fermented squid, and fresh flounder respectively. The NUS students developed these products as part of their projects for an FST module on food product development and packaging. The module provides an opportunity for students to develop commercially-feasible food innovations, at times in collaboration with local and overseas enterprises. This collaboration with Hakodate City is a first undertaken by FST.

Hakodate, located at the southern part of Hokkaido, is a city by the sea well-known for high-quality seafood including squid, kelp, sea urchin and a variety of fish. The city has an extensive network of resources that support food-related industries, including wholesale markets, academic research centres and trade-support organisations. It is also home to food processing businesses that utilise Hakodate’s natural produce to create original food products.

Introducing an iconic Japanese flavour to local tastebuds

Shiokamala – the name reflects two flavours married into one snack. The 75-gram snack pack comprises commonly eaten mala hotpot ingredients – broccoli, mushroom, lotus root and peanut – and, another popular snack ingredient among Singaporeans, fish skin. These are vacuum-fried and coated in an innovative blend of shiokara and mala seasoning. Shiokara, a Japanese delicacy made from dried salted squid, has a cuttlefish-like aroma, while mala is a spicy and numbing Chinese flavour made from a combination of Sichuan peppercorn and chillies.

FST students Paulie Teo and Frederick Oon were part of the team that developed Shiokamala. They worked with Dainibussan, a business that produces and exports Japanese snacks, which sought to produce a shiokara-flavoured product for the Singapore market using the company’s vacuum-frying technology. “As most Singapore consumers are not familiar with the taste of shiokara, we decided to complement it with a locally popular flavour. Besides its popularity, mala was selected because its fragrant aroma and unique tingly effect on the tastebuds can balance out the strong flavour of shiokara,” said Paulie.

Through working on the project, the team learnt about current food trends and products within the Japanese market, Japanese taste preferences and how shiokara was consumed in Japan. “We benefitted from the exchange of ideas from different cultures. We also learnt to adapt the company’s product to reach international markets, while tactfully preserving the authentic flavours of shiokara,” said Frederick.

Fresh and flavourful flounder from sea to table

Another student team worked with Sakai Shoten, a fish-supply company passed down through generations. The team aimed to create a product from fresh flounder fillets that would be well-received in the Singapore market, while preserving the freshness and quality of the premium ingredient.

Armed with insights from their consumer survey done in Singapore, and after discussions with the company, the team developed frozen Sesame Miso Flounder, a vacuum-packed sashimi-grade, sesame miso-marinated flounder product that can be consumed both raw and cooked. The sesame miso marinade provides a sweet-salty flavour that accentuates the natural sweetness of the flounder when eaten raw. As a pan-fried dish, the miso caramelises to give an umami flavour to the fish.

“From our market research and consumer survey, we found that there is growing demand for Japanese foods in Singapore. Thus, we decided to incorporate mainly Japanese elements in the marinade, such as miso, mirin and bonito flakes, to develop a product with an authentic Japanese flavour,” explained Christopher.

The team also worked closely with Sakai Shoten to understand the company’s priorities for product development. Christopher elaborated, “Sakai Shoten’s determination to keep the processing methods of seafood as simple as possible to enable to natural taste of the product to shine is something that we have grown to appreciate. This is in contrast with our usual mindset where feasibility and consumer acceptance tend to be prioritised. It is a challenging but enjoyable journey for us to develop a product that is both in line with the company’s requirements and the local palate.”

Food for thought

“An important part of our food science students’ education is to understand the key elements of food product development. Through working with Hakodate’s reputable businesses, our students acquired invaluable lessons and practical experience in balancing business and market requirements, marketing skills, as well as technical innovations in food science,” said Dr Leong Lai Peng, a Senior Lecturer with NUS Food Science and Technology.

“It is also important for Singapore to expand food supply chains – working with overseas businesses is a way of achieving that. Japanese products are known for their consistently high quality, and we are delighted that Hakodate City is keen to tap on the skills and creativity of our students to develop foods that have the potential to be brought to market,” Dr Leong added.

“In the last seven years, Hakodate City had launched various food promotional sales activities in Singapore and recognised that Hakodate’s food export does not fit the local palate in terms of taste and packaging. This time, FST students developed two creative products with ideas, taste, ingredients and packaging that Japanese would not think of. The two participating companies and Hakodate City were both grateful and amazed by the students’ effort on hygiene control and export regulation in developing such high-quality products,” said Ms Tanaka Maiko, Manager of the Food Industry Promotion Section, Economy Department, Hakodate City.

The Shiokamala and Sesame Miso Flounder products are in the midst of being fine-tuned for potential commercial production and distribution in Singapore.

Source: National University of Singapore(HighLights)

Emeritus Professor Lee Seng Lip passed on peacefully on 27 Nov at the age of 96.

Having joined NUS in 1975 as Professor and Head of Department for Civil Engineering, he held that position until 1989 when he was conferred an Emeritus Professorship.

Emeritus Prof Lee is remembered by friends and colleagues as a great leader, educator and engineer who contributed significantly to the Department, the University and to the growth and development of Singapore. Thousands of former students, who have gone on to make their marks on industry and academia, also fondly remember the impact that Emeritus Prof Lee has made on their lives.

In recognition of his accomplishments in the engineering industry, academia and the wider community, Emeritus Prof Lee was awarded the first Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) Lifetime Engineering Achievement Award in 2013.

Visionary engineer and leader

A PhD graduate of the University of California Berkeley, he received the institution’s Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 1991.

A keen golfer and swimmer as well as a passionate engineer, Emeritus Prof Lee was known for maintaining a busy schedule which he continued well into his retirement.

Described by one IES council member as an “innovative visionary”, Emeritus Prof Lee was involved in the construction of some of Singapore’s most iconic buildings.

For example, during the construction of Changi Airport, Emeritus Prof Lee proposed an innovative construction method for the control tower, allowing it to be completed under tight deadlines.

Several years later, he was also a consultant on the Marina Bay Sands project, advising on how to ensure structural integrity in the sloping sides of the development’s main towers.

A particular focus of Emeritus Prof Lee’s work and research was on structural engineering, geotechnical engineering and construction technology related to high rise buildings. However, his work covered many other areas including the vibrations of buildings caused by wind, marina construction, as well as canal and riverside construction.

In the late 1980s, he developed a method of employing seabed clay sandwiched between thin sand layers which was applied to reclaim 40-hectares of land at Changi South Bay, thus slashing the costs of the project by a third.

Renowned academic, passionate educator

Emeritus Prof Lee also had a storied career in academia, publishing more than 500 papers in international and regional journals. He also taught several thousand students, many of whom went on to become fellow professors in the field or respected practicing engineers.

“NUS mourns the loss of an outstanding engineer, scholar and educator. Emeritus Prof Lee’s immeasurable legacy will always be treasured and remembered by his colleagues, students and friends who have had the privilege of knowing and working with him. He will be deeply missed by many of us in NUS,” said NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye.

In fact, Emeritus Prof Lee’s lifelong passion was revealed in a newspaper interview in 2013, when he was asked about the proudest achievement from his career.

Rather than naming a famous landmark on the Singapore skyline, he said, “I’m proudest of the fact that I’ve educated many engineers, who have contributed to the infrastructural development in Singapore and South-east Asia.”

Professor Richard Liew, Head of NUS Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), said of Emeritus Prof Lee’s passing, “We are truly honoured to have Emeritus Professor Lee as our pioneer in CEE family. His memory and legacy will remain forever etched in our minds and of those who knew him.”

Source: National University of Singapore(HighLights)

An anaerobic digestion system for food waste treatment is being piloted at the East Coast Lagoon Food Village. The system was developed by a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and converts food waste generated by food stalls and patrons at East Coast Lagoon Food Village into biogas and bio-fertiliser. A biogas engine converts the biogas into electricity, while the bio-fertiliser is used in landscaping applications. The onsite treatment of food waste reduces the need to send food waste for incineration.

Food waste is one of the priority waste streams identified under Singapore’s Zero Waste Masterplan. In 2020, food waste accounted for about 11 per cent of the total waste generated in Singapore, but only 19 per cent of the food waste was recycled. The rest of it was disposed of at waste-to-energy (WTE) plants. Therefore, reducing food wastage, redistributing unsold or excess food, and recycling/treating food waste are important food waste management strategies. Food waste needs to be managed holistically, as it can contaminate other recyclables when they are disposed of together, making the recyclables unsuitable or difficult to recycle. It can also give rise to odour nuisance and vermin proliferation issues, if not managed properly or in a timely manner.

As part of efforts to treat food waste and demonstrate the feasibility of on-site food waste treatment, the National Environment Agency (NEA) is supporting NUS in conducting a pilot trial of their containerised Anaerobic Digestion system at East Coast Lagoon Food Village, under the Closing the Waste Loop (CTWL) R&D Initiative. The NUS team, led by Associate Professor Tong Yen Wah from the NUS Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, oversees the operation and maintenance of the Anaerobic Digestion system. The team is concurrently studying the human psychology and behavioural factors in encouraging hawkers and cleaners to segregate food waste from other waste.

Assoc Prof Tong from NUS, explained, “Our NUS team is excited to be leading this effort, with support from NEA and NParks, to reduce waste in Singapore and turn food scraps into a green energy resource. Our technology is unique because it is easy to operate, and can now generate heat, fertiliser and electricity for areas at or around the hawker centre. When coupled with the human behavioural studies, our system is no longer just mere technology, but a component of social change that will help to ensure the success of an on-site system to close the food waste loop at its source.”

NEA and NParks have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on this pilot project. NParks will study the use of the digestate produced from the Anaerobic Digestion process (i.e. liquid residues from the biodegradation of food waste) for landscaping application at East Coast Park, thereby closing the food waste loop there.

Mr Chia Seng Jiang, Group Director for Parks East at NParks, said, “We are happy to collaborate on this pilot project with NEA and NUS to support efforts to convert food waste into energy and fertiliser at East Coast Park. NParks is working closely with NUS researchers on the experimental design of this project and practical applications of the digestate. We are identifying pilot sites at East Coast Park to test the efficacy of the digestate as fertiliser.”

How Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste Works

The Anaerobic Digestion system takes in source segregated digestible food waste, such as fruits and vegetable trimmings, preparation scraps from the stalls and leftover table waste. Microbes then feed on the blended food waste to produce methane-rich biogas and nutrient-rich digestate. Biogas is used to run a gas engine to generate electricity, while the digestate could be used as fertilisers for ornamental plants and landscaping applications. More details on the AD system can be found in Annex A.

Patrick Pang, Chief Technology Officer at NEA, said, “Innovations such as onsite anaerobic digestion make it possible to create useful products from food waste, which would otherwise have to be sent for incineration. Such technologies help to reduce the environmental footprint of managing food waste and contribute to a circular economy.”

East Coast Lagoon Food Village Anaerobic Digestion Pilot

East Coast Lagoon Food Village was chosen for the pilot trial as adjacent space was available to house the Anaerobic Digestion system and the bio-fertilisers could conveniently be applied at the nearby East Coast Park. There are about 60 occupied stalls there that together generate about 150 kg of digestible food waste daily. The Anaerobic Digestion system is designed to handle this load. The pilot project serves to gather longer term, real-world data while showcasing that a customised Anaerobic Digestion system at the food village is feasible and practical.

Anaerobic Digestion is an established technology that has been adopted in some countries. It is mainly implemented at offsite or centralised facilities where food waste is aggregated from neighbouring premises. This pilot project, however, examines the feasibility of using Anaerobic Digestion as an on-site treatment solution to close the food waste loop at the source of food waste generation. In addition, this project integrates sub-systems such as a waste bin loader, sorter, shredder and feeder, to enhance the Anaerobic Digestion system’s performance. This will automate the loading of food waste and minimise contamination of food waste fed into the Anaerobic Digestion system. The exact location of the Anaerobic Digestion system at East Coast Lagoon Food Village can be found in Annex B.

The biogas produced from the Anaerobic Digestion process is converted into electricity to power the system itself and two mobile phone charging stations for the public’s use. In addition, the excess electricity can also power up to 31 wall-mounted fans at East Coast Lagoon Food Village. As for the digestate, NUS is working with NParks to study its efficacy for growing ornamental plants and turn it into pathogen-free fertilisers for NParks’ landscaping application around East Coast Park.

The concrete base that supports the Anaerobic Digestion system is made from NEWSand (the slag that is a by-product from the slagging gasification of general waste), which if more broadly adopted, will help to reduce waste sent to Semakau Landfill.

Covered bins have been provided to the stallholders and table cleaners to aid in the segregation of food waste. The food waste is then emptied into five smart bins (refer to Annex C) placed around East Coast Lagoon Food Village, which record and store data on the amount of segregated food waste from each of these users.

Waste Reduction as a Whole-of-Nation Effort

This pilot project is unique in its human behavioural study as a complement to the technologies deployed. NEA and NUS will actively engage the stakeholders involved, from hawkers to diners, to raise awareness on the importance of food waste segregation for recycling and the derived sustainability benefits. This includes posters and wall stickers (refer to Annex D for examples of collaterals) to remind diners to return their trays and used crockery and encourage stallholders and cleaners to proactively segregate food waste from other waste.

Source: National University of Singapore(HighLights)

The changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic are still unfolding but its demand on new skills and ways of working is clear, as organisations seek to survive and thrive in the uncertain times ahead.

Many businesses have trimmed back on employee development, but NUS has bucked the trend by putting in huge investment to arm its administrative staff with skills that are critical for success in the digital future.

By launching comprehensive training programmes in data literacy and artificial intelligence since last year, NUS is demonstrating its commitment to prepare staff for the digital future.

Using data to derive business insights and drive performance

The University has set its sights on arming and upskilling its administrative employees on data literacy and analytics, with the Data Literacy Programme (DLP) conducted over the past year.

“The DLP reaffirms the University’s commitment to lifelong learning and the development of our staff, and is our first step to prepare them for the digital future,” said NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye.

“NUS is not only committed to deliver innovative student programmes, we are also committed to ensure our staff are equipped with the relevant skills to stay ahead in these rapidly evolving times, and be ready for new roles in the economy including data analysts and data scientists.”

Data is an important resource for all organisations, and is key to deriving meaningful insights to drive business decisions and performance. “All organisations including NUS need to have a higher level of data literacy to unlock these resources to improve our decision efficacy.”

Learners give the thumbs up

Since its launch in mid-2020, over 2,400 employees have completed or are currently attending the DLP Basic course.

The course is being delivered via a blended, hybrid learning approach requiring learners to complete a suite of eLearning sessions, attend 15 hours of hands-on workshops, and complete a group project.

Specially designed and helmed by a dedicated group of professors and instructors, including Associate Professor Roger Tan, Associate Professor Carol Anne Hargreaves and Dr Vik Gopal, the DLP is tailored for staff with little to no background in data literacy so that a common ground can be established for staff.

Feedback has been positive. The DLP has garnered an 80 per cent programme satisfaction rate, with the majority signaling that they will recommend the course to other colleagues.

In addition, many learners wish to pursue higher levels of DLP to deepen their data literacy skillsets – to this end, the DLP will roll out intermediate and advanced levels, to cover data engineering and data visualisation.

Learners who have become strong advocates of DLP include Ms Ho Yuen Ping from NUS Enterprise, who expressed her hopes of administrative staff in NUS being equipped in baseline data literacy to make better decisions for the University.

“I look forward to the day when all administrative staff have gone through DLP – it means that when we present data for managerial decision-making, everyone will understand and be talking the same language.”

Mr Li Xin from the NUS Faculty of Science has experienced the usefulness of the in-person workshops. “Sometimes, what we need is a good starting point and very useful guidance from the teachers so that we can get started. Thereafter, maybe Google is useful. But before that, you really don’t know what you don’t know so it is very difficult.”

The University’s efforts to upgrade employees’ skills has led to a greater appreciation for data among employees. Ms Ann Koh Lay Boon from the NUS Office of The President recognises that DLP has led her to appreciate the process of working with data.

“My experience doing DLP is very interesting. In fact, I have been encouraging people to go on DLP. Now when I look at a report and the data, I understand how much work has gone into (giving you this kind of information). I get a better idea of how things are done,” she shared.

Data-driven projects

DLP presents an invaluable opportunity for learners to collaborate with their colleagues across the University to embark on work-related projects, harnessing data to generate meaningful results.

Over 400 projects have been presented with 13 winning projects identified based on the depth of data insights generated, the potential impact on the community, and the application of data storytelling techniques.

These projects hold much potential in adding value to the work done in NUS. For instance, a team that worked on data related to the NUS internal bus shuttle system explored the different safety events on the bus routes. With in-depth analysis of the data, their project uncovered hotspots for safety events and the types of dominant safety events such as cornering and braking.

Another team investigated the data related to the NUS claims system. The project delved into the claims made by different units in NUS qualitatively and quantitatively, generating interesting insights that have prompted the finance team to provide new services and tighten gaps. This project has helped generate savings for NUS.

Unleashing AI-based thinking

Following close on the heels of DLP, NUS also rolled out the Artificial Intelligence Competency Course (AICC) for staff, to train them to create smart systems and applications using modern machine learning and deep learning techniques.

Designed by faculty members from NUS School of Computing, including Associate Professor Tan Wee Kek, Dr Lek Hsiang Hui and Dr Akshay Narayan, AICC is a series of courses structured according to three levels of competency – basic, intermediate and advanced. The basic course aims to train learners to be conversant in AI, able to explain what AI is and identify opportunities to apply AI within the University to create positive impact.

The intermediate and advanced courses are targeted at interested employees who want to apply AI in their workplace to solve real problems and improve productivity.

AICC also adopts a hybrid learning approach with participants attending a weekly three-hour in-person discussion with the instructors, culminating in a group project at the end of five weeks.

Just six months into the launch of AICC, the programme has already started to bear fruit with participants proposing various innovative AI projects to improve the productivity of their daily work and create new opportunities for the University. For instance, a team from the NUS School of Design and Environment and NUS Centre for English Language Communication has proposed an AI system to automatically verify the correctness of supporting documents that are submitted for postgraduate admission applications.

Staff from the NUS Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP) have conceptualised an AI system to automate the cloud masking process when analysing satellite images, while a team from the NUS Development Office has put forth the idea of creating an AI application to better engage with alumni and potential donors.

Ms Kelly Fong Guan Wen from the NUS Office of Human Resources has found AICC to be helpful in her daily work as well as for her general understanding of the potential of AI.

“I believe this will come in handy for all colleagues in time to come and I am very grateful to be part of this learning experience.”

Spirit of lifelong learning coded in the NUS DNA

NUS aims for all in the University’s community to embody the spirit of lifelong learning.

The University has also established a Skills Transformation Fund account for administrative employees. Employees are empowered to take ownership of their development and utilise the fund to enroll in learning courses that build essential skillsets for their jobs.

This will help staff to adapt, transform and innovate to better meet the needs of tomorrow’s challenges.

“Learning should be a key differentiator in our value proposition as an employer,” said Prof Tan.

Source: National University of Singapore(HighLights)

U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced Friday its new COVID-19 pill showed an 89% reduction in risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization or death in clinical trials and they plan to submit the drug to U.S. regulators for emergency use approval.

In a release Friday, Pfizer said the latest clinical trials of its pill, Paxlovid, featured a randomized, double-blind study of non-hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to severe illness.

The company said interim analysis of the oral antiviral showed an 89% reduction in risk compared to a placebo in patients treated within three days of symptom onset.

Pfizer said it has received an independent data monitoring committee recommendation to pause enrollment in the Phase 3 trial due to the overwhelming efficacy demonstrated in the latest results.

The company plans to submit the data as part of its ongoing application to the FDA for Emergency Use Authorization as soon as possible.

Pfizer is now the second drug manufacturer to develop an oral treatment for COVID-19. U.S. company Merck last month introduced its COVID-19 pill, which clinical studies showed to provide a 50% reduction in hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. It has been submitted to the FDA, and the federal agency is scheduled to rule on it late this month.

Currently, all COVID-19 treatments approved in the United States require injection or intravenous drip. Pills have the advantage of being distributed by pharmacies and taken at home.

Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved Merck’s pill, known as Molnupiravir, Thursday. The European Union’s drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), said it would speed up its review of the Merck pill, and is prepared to give advice to individual EU member states so they can make the pill available for emergency use ahead of the EMA authorization.

When Merck’s pill was submitted for approval last month, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said the U.S. government had already arranged to buy 1.7 million doses of the pill, with an option to acquire more if needed.

Source: Voice of America