KooBits_NUS_AnnualReport 2008 Page45
-
Upload
koobitsedu3137 -
Category
Documents
-
view
370 -
download
3
Transcript of KooBits_NUS_AnnualReport 2008 Page45
Faculty of EngineeringANNUAL REPORT 2008
EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERING
EDUCATION, RESEARCH
& ENTERPRISE
New VenturesNew Ventures
VisionVision
MissionMission
To be a globally-distinguished engineering school
To nurture engineer-leaders with a global outlookook and to provide technological leadership throuroughhigh-impact research
1Annual Report 2008 1Annual Report 2008
A Word from the Dean 2
Faculty Board 4
New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Education
Transformational Experiences 8
Global Opportunities 21
Redesigning Education 25
New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
Research Excellence 30
Global Recognition 40
Key Partnerships 46
New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Our People
National Honours 54
Outstanding Achievements 56
Visiting Professors 64
Alumni 66
Newcomers in 2008 72
Facts and Figures 75
ContentsContents
2 A Word from the Dean
It gives me great pleasure to present you this 2008
Annual Report of the Faculty of Engineering. 2008
has been a year of New Ventures in Engineering. In
scaling greater heights as a research-intensive Faculty
that nurtures leaders in Engineering, we are taking
on unprecedented challenges such as climate change,
natural disasters and ageing-related healthcare. We
have also introduced a new paradigm in engineering
education which will see graduates emerging
from our Institution fully equipped, armed with
entrepreneurial skills as well as the ability to lead and
solve complex problems.
In tandem with ongoing enhancements to the existing
curriculum, we have put in place two new major
initiatives which will be launched in the Academic
Year 2009-2010. These are the Design-Centric
Engineering Curriculum (DCC) and the Global
Engineering Programme (GEP). The DCC, which
emphasises problem-based learning, crosses disciplines,
fosters creativity and develops strong design skills to
prepare graduates for a globalised economy. The GEP
is an exclusive programme for our very best students,
and incorporates a notable global learning
component. It leads to an NUS Bachelor’s degree after
three years, followed by a postgraduate programme
at a top overseas partner university in the fourth year.
In equipping our graduates to address complex
challenges head-on, we have also focused on
developing strategic research programmes. In line
with national research thrusts, the Faculty will
pursue more use-inspired basic research that sees
more of our research output being translated into
applications which benefi t society. In 2008, we
began to provide seed funding to some of these
strategic research programmes, to enable them to
expand and develop major proposals for external
funding. Concurrently, faculty research centres
and laboratories are being re-aligned to constitute
platforms for championing multi-disciplinary
research.
With the setting up of the new NUS Global Asia
Institute, the Faculty will contribute to multi-
disciplinary research projects that address a variety of
large-scale research issues across Asia. With its core
teams of researchers, it will work with other faculties
A Wordfrom the Dean
3Annual Report 2008
in NUS and spearhead thought leadership on critical issues such as climate change,
sustainable development and engineering in medicine.
Our faculty members were awarded research grants totalling S$53 million in the fi rst
eight months of FY2008-2009. Worthy of special mention are Dr Tong Yen Wah from
the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, who is the fi rst person
from Singapore to receive a grant directly from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation;
Dr Sujeet Kumar Sinha from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Dr Yeo
Yee Chia from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, who received
substantial grants from the National Research Foundation (NRF). In addition, the
Faculty also garnered four of the nine research grants in the most recent Proof-of-
Concept call for proposals from NRF. The Faculty was also honoured through the
efforts of Dr Liu Bin from the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering,
who received the 2008 Singapore Young Scientist Award for her research on polymer
chemistry and the application of polymers in biosensors and solar cells.
In graduate education, the Faculty is home to the largest graduate student
enrolment (27%) in NUS. As of 2 September 2008, we are proud to have
more than 2,650 graduate students, of whom almost 60% are pursuing
higher degrees by research. The number of doctoral students has reached
an all time high of 1,275, representing
over 82% of the 1,546 research students.
I have every confi dence that the Faculty
is well placed to lead in academic
entrepreneurship that will create
economic payoffs and make signifi cant contributions globally.
We have started, and will continue to pursue engineering
excellence in new ventures.
Since taking offi ce in April 2008, it has been my privilege and
honour to work with a dynamic leadership team in the Faculty.
Together with the growing community of students, faculty,
alumni, and industry and overseas partners who bring with
them outstanding talent and abilities, we seek to propel the
NUS Faculty of Engineering to new frontiers and heights of
excellence. I trust that this report will give you an insight into
what we have accomplished, as well as what we are pressing
on towards.
Professor Chan Eng Soon
Dean, Faculty of Engineering
We have started, and will continue to pursue engineering excellencein new ventures.
4 Faculty Board
Faculty Board
Prof Victor Shim
Vice-Dean(ExternalRelations)
Prof ColinSheppard
Head, Divisionof Bioengineering
Prof Chew Yong Tian
Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Assoc Prof Ashraf Kassim
Vice-Dean (Undergraduate Studies)
Assoc Prof LohHan Tong
Vice-Dean(GraduateStudies)
Prof ChuaKee Chaing
Vice-Dean(Research)
Prof Chow Gan-Moog
Head, Departmentof Materials Science& Engineering
Prof Chan Eng Soon
Dean
Prof Lim Seh Chun
Deputy Dean
5Annual Report 2008
Prof Wang Chien Ming
Director,EngineeringScienceProgramme
Assoc Prof Tang Loon Ching
Head, Departmentof Industrial& SystemsEngineering
Prof LeeJim Yang
Acting Head,Departmentof Chemical& BiomolecularEngineering
Assoc Prof LeeFook Hou
Acting Head, Departmentof Civil Engineering
Prof Hang Chang Chieh
Head, Divisionof Engineering& Technology Management
Prof Lawrence Wong
Head, Departmentof Electrical& Computer Engineering
Prof Poo Aun Neow
Director,Bachelor ofTechnology Programme
Prof Ong Say Leong
Acting Head,Division of EnvironmentalScience &Engineering
66
7Annual Report 2008 77Annual Report 2008
New Ventures in Engineering Excellence
Education
8 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Education
A Transformational,Immersive Experience
When the Mechanical Engineering
(ME) student was accepted for the NUS
Overseas College programme (NOC)
in Silicon Valley, little did he expect
that he would have the exciting opportunity to be
involved in not one but three patent applications.
During his internship as an Intellectual Property
engineer at biomedical device start-up Voyage
Medical, he found himself involved in three patent
projects. As he chose materials, did machining and
made SolidWorks drawings, he drew upon the
foundation built in NUS. “My engineering design
experience from NUS helped me in a big way during
my internship. I had all my basics in place from
classes I had taken at NUS,” says Veerappan.
As part of the NOC programme, he also took classes
at Stanford University, where he learned to analyse
technology opportunities, develop business plans
and marketing models, and to build and grow a new
venture.
TransformationalExperiences
For third-year studentMr Veerappan Swaminathan,his time at NUS has been nothing short of transformational and extraordinary. The co-inventor of three patent applications explains why.
9Annual Report 2008
“It has been interesting to be exposed to
entrepreneurial thinking and stand at the crossroads
of engineering and business. This experience has
helped me develop a great sense of adventure
and discovery,” says Veerappan. As a result of the
opportunities arising from the NOC programme,
he had the honour of addressing the audience at
the ‘Programme for the Future’ conference and
the privilege of meeting with Mr Steve Wozniak,
co-founder of Apple. He also took time, as many
exchange students do, to embark on hiking trips at
various national parks, jump off a plane and attempt
to ski at Lake Tahoe.
“My engineering education in NUS has been nothing
short of transformational,” declares Veerappan.
“What I found really
transformational
were the professors,
students and staff
of the Faculty. I
found them to be
an innovative and
resourceful group
of people who are
very much in touch
with the frailties of
the world – hunger,
environmental
degradation and
poverty. With them, engineering is not merely a
course to study or get through, but a means of
tackling the biggest problems facing humanity
today.”
This inspired Veerappan to compete for the
Mondialogo Engineering Award 2007 organised by
UNESCO. The challenge: to develop a technology
for farmers in rural India that uses solar energy to
store fruits and vegetables for a longer time. This
undertaking was like “knowingly walking into what
was a big unknown,” he recalls.
Thankfully, mentors Prof Arun Sadashiv Mujumdar
and Mr Shek Mohammad Atiqure Rahman both from
the ME Department, encouraged bold thinking and
supported his team as they developed the solar pond
fruit dryer. The team, together with their partners
from the Mumbai University Institute of Chemical
Technology (MUICT), eventually won the award.
Their cash prize of €20,000 provided seed-funding to
pursue the project further, to offer the technology to
more villages in India.
All this happened during his fi rst year in NUS, and
it was his maiden brush with thermal solar energy
and the clean technology sector. Since then, for the
past two years, he has been part of the leadership of
Start-Up@Singapore, which is Singapore’s national
business plan competition.
“I fi nd it fascinating that in just two and a half years,
I have had the opportunity to experience the clean
technology, biomedical and information management
industries in an immersive fashion. I have to say that
this is in no small part due to the opportunities and
education I have received here in NUS,” he says.
Veerappan plans to further his studies and focus
on performing quality research on technology
applications in one or more of these sectors. Five
years from now, he sees himself running a technology
business in a technical fi eld of his interest.
(Extreme top left clockwise): Mr Tan Yi Han, ESP, NUS;Mr Tan Huei Ming, ESP, NUS; Prof Bhaskar N Thorat, Chemical Engineering Department, MUICT; Mr Veerappan Swaminathan, ME Department, NUS; Mr Muhd Ibnur Rashad bin Zainal Abidin, ESP, NUS; Mr Darshan Mehta and Mr Vaibhav Tidke, both from the Chemical Engineering Department, MUICT, at the Mondialogo award ceremony
Mr Veerappan Swaminathan with Mr Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple and a legend in the Silicon Valley
10 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Education
Department’s educational programme.
At the famous Michigan International Speedway
in May 2008, the 2008 model by NUS, christened
Centennial 4, turned in an overall ranking of 22nd
out of 121 teams from universities the world over. In
addition to its top 20 percentile overall positioning,
Centennial 4 was also ranked fourth for Fuel
Economy (best in Asia) and tenth in Engineering
Design, making them the only semi-fi nalist from Asia
in the latter category. It also came in fi rst place in the
Marketing Presentation category.
The judge commented that the NUS team had put
tremendous effort into details, both in the design
as well as in the construction of the racecar. He said
sound engineering and reliability were evident when
The FSAE competition, a super-scale engineering
design competition, has been organised since 1981 by
the Society of Automotive Engineers. Over 120 varsity
teams from all over the world fl ock to Michigan, USA
every May, each with a Formula racecar designed
and built from scratch by their FSAE team. Over fi ve
days, they are judged by automotive and motorsports
experts on their knowledge, design and construction,
and race in acceleration, skidpad, autocross and 22km
endurance events.
The NUS FSAE project is hosted by the Department
of Mechanical Engineering (ME), with contributions
from the Civil Engineering (CE), and Electrical &
Computer Engineering (ECE) Departments, and
generously supported by NUS and many corporate
sponsors. It is now an important part of ME
Having built their seventh FSAE (Formula Society of Automotive Engineers) racecar, the NUS FSAE is certainly establishing a very creditable track record in international competitions. The only team from Asia to make it among the top ten in Engineering Design, it ranked fi rst in Asia and fourth worldwide for Fuel Economy, and was also world’s best for Marketing Presentation.
The heroes who designed, built and raced Centennial 4
Learning in the Fast Lane
11Annual Report 2008
Centennial 4 on track in USA
the team fi nished the fi nal (22 km endurance)
race without a hitch. Only 32 other teams
completed the fi nal race within the time limit.
The Centennial 4 team, comprising 11 ME and
two ECE undergraduates, took over a year to
design and build their winning racecar from
scratch. The 13-member team persevered and
worked incessantly even during term breaks,
weekends and public holidays, to prepare the car
and train the race drivers.
They were up against stiff competition from the
top seven teams, namely University of Western
Australia, University of Stuttgart, Technical
University of Munich, University of Wisconsin-
Madison, RMIT, Graz University of Technology
and Cornell University.
Team Leader Mr Nah Zhong Hui escorting then NUS President Prof Shih Choon Fong to unveil 2008 FSAE car
Mr Tan Heng Lee (in car) with team mate Mr Liew Zhen Hui, after an exhausting 22km endurance race
“Formula racing represents the pinnacle of
automotive engineering, with an unforgivingly
small margin of error,” says Project Supervisor, Assoc
Prof Seah Kar Heng from the ME Department. “A
Formula racecar undergoes tremendous forces and
speeds. A thousand and one things can go wrong –
during design, construction, testing, or competition.
During our testing phase, every time some part
malfunctioned, we suffered downtime repairing
it, depriving us of sorely needed air time for our
drivers’ training. Through it all, the team members
learnt that in practical engineering, one has to solve
problems in an imperfect world where things do go
wrong. Thank God we overcame Murphy’s Law in
USA and completed the four dynamic events without
any incident.”
The three ME graduates from the 2008 FSAE team
are continuing to make their mark in engineering
excellence. Team leader Mr Nah Zhong Hui and
Powertrain leader Mr Tan Heng Lee are working in
Keppel FELS, while Mr Liew Zhen Hui, a Research
Engineer in the ME Department, is helping to guide
the 2009 FSAE team in preparing for the 2009 FSAE
competition.
12 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Education
Tracing the roots of NUS FSAE
Latest FSAE car Centennial 5 (2008-2009)
Centennial 5 (2008 to 2009)
First NUS FSAE car to have launch/traction control,
centre lock nuts for wheels, carbon fi bre pedal box,
and electro-pneumatic paddle gear shifter that can
change gear within 100 milliseconds. Competing
in May 2009.
SGR-01 (2003 to 2004)
First NUS FSAE car to compete at the international competition held
in the USA, ranked 58th overall out of 140 teams. One of the 40 cars
that completed the 22km endurance event, ranking 25th.
HOPE 03 (2001 to 2003)
The car that gave birth to
the NUS FSAE project.
The Centennial (2004 to 2005)
First NUS FSAE car to incorporate aluminium honeycomb monocoque
chassis, dry sump engine, and carbon-fi bre suspension arms. Broke the
4-second barrier for the 0-100kph sprint. Christened “The Centennial”
to commemorate NUS’ centenary.
Centennial 2 (2005 to 2006)
Ranked ninth for engineering design at the annual FSAE competition held
in the USA (best in Asia and the only Asian team to enter the design
semi-fi nals), and 27th overall out of 140 teams (also best in Asia).
Centennial 3 (2006 to 2007)
First NUS FSAE car to weigh less than 200kg, with adjustable
pedal box to suit drivers of different leg lengths. Ranked 14th
for engineering design out of 130 teams (best in Asia).
Centennial 4 (2007 to 2008)
The best results so far at the annual FSAE competition. Out
of 121 registered teams, it ranked 22nd overall, 10th in
engineering design (best in Asia and only Asian team to
get into semi-fi nals), fi rst in marketing presentation,
and fourth in fuel economy (best in Asia).
SGR-01 (2003 to 2004)
First NUS FSAE car to compete at the inte
in the USA, ranked 58th overall out of 1
that completed the 22km endurance e
HOPE 03 (2001 to 2003)
The car that gave birth to
the NUS FSAE project.
The Centennial (2004 to 2005)
First NUS FSAE car to incorporate
chassis, dry sump engine, and ca
4-second barrier for the 0-100
to commemorate NUS’ cente
Centennial 2 (2005 to
Ranked ninth for engin
in the USA (best in A
semi-fi nals), and 27
Centennial 3 (2
First NUS FSAE
pedal box to
for enginee
Centen
The be
of 12
eng
ge
13Annual Report 2008
of F1TM’ exhibition organised to educate the public on
the technology behind F1 cars.
Fit to Race
In July 2008, at the pre-F1 event held at the newly
erected Grand Prix Pit Building, two NUS FSAE
racecars, namely, the 2006 and 2008 models, greeted
the crowds. Guest of Honour Rear Admiral (NS)
Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of
Education & Ministry of Information, Communications
and the Arts, and Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior
Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community
Development, Youth and Sports, and Transport, were
among many who visited our booth to admire our
racecars and chat with the team members.
From August to October 2008, two other NUS FSAE
racecars, namely, the 2004 and 2007 models, were
displayed at the Science Centre as part of ‘The Science
NUS FSAE was very much at the forefront of Singapore’s inaugural F1TM SingTel Singapore Grand Prix in September 2008.
Guest of Honour, Mr S Iswaran, viewing NUS FSAE racecars on display at Science Centre Singapore’s ‘The Science of F1TM’ Exhibition
Assoc Prof Seah Kar Heng holds Rear Admiral (NS) LuiTuck Yew spellbound with NUS FSAE racecars
14 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Education
When Singapore held its inaugural F1 race in
September 2008, three NUS FSAE graduates were
among a privileged handful to be selected as F1
scrutineers. Mr Han Zu Kwang (ME graduate), who
belonged to the seven-man 2004 FSAE team, was
assigned to Sebastien Bourdais’ car in the Scuderia
Toro Rosso garage. Mr Pang Cheok Fun (CE graduate)
who belonged to the same 2004 FSAE team,
scrutineered Adrian Sutil’s car in the Force India
garage, while Mr Chiew Yee Kin (ECE graduate), a
member of the 2006 FSAE team, scrutineered David
Coulthard’s car in the Red Bull garage.
Their task was to ‘scrutineer’ or ‘scrutinise’ the F1
cars for compliance with the rules set by the FIA
(Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), as well
as to make sure that these powerful machines were
safe for racing. Racecars that failed the inspection
by these scrutineers were not allowed to present
themselves at the start line. Scrutineering work
usually takes place around the garages assigned to
the various F1 teams from the moment the F1 cars
are unpacked until they are packed up after the race
for their next destination. Each of the 20 cars had
one assigned scrutineer. The three scrutineers, whose
competence was trusted by the F1 organisers during
the Singapore Grand Prix, attribute their background
knowledge on Formula racecars to their varsity years
with the NUS FSAE project.
Says an elated Yee Kin, “It was a dream come true.
For many years, I could only catch the F1 action on TV.
But this time, I was in the thick of things in the teams’
garages. The added bonus was that this historic
event, the pinnacle of motorsports, was happening
on our home ground! I had seen F1 cars in European
museums with their engine covers removed, but they
were mostly 4 to 5 years old. At this F1 event, I got
to see current F1 cars and how they are packaged
to optimise their performance, weight distribution
and cooling. This is useful to me as I am faced with
such design challenges in my daily work.” All three
engineers look forward to scrutineering for the
Singapore Grand Prix again.
L-R: Mr Chiew Yee Kin, Mr Pang Cheok Fun, Mr Han Zu Kwang in the F1TM Pit Lane (Photo: Darren Heath, courtesy of Datum Branding)
15Annual Report 2008
In December 2008, NUS ECO-1 was displayed at the
International Petroleum Technology Conference
(IPTC) to support the launching of Shell Eco-marathon
Asia. The conference was held in Kuala Lumpur
for 4,000 oil and gas scientists, engineers, educators,
students and other professionals from 30 countries.
Team Gelomatrix topsLee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition
Their prize: US$10,000 cash and US$10,000 investment
grant from Singapore Management University as well
as an investment grant of S$100,000 from HSBC.
The competition with an international panel of
judges is a biennial international business plan
competition for student entrepreneurs to showcase
their business ideas and attract potential investors to
help fund their plans.
The team’s product Chondromatrix is an implantable
material that repairs knee cartilage through in-vivo
tissue regeneration. The procedure utilises stem cells
from the patient’s bone marrow and is minimally
An NUS team comprising four Engineeringstudents beat 222 business plans from 73universities spanning 15 countries to win theLee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition.
Singapore’s First Eco-friendly Car
NUS-ECO 1, a futuristic-looking four-wheeled single
seater car, came in 15th out of 40 participating urban
concept cars in the internal combustion engine
category. It runs on Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) fuel produced
from natural gas, is able to cover 100km with one
litre of fuel, and accelerates up to 45km/h.
The car was built over ten months by six fi nal-year
students led by Mr Muhammad Ridhuan Mukthar,
an alumnus and a Research Engineer, and supervised
by Assoc Prof Lu Wen Feng and Assoc Prof Ian Gibson,
all from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Team member Mr Wang Zi Zi declared that the Shell
Eco-marathon “the most inspirational learning journey
in my university education.” To build a car where every
drop of fuel was precious required an integration of
all the engineering knowledge they had gained in
undergraduate study. From Computer-Aided Design
(CAD) to various analysis/simulation techniques and
manufacturing technologies, the team realised that
the engineering education they had received at NUS
had equipped them with the knowledge essential for
the design of such a vehicle.
A group of Mechanical Engineering students rolled out Singapore’s fi rst eco-friendly city conceptcar, which made its debut at the prestigious Shell Eco-Marathon Europe competition in France where participating cars were judged on their fuel-effi ciency.
Mr Wang Zi Zi representing National University of Singapore in Shell exhibition booth at International Petroleum Technology Conference 2008, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
L-R: Mr Chong Kai Siong, Mr Shang Jia Shun, Mr NgChee Kiong, Mr Yeo Yicong, Mr Muhammad Ridhuan Mukthar and Mr Chen Xianxi.
16 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Education
downloaded the images from
the Internet and then located
the objects at the scene.
“Designing this
vision system
was a diffi cult
task and I had to
write a number
of complex
algorithms in
just two months.
But the concepts
I learned doing
the engineering
courses and
the practical
experience
accrued over
three years as a
research student
at NUS helped
me build the system rather easily,” said Ajay.
IDEERS EarthquakeChallenge 2008
IDEERS, or Introducing and Demonstrating
Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools, is a
programme that promotes earthquake engineering
and seismic protection education.
The four-member NUS undergraduate team from the
Department of Civil Engineering (CE), comprising
Mr Tony Loo Dong Li (team leader), Mr David Cheong
Wai Keong, Mr Kwa Chin Soon and Mr Harrif Santo,
mentored by Dr Pang Sze Dai, came in fi rst among
the foreign teams, which included the University of
Auckland and Hong Kong University of Science and
invasive. Said Mr Cher Wei Liang: “Our in-depth
market research – speaking to orthopaedic surgeons,
consultation sessions with entrepreneurs and other
related experts in the industry – was a key factor in
our success.”
All four team members were on a one-year internship
programme in Bio Valley, Philadelphia through the
NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) Programme when they
got together and developed their business plan. In
recognition of their achievement, Gelomatrix also
received the NUS Student Achievement Award 2008.
Gelomatrix comprises Bioengineering students
Mr Cher Wei Liang and Mr Chua Zi Yong, Electrical &
Computer Engineering student Mr Goh Qing Zhuang
and Mechanical Engineering student Mr Darren Luo
Xueli.
The Semantic Robot Vision Challenge
He received his award
at the Conference on
Computer Vision and
Pattern Recognition
held in June 2008. In the
challenge, his robot was
given the names of 20
random objects for which it
PhD student Mr Ajay Kumar Mishra has won top place at The Semantic Robot Vision Challenge for developing a vision system that helps robots ‘see’.
Mr Ajay Kumar Mishra with the robot which he developed to make it “see” objects.
mages from
hen located
scene.
The NUS team came in fi rst among the foreign teams participating in IDEERS Earthquake Challenge 2008 held in Taiwan in September 2008.
L-R: Mr Goh Qing Zhuang, Mr Chua Zi Yong, Mr CherWei Liang and Mr Darren Luo Xueli
17Annual Report 2008
Technology,
and was
ranked
fourth
overall.
Teams were
required
to design
and build a
model that
had at least
four fl oors
and would
fi t within
an L-shaped
building
area 20cm
by 30cm.
Floor area had to be within the range of 760cm² to
1,800cm². For inspiration, the NUS team visited the
Shih Gang Dam, the 921 Earthquake Museum and
Taipei 101. The team’s model was one of the last few
to collapse under a loading of 700 gallons and had
an effi ciency ratio of 33.82. This effi ciency ratio put
them ahead of all the other foreign teams and earned
them certifi cates of award for quake-resistance and
excellence for effi ciency ratio.
Taking part in the competition was an eye-opener
for the team and gave them a greater appreciation
of structural seismic design as they learnt by doing.
IDEERS is jointly organised by the Taiwan National
Centre for Research on Earthquake Engineering
(NCREE), the National Applied Research Laboratories
(NARL), the National Science and Technology Centre
for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) and the Asia Pacifi c
Network of Centres for Earthquake Engineering
Research (ANCER).
National Concrete Canoe Competition 2008
The competition, the fi rst of its kind in Singapore,
was held in May 2008. Preparations, including the
mix design, analysis, hull design, construction and
padding, spanned six months.
In the design phase, the teams had to balance
and optimise considerations of weight, stability,
manoeuvrability as well as aesthetics and construction
Two teams, Viper and Voyager from the NUS Civil Engineering (CE) Club emerged as champion and fi rst runner-up respectively in a competition that required them to design, build and manoeuvre a concrete canoe.
Display of the model submitted by NUS undergraduate team and the mini-poster describing the design philosophy
Members of Team Viper (Champion) and Team Voyager(1st runner-up) with their prize money
Members of the NUS CE undergraduate team. L-R: Mentor Dr Pang Sze Dai, Mr Harrif Santo, Mr David Cheong Wai Keong, Mr Kwa Chin Soon and team leader Mr Tony Loo Dong Li (below)
18 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Education
the competition fi rst came to Singapore in 2007,
I competed in the event together with Shijia too but
we were knocked out in the preliminary round,”
relates Zhiyong.
They resolved to do better by reading widely to
expand their business knowledge. Their efforts paid
off and they not only made it to the fi nals but edged
out the team from the Singapore Management
University for third place in a nail-biting tie-
breaker. “The thrill of the competition, the pride of
representing the school, and the knowledge gained
from the preparation made the Tata Crucible an
inspiring and exciting experience,” says a jubilant
Zhiyong.
ZelRealm Interactive
ZelRealm Interactive seeks to offer a specialised
service in the game development industry for game
methods. The concrete mix had to be extraordinary
in that it had to be lightweight (in order to be
fl oatable) as well as strong. A lot of effort went
into producing lightweight concrete that could stay
afl oat. After various trials, the team eventually came
up with a winning formula.
Budget constraints were another challenge the teams
faced. They had to exercise utmost creativity to come
up with a design that was economically feasible and
effi cient. The actual construction could not have
been done without the support and help from the
laboratory technicians and the department.
Building a concrete canoe that weighed between
70kg to 80kg and yet could stay afl oat was daunting
enough. Now after building it, the teams had to
row in it! In the fi nal phase, practice sessions were
organised and went a long way in building teamwork.
All the hard work fi nally paid off on race day
when both teams won. It was a competition that
had thoroughly challenged their mind, spirit and
physical skills.
In the CrucibleMr Bai Zhiyong, a double degree student of Engineering and Business at NUS, together with Mr Tay Shijia from the NUS Business School, won third place in the Singapore Edition of the Tata Crucible out of a fi eld of 150 teams.
Held in October 2008, the Tata Crucible was a campus
quiz organised by the Tata Group, a global business
conglomerate based in India that tests participants
on their general knowledge of the business world,
famous companies as well as prominent business
people.
“It was not easy to prepare for Crucible because
of the fi endish diffi culty of the questions, which
are never repeated from year to year. In fact, when
Mr Bai Zhiyong (left) and Mr Tay Shijia (right) receive the 2nd Runner Up Prize from Guest of Honour Mr Inderjit Singh
Currently incubating at the NUS Incubation Centre is ZelRealm Interactive, founded in June 2008 by fi nal-year undergraduate students from various NUS faculties.
19Annual Report 2008
After Graduation: Medical School
When presented with options, Ms Yong Ming Hui
has always chosen the more challenging path.
For her undergraduate studies at the Faculty of
Engineering, she chose to take up Chemical &
Biomolecular Engineering even though it was reputed
to be a rigorous and challenging course. Now after
attaining her engineering degree, she is pursuing a
postgraduate course in Medicine at the Duke-NUS
Graduate Medical School Singapore.
She wanted to do medicine because she wanted a job
where she could interact with people and help them.
To her, medicine provides the greatest opportunity for
this. “Although I fi nd the workload very challenging,
I am enjoying medicine greatly and love what I’m
learning about the human body, clinical diagnosis and
patient management,” says Ming Hui.
development studios. The innovation behind this
service is the ability to centralise user transactions
into a main system through the Internet. This opens
up a market for user management. It is currently in
the fi nal phase of its initial development stage and
is looking forward to kick-start the product testing
phase. The team will launch this service offering in
January 2010.
The start-up was founded by Mr Joel Choy of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME), Mr
Elvin Li from the Faculty of Science, Mr Kok Si Chyi
from the NUS Business School and Mr Khoo Kien
Yong, a business partner. It is funded by the Ministry
of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA)
– Creative Community Singapore.
“It is heartening to know that many talented
and like-minded enthusiasts within the gaming
community have expressed a keen interest in our
developments, and are eagerly waiting to test our
service offering. They have been the driving force
in our continual push for success,” says Joel, who
was grateful for the Faculty’s curriculum that had
equipped him with the analytical skills necessary
in managing the business, as well as the support
received from NUS Incubation Centre.
L-R: Mr Joel Choy and Mr Elvin Li
In a move that highlights the versatility of Engineering graduates to branch out into different disciplines, engineering alumna and Academic Year 2007-2008 valedictorian Ms Yong Ming Hui is now undergoing postgraduate medical school.
20 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Education
Operation Orion
The La Valla School for the Physically
Disabled in Takhmao District, Kandal
Province, Cambodia needed lighting
to enhance security in the school
compound, but could not afford it. In
December 2008, 16 students from the
NUS Civil Engineering Club installed
lights powered by solar energy, lighting
up four buildings throughout the night.
It was an unforgettable experience for the students as they learnt to apply their engineering skills to real life
situations. It was gratifying to be able to make an impact in this rural community. Said one team member,
“Operation Orion gives me the best opportunity to apply our engineering skills to make life better and I am proud to
be an engineer.”
Apart from this project, the team also engaged in a learning project at Agape Shalom Centre, where they taught
English and interacted with the locals.
For her postgraduate studies, Ming Hui draws
strongly upon her engineering education
and what it has instilled in her. She says, “My
experience of solving engineering problems has
increased my confi dence. My professors showed
me how complicated real life chemical processes
could be conceptualised in simpler ways, then
progressively modelled, simulated, designed and
optimised. The mode of thinking I developed and
utilised in engineering works well for me now in
understanding the workings of the human body.”
“In addition, the biomolecular and biochemistry
modules that I took gave me a good foundation to
be able to cope comfortably with my modules in
Duke-NUS that integrate genetics, biochemistry and
molecular biology.”
Ming Hui is confi dent that her engineering background
will position her for success now and in the future.
“I am confi dent that the problem-solving skills one
acquires in engineering would be useful in any career
I would choose to pursue in the future,” she says.
Sixteen students from the NUS Civil Engineering Club ‘Operation Orion’ installed solar panels to generate electricity for a school in Cambodia.
21Annual Report 2008
Caltech-NUS SURF ProgrammeMr Shi Yezhou, an undergraduate from the
Department of Materials Science & Engineering,
was especially grateful to California Institute of
Technology’s (Caltech) Summer Undergraduate
Research Fellowship (SURF). The exceptionally vibrant
research
environment,
intellectually
stimulating
culture and
value placed
on a SURF
student’s
contributions
at Caltech
spurred and created within him a sense of trust and
responsibility. “My SURF experience was much more
than simply working on a research project. The rich
interaction with people from different countries and
cultures, including faculty, alumni and fellow students
gave me an experience far beyond the research
topic,” declared Yezhou.
Mr William Yap, an undergraduate pursuing a
double degree in Civil Engineering and Economics,
spent 10 weeks at Caltech under SURF to carry out a
cutting-edge research project on how climate change
would affect the energy demands of buildings. He had
the privilege to be mentored by Dr Tapio Schneider
of Caltech and assisted by Dr Christoph Reinhart of
Harvard University.
One of the best
things about Caltech
is getting the
opportunity to meet
many talented and
brilliant scientists
from around the
world. William
recalls, “I even
had the chance
to have dinner
with prominent
Caltech faculty
members, including
Nobel Laureates!
Global Opportunities
22 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Education
and problem-
solving skills
garnered from
engineering,
complemented
by the Penn
entrepreneurial
engineering
courses, were
particularly
advantageous
in overcoming
the challenges
that her
internship had brought about. “This has been an
invaluable journey of learning and self-discovery. My
engineering education has been instrumental in my
one year overseas tenure under the NOC programme
and would prove to be relevant in the broader
applications outside of engineering,” says Yee Ling.
Student Exchange Programme(SEP)Mr Ng Lip Tong of the Department of Mechanical
Engineering (ME) spent fi ve months under a
student exchange programme at the Department
of Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University.
This SEP
was a new
collaboration
between
the ME
Department,
NUS and the
Department
of Petroleum
Engineering,
Texas A&M
University.
In most circumstances, students are only allowed
to enrol for core modules in their own discipline
I was amazed to be in the same building doing my
summer research with so many important people
and organisations, all sharing the same passion for
research. It was always interesting to talk to them
because everyone was doing a project that could
change the world.”
His experience at Caltech has increased his desire for
research work and he looks forward to joining their
ranks in the future.
Ms Ning Du, an exchange student from Caltech,
was attached to the Division of Environmental
Science & Engineering. “My past summer through
Caltech’s
SURF at NUS
has been an
incredibly
memorable
experience.
Coming
from a
university with a strong focus on theoretical research,
I appreciated the opportunity to be involved with a
project on air pollution and to be able to present the
results of my research. The exchange experience at
NUS opened my eyes to a vibrant Singapore Spirit,”
commented Ning Du.
NUS Overseas College (NOC)Ms Tan Yee Ling, a student in the Department
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, spent a
year working full-time as an intern at the Orbius
Corporation, a social media networking company,
and studying part-time at the University of
Pennsylvania (Penn) under the NUS Overseas College
(Bio Valley) programme. She had found her work
daunting initially as it seemed that very little of what
she had learnt in Chemical Engineering could be
applied there.
However, Yee Ling soon discovered that the analytical
23Annual Report 2008
during the SEP semester. Lip Tong, who specialises
in Offshore Oil and Gas Technology, read four
specialised modules that went beyond his scope of
study and managed to achieve excellent grades for
all. “This exchange programme was truly an enriching
cultural experience and a rich intellectual adventure
for me,” says Lip Tong.
Mr Amarnath Hegde, a graduate exchange
student from the Indian Institute of Technology
Bombay (IITB),
was attached to
the Department
of Civil
Engineering.
The world-
class facilities,
lush campus
and warm
hospitality
added new dimensions to his educational experience.
Said Amarnath, “I go back with a sense of confi dence
and satisfaction. Working with my supervisor Assoc
Prof Lee Fook Hou has helped me not only become a
good researcher but a better person.”
University Research OpportunityProgramme (UROP)
Ms Low Siew Ping, an undergraduate from
Imperial College London, UK had heard about
the research-oriented culture in NUS, so when the
opportunity for UROP placement at NUS came, Siew
Ping did not let it slip away. UROP proved to be a
totally eye-opening and enriching experience. For
eight weeks in 2008, Siew Ping was attached to the
Institute of Microelectronics and exposed to research
work in the fi eld of microelectromagnetic energy
harvesting devices. Said Siew Ping, “I truly cherish this
experience and would recommend it to all who wish
to experience a world-class research culture.”
Graduate Research Internship Programme (GRIP) PhD student Mr Hossain AKM Mahtab from the
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
interned at Honeywell Technologies in Bangalore,
India, under
the Graduate
Research Internship
Programme (GRIP)
made possible
by NUS Overseas
College.
The internship
programme,
open to full-
time graduate
students enrolled
at the Faculty of Engineering, is designed to grow a
community of India-savvy students who are familiar
with technology commercialisation processes.
Hossain’s background as a PhD student specialising
in wireless communications enabled him to become
an effi cient member of the Honeywell Technology
Solutions Laboratory’s (HTSL) ‘Ultra-Wide Band’
(UWB) group, which tackles a wide range of research
projects including detecting moisture content in oil,
measuring respiration rates of humans, and detecting
an empty parking lot. “I was involved in the research
24 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Education
of detecting moisture content in oil, and helped
in the project of detecting an empty parking lot.
Furthermore, I inspected the ‘localisation’ prospects
using UWB signals which became very helpful for my
PhD research, because, up to that point, I had only
worked with narrow-band signals,” says Hossain.
Hossain applied for the GRIP scholarship because
he had a desire to become a young entrepreneur
after graduation. “The internship accorded me with
a wealth of real-life working experience which was
eye-opening and enriching at the same time. I was
also pleasantly surprised to discover how the whole
process of laboratory research is directed and
focused on meeting customers’ needs. I can
confi dently say that the internship has helped me
to gain a deeper insight and understanding of
industrial research, new ventures and corporate
culture. It would certainly put me in good stead
if I decide to pursue a business start-up,” concludes
Hossain.
NRF-IDM Project on “Live Spaces”PhD student Mr Thiha Aung
interned at Centre
for Human-Computer
Interaction (CHCI),
Virginia Tech, Virginia,
USA, as part of a
research collaboration
under the NRF-IDM
project. “It was a
rewarding experience
doing the summer internship at Virginia Tech. I was
able to adjust to the new environment relatively
easily with the help and support of the people in
CHCI. Interacting with the researchers in the Human-
Computer Interaction fi eld also helps me broaden
my research perspective. I am also grateful for the
opportunity to make new friends, try new food,
experience new culture and visit new places,” says
Thiha.
At the same time, CHCI also
sent Mr Blake Sawyer, a
Masters student to Ambient
Intelligence Laboratory/
Communications Laboratory,
at the Department of
Electrical & Computer
Engineering. Says Blake,
“My summer internship at
the National University of
Singapore was one of the
greatest adventures of my life; both with the people
I met and the places I visited. Initially, I was worried
how I would adjust to a new place. However, the
people in the Ambient Intelligence Laboratory went
out of their way to make me feel at home. I am
extremely grateful for the opportunity of coming to
NUS to do my graduate research.”
These exchanges will be expanded and will continue
until the end of 2010.
25Annual Report 2008
Introducing Design toFirst-Year Engineering Students
Undergraduate students in their fi rst semester at the
NUS Faculty of Engineering are being introduced to
the exciting world of engineering through a new
series of General Elective
Modules (GEMs).
In these modules, students
are given the opportunity
to apply the principles
of design and integrate
the fundamentals of
engineering to come up
with novel and innovative
solutions to problems.
After learning the basics
in class, they immediately engage in hands-on
application to reinforce their understanding.
In the Engineering by Design module, students
engage in brainstorming and critical thinking as they
design and build a “Transporter” for walking across
water without getting wet. They also undertake the
challenge of designing and building a portable water
purifi cation system within a 13-week timeline.
The interactive module generated much enthusiasm
about engineering. At the end of this module, one
student proclaimed, “Taking this module has been
one of the best decisions I have made this semester!”
Redesigning Education
Lectures, laboratory sessions and ‘design-and-build’ project work are all integrated into one rich educational experience, as NUS engineering students come up with novel and innovative solutions to problems.
The transporter that enables a student to walk across water
Water purifi cation systems fabricated in this class
26 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Education
A Summer Design Programme
Professors from both PSU and NUS co-teach
the programme and the students from the two
institutions get to interact intensively during the
two-week period. Such cross-cultural interaction
offers great pedagogical value, especially for product
design in a globalised environment.
Eight PSU and 10 NUS students participated in the
two-week programme in late May and early June
2008. During the two weeks, students were involved
in interactive classroom sessions, group projects and
visits to companies to observe product development
and regulation in practice. Each group project
involved students from both PSU and NUS. This cross-
national teaming provided a diversity of ideas and
enriched the development of design concepts and
learning experience.
This programme will be offered as a special term
module to PSU and NUS students, and also to
students from other universities.
Launch of Major in Systems Engineering
The Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
has launched a Second Major in Systems Engineering
to equip graduates from outside the Department
with a good foundation in systems engineering.
The complex and interdependent world creates the
need for the adoption of a systems engineering
perspective to identify and manage the trade-offs
of the goals of key stakeholders. Graduates who
can maximise the performance of any system within
the ambit of these trade-offs under resource and
political constraints will be in demand.
The foundational building blocks of systems
engineering (SE) dealing with the understanding of
the basic systems concepts, optimisation, economic
analysis and the stochastic nature of the world are
compulsory in this major. Specifi c skills in modelling
and managing the systems are among the restricted
electives offered. Finally, given that the usefulness of
systems engineering rests mainly in the application
domain, modules with the systems aspects from
other engineering disciplines are included as
electives to enable the students to integrate the
major with their own domain.
Students must complete 48 modular credits (MCs)
to obtain this second major. 24 MCs will be from
foundational modules in systems engineering, at
least 8 MCs are from more advanced topics in the
area offered by the Department, with the other
The Department of Mechanical Engineering has successfully launched a summer programme on design where students from Pennsylvania State University (PSU) come to NUS for a full-time two-week session.
Visit to Philips
NUS-PSU Summer Programme students
27Annual Report 2008
requirements fulfi lled by electives that include the
systems engineering application from the various
engineering disciplines.
The Second Major in Systems Engineering welcomes
its fi rst intake in Semester 2 of AY2008-09.
Visits by Engineering Accreditation BoardThe evaluation teams of the Engineering
Accreditation Board of the Institution of Engineers,
Singapore visited the Division of Bioengineering,
Division of Environmental Science & Engineering (ESE)
and Department of Materials Science & Engineering
(MSE) in March 2008, and Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering (ECE) and Department of
Mechanical Engineering (ME) in September 2008.
The purpose of the visits was to accredit the degree
programmes offered by these departments and
divisions. The visits involved scheduled meetings
with the Dean and the fi ve faculty departments and
divisions, committees and stakeholders, as well as
visits to the teaching and research laboratories.
At the conclusion of their visits, the team
recommended full accreditation for the following
degree programmes for a term of fi ve years:
• ECE – Bachelor of Engineering
(Electrical Engineering), Bachelor of Engineering
(Computer Engineering) and Bachelor of
Technology (Electronics Engineering)
• ME – Bachelor of Engineering
(Mechanical Engineering), Bachelor of Technology
(Mechanical Engineering) and Bachelor of
Technology (Manufacturing)
• ESE – Bachelor of Engineering
(Environmental Engineering)
The team also accredited the Degree Programme
for Bachelor of Engineering (Bioengineering)
for graduating classes in years 2007 to 2010, and
provisional accreditation for MSE’s Bachelor of
Engineering (Materials Science & Engineering) for
graduates admitted in the years 2005 to 2009 as full
accreditation could only be considered after two
batches of students have graduated.
This accreditation is an affi rmation of the dedication,
commitment and investment put in by all involved
in bridging and reinforcing pedagogy with research.
Via this accreditation, signatories in the Washington
Accord recognise the substantial equivalence of these
programmes in satisfying the academic requirements
for the practice of engineering at the professional
level. With this, the international reputation and
position of the Faculty is well poised for growth and
enhancement.
PSA is an example of systems engineering at work which deals with work-processes and tools, and overlaps with both technical and human-centered disciplines
2828
29Annual Report 2008 2299Annual Report 2008
New Ventures in Engineering Excellence
Research andEnterprise
30 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
A Greater Harvest:A Bold, New Solutionin Medical Engineering
While out on a coffee break, the eyes
of Prof Ng Soon Chye and Assoc Prof
Tan Kok Kiong fell upon the orange
juicer.
That sparked an idea about how to
extract more cord blood, and hence
more haemopoietic stem cells, from
the placenta.
“We had an idea: squeeze as much as possible, like
the juicer,” recalls Prof Ng, an Adjunct Professor at
NUS and Director of O&G Partners Fertility Centre at
Gleneagles Hospital.
Research Excellence
A multi-disciplinary team fromNUS has invented a device whichextracts more stem cells fromthe placenta than current methods.
Work and fun - recipes for a good invention. L-R: Assoc Prof Tan Kok Kiong, Dr Tang Kok Zuea, Prof Lee Tong Heng and Dr Huang Sunan
Stem cells, extracted from the umbilical cord after
birth, are used to treat people who have blood
diseases and in bone marrow transplants to produce
healthy white blood cells. Current extraction methods
31Annual Report 2008
use a syringe to aspirate blood from the umbilical
cord during the small window of opportunity after
birth, extracting typically between 80 to 100 ml, or
between 600 to 800 million cells, which is insuffi cient
to treat an adult. The minimum requirement for
a stem cell transplant is 15 million cells per kilo of
patient body weight.
About 97 per cent of cord blood, which is rich in
stem cells, is found in the placenta. The new device
presses down and squeezes on the placenta to extract
as much cord
blood as possible.
It also facilitates
perfusion, which
means that further
rounds of collection
to dislodge cells
attached to the
vessels within the
placenta can be
done. The cells
harvested through
the new method
manifest the same
haemopoietic nature and signifi cantly outnumber the
cells collected through the current syringe approach.
The research team comprises Assoc Prof Tan Kok Kiong,
Dr Tang Kok Zuea, Dr Huang Sunan and Prof Lee Tong
Heng from the Department of Electrical & Computer
Engineering (ECE), and Prof Ng Soon Chye, Prof Jerry
Chan Kok Yen and Ms Tan Lay Geok from the Yong
Loo Lin School of Medicine (Department of Obstetrics
& Gynaecology).
The revolutionary apparatus has since been licensed
to SG Meditech Pte Limited, which will develop this
technology for commercial use in the near future.
Article extract reproduced with permissionfrom SPH – The Straits Times
Robotics for Rehabilitation
The Haptic Knob, developed by a research team
headed by Assoc Prof Teo Chee Leong of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering, has now
been proven to help stroke patients regain their hand
functions.
The results of a clinical trial at Tan Tock Seng
Hospital’s Rehabilitation Centre suggest improvements
in hand function in terms of precision of movement,
movement smoothness and force coordination. Clinical
A revolutionary robotic device developed by NUS Faculty of Engineering has been validated in a clinical trial and proven to help stroke patients regain their hand functions.
L-R: Assoc Prof Teo Chee Leong, Mechanical Engineering student Mr Hyet Khine and Tan Tock Seng Rehabilitation Centre’s Senior Therapist Mr Hong Yun with the Haptic Knob system
32 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
assessments also show a decrease in the impairment of
stroke patients, who reported improved hand function
in their daily activities, specifi cally in operating knobs,
and grasping and holding objects.
Arm and hand functions are often impaired after
a stroke, strongly limiting patients in their daily
activities. The Haptic Knob, a 2-degree-of-freedom
(DOF) robotic device, helps patients to recover
grasping and forearm rotation functions, two
movements critical to daily activities. The device was
developed in collaboration with Dr Etienne Burdet of
the Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College
London, UK.
The use of such robotic devices for rehabilitation
is a promising solution to complement classic
rehabilitation therapies and increase the intensity
of treatments proposed to post-stroke patients. The
Haptic Knob was previously given the Best Application
Paper Award among 2,166 submissions at the 2006
IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent
Robots and Systems.
Most Energy-Effi cient Desalination
Driven by a vision to quench global thirst by
producing high-grade potable water for water-
stressed countries and cities, Prof Ng Kim Choon
and his team from the Department of Mechanical
Engineering (ME) have developed and patented
a novel AD thermodynamic cycle and achieved a
power consumption of 1.38 kWh/m3 – the lowest ever
recorded for desalination to-date.
The technology uses low-temperature activated cycles
and it mimics the natural processes of evaporation
and condensation. A prototype of this, with internal
heat recovery processes, is being constructed at the
King Abdullah University of Science & Technology
(KAUST), Saudi Arabia.
NUS has licensed the AD patents to Aik Moh Paints
& Chemicals Pte Ltd. The company has since won
a Climate Technology Initiative business award
from International Energy Agency, and successfully
sold three desalination-cum-cooling units in the
region. This research has received external funding
amounting to more than US$5 million.
The waste heat-driven adsorption desalination cum chiller plant in the ME Department, NUS
L-R: Dr Bidyut Baran Saha (Senior Research Fellow),Prof Ng Kim Choon and Mr Kyaw Thu (Research Engineer)
NUS engineers have successfully developed the most energy-effi cient and environmentally-friendly adsorption desalination (AD) cum cooling cycle.
Training of the hand using the Haptic Knob
33Annual Report 2008
A team comprising researchers from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE), Temasek Laboratories (TL) and DSO National Laboratories has successfully built a series of fully functional Unmanned Arial Vehicle (UAV) helicopter systems which boasts of next-generation sophisticated hardware design and real-time software systems.
L-R (Front Row): Mr Dong Xiangxu, Prof BenM Chen, Prof Lee Tong Heng and Dr Lin HaiL-R (Back Row): Mr Yun Ben, Mr Lin Fengand Mr Cai Guowei
Actual experiment tests by
the research team, jointly
led by Prof Ben M Chen,
Prof Lee Tong Heng
and Dr Lin Hai (ECE
Department), Dr Lum
Kai Yew (TL/DSO) and
Dr Chen Chang (DSO), have
shown that the UAV systems are capable of achieving
high performance full-envelope fl ights, including
auto-takeoff and auto-landing.
A comprehensive non-linear dynamical model for
the drone helicopter systems – aptly named the Lion
family – has been researched and identifi ed, and an
advanced next-generation automatic fl ight control
system has also been designed using a non-linear
control technique newly developed by the team. In
addition, the team has also developed new state-
of-the-art mini/micro-UAV prototypes for urban and
indoor navigation.
Soaring High: Drone Helicopters Take Off
34 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
“Total engineering of surfaces is the way to go when
it comes to tiny devices, for performance, low energy
consumption, longer life and the functionality of the
device,” said Dr Sinha.
The team includes seven members from the
Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) and
four international collaborators. The team consists of
Prof Lim Seh Chun, Assoc Prof Lim Kian Meng,
Dr Zhou Guangya, Assoc Prof Lim Siak Piang,
Assoc Prof Vincent Tan Beng Chye and Dr Nalam
Satyanarayana. External collaborators are Prof Hugh
Spikes (Imperial College London, UK), Prof Kyung-
Suk Kim (Brown University, USA), Prof Ernst Meyer
(University of Basel, Switzerland) and Prof Sanjay
Biswas (Indian Institute of Science, India).
Dr Sinha has published more than 100 research
articles in international journals and conference
proceedings. He is on the Editorial Board of
three international journals and chaired the 2nd
International Conference on Advanced Tribology in
Singapore in December 2008.
S$5.28 Million Research Grant
Theirs is a three-
year project aimed at
biologically-inspired design,
fabrication and lubrication
of small machines such as
Microsystems and micro-
electro-mechanical systems
(MEMS/NEMS). This project
will investigate novel
methods of solving surface
related engineering issues
that will help design new generations of MEMS/
NEMS for greater functionality and longer life. The
total grant from NRF is S$5.28 million.
The team will use this research grant money to
establish new laboratory facilities to study many
biological systems that specialise in the modifi cations
of their surface properties such as adhesion and
friction by unique chemistry and surface texturing.
Examples include the super hydrophobic properties
of the lotus leaf and the highly lubricious human hip
and knee joints.
The team will mimic biological surfaces and
implement these novel ideas into several device-
level Microsystems such as MEMS. This research
brings together mechanical engineers, materials
scientists, physicists and chemists to fi nd an
enabling solution to a multi-disciplinary problem
and is poised to strengthen Singapore’s effort in
becoming a world-class centre for research and
commercialisation of microsystems and medical
devices.
Dr Sujeet Kumar Sinha and his Mechanical Engineering Team have received a S$5.28 million National Research Foundation (NRF) Competitive Research Grant.
35Annual Report 2008
S$1.4 Million Grant for Optimising Offshore Power Systems
Prof Chang of the Department of Electrical &
Computer Engineering (ECE) and his team are
developing novel computer algorithms to synthesise
the design and location of offshore power plants for
greater cost-effectiveness. The algorithms will also
optimise the operation and maintenance schedules
for the adopted offshore power system, in order to
lower risks and achieve the best investment returns in
terms of revenue and emission credits earned.
The developed technologies are being applied to oil-
rig power systems with Keppel FELS, marine power
systems with Neptune Orient Lines; and extended to
wind-farms with Vestas Technology.
Prof Chang’s Co-Principal Investigators in this project
are Assoc Prof Sanjib Kumar Panda, Assoc Prof Tan
Woei Wan, Dr Panida Jirutitijaroen and Dr Sanjib
Kumar Sahoo, all from the ECE Department; and Prof
Choo Yoo Sang, Director of the Centre for Offshore
Research & Engineering (CORE).
Prof Chang
has a
proven track
record in
collaborative
research
with industry
partners. He
and his team
completed
a project for
intelligent
systems
design and
optimisation
for the North-
East MRT Line
with Land
Transport
Authority, and completed two similar projects with
British Railways Board and Kowloon & Canton
Railway Corporation (Hong Kong). He and his team
also developed intelligent algorithms with Toshiba
Corporation (Japan) for de-noising and detection of
partial discharge in Gas Insulated Substations.
One of the members of the research team was Mr
Xavier German, who came to study in NUS as part
of a double degree programme with Supélec (École
Supérieure d’Électricité). This programme allowed
him to study for four years in France and then do a
Assoc Prof Chang Che Sau and his team have been awarded a S$1.4 million grant to develop technologies and algorithms for improving the economy, reliability and emission for Offshore Power Systems.
L-R (standing): Assoc Prof Chang Che Sau, Research FellowDr Bai Hong and Research Engineer Mr Parikshit Yadav, (Seated) Research Fellow Mr Xavier German
Keppel’s DSSTM series of semi-submersibles are the most technically advanced deepwater drilling rigs to be designedand completed by Singapore to date.
Photo: Courtesy of Keppel Offshore and Marine Limited
36 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
Master of
Engineering
in NUS while
receiving
a Diplôme
d’Ingenieur
from Supélec.
Xavier
enjoyed the
tropical climate, multi-cultural setting and dynamic
research environment so much that he stayed on
after graduation to work as a research fellow on this
project. “Working here has allowed me to build on
my experience and broaden my knowledge,” he said.
S$1 Million Research Grant
Prof Sheppard,
Head of the
Division of
Bioengineering,
and his team
are developing
a novel
instrument that
uses spatio-
temporal
modulation to
discriminate
against scattered light that usually swamps the
signal when imaging deep into tissue. They
haveinvented and patented focal modulation
microscopy, a fl uorescence- based technique that
can be used to obtain high resolution, molecular-
specifi c information. The prototype will be used by
researchers in A*STAR for studies in developmental
biology.
Prof Sheppard has had a long history in developing
microscope instruments. He built one of the world’s
fi rst confocal microscopes, and invented multiphoton
microscopy, now important techniques in biological
research and clinical diagnosis. Dr Chen is an Assistant
Professor in the Division of Bioengineering, and
holds a joint appointment with the Department of
Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE).
The research team comprises Dr Gerald Udolph of
Institute of Medical Biology, Dr Martin Wasser of
Bioinformatics Institute and Mr Wong Chee Howe,
a graduate student from the ECE Department.
The grant is from A*STAR’s Singapore Bioimaging
Consortium (SBIC) and Singapore Stem Cell
Consortium (SSCC).
SPRING Singapore’s Proof-of-Concept Award 2008NanoBright Technologies Pte Ltd, a high-tech start-up from the NUS research laboratoryof Prof Chow Gan-Moog, was awarded SPRING Singapore’s Technology EnterpriseCommercialisation Scheme (TECS) Proof-of-Concept grant in October 2008.
Its work focuses on developing a nanostructured
coating on photovoltaic cells to help the solar cells
convert sunlight into electricity more effectively.
L-R: Mr Wong Chee Howe, Dr Chen Nanguang andProf Colin Sheppard and with their prototype Focal Modulation Microscope (under construction)
Prof Colin Sheppard and Dr Chen Nanguang have been awarded a S$1 million collaborative grant under the Joint SBIC-SSCC Grant Call to develop a prototype Focal Modulation Microscope that can greatly increase imaging penetration into biological tissue.
37Annual Report 2008
The company’s core platform technology is based
on luminescent materials. Special focus is placed on
nanostructured phosphors for solar cell performance
enhancement,
fl uorescent paints
and inks for
various security
and commercial
applications.
Incorporated in
November 2007, its
founders include
Prof Chow Gan-
Moog, Dr Yi Guang
Shun (Formerly a
Research Fellow in Prof Chow’s group and currently
the Chief Technology Offi cer of the company) and
two businessmen, Mr Anthony Ho and Mr Yap
Pow Look.
Proof-of-Concept (POC) Grants
Under the Proof-of-Concept (POC) scheme, each
project receives a grant of up to S$250,000. NUS
received a large share of fi ve grants from this round
of POC, with four of them coming from the Faculty.
The projects were picked from 136 submissions by
a panel comprising heads of prominent fi rms in the
biomedical and technology sectors. Recipients of
these grants are expected to develop products with
commercial viability.
The four Principal Investigators are:
Dr Dieter TrauThe project team from the
Division of Bioengineering has
developed an ultra low-cost
manufacturing technology for
parallel biomolecular microarrays,
and seeks to prove its application
to blood/serum testing, as well
as to scale up the manufacturing
process. The ability to reduce the manufacturing
costs of these microarrays will enable it to displace
existing test platforms, opening it up for applications
in many areas of biomedical research, clinical and
home and diagnostics, as well as for the monitoring
of biological threats in air, water and food.
The patent pending technology works well in a ‘lab
environment’ and the POC grant will be used to
prove its applicability for real samples and to develop
the technology into a robust method.
The research team consists of Dr Trau and Visiting
Assoc Prof Liu Wen-Tso, both from the Faculty of
Engineering, and Dr Daniel Lubrich from the Faculty
of Science at NUS.
Dr Steven ZhouImagine viewing videos on YouTube
or photos in Flickr in 3D. That
is what this project is about. Its
objective is to create an easy-
to-use mobile stereoscopic (e.g.,
IMax movie) content creation and
publishing platform by which the
end-user can use mobile devices or
digital cameras to capture; use mobile devices or PC
to customise, publish, and share; and use different
types of displays to share and view their own 3D
stereoscopic photos/videos.
Four out of nine Proof-of-Concept Grants have been awarded to the NUS Faculty of Engineering by the National Research Foundation (NRF), a government agency which promotes innovation and entrepreneurship.
38 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
A US provisional patent application on a new semi-underground fuel storage tank (SUFST) design has been fi led.
Stereoscopic photography has more than 150 years of
history. Despite the advancements in computer vision
techniques and hardware, Stereoscopic contents today
are still very expensive to make and can only be done
by professionals. There has not been any one-stop
solution for the consumers to create, edit, publish,
and share their own Stereoscopic contents. This
project’s goal is to build a complete platform (both
software and hardware) for creating, editing, viewing,
publishing, and sharing Stereoscopic images/videos.
Dr Zhou has a wealth of experience in
commercialising laboratory technologies. As
the founder and director of MXR Corporation,
a company that specialises in MiXed Reality, an
emerging cutting-edge technology, he owns many
patents and has been named Lifetime Fellow of the
World Technology Network.
The research team consists of Dr Zhou and the
research staff from his Interactive Multimedia
Laboratory at the Faculty of Engineering.
Assoc Prof Anjam KhursheedThis project seeks to redesign the
Scanning Electron Microscope
(SEM) so it can detect and
simultaneously capture the entire
energy range of its scattered
electrons. If successful, this will
lead to signifi cant improvements in
the SEM’s performance, effectively
transforming it into a powerful analytical tool
that can quantitatively map chemical/elemental
information on the nano-scale. Several commercial
partners have expressed interest to invest in this
technology upon successful completion of the project.
Prof Khursheed has been researching and developing
novel ideas in electron beam instrumentation for
the last 25 years and is the inventor of the portable
SEM column concept and innovator of several
different types of SEM attachments. Apart from
graduate students, the research team consists of Prof
Khursheed, Dr Mans Osterberg and Mr Luo Tao.
Dr Mehul MotaniThis project seeks to develop
technology that will be used to
design a cooperative wireless
communication network and
enhance the performance and
throughput of wireless networks
based on a concept called
Distributed Information Sharing
(DISH).
A DISH network consists of a variety of devices such
as laptops, mobile phones and PDAs, communicating
with each other using a special DISH-based protocol.
It will enable higher rates of data transfer than
existing systems, thus providing higher download
speeds and enhancing multimedia experience. The
DISH network will be designed to be seamless to the
end user and work like existing wireless network
access systems. Further advantages of the DISH
network are that it does not require the installation
of additional hardware to users’ devices nor does it
require the deployment of additional equipment like
access points and base stations.
The researchers have developed the theoretical
underpinnings of the technology and now aim
to verify their theoretical results in this project
by developing a cost-effi cient infrastructure for
distributed cooperative wireless networking.
The research team consists of Dr Motani and Mr
Tie Luo, both from the Department of Electrical &
Computer Engineering at NUS.
Novel Semi-UndergroundFuel Storage Tanks
This was developed by Prof Wang Chien Ming of
39Annual Report 2008
L-R: Mr Hafi iz Osman and Prof WangChien Ming
Faculty member Assoc Prof Hari K Garg has founded not one but three start-ups, aptly earning him the title of ‘serial entrepreneur’.
the Department of Civil Engineering and Director of
Engineering Science Programme, Dr Joshua Kuma,
Director of Operations, M3TC and Engineering Science
students Mr Hafi iz Osman and Mr Liew Jen Hong.
Prompted by the need to increase oil storage capacity
in land-scarce Singapore, the design may be deployed
in both existing and new construction of oil tank
farms. Singapore is already building underground oil
storage facilities and is seriously planning to construct
fl oating storage facilities to augment the land-based
oil tank farms.
This novel SUFST is a hybrid
of the traditional above-
ground steel tanks (AST)
and the state-of-the-art
large-scale underground/
in-ground composite tanks (UST), which have their
limitations in storage capacity. The SUFST overcomes
the limitations of an individual AST and UST, and
increases storage capacity by making use of the
underground space beneath the oil tanks.
Assoc Prof Hari K Garg– A Serial Entrepreneur
Manovega is the third and latest start-up founded
by Prof Garg of the Department of Electrical &
Computer Engineering (ECE). In Indian mythology,
Manovega, which means the ‘speed of thought’ in
Sanskrit, is the fastest thing there is.
Manovega makes high-speed Internet access
available using existing mobile networks, hence
its slogan – “Broad-band is good. Broader-band is
betterTM”. The company is driven by the belief that
all Internet access must be high-speed, and that all
Internet access must be provided on an ‘anytime,
anyplace, anywhere’ basis.
In the Information Age where time is the most
precious resource, multiple mobile networks are
available to a customer wherever he or she is.
Manovega technology provides 300%-500% speed-
ups for Internet access on existing mobile networks.
This solution leverages on “The fi erce urgency of
NOWTM” that is felt around the globe as it shrinks in
size and interconnects us all.
His fi rst start-up, PurpleAce, attracted venture
capital funding within two years of its formation
while the second, Fatte Telecom, was acquired by
the GlobalRoam Group. Powered by Fatte Telecom’s
innovations, technologies and solutions, the
GlobalRoam Group is
now a listed company in
Singapore.
“I have enjoyed
tremendous support
from the Faculty of
Engineering and the NUS
leadership, including NUS
Enterprise. NUS people
are friendly, professional,
courteous, and above all knowledgeable. NUS policies
promote, encourage and facilitate enterprise at every
step. NUS is driven by the dedication, passion and
vision of its leadership. All this makes the journey of
innovation and enterprise that much more rewarding
and fun,” says Prof Garg.
40 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
Global Recognition
Virus Catcher Dr Tong Yen Wah has become the fi rst researcher in Singapore to receive a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for his research ona “virus catcher” that may save lives.
Dr Tong, of the Department of Chemical &
Biomolecular Engineering and the Division of
Bioengineering, has received US$100,000 in October
2008 for his research in developing a novel synthetic
antibody to capture viruses and inactivate them.
If successful in his endeavour, he will receive US$1
million to continue this work for two more years.
Dr Tong’s idea is that of a ‘sieve’ with tiny moulds
imprinted on it - a synthetic equivalent of human
antibodies that can trap viruses which cause diseases
such as infl uenza, hepatitis, AIDS or Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). He hopes to develop
nanoparticles that can recognise a particular virus,
capture it and inactivate it and by so doing, remove
viruses from the body and prevent infection from
taking place. In a procedure similar to kidney dialysis,
a patient’s blood can then be extracted, pumped
through the sieve, have the inactive virus removed
and then have the blood returned to the body.
“We are honoured that our research work has gained
the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
41Annual Report 2008
Top 100 Engineers 2009 Listing and Honorary Doctorate for Prof Mujumdar
Prof Mujumdar of the
Department of Mechanical
Engineering has been
recognised as one of the
IBC’s top 100 Engineers –
2009, an accolade credited to individuals who have
fulfi lled “a standard of merit in the eyes of their
peers that is beyond the norm”. This honour is a
symbol and lasting tribute achieved by a select few
who have made signifi cant contributions in their fi eld
for the benefi t of the many.
Prof Mujumdar was also accorded Doctor Honoris
Causa, the highest honour conferred by Lodz
Technical University of Poland, for his global
leadership and excellence in the fi eld of innovative
drying research and development.
Prof Arun S Mujumdar has been selected as one of International Biographical Centre’s (IBC) Top 100 Engineers for 2009. He has also been conferred Doctor Honoris Causa by Lodz Technical University, Poland.
as beenationalC) Top He
which supports the development of highly innovative
solutions to address global health issues. This multi-
disciplinary project could provide an innovative
solution to infectious disease management and we
are grateful that we have been given the opportunity
to pursue an unconventional approach,” said Dr Tong.
Currently, there are no commercially available cures
for viral diseases; infectious viral diseases are managed
mainly through immunisation or by therapeutic
treatment. This “virus catcher” offers a potentially
cheaper alternative that could avoid some limitations
of current
treatments,
such as their
high costs and
their inability
to keep up
with viral
mutations.
“The idea
of a ‘virus
catcher’ is an
extension of
our previous
work on
protein-
imprinted
polymeric
nanoparticles.
Our research
group has patented an approach to separate out
only one specifi c type of protein – albumin – from a
mixture of different proteins. Talks to commercialise
this technology are in progress and should be
available to drug companies in three years,” said
Dr Tong.
This project is one of 104 to be awarded a grant
by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the fi rst
funding round of the Grand Challenges Explorations,
an initiative to help scientists around the world
explore bold, new solutions for health challenges.
42 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
and management of research and development.”
Her research lies in the areas of design and synthesis
of organic molecules with architectures that optimise
their optical and electrical performances with
particular emphasis on the development of water-
soluble conjugated polymers and the exploration of
their applications in biosensors, chemo-sensors and
optoelectronic devices. With her team, Dr Liu also
works on conjugated polymer-based solid state dye
sensitised solar cells. The team has also achieved good
device performance that could effi ciently champion
this type of solar cells.
She has published 62 papers in top international
journals and her work has been cited more than 1,000
times in the last fi ve years. As principal investigator, Dr
Liu also holds 14 patents for the application of these
water-soluble polymers in biosensors and devices.
Several of these patents have been used to spin-off a
start-up company, Sirigen Pte Ltd. Her research team
is currently working on polymer amplifi ed PCR free
microarray technology for real-time detection of
genes and pathogens.
INSIC Distinguished Contribution Award and IBM Faculty Award
He is a world leader in innovative thermal drying
technologies, and renowned in both academic
and industrial professional circles for his research
in thermal and non-thermal drying, a process that
consumes 10-20 per cent of national industrial energy
in developed countries.
Prof Mujumdar also has a prestigious international
award named after him, Arun S Mujumdar Medal,
for his outstanding contributions to drying R&D,
mentoring younger generations of researchers and
promoting drying research on a global scale.
NSTA Young Scientist Award
Dr Liu of the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular
Engineering has gained international recognition in
the polymer community. The prestigious NSTA YSA
is given for outstanding individuals who have made
distinguished, sustained and exceptional contributions.
The award also recognises her strategic role in the
development of Singapore through the “promotion
Dr Liu Bin has been awarded the National Science & Technology Awards (NSTA) Young Scientist Award (YSA) 2008 for her outstanding research on polymer chemistry and the application of polymers in biosensors and solar cells.
Prof Charanjit Singh Bhatia has received the Distinguished Contribution Award 2008from the Information StorageIndustry Consortium(INSIC) in honour andrecognition of nearlya decade and a half ofleadership and outstandingcontribution to tribologyresearch for magneticdata storage achievingan extremely highdensity recordingof 10 Terabit/in2.
Dr Liu Bin receiving the NSTA YSA 2008 award from Mr LimHng Kiang, the Minister for Trade and Industry
43Annual Report 2008
He was honoured for his leadership and pioneering
efforts to include the nation of Singapore in INSIC’s
research programmes through his involvement in
National University of Singapore (NUS), Data Storage
Institute and, more recently, Institute for Materials
Research and Engineering. Prof Bhatia had earlier
been awarded the INSIC Leadership Achievement
Award in 1998 and 2003, and is the only individual
in the history of INSIC to have been awarded the
honour twice.
Prof Bhatia of the Department of Electrical &
Computer Engineering also received the IBM
Faculty Award 2008 for his project on Fabrication,
Characterisation and Performance of Thin fi lm
Si Photovoltaic (PV) cells. The IBM award is a
competitive global programme intended to foster
collaboration between researchers at leading
universities worldwide
and those in IBM
research, development
and services
organisations. It also
aims to promote
courseware and
curriculum innovation
to stimulate growth
in disciplines and
geographies strategic
to IBM. This award is a
fi rst for a NUS faculty.
“I am very happy to receive this award on behalf of
NUS and especially happy for our graduate students,
who will now have a chance to work on cutting edge
research and collaborate with some of the top notch
scientists from the IBM research centre in New York,”
said Prof Bhatia.
He has already signed a Joint Study Agreement
(JSA) with IBM, which has facilitated additional
joint research projects. NUS students and faculty are
collaborating with a team of world-class research
scientists at IBM’s T J Watson Research Center, New
York, USA.
A prolifi c inventor who advanced the frontiers of nanoscale electronic devices, Dr Yeo Yee Chiahas won the Young Researcher Award 2008.
Young Researcher Award
Dr Yeo of the Department of Electrical & Computer
Engineering has patent applications covering a wide
range of advanced semiconductor processes and
devices that are deployed in the manufacturing of
integrated circuits. He is an inventor with 130 issued
patents, including 76 US patents. He is also one of
the 10 young recipients of the National Research
Foundation inaugural individual research grants
worth up to S$2.1 million each.
Dr Yeo is also a world-leading nanoelectronics
researcher. He has a strong technical acumen in
nanoelectronics and focuses on high-impact tasks of
relevance to technology needs. With his experience in
engaging experimental and theoretical research
in electrical engineering, solid-state physics and
materials science, he has founded a world-leading
research group at NUS with multiple breakthroughs
in nanoscale transistor technologies.
Under his leadership, NUS engineers unveiled
transistor technology for scaling electronic devices
down to 5 nanometers. This technology enables multi-
44 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
Investigating cell response to stretching using a live cell imaging microscope
fold increase in circuit functionality and speed as well
as immense savings in power consumption and has
advanced the frontiers of semiconductor technology.
He is also widely credited and known in the
semiconductor industry for being the fi rst in the
world to demonstrate that a new material comprising
silicon and carbon can be incorporated in transistors
to enable electronics to operate at signifi cantly
higher speeds. He aspires to be a global leader
in advancing knowledge in nanoelectronics and
semiconductor science and technology.
Young Investigator Award (First Prize)
The duo reported a collagen-based fi brous scaffold
for the encapsulation and seeding of human
mesenchymal stem cells. This cell encapsulation
in scaffold technique is simple and less toxic as
compared to existing fabrication techniques.
The Young Investigator Award is given to authors
who are 35 years of age or below. These awards are
given on the basis of creativity, originality and high
impact on biomedical engineering and health care.
Prof Lim’s research has been featured in the MIT
Technology Review magazine as one of the 10
Emerging Technologies of 2006. He was also featured
in the cover story of Pharma Focus Asia magazine in
2008, with two other renowned researchers from the
US for their nanobiomechanics research.
Prof Lim was the fi rst in NUS to initiate
mechanobiological research on human diseases at
cellular and molecular levels. Noting a lack of such
research in NUS, Prof Lim, trained in mechanics
at Cambridge and set up the Nano Biomechanics
Laboratory in 2002. His research has suggested that
the pathophysiology of diseases such as malaria and
cancer may be partly due to changes in the physical
properties of diseased cells.
He has won more than eight research awards,
delivered over 100 plenary, keynote and invited talks
at international conferences and institutions, and has
over 300 scientifi c publications – 130 journals and 200
conference papers – to his name.Assoc Prof Lim Chwee Teck with Post-Doctoral FellowDr Li Ang observing microstructure of bacteria usingan atomic force microscope
Assoc Prof Lim Chwee Teck, of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Division of Bioengineering, and his PhD student, Ms Yow Soh Zeom have been awarded the Young Investigator Award (First Prize) at the International Conference on Biomedical Engineering 2008.
45Annual Report 2008
e-books using interactive digital media, it presents
digital content in a much richer and dynamic
environment and allows authors to create state-
of-the-art digital books by seamlessly fusing digital
media such as text, images, animation, fl ash, video, 3D
in one coherent format. These user-created e-books
are then uploaded to the KooBits publishing portal,
read, shared and distributed in the global village.
Through Personal e-Motion, a start-up founded by
the trio, KooBits™ Author has been successfully
deployed in many primary and secondary schools
in Singapore and around the region, as well as
internationally.
Prof Ge has a passion for nurturing his students in
entrepreneurship as they participate in the process
of developing technologies and bringing these
technologies out from the laboratories into the
markets. He says, “At www.KooBits.com, every dream
is possible and every soul soars!
He works with researchers from top universities such
as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard
University, Duke University, Institut Pasteur, Peking
University and Tohoku University. He gives full credit
to his multi-disciplinary team of Post-Doctoral Fellows
and graduate students. “I was fortunate to have
an exceptionally talented and hardworking team
including medical doctors, engineers and physicists.
Also, having good research support defi nitely helps as
it allows me to focus more on the important scientifi c
questions,” he said.
Currently, he and his team are working on a micro
device to retrieve circulating tumour cells in human
blood, which has attracted great interest from
oncologists. Ultimately, he hopes to develop new
diagnostic devices that are not only fast but also
sensitive in detecting diseases at the earliest possible
stage. Such devices are especially needed for diseases
where early diagnosis and detection are crucial.
KooBits™ Author wins awards
KooBits™ Author is the brain child of Alumni
Mr Stanley Han Xiaoyan and Dr Chen Xiangdong, and
Prof Sam
Ge Shuzhi
of the
Department
of Electrical
& Computer
Engineering.
A cool
technology
that enables
children to
create truly
interactive
KooBits™ Author has won the prestigious InfoComm Singapore Award and the Asia Pacifi c ICT Award (E-learning Category).
L-R: Dr Chen Xiangdong, Mr Stanley Han Xiaoyan (standing) and Prof Sam Ge Shuzhi with their awards
KooBits Portal
46 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
Collaboration with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),Saudi ArabiaIn a partnership that will foster research in chemical,
energy and materials sciences, the King Abdullah
University of Science and Technology (KAUST) signed
a Special Academic Partnership agreement with NUS
in March 2008, offering a research award of about
US$5.5 million in support of three research projects in
the fi elds of desalination and nanomaterial synthesis
in the Faculty of Engineering.
The NUS-KAUST Partnership is directed by Prof
Raj Rajagopalan of the Department of Chemical &
Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) through the Offi ce
of the Deputy President for Research and Technology.
The project leaders include Prof Ng Kim Choon of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Prof Neal
Chung Tai-Shung and Prof Zeng Hua Chun, both from
ChBE Department. The NUS-KAUST Special Academic
Partnership is one of a number of Global Collaborative
Research Programmes funded by KAUST at major
universities around the world, including Stanford,
Cornell, University of California (Berkeley), Cambridge,
Oxford, and Imperial College, among others.
SDWA - MOU with Deltares, United Water International and Flinders University
Key Partnerships
47Annual Report 2008
In June 2008, a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) was signed between the Singapore-Delft
Water Alliance (SDWA) at NUS, Deltares (formerly
Delft-Hydraulics) from The Netherlands, United
Water International and Flinders University, both
from Australia, to collaborate in creating effective
water management technologies and packaged
solutions for the urban environment so as to manage
precious water resources and address environmental
challenges due to climate change. Under the MOU,
the parties will pursue in the collaborative project
entitled “Modifying and Improving Porous Sol-Gel
Materials for Water Purifi cation.” The project will
combine cash and in-kind contributions amounting
to a total of A$1.1 million and will be effective for
seven years.
SDWA – MOU with Delft University of Technology
In November 2008, a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) was signed between NUS and Delft University
of Technology (TUD), at the Singapore-Delft Water
Alliance (SDWA) Board of Trustees Meeting in Delft,
The Netherlands, effective for a period of two years.
The MOU aims at developing academic exchange and
cooperation in teaching and research and to promote
joint research and development activities. This paves
the way for a Double MSc degree programme in
Hydraulic Engineering between TUD and NUS.
NUS-EADS Partnership: Partnering a global leader in AerospaceNUS and European Aeronautic Defence and Space
Company (EADS), a global leader in aerospace,
defence and related services, entered into a Contract
Research Framework Agreement (CRFA) in February
2008. The CRFA will facilitate the setting up of joint
research collaborations between the University
and EADS. One of these collaborations is the newly
launched “Flow Control Project”, set up jointly by
NUS and Airbus, one of EADS’ global companies.
Heading the research team from NUS is Prof Chew
Yong Tian, a fl uid mechanics expert from the
Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME). The
present project focuses on the fundamental study
of fl ow control technologies for reducing drag
around streamlined bodies. A successful outcome
and application of these studies would reduce the
fuel consumption of aircrafts, resulting in savings for
airline companies and their customers.
The agreement also saw the launch of the NUS-
EADS Internship Programme, which will sponsor
selected undergraduates from the University to intern
with one of EADS research centres in Europe. The
Programme will add a new dimension to the NUS’
Aeronautical Engineering Specialisation Programme
offered by the ME Department. Established in 1989,
the Internship Programme has produced graduates
with strong engineering foundation to meet the
needs of the local aerospace industry, including works
in maintenance, repair and overhaul.
L-R: Prof Barry Halliwell, Deputy President for Research & Technology, NUS with Drs Paul Rullman, Vice President of Education, Delft University of Technology at the MOU signing ceremony
R-L: Prof Loh Hong Sai (then-Acting Director of IRO), Prof Chew Yong Tian (Head, ME Department), Prof Barry Halliwell (Deputy President for Research & Technology) and Dr Jean Botti (at the MOU signing ceremony
48 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
Visit by Tianjin Eco-city Think Tank Two Chinese delegations visited the Faculty in April
2008: One from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural
Construction of the Beijing Central Government, led by
Director General Mr Tang Kai, and the other from the
Tianjin Municipal Government, headed by Director General
Mr Guo Lijun, Chairman of the Tianjin Binhai New Area. The
visit was part of the Chinese delegations’ trip to Singapore
to discuss the Tianjin Eco-city project, coordinated by
Singapore’s Ministry of National Development.
Prof Tan Thiam Soon, NUS Vice-Provost (Education), hosted
the meeting with the Dean, Prof Chan Eng Soon, and the Deputy Dean, Prof Lim Seh Chun. Other NUS participants
included the Dean of the School of Design & Environment, Head of the Division of Environmental Science &
Engineering, and representatives from the Faculty’s External Relations Offi ce.
Prof Lim shared the Faculty’s perspectives on areas of environmental concern and research in Singapore, while Vice-
Provost Tan welcomed DG Guo’s suggestion of collaboration in developing talent with respect to the Eco-city project.
This meeting paved the way for further discussions and follow-up visits.
L-R: DG Mr Tang Kai, DG Mr Guo Lijun, Vice-Provost Tan Thiam Soon and Dean Chan Eng Soon
Agilent-NUS Joint Research Facility Agilent Technologies Inc. and NUS have offi cially
opened a joint teaching and research facility
in the Department of Electrical & Computer
Engineering (ECE). This joint collaboration is part
of a series of collaborations initiated between
Agilent and the NUS Faculty of Engineering,
following an earlier visit of Agilent’s President and
CEO, Mr William P (Bill) Sullivan to the University.
As part of the collaboration, ECE students working
on their fi nal year projects will get to leverage
on Agilent’s test and measurement systems
to formulate innovative solutions to real and
challenging industrial problems, and participate
in the Agilent Applications Development
Competition.
The Agilent-ECE Control Laboratory is equipped
with comprehensive solutions in measurement and
control systems, offering a full range of industrial-
grade instruments to students and faculty to carry
Opening Ceremony offi ciated by Prof Chan Eng Soon, Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Mr Rob Young, General Manager of Agilent
Visit by Mr William P (Bill) Sullivan, President & CEO of Agilent
49Annual Report 2008
NI-NUS Joint Research Facility A new joint teaching and research
facility initiative of National
Instruments ASEAN (NI) and
NUS Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering (ECE),
was offi cially opened in
November 2008.
The NI-ECE Graphical Systems
Design Laboratory will develop
advanced graphical system design
innovation and will offer a rich
and open environment that
students can use to explore all
aspects of embedded systems
design. It will also provide
undergraduate and graduate students with embedded system
design experiential research and development opportunities
using NI technologies.
In addition, it also brings together members of the NUS
community, including student and post-doctoral researchers
and faculty from a variety of departments.
The collaboration between two powerhouses in academia and
industry will defi nitely up the ante on multiple levels, cultivating
the next generation of highly adaptable and versatile engineers
and merging classroom theories with real-world applications.
NUS was recently ranked No. 11 in the World’s Top Universities
Ranking in Engineering and Technology by The Times Higher
Education Supplement – Quacquarelli Symonds (THES-QS) while
National Instruments is a distinguished leader in computer-based
measurement and automation.
Opening ceremony offi ciated by (L-R) Prof Lawrence Wong (Head, ECE Department), Mr Chandra Nair (Managing Director, NI ASEAN), Prof Chan Eng Soon (Dean, Faculty of Engineering) and Mr Victor Mieres (Vice-President of Sales, NI Asia)
Tour of NI-ECE Graphical Systems Design Laboratory
Dr Tang Kok Zuea shares some recent results with industry guests during the laboratory tour
Tour of Agilent-NUS Joint Research Facility
out electronics and control related experiments and projects.
Agilent is a premier measurement company and a technology leader
in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. This
collaboration leverages on Agilent’s strength in test and measurement
solutions for the development of future engineers with strong industrial
instrumentation skills and knowledge.
50 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Research and Enterprise
Photos: Courtesy of Solar Energy Research Instituteof Singapore (SERIS)
Optical Surface Profi lometer
Silicon Wafer Solar Cells
The Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) located at NUS was launched in February 2008 and attracted S$60 million of research funding from the NRF Clean Energy Programme Offi ce managed by the Economic Development Board.
The fi rst of its kind in Asia, the upcoming Aquatic Science Centre at Sungei Ulu Pandan (ASC@Sg Ulu Pandan) will be a hotspot for urban water research when it is completed by the end of 2009.
Launch of SERIS
The global solar energy market has been growing
considerably during the past decade. Solar electricity
is expected to contribute signifi cantly to the global
energy supply in the near future. Singapore, with
its strong new clean energy policy specially supports
the use of solar energy and is playing an important
role in Asia Pacifi c. SERIS was established to meet the
regional demands in application-oriented research
and innovation, in particular in photovoltaics.
At present, the main photovoltaic production
capacities are located in Japan, Europe and China,
with the United States catching up. Singapore has
the potential to become the hub of photovoltaic
production in South East Asia, addressing the
regional as well as global market.
SERIS conducts industry-oriented research and
development as well as use-inspired basic research in
the fi eld of solar energy conversion. It will provide
NUS the opportunity to enhance its position and take
leadership in solar energy technology.
The new Institute is headed by Prof Joachim Luther,
former Director of the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar
Energy Systems and Professor of Physics at Germany’s
University of Freiburg. SERIS will focus on three
main areas of research, namely in development of
silicon photovoltaic technologies, nano-structured
solar cells and the development of materials and
innovative components for solar and energy-effi cient
buildings. A special service unit of SERIS will provide
photovoltaics module performance testing. SERIS will
also assist in training of manpower for Singapore’s
solar energy industry.
New Aquatic Science Centre at Sungei Ulu Pandan
Launched in July 2008 in conjunction with the
Singapore-Delft Water Alliance (SDWA) initiative
to set up environmental observatories at critical
locations, the 1,800m2 outdoor centre will be the
fi rst of a series of environmental observatories for
urban freshwater management research to be built
in Singapore. Work at the Centre will go a big way
to improve the water quality of Singapore’s canals,
reservoirs and lakes.
51Annual Report 2008
An artist’s impression of the Aquatic Science Centre showcases the wave-form roof, which will provide shade and act as a rainwater collection point of research
L-R: Prof Barry Halliwell (Deputy President for Research & Technology), Prof Shih Choon Fong (then-President of NUS), Mr Chris Sanders (Ambassador, The Kingdom of the Netherlands), Dr Yaacob Ibrahim (Minister for the Environment and Water Resources) and Mr Khoo Teng Chye (CEO of Public Utilities Board), at the launch
The project is a collaboration between NUS, Public Utilities Board
(PUB) and Deltares (formerly Delft Hydraulics), and is located at
the Ulu Pandan Canal. The Aquatic Centre will be a joint effort
of engineers, environmental scientists, social scientists and policy
makers. Nearly 20 researchers from various disciplines ranging
from biology to engineering will look into integrated approaches
to urban water problems, including improving water quality and
supply, mitigating fl ood risks and understanding the interaction
between plants, soil and water bodies. Researchers will also study
how organisms like plants and animals use natural systems to
minimise pollution.
Assoc Prof Vladan Babovic, Director of
SDWA said, “The challenges we are trying to
address are posed by greater urbanisation
and the pressures that the environment
feels as a consequence of centuries of
human activities.”
Expected to cost about S$9 million, the
Centre – jointly funded by the NUS, PUB and
the Environment & Water Initiative of the
National Research Foundation – will include
an interactive showcase of urban freshwater
research projects and technologies for public
education. It will also host visitors, schools
and organised groups to raise awareness of
urban freshwater management in Singapore
and other cities.
52
53Annual Report 2008 5353Annual Report 2008
New Ventures in Engineering Excellence
Our People
54 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Our People
National Day Awards 2008
Public Service StarProf Yong Kwet Yew, PPA,
BBM, of the Department
of Civil Engineering (CE)
was awarded the Public
Service Star in 2008. This
is his third National Day
Award after the Public
Administration Medal
(Silver) in 2000 and the
Public Service Medal in 2004. The Public Service Star
(2008) was given on the recommendation of the
Ministry of Transport for his contribution as Board
and Executive Committee Member of the Land
Transport Authority (LTA), and his signifi cant input to
many aspects of land transport development since his
appointment to the LTA Board in 2002.
Prof Yong is currently Vice President (Campus
Infrastructure) and oversees matters related to the
planning and sustainable development of campus
facilities to meet increasing student enrolment
and new research initiatives. This includes the holistic
development of Kent Ridge campus, Bukit Timah
campus, University Town and Duke-NUS Graduate
Medical School into vibrant and connected campuses.
Public Administration Medal (Silver)Prof Tan Thiam Soon,
PPA, of the Department
of Civil Engineering
(CE) was awarded the
Public Administration
Medal (Silver). Prof Tan
has made numerous
highly respected contributions in his service to the
University, including being the former Vice-Dean of
Engineering and the Dean of Admissions.
Prof Tan is currently Vice-Provost (Education) and
assists the Provost in setting educational directions
and policies for the University, in ensuring high
academic standards, and in education quality
assurance. He has oversight of the Registrar’s Offi ce,
National Honours
55Annual Report 2008
Offi ce of Admissions, Offi ce of Student Affairs, Centre
for Development of Teaching and Learning, and
Centre for English Language Communication.
Public Administration Medal (Bronze)Assoc Prof Teo Chee
Leong, PPA, of the
Department of
Mechanical Engineering
(ME) and Director of the
NUS Overseas Colleges
was conferred the Public
Administration Medal (Bronze). Prof Teo is a man
of character with outstanding commitment and
dedication to his work. He is extremely passionate
about making a difference in the NUS community.
With his infectious enthusiasm, he constantly
motivates his staff to give of their best at their work.
He also goes beyond the call of duty and takes time
to meet up with students and to encourage and spur
them on to realise their potential.
Public Service MedalProf Hang Chang Chieh,
PPA, PBM, was awarded
the Public Service Medal
during the National Day
for his contribution to
the gravity of Intellectual
Property in Singapore. He
has been the Chairman of
the Intellectual Property
Offi ce of Singapore (IPOS) Board of Management
since the establishment of IPOS as a statutory board
with effect from 1 April 2001.
During the past seven years, he provided outstanding
guidance and leadership to the organisation. He
guided the top management in strategic thinking
needed to sustain and grow the organisation up to
the present stage. He also served as Chairman of
the HR Committee of IPOS. Prof Hang is currently
the Head of Division of Engineering & Technology
Management in the Faculty of Engineering. He is
also the founding Chairman of the university-level
Interactive & Digital Media Institute.
This is the second public sector recognition for Prof
Hang, who won the Public Administration Medal
(Gold) in 1998 for his distinguished contributions to
NUS as Deputy Vice-Chancellor.
Home Team NSman of the Year
A National Service (NS) key appointment holder in
the Singapore Civil Defence Force, LTC (NS) Cheah is
the Battalion Commander of a Rescue Battalion. He
also serves as Chairman of the HomeTeamNS-JOM
Clubhouse Committee. He credits his excellence to
NUS for allowing him to plan his work around his
NS schedules. NS has helped him to step out of his
comfort zone, take charge of diffi cult situations and
make appropriate operational decisions as a Battalion
Commander.
The Home Team NSmen of the Year award was
introduced in 2007 to accord greater recognition to
outstanding Home Team NSmen for their contributions
and achievements towards National Service. Given
annually, it is the highest and most prestigious award
accorded to individual outstanding NSmen during
their Operationally Ready National Service.
Mr Cheah Kok Keong, who manages the Professional Activities Centre at the Faculty of Engineering, has been named the Home Team NSman of the Year in 2008.
Mr Cheah Kok Keong receiving his award from Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs
56 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Our People
First Asian President of IMarEST
Based in the UK, the prestigious Institute of Marine
Engineering Science and Technology (IMarEST) is an
international professional membership body and
learned society consisting of marine professionals
from 101 countries that promotes the development
of marine engineering, science and technology. Prof
Choo, who took over in March 2008, is from the
Faculty’s Department of Civil Engineering (CE).
During his tenure as President of IMarEST, Prof Choo
intends to act as a bridge between the East and
the West, to help draw young talents to meet the
needs of the industry, and to actively engage in the
advancement of engineering science and technology,
and international networking.
As the new President, Prof Choo presented his
Presidential Address on ‘Refl ections on Offshore
Engineering Research and Education’ to a full
audience at the Institute’s headquarters in London
on 13 October 2008. Prof Choo then presented his
Keynote Address at the Third Pan Asian Association
of Maritime Engineering Societies (PAAMES) Forum
and Advanced Maritime Engineering Conference
(AMEC) 2008 on 20 October 2008 in Chiba-city, Japan.
In keeping with the growing concern on climate
OutstandingAchievements
In a historic development, Prof Choo Yoo Sangfrom the NUS Faculty of Engineering becomes the 106th and First Asian President of IMarEST.
President Choo and Honorary Fellow Mr Choo Chiau Beng
57Annual Report 2008
change, Prof Choo plans to initiate an International
Student Competition on Green Marine. This move will
underscore IMarEST’s encouragement to young
engineers and scientists to explore solutions to the
problems of global warming.
At the Faculty of Engineering, Prof Choo is the
Director of the Offshore Engineering Programme at
the CE Department, and Founding Director of the
Centre for Offshore Research & Engineering (CORE).
Young Global Leaders
Prof Cheok of the Department of Electrical &
Computer Engineering (ECE) is one of the two
Singaporeans among 245 leading executives, public
fi gures and intellectuals – all aged 40 or younger –
chosen from around the world for their professional
achievements and potential to shape the world.
The World Economic Forum bestows this prestigious
honour yearly to recognise and acknowledge the top
200-300 young leaders from around the world for
their professional accomplishments, commitment to
society and potential to contribute to the future of
the world. Past winners include Google founders
Mr Larry Page and Mr Sergey Brin – and from
Singapore, Members of Parliament Mr Teo Ser Luck
and Ms Penny Low.
The Young Global
Leaders for 2008
include 121 business
leaders, as well
as leaders from
government, academia,
media and society
from 65 countries.
Drawn from a pool
of almost 5,000
candidates, the
Young Global
Leaders 2008
were chosen
by a selection
committee of 31
eminent international
media leaders. As part of their engagement, the
Young Global Leaders give their time to task forces
to initiate, develop and drive innovative solutions on
important, globally-oriented issues, including health,
education, the environment, global governance and
security, and development and poverty.
At NUS, Prof Cheok is the Founder-Director of the
Mixed Reality Laboratory, and Deputy Director
(Research) of the Interactive & Digital Media Institute.
President Choo at IMarEST Annual Dinner
L-R: PAAMES – Prof Choo, Prof Hang S Choi, Prof Zhang Shengkun and Prof Shigeru Naito
Assoc Prof Adrian David Cheok receives the Young Global Leaders 2008 Award from World Economic Forum for his achievements in virtual reality.
The
Lead
inclu
lead
as le
gove
me
fr
D
co
i
58 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Our People
Singapore Youth Award
Prof Ng of the Division of Environmental Science &
Engineering received the Singapore Youth Award
(SYA) 2008 – Science and Technology (Individual). The
SYA honours young people who have excelled in their
respective fi elds, contributed back to the community
and whose achievements serve as an inspiration to
others.
Prof Ng led a research effort to fi ne-tune technology
that generates electricity cheaply while cleaning used
water. His work on microbial fuel cells uses bacteria
to generate electricity from organic matter and has
won a S$2.3 million grant from the Environmental
and Water Industry (EWI) Development Council to
develop a prototype microbial fuel cell suitable for
large-scale application.
In current methods of used water treatment, about
half its operating cost is taken up by a process called
aeration which also creates sludge, a by-product that
is costly to dispose of. This breakthrough by Prof Ng’s
team involved optimising the process for treating
waste water without aeration, producing electricity
directly and generating less waste sludge in the
process.
Triple Honours
Prof Phoon of the Department of Civil Engineering
(CE) received the IACMAG Excellent Contributions
Award from the International Association for
Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics in
October 2008 for his excellent scientifi c contributions
and leadership in the advancement of probabilistic
methods and large-scale computing in geomechanics
and geotechnical engineering practice. This
prestigious award is conferred every four years and
awarded to individuals who have made signifi cant
contributions in research, academic activities and
professional service in the interdisciplinary area of
geomechanics.
Assoc Prof Phoon Kok Kwang receives not one but three prestigious awards in recognition of his outstanding contributions in research and service.
L-R: Prof Tan Thiam Soon, Assoc Prof Phoon Kok Kwang andProf Leung Chun Fai
Assoc Prof Ng How Yong receiving the Singapore Youth Award 2008 from Prof S Jayakumar, then Deputy Prime Minister, and Co-ordinating Minister for National Securityat the Istana on 6 July 2008
Assoc Prof Ng How Yong receives the Singapore Youth Award 2008 for his ground-breaking contribution to the technology that uses bacteria to generate electricity from organic matter.
59Annual Report 2008
Prof Phoon was part of a three-member team from
the CE Department, together with Prof Tan Thiam
Soon (who is also the Vice-Provost, Education)
and Prof Leung Chun Fai (current Chairman of
the Professional Activities Centre), to receive the
Minister’s Innovation Award (Distinguished) conferred
by Mr Raymond Lim, Minister for Transport in
recognition of their contribution towards a strategic
national project, in November 2008. The team was
engaged as the expert geotechnical consultants to
assist in the planning, design, and implementation of
an innovative method of reclamation.
In March 2008, Prof Phoon also received the
Committee of the Year Award from the Geo-Institute,
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), USA on
behalf of the Risk Assessment and Management
Committee “in recognition of their distinguished
service to the Geo-Institute”. He has led this
committee consisting of 34 distinguished academics
and practitioners as chair since 2003.
In the CE Department, Prof Phoon serves as Research
Manager and is the Director of the Centre for Soft
Ground Engineering.
Outstanding Educator Award
Prof
Khambadkone
of the
Department
of Electrical
& Computer
Engineering
(ECE) is always
exploring
ways to create
learning
environments.
His classes
stimulate and encourage student participation
and come with comprehensive well-designed and
thought-provoking materials. No wonder then
that his efforts have been aptly rewarded with the
Outstanding Educator Award 2008.
His goal is to educate students who can manage
their own learning and who have the ability to
investigate, design and solve problems in Electrical
and Electronics.
He was also instrumental in developing core
curriculum design for ECE programmes and
developing new assessment methods for fi nal year
projects. He says, “My goal is to become a more
profi cient educator so as to enable learners to
achieve their true potential.”
Assoc Prof Ashwin Khambadkone receives the Outstanding Educator Award 2008 in recognition of his excellence in teaching.
Prof Phoon receiving the 2008 Committee of the Year Award from Dr Barbara Luke (Chair, Technical Coordination Council, Geo-Institute) on 10 March 2008 in New Orleans, USA
Prof Phoon receiving the IACMAG Excellent Contributions Award from Prof John Carter (Pro Vice-Chancellor,The University of Newcastle, Australia) on 4 October 2008in Goa, India
60 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Our People
international cooperation in engineering education
and research that have led to close interaction
between institutions in two or more nations.
Prof Tan was also a winner of NUS Outstanding
Educator Award (2004), Engineering Educator Awards
(2002, 2003, 2005), NUS Annual Teaching Excellence
Awards (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006), and NUS
Honour Roll (2007).
2008 American Society for Materials (ASM) Fellow
Established in 1913, ASM International is a professional
organisation that brings materials professionals
together. Today, nearly 100 years later, the members
of ASM International continue to share information
and ideas that advance the study, development
iNEER Recognition Award
Prof Tan of the
Department
of Electrical
& Computer
Engineering
(ECE) received
the Recognition
Award (2008)
from the
International
Network for
Engineering
Education and
Research (iNEER) for his outstanding contributions
to engineering education and research. This award
was presented to him at the annual International
Conference on Engineering Education (ICEE) in
Hungary in July 2008 by the iNEER International
Advisory Board.
This iNEER recognition award recognises an individual
or education partnership for innovations and
sustained, dedicated and exemplary contributions to
Prof Seeram Ramakrishna receives the 2008 Fellow Award from ASM Past President, Dr Dianne Chong
Assoc Prof Tan Kay Chen displaying his award withProf Laszlo T Koczy (left) and Prof Ian Rouse (right)
Prof Seeram Ramakrishna was elected as 2008 ASM Fellow by the Board of Trustees of ASM International for pioneering research on polymer composites, biocomposites and nano-fi bres.
Assoc Prof Tan Kay Chen receives the 2008 iNEER Recognition Award for his outstanding contributions to engineering education and research.
61Annual Report 2008
and application of materials and processes. Prof
Ramakrishna, who was then the Dean of the Faculty
of Engineering and is now Vice-President of
Research Strategy of NUS, says, “There is no parallel
to the recognition by the highest international
professional society to an individual in his own
profession. As a young engineer, I grew up learning
from the ASM International community and Fellows.
This recognition is an invaluable honour and joy
to me. I sincerely thank ASM colleagues for this
recognition and their confi dence in me.”
IEEE Fellow 2009Prof Dim-Lee Kwong
of the Department of
Electrical & Computer
Engineering (ECE), who
is currently seconded
as Executive Director
to the Institute of
Microelectronics, a
research institute
with the Agency for
Science, Technology and
Research, was conferred the Institute of Electrical &
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow 2009 for Region
10 (Asia Pacifi c Region) in November 2008. This is in
recognition for his contributions to silicon technology
and leadership in directing microelectronics research.
French Decoration AwardAssoc Prof Lim Kah Bin of the Department of
Mechanical Engineering (ME) has been decorated
with the l’Offi cier dans l’ordre des Palmes
Academiques in 2008 for all his contributions in
promoting French culture and education. This is
a promotion from the previous decoration of le
Chavalier dans l’ordre des Palmes Academiques which
he received in 2003.
The l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Order of
Academic Palms) is an Order of Chivalry of France
to academics and educators originally created by
Napoleon to honour eminent members of the
University of Paris. The Ordre des Palmes académiques
has three grades – Commandeur (commander),
Offi cier (offi cer) and Chevalier (knight).
As the Advisor to the International Relations Offi ce,
NUS, Prof Lim successfully set up the French Double
Degree programmes between NUS and six top French
prestigious Engineering Schools (Grandes Ecoles).
These programmes are now important channels for
the constant fl ow of the best students from NUS and
the Grandes Ecoles in both directions. Prof Lim was also
appointed as the Director of the Franco-Singaporean
Joint Research Laboratory (SONDRA) in France from
2003 to 2006. He continues to advise the Faculty of
Engineering in academic affairs relating to France.
TIIMES Adjunct ScientistAssoc Prof Rajasekhar
Balasubramanian of the
Division of Environmental
Science & Engineering has
recently been appointed
as TIIMES (The Institute
for Integrative and
Multidisciplinary Earth
Studies) Adjunct Scientist
62 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Our People
Prof Wang
Chien Ming
of the
Department
of Civil
Engineering
(CE),
and also
Director
of the
Engineering
Science
Programme,
received the
IES Outstanding Volunteer Award for his leadership
to the IES/IStructE Joint Committee and his service as
the Chief Editor of the IES Journal Part A: Civil and
Structural Engineering.
Faculty alumni were
also recipients of these
prestigious IES Awards.
They are Mr Kang Choon
Seng, Mr Bhupendra
Singh Baliyan and Dr Boh
Jaw Woei as well as a
fourth year student, Mr
Thang Wei Wang of the
Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering
(ECE) from the Young
Members Committee.
The IES was established in
July 1966 as the national
society of engineers in
Singapore. Its mission
is to advance and
promote the science,
art and the profession
of engineering for
the well-being of
mankind and national
at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research
(NCAR), USA.
This appointment is in recognition of Prof Bala’s
international standing in atmospheric sciences and
the prospects for NCAR-NUS sustained collaboration
in biosphere-hydrosphere-atmosphere interactions
research.
Through this appointment Prof Bala will be involved
in collaborative research with NCAR to investigate
biosphere-hydrosphere-atmosphere exchanges
and feedback under natural and urban-infl uenced
conditions as part of a multi-national effort under
the BEACHON (Bio-hydro-atmosphere Interactions
of Energy, Aerosols, Carbon, H2O, Organics, and
Nitrogen) Project. This research is critical to guide
policies, practices and economic development
associated with water resources management, urban
pollution, and sustainable food supplies in an era of
climate and global change.
NCAR is a National Science Foundation (NSF)
sponsored research institute, engaged in multi-
disciplinary research with emphasis on Earth systems
science.
IES Excellent Service Awards and Outstanding Volunteer Awards
Dr Chew Soon Hoe of the Department of Civil
Engineering (CE) and Assoc Prof Foo Swee Cheng
of the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular
Engineering (ChBE) were recipients of the IES
Excellent Service Awards – Bronze for their signifi cant
contributions to the IES Council.
Three members of the Faculty of Engineering have been honoured by the Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) for their contributions.
Assoc Prof Foo Swee Cheng
Dr Chew Soon Hoe
Prof Wang Chien Ming
63Annual Report 2008
Federation of
Engineering
Organisations
Honorary
Fellowship
by the then
President of
the Institution
of Engineers,
Singapore (IES),
Er. Tan Seng
Chuan, at the
IES Appreciation
Night 2008.
2008 URSI Young Scientist Award
The prestigious
award is given to
young researchers
below the age
of 35, and was for
his paper entitled
“Peculiarities
in Scattering
Properties by
Spherical Particles
with Radial
Anisotropy”.
This is Dr Qiu’s
third major
award after the SUMMA Graduate Fellowship Award
in Advanced Electromagnetics in 2005 and IEEE
Antennas and Propagation Society Graduate Research
Award in 2006.
development of Singapore. Today, IES represents
the voice of engineers in Singapore, upholding their
professional status and image nationally, regionally
and internationally through its representation in the
Professional Engineers Board, Singapore, the ASEAN
Federation of Engineering Organisations (AFEO)
and its links with other professional institutions of
engineers worldwide.
SPRING Standards Council Distinguished Award
Assoc Prof
Reginald Tan
Beng Hee of
the Department
of Chemical &
Biomolecular
Engineering
(ChBE) has
received
the SPRING
Standards
Council
Distinguished
Award in
recognition of
distinguished
service and contribution to the Singapore National
Standardisation Programme 2007, awarded by
Standards Council of Singapore under the auspices of
SPRING Singapore. He was earlier awarded the Merit
Award in 2005.
ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations Honorary FellowshipEmeritus Prof Lee Seng Lip of the Department of
Civil Engineering (CE) was conferred the ASEAN
Dr Qiu Chengwei, Research Fellow of the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) has been awarded the 2008 URSI Young Scientist Award from International Union of Radio Science.
64 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Our People
Distinguished Visiting Professors (Research)
Prof Frederick F Lange has
been appointed Distinguished
Visiting Professor (Research) at
the Department of Materials
Science & Engineering from
March 2008 to March 2011. He will develop major
high-quality research programmes in the area of
advanced functional ceramic materials. He is currently
a Professor at University of California, Santa Barbara’s
Materials Department and Department of Chemical
Engineering.
He was elected a member of the National Academy of
Engineering, USA, since 1992. He is also a Fellow and
Distinguished Life Member of the American Ceramic
Society. He has won a number of awards, including
Rutgers Distinguished Engineering, Outstanding
Educator Award from Ceramic Education Society, Ross
Coffi n Purdy Award and many others. He was
identifi ed as ISI Highly Cited Researcher in 2002. In
1980, he was awarded the Rockwell Engineer of the
Year for recognising the failure mode for a Space
Shuttle Tile problem that arose eight months prior to
the fi rst mission.
Prof William Ireland Milne has been appointed the
Distinguished Visiting Professor
(Research) of the Department
of Electrical & Computer
Engineering for one year from
September 2008 to September
2009. He has been working in the Signal Processing
and VLSI Laboratory. Prof Milne has been Head of
Electrical Engineering at Cambridge University since
1999 and Head of the Electronic Devices and Materials
group since 1996 when he was appointed to the ‘1944
Chair in Electrical Engineering’.
His research interests include large area Si and carbon
based electronics, thin fi lm materials and, most
recently, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
and carbon nanotubes and other 1-D structures for
electronic applications. He currently collaborates with
various companies including Thales, Hitachi, Nokia,
Dow Corning, ALPS (Japan) and FEI and is also currently
Visiting ProfessorsThere were 25 new visiting staff who assumed duty in 2008. Here are some of them.
65Annual Report 2008
involved in fi ve European Union projects and
several UK Government funded projects. He has
published and presented over 600 papers, of
which 120 were invited.
On arriving in Cambridge, Prof Milne set
up the Electronic Devices and Materials
group, which now has seven staff members,
approximately 30 post-doctoral research staff
and Fellows and over 50 PhD students. The
yearly income is over €15 million.
Prof Milne obtained his BSc from St Andrews
University in Scotland in 1970 and then went
on to read his PhD in Electronic Materials at
Imperial College London,UK. He was awarded
his PhD and Diploma of Imperial College in
1973 and in 2003, a DEng (Honoris Causa)
from University of Waterloo, Canada. He was
elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of
Engineering in 2006 and was awarded the
JJ Thomson medal from the Institution of
Engineering and Technology (IET) in 2008. He
is a Guest Professor at HuangZhou University
in Wuhan, China and a Distinguished Visiting
Professor at South East University in Nanjing,
China and at KyungHee University, Seoul.
From 1973 until 1976 he worked at the
Plessey Res Company, Caswell afterwhich he
joined Cambridge University’s Department of
Engineering as an Assistant Lecturer.
Prof Hiroo Kanamori, Prof Jeroen Tromp and Prof Jean-Philippe Avouac
from California Institute of Technology
(Caltech) have been appointed Distinguished
Visiting Professors (Research) in the
Department of Civil Engineering from May
2008 to May 2009. Their appointments are
aimed at supporting and complementing the
research work of the newly established Centre
for Hazards Resarch (CHR). All three professors
are world renowned researchers in the areas
of seismology, geophysics and earthquake
geology.
Maritime Technology Professor
Prof John Patrick Dempsey has been appointed as the fi rst
Maritime Technology Professor in
the Department of Civil Engineering
from August to December 2008.
Prof Dempsey has served as an academic staff in Clarkson
University, USA, since 1980, holding the position of Professor
in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
since 1990. He has researched and made signifi cant
contributions in fracture mechanics and arctic engineering.
He delivered lectures and conducted R&D in the area of
arctic engineering, which is one of the most up-to-date areas
in offshore engineering at present. There is a pressing need
for expertise in arctic technology as Singapore’s offshore
industry becomes increasingly involved in the construction of
offshore structures in arctic conditions.
Visiting Professor
Prof Jaap Wardenier joined the
Department of Civil Engineering as a
Visiting Professor from November 2008
to October 2009. Prof Wardenier is
Emeritus Professor of Steel Structures
from Delft University of Technology (TU
Delft), Netherlands, but is still involved in education, design
and consultancy and is internationally renowned in many
areas of tubular structures and joints. He has written many
design guides (translated into many languages) and over 200
publications. He has served as President, Chairman or Member
in many International and National Committees on Steel
Structures.
In recognition of his signifi cant achievements, Prof
Wardenier has received many awards and honours which
include: ISOPE Award; ISOPE Best Paper Award; ISOPE
Osaka Award; Honorary Fellow of Singapore Structural
Steel Society; IIW Houdremont lecturer; Kurobane Lecturer;
Kurobane Award of IIW-XV-E – Tubular Structures and Medal
of Honour of the Netherlands Institute of Welding. As an
international authority, Prof Wardenier has been involved as a
consultant in many onshore and offshore projects. He has also
contributed signifi cantly in codes, standards and handbooks.
66 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Our People
NUS alumnus ProfHo Teck Hua isa chair professor in marketing at the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley.
Prof Ho has certainly
come a long way since
he graduated from NUS with First Class Honours in
Electrical Engineering in 1985. Upon graduation, he
joined the Singapore Economic Development Board
(EDB). In 1989, he undertook PhD studies in Decision
Science/Marketing at Wharton School of Business
at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). After
completing his doctorate in 1993, he taught at three
business schools (UCLA, Penn and UC Berkeley). He
received his academic tenure at the Wharton School
of Business in 1999 prior to joining UC Berkeley in
2002.
Prof Ho has no doubt that his engineering training at
NUS has contributed to his success in his academic
career. He highlights three distinctive qualities where
his engineering foundation and training have given
him an advantage over many of his peers:
• First, it made him a powerfully logical thinker,
having a step-by-step way of processing
information. The uniqueness of this trait has
helped him to perceive situations in fresher ways.
• Second, it trained him to be a superb problem
solver. Having a systematic approach where every
situation can be modelled as a well-structured
problem with possible solutions, even outside the
engineering realm, is highly effective.
• Third, he is a system thinker after his engineering
education. In engineering situations, every
system has its inputs and outputs, where inputs
are divided into controllable and uncontrollable
factors. Seeing marketing and other real life
situations in this way is often illuminating and has
given him penetrating insights into situations that
others have missed.
His best advice to engineering students is to be
passionate about what they do and pursue their
genuine interests relentlessly. The key is to not get
Alumni
67Annual Report 2008
too caught up in what appears to be popular at the
moment and just to follow the crowd for the sake
of short-term profi t. Global job markets can always
change. “When I fi rst started out in my current
research fi eld 15 years ago, it was not yet well
developed; now, it is hot and seen as highly valuable.
I could not have predicted its current success, but
simply followed my interests.”
He also encourages students to engage in intense
discussions with their professors. He has personally
benefi ted from the many deep conversations with
his academic mentors and their advice has shaped his
way of thinking and has a strong impact on him to
this day.
Prof Ho has this fi nal bit of advice, “Despite the
current economic slump, young engineers need not
be pessimistic. Clear thinkers and capable engineers
are always in demand; the fi eld of engineering itself
might change, but the process of thinking in which
engineers are trained will never go out of style.
They have impressive skill sets, so as long as they are
versatile and are willing to learn new things, they
should not have much trouble succeeding in the
world, no matter what they choose to do.”
Mr Say Kwee Teck leads the R&D team at Seagate’s only product design and development centre outside the United States. His team has delivered over 1,000 new R&D inventions, 164 trade secrets, 208
US patents and 13 international products to date.
Having graduated with a Bachelor in Electronics
& Electrical Engineering (Hons) and a Masters
in Engineering degree from the NUS Faculty of
Engineering in 1980 and 1986 respectively, Mr Say is
the Senior Vice-President of Engineering Research &
Development in Seagate Technology International.
In managing the Singapore-based Research and
Development Centre – Seagate’s only product design
and development centre outside the US – Mr Say
oversees a wide range of mission-critical product
research and developments for the company,
especially in personal and consumer electronics
storage products. He is currently responsible for the
research and development of the notebook market.
Under his leadership, the R&D engineering team has
experienced phenomenal success in the entry-level
desktop computing and consumer solutions market;
delivering well over 1,000 new inventions, 164 trade
secrets, 208 US patents and 13 international products
to date.
Mr Say attributes the success in his career to his
solid engineering education and background. It
has positioned him with the necessary skill sets to
manage the many demands and complexities of
leading high-performing engineering personnel. It
has also provided the analytical skills for him to see
problems at the system level and enabled him to be
able to understand the various needs of engineers
and the engineering skills required to grow a
successful R&D team.
When asked what he believed were the keys for
engineering students to succeed, this was what he
had to say, “Stay with the fundamentals and adapt
quickly to new technology. Constantly strive to
innovate and push yourself to fi nd improvements
or new solutions. Engineers create and improve the
quality of life for people around them.” He also
had some words to inspire engineering students
in today’s global slump, “The most important
engineering skill that you would have picked
up in the course of your training is the ability to
make analytical judgments, to have a broad-based
approach to looking at issues. These skills are highly
desired in any discipline of work. It provides the
broadest entry point in the job market.”
68 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Our People
Mr Say has more than 24 years of experience in the
disk drive research and development industry, and
has garnered nine US patents to date. Prior to his
venture into research and development, Mr Say was
involved in automation at Hewlett Packard.
Mr Harold Ng is a leader in the insurance industry, where his engineering training continues to give him a leading edge over his peers.
Mr Harold Ng, who
graduated from the
Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1985, has
had an illustrious career with Great Eastern that
spans almost two decades. In 2006, he was appointed
as Chief Executive Offi cer (CEO) and President
Director of PT Great Eastern Life Indonesia. During his
tenure there, Harold managed to increase their sales
ten-fold and clinched exclusive distribution rights to
a public-listed bank. Now back in Singapore, Harold
continues to grow Great Eastern through his agency,
Harold Ng & Associates.
In 2008, Harold Ng & Associates was the Top Group
in the entire Great Eastern Life Singapore and he
was appointed as the Senior Director of the Financial
Services of Great Eastern Life. Together with seven
of his associates, Harold was among the fi rst 12
people in the industry, to be a Certifi ed Financial
Practitioner under the Financial Industry Certifi cation
Standard (FICS), which is the highest honour that can
be awarded to a sales person. Being reasonably good
at Mathematics when he was in school, pursuing his
degree in Engineering was a natural choice. But it
was really after graduating with a Master’s Degree
in Science (Engineering) that he has applied many of
the engineering concepts to his life.
Harold started his career in engineering in a
Government R&D company and joined an MNC after
about four years. It was only in 1995 that he stepped
into the Financial Services industry as a full- time
agent. He was promoted from insurance agent to
manager and was sent on a nine-month intensive
course called the Agency Management Training
Course (AMTC) in 1996 where he emerged as the top
student. “I believe my success in the AMTC course was
made possible because of my engineering training
in the University, Government and the MNC that
enabled me to be systematic and process oriented,”
declared Harold.
Harold shares what he has gleaned as keys to success:
“One of the most valuable character traits that I have
gained while pursuing my engineering degree at
NUS is the ‘never-say-die’ attitude which has seen me
through many challenges.” Another key is to balance
both drive and empathy. Although the general
perception is that engineers are more analytical and
logical with the drive element being more dominant,
what is needed is a balance of both drive and
empathy to get ahead.
The other key for engineers to succeed is the
courage to take risks. “I learnt about risk-taking in
conducting experiments and attempting diffi cult
engineering problems. I have applied this in my
life. I have taken a calculated risk to jump into the
insurance industry, giving up a comfortable and
prestigious career with the MNC and have been
rewarded for that leap of faith. My income has
grown many-fold and I now have the freedom to
direct the way my business is run.”
“In today’s global slump, we need to have the never-
say-die attitude, the ‘can do’ spirit, the willingness to
take risks and the courage to venture into ‘uncharted
territories’ that appear diffi cult and uncertain. Many
big names today were those who took courage to
plunge in during the Great Depression in the 1930s.
I believe many big names will similarly emerge in the
future and will relate their successes to this fi nancial
tsunami,” says Harold.
69Annual Report 2008
If you are seeking a solution to a high-performance engineering problem, try Hope Technik, a company where the partners are all NUS Department of Mechanical Engineering graduates.
Hope Technik prides itself on being able to provide
workable, cost-effective solutions in a limited time.
The team comprises FSAE 2003 team leader Mr Peter
Ho Yew Chi, FSAE 2004 team leader Mr Michael
Leong Han Chin, FSAE 2006 team leader Mr Jeff
Tang Lip Wei, and FSAE 2006 team member Mr Ng
Kiang Loong, who graduated with First Class Honours
in only three and a half years. Says Michael, “You
give us a problem, we fi x it. It is high-performance
engineering where you are not looking for an off-
the-shelf solution. People are asking for extreme
engineering solutions. We have a certain set of skills
and come from a motorsports background, where
the working culture is used to fast-paced engineering
solutions.”
Within three years of operation, they have turned
out over 100 projects for applications ranging from
the most technically challenging and world leading
‘proof-of-concept’ projects to production parts that
are already fl ying in some of the RSAF’s best planes.
Having built up the capabilities of a full engineering
solution provider, their designs are materialised
in-house where the team has supplied solutions
for unmanned aerial vehicles, equipment for the
inaugural Singapore F1 race, biomedical devices, and
even our SMRT Circle Line.
There is plenty that Hope Technik can be proud
of. For instance, their design of a transmission oil
L-R: Mr Stanley Png, Mr Alvin Leong, Mr Jeff Tang, Mr Peter Ho, Mr Ng Kiang Loong and Mr Ong Tek Wee. (Seated in front) Mr Michael Leong
Hope Technik – High-Performance Engineering
70 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Our People
NUS alumna invents a home appliance– automated chapati machine
Zimplistic Inventions and its founder Ms Pranoti Nagarkar has been awarded a S$50,000 SPRING Singapore grant for her ground-breaking invention.
pump is arguably the lightest in the world. The
components were sourced from abroad, built to
specifi cation and sold under the Hope Technik
brand. They are also one of only fi ve sellers in
the world of an air-jack exhaust valve, part of a
package that helps to reduce the time during a
pit stop. Meanwhile their all-aluminium version
of an ‘elephant leg’ – which allows a car to be
raised to twice its normal height in a garage – is
used by customers like Jaguar Motorsports and Le
Mans prototypes including race car components
that are used by leading Le Mans and World
Touring Car teams. Hope Technik products already
enjoy distribution in Europe and Japan and their
objective is to become world players.
Source: The Business Times © Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Permission required for reproduction
Ms Pranoti Nagarkar, who graduated from the
Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2006,
invented an automated chapati machine for home
use. For that, she and her entrepreneurial start-up
Zimplistic Inventions have been awarded the SPRING
Singapore grant under the Young Entrepreneurs
Scheme for Startups (YES! Startups).
Like her mechanical engineer father, Pranoti has
always enjoyed tinkering with appliances at home.
She had a taste of success during a third-year
undergraduate design project where she and her
team designed a working prototype for Philips that
could automatically iron shirts, and won the best
design prize. She was also inspired by Assoc Prof
Ian Gibson, the supervisor for her Final Year Project
who is actively involved in the making of ergonomic
wheelchairs and other equipment for handicapped
people, and Assoc Prof Seah Kar Heng, who is a
constant support behind the Race car building project.
After graduation, she joined a product design fi rm
Inovasia and embarked on a few projects for Philips
designing products that were answers to real life
practical problems. Being able to see the entire
product cycle from concept to the fi nal manufactured
product gave her the impetus to begin her own
product development.
“I found one particular problem that had a good
value proposition,” recalls Pranoti. “Indians eat
chapati (wheat fl at bread, similar to tortilla) as our
staple food, and making them is a very tedious,
repetitive and skillful task. And yet there is no
automated appliance for making it. I began thinking
on the concept, modelled a few concepts in CAD, and
knew that this was defi nitely doable. That is when I
quit my job, started Zimplistic, and came up with our
fi rst invention: an automatic chapati/roti machine,
the size of a mini microwave oven. Currently I am
building a full blown working prototype that will
71Annual Report 2008
enable us to attract further investment.”
With the help of NUS Enterprise, she was given
offi ce space at the NUS Incubation Centre
for her start-up and was awarded funding from
SPRING Singapore’s YES! Start-ups. “Singapore is
a great place to start a company. There is support
given at every level. I had the support of NUS
Enterprise. They gave me guidance pertaining to
intellectual property, legal and corporate advice,
networking with investors and grant opportunities”
It was also through NUS Enterprise that she
approached Spring Singapore, and after a round of
interviews, presentations and demonstrations, she
was selected for the YES! Start-ups grant. “I put in
S$12,500 and I have received a funding of S$50,000,”
says Pranoti, crediting the entrepreneurial seedbed of
NUS for her achievement.
SPRING Singapore’s YES! Start-ups seeks to nurture,
encourage and support youth enterprise and
innovation by matching S$4 for every S$1 of funding
raised, up to a maximum of S$50,000.
72 New Ventures in Engineering Excellence – Our People
Newcomers in 2008 1 Cabibihan, John-John PhD (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy) Assistant Professor Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Research areas: Social Robotics, Tactile Sensing and
Synthetic Skins
2 Duh Been-Lirn PhD (University of Washington, USA) Assistant Professor Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Research areas: Human-Computer Interaction,
Cognitive Engineering, Interaction Design
3 Hong Minghui PhD (National University of Singapore, Singapore) Associate Professor Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Research areas: Laser Microprocessing and
Nanofabrication
4 Huang Boray PhD (Northwestern University, USA) Assistant Professor Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering Research areas: Supply Chain Management,
Production and Inventory Control, Stochastic Optimisation
5 Jirutitijaroen, Panida PhD (Texas A&M University, USA) Assistant Professor Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Research areas: Power System Reliability and
Optimisation
6 Joshi, Shailendra Pramod PhD (Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India) Assistant Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering/
Engineering Science Programme Associate Research areas: Computational/Experimental
Mechanics; Instabilities and failure processes in advanced materials
7 Kim Sujin PhD (Cornell University, USA) Assistant Professor Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering Research areas: Simulation Optimisation, Stochastic
Simulation, Applied Probability
8 Lin Yi-Pin PhD (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA) Assistant Professor Division of Environmental Science & Engineering Research areas: Environmental Chemistry, Water
Quality and Treatment
9 Mandar Anil Chitre PhD (National University of Singapore, Singapore) Assistant Professor Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Research areas: Underwater Communication,
Autonomous Vehicles, Signal Processing, Emergent Behaviour, Systems Biology
10 Ryohei Nakatsu PhD (Kyoto University, Japan) Professor Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Director, Interactive and Digital Media Institute Research areas: Communication, Interactive Media,
Human Interface, Communication Robot
11 Thirumalai Venky Venkatesan PhD (City University of New York and Bell
Laboratories, USA) Professor Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
and Department of Physics Director, NanoCore Research areas: Novel electronic and magnetic
phenomena in oxides and Nano structured materials
12 Wang Qing PhD (Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, China) Assistant Professor Department of Materials Science & Engineering Research areas: Mesoscopic Charge Transport for
Energy Conversion and Storage
73Annual Report 2008
1 44442 3
55 88886 77
9 1210 11
74
75Annual Report 2008 75Annual Report 2008
New Ventures in Engineering Excellence
Facts andFigures
76 Facts and Figures
Class of 2008BEng 1,342 63%
Graduate Diploma 5 1%
MSc 510 23%
MEng 107 5%
PhD 182 8%
Undergraduate Student Enrolment*
Engineering 131 2%
Bioengineering 285 5%
Civil Engineering 345 6%
Electrical Engineering 1,452 26%
Industrial & Systems Engineering 297 5%
Materials Science & Engineering 188 3%
Mechanical Engineering 1,333 23%
Chemical Engineering 1,107 19%
Computer Engineering 337 6%
Engineering Science Programme 121 2%
Environmental Engineering 199 3%
Graduate Student Enrolment*
PhD 1,275 48%
MSc 1,117 42%
MEng 271 10%
Facts and FiguresStudents
*Figures as at 2 September 2008
urres
77Annual Report 2008
Staff Profi le*Full-time Faculty Members 308 24%
Adjunct Staff 84 6%
Other Teaching Staff 58 4%
Research Staff 437 34%
Administrative Staff1 76 6%
Non-Academic Staff1 332 26%
1 Includes staff employed under grants
Full-Time Faculty Members*
Professors 80 26%
Associate Professors 128 41%
Assistant Professors 95 31%
Senior Lecturers and Lecturers 5 2%
All full-time faculty members are PhD degree holders
Non-Academic and Administrative Staff*
Non-Academic Staff1 332 81%
Administrative Staff1 76 19%
1 Includes staff employed under grants
Staff
*Figures as at 31December 2008
78 Facts and Figures
Breakdown of Research Grants awarded in FY2008-2009Period reported: 1 April 2008 – 30 November 2008
Ministry of Education $ 11,822,498 22%
A*STAR $ 2,315,100 5%
NRF $ 20,355,075 38%
Defence Agencies $ 2,520,800 5%
Other Government Agencies $ 5,416,071 10%
Industry $ 10,668,601 20%
Total $ 53,098,144
Total Research Grants awarded to Faculty of Engineering(excluding Research Scholarships)*Period reported for FY2008-2009: 1 April 2008 – 30 November 2008
Research
Amount (S$)in millions
100
80
60
40
20
0
FY2003-2004 25,884,353
FY2004-2005 38,753,106
FY2005-2006 37,739,858
FY2006-2007 55,275,325
FY2007-2008 94,563,453
FY2008-2009* 53,098,144
79Annual Report 2008
Research Grants and Scholarships awarded in FY2008-2009Period reported: 1 April 2008 – 30 November 2008
MOE Research Grants $ 11,822,498 14%
MOE Research Scholarships $ 27,483,147 34%
External Research Grants $ 41,275,646 51%
External Research Scholarships $ 647,825 1%
Total $ 81,229,116
Research
Entrepreneurial Activities at the Faculty of EngineeringAs at 30 November 2008
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0Inventions Patented
Spin-off Companies
Commercialised Products/ Licensed Technologies
Figures are Cumulative
2002 and before
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
80 Facts and Figures
Number of Citations(in 5-year intervals)
Research
TimesCited
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1998-2002 1999-2003 2000-2004 2001-2005 2002-2006 2003-2007 2004-2008
Citing Years
81Annual Report 2008
Grants from Government and Statutory Boards
Direct Allocation from Ministry of Education $95.4 million 76%
Other Ministries and Statutory Boards $2.8 million 2%
Research Scholarships $27.5 million 22%
Total Budget $125.7 million
Financial Year 2008
Collections
Tuition and other fees $15.4 million 90%
Donations and Sponsorships $1.7 million 10%
Total Income $17.1 million
Figures extracted from April 2008 - January 2009
Annual Report Committee
Prof Victor Shim (Chairman)
Maureen Kwee (Manager)
Deborah Chew
Devi Asokan
Espallela Wasion
Siti Zarina Mohamed Mukhtar
Faculty of EngineeringNational University of Singapore
9 Engineering Drive 1 Singapore 117575Tel: 6516 2101 Fax: 6777 3847 www.eng.nus.edu.sg/ar/2008 Company Registration No: 200604346E