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


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


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.


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.


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).


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).


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


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


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)


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.


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


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)


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.


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.


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.


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


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


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


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.


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


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


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



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


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


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


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


“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.


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


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.


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.


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


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.


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,


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.


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


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-


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.


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


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


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


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


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.


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.


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.



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


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


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


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.

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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.


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


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.


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


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


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.


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.


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.


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


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.”


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.


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


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


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.


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


1 44442 3

55 88886 77

9 1210 11



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


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


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


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


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


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

KooBits_NUS_AnnualReport 2008 Page45

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