Annual Report - 2019

ANNUAL REPORT

Strategic moves to keep NUS Engineering ahead Page 08

Innovations that shape the future Page 12

NUS Engineering on the world stage Page 22

Collaborating for win-win outcomes Page 27

Our alumni giving back Page 30

Engineering a Better World

A WORD FROM THE NEW DEAN

2019 was a year of significant change and growth at NUS Engineering – including for myself, career-wise. I am truly honoured to be appointed as Dean of one of the most established Engineering faculties in Singapore, one which continually makes significant scientific, technological and educational impact in Asia and the world.

After spending more than two decades away from home, I returned to Singapore three years ago as one of the National Research Foundation’s Returning Singaporean Scientists and started my academic career with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Impressed by the strong reputation of NUS Engineering, and excited by the energy and dynamism of its faculty, it was a clear choice for me to be part of NUS.

Then, as now, I find myself inspired and motivated on a daily basis by the passions, talents and achievements of our Engineering faculty, researchers,

staff, students and alumni. Working with all of you, I am looking forward to following the long line of successful Engineering Deans before me in growing the faculty and adapting it to our new environment.

A New Era

As we enter a new decade, the world is embarking on a new era of innovation, where traditional fields of science and technology

are dynamically blending to create new opportunities and challenges that only engineers can solve. From Artificial Intelligence, nanomaterials, smart structures and robotics to transformational Smart Nation infrastructure and enhancing health and medical care, there are many such opportunities for us to seize.

With this in mind, the past year has seen NUS Engineering

“The past year has seen NUS Engineering continue to drive changes forward, pursuing our vision of building a stimulating and nurturing environment to grow the next generations of engineers who will shape these futures.”

continue to drive changes forward, pursuing our vision of building a stimulating and nurturing environment to grow the next generations of engineers who will shape these futures.

To ensure our graduates emerge ready for the digitalised economy, this year we implemented several bold and significant changes to our curricula in the lower year. Starting in AY2019/20 all Engineering undergraduates will read modules focusing on topics, including robotics, machine learning, Internet of Things and design thinking among others, that together form a new ‘common engineering core’.

We also introduced three new specialisations – Digitalisation in Urban Infrastructure, Internet of Things and Robotics – available to students in their third and fourth years. In addition, a new minor – Data Engineering – will also be available for students to take up.

Another particularly exciting addition in 2019 was the launch of the Engineering Scholars (E-Scholars) programme, the result of a significant revamp and enhancement of the Global Engineering Programme (GEP), which we launched a decade earlier.

E-Scholars is designed to attract students with exceptional potential and provide them with a unique educational experience that brings together the best educational programmes that NUS offers along with a generous scholarship.

The programme aims to build a new generation of tech leaders with a global mindset. E-Scholars will follow an accelerated pathway towards obtaining a Bachelor plus a Master degree in four years.

Inspirational and Impactful In Singapore and around the world, 2019 saw our faculty recognised for making waves through their inspirational and impactful work. Among them, Prof Dean Ho (Head of Biomedical Engineering) was elected a Fellow of the prestigious US National Academy of Inventors, whilst Assoc Prof David Leong and Assoc Prof Praveen Linga both from Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering were elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Assoc Prof Duong Hai Minh and team (Mechanical Engineering), won the TechConnect Innovation Award at the TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo in Boston for their work – turning PET plastic waste into aerogels, and Prof Liu Bin (Head of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) was awarded the 2019 American Chemical Society (ACS) Nano Lectureship Award for Asia/ Pacific.

In Singapore, Dr Lefebvre Olivier Patrick (Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Assoc Prof Chua Kian Jon, Ernest (Mechanical Engineering) won the Institute of Engineers Singapore (IES) Prestigious Achievement Awards 2019. Dr Charles Lim (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Dr Shao Huilin (Biomedical Engineering) were honoured with the Young Scientist Award organised by the Singapore National Academy of Science to recognise accomplishments of researchers under 35.

“As we embark on a new decade, we must and will constantly re-engineer what we do – ensuring we remain impactful, relevant, connected and competitive in a dynamic and fast-changing world.”

In a further recognition of the impact of NUS Engineering’s work, 18 members of our faculty were named in the annual Global Highly Cited Researchers 2019 list compiled by Clarivate Analytics.

Achieving our aims means attracting the best local and global talent, and NUS Engineering was pleased to recruit a large number of new faculty to join us in 2019. Among several international appointments in April, we welcomed Nobel Prizewinning physicist Professor Sir Konstantin Sergeevich Novoselov to our faculty – the first Nobel Laureate to join a Singapore university.

A Distinguished Professor with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, he will lead a new research group focusing on advanced materials and their application as intelligent sensors and microcomputing devices. Professor Novoselov received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for his groundbreaking experiments on the twodimensional material graphene.

Our students also made an impact in 2019, with the NUS FSAE team taking part in the international FSAE race car competition at the Michigan International Speedway in the USA. Overall, we are ranked 13th out of 120 registered teams. The team also came 4th in Engineering Design competition, 7th for the

Acceleration event (drag race) and 8th for the Skidpad event.

And in November the NUS iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) team showcased their project, known as E.co LIVE, at the annual iGEM Giant Jamboree in Boston, the world largest annual synthetic biology student competition. With over 340 teams participating from universities around the world, the team not only clinched a Gold Medal for the project but also went on to win two special awards, marking NUS’ and Singapore’s best ever showing at the competition.

Our Commitment

Above all, as this report shows, NUS Engineering faculty, staff and students in 2019 reiterated,

reinforced and demonstrated our ongoing commitment to be the very best in engineering education, research and innovation.

Yet we cannot rest on our laurels. As we embark on a new decade, we must and will constantly re-engineer what we do – ensuring we remain impactful, relevant, connected and competitive in a dynamic and fast-changing world.

After all, engineers don’t just make things. Engineers make things better Professor Aaron Thean Dean, NUS Engineering

OUR DEAN & VICE DEANS

Professor Aaron Thean Dean (Appointed July 2019) NUS Engineering

Professor Chua Kee Chaing Dean (2014 - 2019) NUS Engineering

Professor Teo Kie Leong Deputy Dean (Appointed September 2019) Vice-Dean Research & Technology

Dr Chau Fook Siong Associate Dean Administration

Associate Professor Lanry Yung Vice-Dean Undergraduate Programmes

Professor Lim Teng Joon Vice-Dean Graduate Programmes

Associate Professor Christina Lim Vice-Dean External Relations & Outreach

Professor David Chua Vice-Dean Student Life, Alumni & Development

Professor Yoon Soon Fatt Vice-Dean Industry

OUR HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS & PROGRAMMES

1. Professor James Goh Head Department of Biomedical Engineering (To July 2019)

2. Professor Dean Ho Head Department of Biomedical Engineering (Appointed July 2019) 3. Professor Liu Bin Head Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering 4. Professor Quek Ser Tong Head Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering 5. Professor John Thong Head Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering 6. Professor Andrew Lim Head Department of Industrial Systems Engineering & Management 7. Professor John Wang Head Department of Materials Science & Engineering (To July 2019) 8. Professor Barbaros Oezyilmaz Head Department of Materials Science & Engineering (Appointed July 2019) 9. Professor Gregory Chirikjian Head Department of Mechanical Engineering

Dr Alberto Corrias Director Engineering Scholars (E-Scholars) Programme

Associate Professor Loh Ai Poh Director Innovation & Design Programme

FACULTY ADVISORY BOARD

On 1 August 2017, NUS Engineering established its Faculty Advisory Board. Its role is to:

• Advise on strategic directions of NUS Engineering

• Advise and assist in outreach to industry, public and professional bodies to advance engineering research and education

• Advise and assist in promoting engineering as an exciting, appealing and meaningful career

• Act as honorary ambassadors to promote NUS Engineering’s interests and perspectives to industry and government networks

1. Mr Peter Ho (Chairman) Chairman Urban Redevelopment Authority Senior Advisor Centre for Strategic Futures, Strategy Group, Prime Minister’s Office 2. Dr Cheong Koon Hean Chief Executive Officer Housing and Development Board (HDB) 3. Mr Gan Seow Kee Chairman & Managing Director ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd 4. Er Tan Seng Chuan Managing Director

Tembusu Asia Consulting Pte Ltd 5. Prof Low Teck Seng Chief Executive Officer National Research Foundation 6. Mr Quek Gim Pew Chief Defence Scientist Ministry of Defence 7. Mr Seah Moon Ming Chairman

SMRT Corporation Ltd 8. Mr Russell Tham President

New Enterprises and Ventures, Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd 9. Dr Kurichi Kumar Head of Technology Asia Pacific, Rolls-Royce Singapore Pte Ltd

An Engineering NUS Advantage

Bold strategic moves to keep NUS Engineering ahead of the evolving landscape

Launch of Engineering Scholars Programme

The Global Engineering Programme was first launched 10 years ago. A decade on and in tandem with the continuously evolving educational and engineering landscape, NUS Engineering had revamped and launched a more robust Engineering Scholars (E-Scholars) programme in 2019.

Targeted at students with high levels of academic performance, the E-Scholars programme aims to nurture well-rounded individuals with skills that go beyond academic results. Featuring a four-year accelerated pathway comprising a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree, the

E-Scholars programme offers an educational experience that brings together NUS’ best educational programmes.

For example, the inclusion of the NUS Overseas College (NOC) Programme as part of the E-Scholars programme ensures that students gain industrial exposure through internships at technology start-ups. At the same time, opportunities to learn modules that are tailored to aspirations as well as living and learning in the NUS University Town enrich students’ learning experiences. Availability and accessibility to a strong team of academic mentors also support students’ growth throughout their studies.

Global universities which accept our E-Scholars applications for further studies:

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• University of Cambridge

• Imperial College London

• University of Oxford

• Carnegie Mellon University

• Stanford University

Companies some of our E-Scholars work at:

• DSTA

• Micron

• Google

• ExxonMobil

• DSO National Laboratories

• Facebook

79% of past E-Scholars were nominated for the Dean’s List one or more times during their candidature

New Engineering Subjects and Specialisations Arm Students with Future Job Skills

New students enrolling into NUS Engineering this year will acquire a suite of new skills compared to their seniors. By equipping students with skills ranging from how to make robots and apply machine learning in data science to Internet of Things and design thinking, students will be better prepared to cope with the changing nature of engineering jobs resulting from digitalisation.

New Modules for Common Engineering Core

With the new modules slated to form a common engineering core for the cohort starting from AY2019/2020, 1,500 new Engineering undergraduates will learn to apply engineering concepts and work the processes in the laboratory right from the start. Additionally, lower year students will have the option to take new core modules focusing on subjects which equip them with versatile skills and a systems mindset for holistic problem-solving. Some examples of these modules are systems thinking, design and prototyping, machine learning, computing, modelling and simulation and materials.

New Engineering Specialisations

Three new engineering specialisations are also introduced for AY2019/2020. “Digitalisation in Urban Infrastructure”, “Internet of Things” and “Robotics” will be made available to third and fourth-year students.

Under the “Digitalisation in Urban Infrastructure” specialisation, students will learn more about urban mobility in line with the rise of autonomous driverless transport systems. Among other subjects, they will also have the chance to master data modelling and analytics, model based systems engineering and hydroinformatics.

For students opting for the “Internet of Things” specialisation, technical electives such as wireless/ sensor networks, embedded

hardware and software design will be made available to them. “Robotics” students on the other hand will be able to choose among topics like robot mechanics, intelligent medical robots as their technical electives.

A New Minor

The introduction of a new minor “Data Engineering” will enable students to learn topics including data engineering principles and machine learning, equipping them with the skills to mine valuable business insights.

– Professor Chua Kee Chaing, NUS Engineering Dean 2014-19

Dean Prof Chua Kee Chaing sharing the new changes with some of the students.

“ While the nature of engineering jobs may change because digitalisation can lead to unexpected disruptions, the core skills, the ability to work across disciplines and the thinking about the end user requirements, remain the same. Bolstering the engineering content with softer skills like critical thinking and the ability “to go in and use your hands, think of how to do things, are very valuable”

Nobel Laureate Joins NUS Engineering as Faculty

Professor Sir Konstantin Sergeevich Novoselov, a Nobel Prize winning physicist, joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering as Distinguished Professor on 8 April 2019. Although it is the first time a Nobel Laureate joined a Singapore university, Prof Novoselov has been working with NUS Centre for Advanced 2D Materials since 2015.

At NUS, Prof Novoselov leads a new research group focusing on advanced materials. The group aims to discover interesting combinations of materials that can behave as intelligent sensors and microcomputing devices.

Prof Novoselov continues to have an academic presence at The University of Manchester – the birthplace of graphene – which will further strengthen Singapore’s links with Europe.

In November 2019, Prof Novoselov gave a scientific lecture to researchers, students and other members of the Singapore’s scientific community, sharing about available opportunities since his breakthrough discovery of the world’s first two-dimensional (2D) material in 2004.

“I’m really excited by Singapore’s strong focus on research and exploration.

I have seen first-hand the passion, resilience and spirit of innovation of the University’s talented researchers, particularly in the multidisciplinary area of materials science.”

– Prof Sir Konstantin Novoselov, NUS Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Watch Prof Novoselov’s scientific lecture on “Materials in the Flatland” here.

https://youtu.be/aRpFgvrpJAI

About Professor Sir Konstantin Sergeevich Novoselov

Prof Novoselov received his Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 “for groundbreaking experiments regarding the material graphene”. Then 36, he was the youngest Nobel Laureate in Physics since 1971 and the youngest overall since 1992. Beyond his notable work in physics, Prof Novoselov is a trained artist in traditional Chinese art.

Insights

Groundbreaking to Research

Innovations with the potential to change the world

Microsensor Implants Make 24/7 Health Monitoring a Reality

The team led by Assistant Professor John Ho from NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering, in collaboration with NUS Institute for Health Innovation and Technology, developed a new wireless reader that is not only three-times more sensitive than existing sensors, but also has the capability to read minute changes in a sensor. With this innovation, signals emitted by sub-millimetre microsensors –tiny enough to be injected under the skin – can be picked up.

The technology that has taken two years of research to develop can monitor breathing and heart rate through a 0.9 millimetres battery-free microsensor, which is implanted underneath the skin with a syringe. This is a breakthrough to current developments which either require sensor readers to be placed near sensors to constantly detect signals such as chemical or pressure changes using magnetic fields, or sensors to be large enough to create strong signals in readers.

The team’s achievement was published in August 2019 in the scientific journal “Nature Electronics”. Building on their research findings, the team is looking to develop a suite of passive (batteryfree) microsensors that can monitor various physiological parameters such as glucose, bioelectrical activity and blood chemistry next.

The highly sensitive wireless technology can monitor health indicators such as blood pressure using microsensors that are tiny enough to be injected under the skin. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

“We hope that our breakthrough will be a trailblazer for the future of minimally invasive health monitoring solutions where patients are immediately alerted whenever their physiological conditions such as heart rate and blood glucose cross a critical threshold.”

– Asst Prof John Ho, NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering

Humidity Digester Keeps Rooms Cool and Energy Cost Low

The innovation developed by Assistant Professor Tan Swee Ching and his team from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering can not only reduce relative humidity by 12 percent, but also generate a low current under ambient light. Made up of a moisture-hungry hydrogel, cathode, photoanode and a solar cell, the humidity digester generates power by using light to oxidise water absorbed through the hydrogel. With the hydrogel constantly replenishing the system with water pulled from the air, the energy generation process is sustained – enabling continuous dehumidifying to occur.

Although the energy generated currently is relatively low at 0.4 milliampere per square centimetre, it has the potential of replacing air conditioners when paired with fans. Compared to commercial air

conditioning units, the humidity digester can improve thermal comfort with significantly less energy input. In addition, it is easier to install, portable and cheaper to operate.

world population is increasing, and people spend a lot of money on air conditioners to maintain adequate thermal comfort. The increasing need for air conditioners to cool us down results in increased energy consumption. This device – when coupled with a fan – can help reduce relative humidity, improve thermal comfort and, most importantly, reduce reliance on air conditioners. This could lead to potential energy and monetary benefits.”

“The

– Asst Prof Tan Swee Ching, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Spin Wave Torque Offers Potential Solution to Overheating Electronic Gadgets

Professor Yang Hyunsoo and his research team from NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering have found a new efficient way to use spin waves (magnon) to switch magnetisation at room temperature. The implication of this finding enables the development of more energyefficient spin memory and logic devices.

Traditional electronic chips suffer from substantial Joule heat caused by rapid motion and frequent collision among moving charges inside devices. This causes a large amount of power dissipation, hinders the chip’s processing speed and limits the number of chips that can be incorporated into appliances. With the new switching scheme based on spin waves – a bilayer system consisting of an antiferromagnetic magnon transport channel and a topological insulator spin source, spin wave driven magnetisation switching in the adjacent ferromagnetic layer can take place at room temperature and with a high efficiency.

Magnon torque based devices such as this drive the development of faster electronic devices that are less energy demanding and have less overheating issues.

The results of the study were published on 29 November 2019 in “Science”.

However, noting that the operation frequency of spin waves is in the terhertz range and the potential for terahertz devices to transmit data at significantly higher speeds than currently possible, the research team looks to further engineer the efficiency of magnon torques and explore possibility of magnon devices without involving electrical parts.

“The electrical spin torque opened the era for spintronic device applications such as magnetic random access memories (MRAMs). We believe our report of the new magnon torque scheme for magnetisation switching is a game-changing idea in spintronics. It will invigorate not only a new research area in magnonics, but also practical devices operated by magnons.”

– Prof Yang Hyunsoo, NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering

Dr Wang Yi (front), together with Prof Teo Kie Leong, Prof Yang Hyunsoo and Dr Zhu Dapeng (back row from left), have found a way to encode computational information without using electrical current.

A Step Closer to Perfecting Flexible Robots with New Metallic Material

Asst Prof Chen Po-Yen (right) and doctoral student Yang Haitao (left) and their team created a new metallic material for soft and flexible robots.

Assistant Professor Chen Po-Yen from NUS Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and his team have created a suitable metal-based material for use in origami robots –soft and flexible robots used in applications such as drug delivery in human bodies, search and rescue missions in disaster environments and humanoid robotic arms.

efficient. Additionally, the material has the propensity to withstand burning at about 800 degree Celsius for up to five minutes while its ondemand geothermal heating capabilities prevent icing damage in a cold environment.

light, flexible search-andrescue robots that can enter hazardous areas – including chemical spills and fire disasters – as remote-control untethered robots that provide real-time feedback and communication. The material also makes for a strong candidate for making flexible and light prosthetic limbs which can be as much as 60 percent lighter than their conventional counterparts. Such prosthetics can provide real-time strain sensing to give feedback on how much they are flexing, giving users finer control and immediate information – without the need for external sensors which would otherwise add unwanted weight to the prosthetic.

The research findings were published in “Science Robotics” journal.

Check out how the technology works here.

https://youtu.be/ TAprG0J-rmk

The new material developed by Asst Prof Chen and team is not only half the weight of paper, but also foldable like traditional paper and plastic. These characteristics improve the speed performance of origami robots as well as make them more energy

Besides being mechanically stable and soft, the material also has a conductive backbone. Being conductive enables the material to act as its own wireless antenna to communicate with a remote operator or other robots without the need for external communication modules.

These various properties make the material optimal for use in the creation of

In the next steps of their research, Asst Prof Chen and his team are looking at adding more functions to the metallic backbone. One of which is to incorporate electrochemically active materials to fabricate energy storage devices such that the material itself is its own battery, allowing for the creation of self-powered robots. Concurrently, the team is experimenting with other metals such as copper to lower the cost of the material’s production.

Harmful Algae Detection in 15 Minutes with Novel Algae Detection Device

the new algae detection device is portable, easy-to-use, weighs less than 600 grams and costs less than S$300 (excluding the smartphone). Its sensitivity also means that only a small amount of water sample is needed to generate results with up to 90 percent accuracy.

Asst Prof Bae Sung Woo (centre) and Miss Chiang Li Ching Elaine (right) are holding the smartphone platform while Mr Thio Si Kuan (left) is holding the microfluidic chip for the algae detection device.

The NUS Engineering research team led by Assistant Professor Bae Sung Woo from NUS Civil and Environmental Engineering had created a highly sensitive system that uses a smartphone to rapidly detect the presence of toxin-producing algae in water within 15 minutes. Besides being able to generate test results on-site, findings can also be reported in real-time using the smartphone’s wireless communication capabilities.

Comparatively, conventional methods of algae detection and analysis are time consuming. Often, they also

require specialised and costly equipment, as well as skilled operators to conduct water sampling and testing. To make things worse, while waiting for analysis results, the algae toxins are already negatively impacting aquatic ecosystems and water supply. Case in point – in an algae bloom in 2015, over 500 tonnes of fish were wiped out and some fish farmers lost millions of dollars in Singapore.

Comprising a microfluidic chip, a smartphone and a customisable 3D-printed platform that houses optical and electrical components such as a portable power source and an LED light,

This algae detection device that could potentially play a role in preventing the spread of harmful microorganisms in aquatic environments threatening global public health and cause environmental problems, was supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore through its Marine Science Research and Development Programme, and the Ministry of Education. The findings of this research were published in online scientific journal “Harmful Algae”.

The research team is currently in discussion with industry partners to commercialise their technology. Beyond which, the team is also working on a new microfluidic chip that can be integrated with a modified version of the current 3D-printed smartphone platform to detect the presence of foodborne pathogens such as salmonella and other infectious pathogens.

With this tool, water quality tests can be conducted anytime and anywhere. This new method is also very cost efficient as the microfluidic chip can be washed and reused. This device will be particularly useful for fish farmers who need to monitor the water quality of their fish ponds on a daily basis.”

– Prof Bae Sung Woo, NUS Civil and Environmental Engineering

Patients can Look Forward to More Accurate and Less Invasive Cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease Detection Tests

The STAMP technology was invented by Asst Prof Shao Huilin (left), doctoral student Noah Sundah (right) and their team at the NUS iHealthtech.

Assistant Professor Shao Huilin from the NUS Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech) and her teams spent two years to develop STAMP (SequenceTopology Assembly for Multiplexed Profiling) and APEX (Amplified Plasmonic Exosome) respectively. While STAMP enables accurate cancer cell detection and determination of disease aggressiveness from the least invasive biopsies, APEX empower doctors to potentially diagnose Alzheimer’s disease and monitor a patient’s response

to treatment through a simple blood test.

The STAMP Technology Comprehensive analysis of protein expression and distribution holds promise for discovery of biomarkers, early disease detection, and rationalisation of treatment options. However, current approaches involve imaging and microscopy techniques which are complex, timeconsuming and with limited multiplexing capability.

Through leveraging DNA’s large information storing capacity and its

programmability to fold and unfold into different structures, the STAMP technology can not only measure billions of protein markers from a small clinical sample in a single test, but also identify the specific locations of these protein markers in cells. The mapping of these marker distribution patterns in cells can provide an early indication of disease aggressiveness.

In addition, the STAMP technology can provide highly informative analysis from scarce samples, be completed in as little as two hours and is

Asst Prof Shao Huilin (left) and her team developed APEX, a highly sensitive blood test for early Alzheimer’s disease, even before clinical symptoms appear.

a million times more sensitive compared to current pathology techniques which only measure a small subset of protein markers and require several days of extensive processing. Furthermore, its accuracy is the same as pathology analysis of surgical tissues.

This technology breakthrough was published by the scientific journal “Nature Biomedical Engineering” in its “News & Views” column in July and selected as the cover story for its September 2019 issue. A provisional patent has been filed for STAMP.

Moving forward, the team will expand the applications of STAMP to other types of cancer, such as brain, lung and gastric cancer, as well as validate the technology in other samples such as blood and ascites.

The APEX System

Due to the complex and progressive nature of Alzheimer’s disease, early detection and intervention can improve the success of disease modifying therapies. However,

current Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and monitoring are often subjective and the disease tends to be detected only at a late stage. Meanwhile, alternatives such as positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and cerebrospinal fluid tests are too expensive for wide clinical adoption or require lumbar punctures.

The invention by the NUS Engineering team provides a solution to effectively pick up an early-stage molecular marker of Alzheimer’s disease – the aggregated amyloid beta ( Aβ). The recognition of abnormal Aβ aggregates from a very small amount of blood induces and amplifies a colour change in the associated light signal of the APEX sensor.

Highly sensitive and provides an accurate diagnosis –comparable to PET imaging – at less than one percent of the cost of PET imaging, The APEX system could potentially diagnose Alzheimer’s disease even before clinical symptoms appear. Additionally, the current design can test 60 samples

simultaneously and provide results in less than an hour. Simple to use in clinical settings, APEX can not only be used to monitor a patient’s response to treatment, but also scaled up for large cohort clinical validations and drug evaluation.

The team published its research findings in scientific journal “Nature Communications” and featured as an Editors’ Choice by the journal.

In the next phase of research, the team hopes to deploy the technology to areas of Alzheimer’s disease management, and the evaluation of Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics under development.

Commercialisation Plans

Asst Prof Shao and her team are currently in discussions with industry partners to further develop and commercialise both the STAMP technology and the APEX system. Both technologies are expected to reach the market within the next five years.

Solving the Problem of Low Frequency Noise Pollution

Associate Professor Lee Heow Pueh from NUS Mechanical Engineering and his team has designed a set of noise attenuating blocks that are capable of cancelling low frequency noise below 500 Hertz by an average of 31 decibels. This is six times more effective than commonly used noise barriers.

Its modular design makes the barrier lighter and thinner than current commercially available devices. In addition, each 3D-printed block can be customised to cancel a specific noise frequency by adjusting the size of the air cavity and the neck opening within the block. The blocks can then be slotted into a grid-like host structure to function as a noise barrier.

Complementary to this development, the team also developed a mobile application capable of accurately tracking noise data based on a new method of calibrating the microphones of smartphones called “Noise Explorer”. Noise Explorer can measure sound pressure levels and frequencies with an accuracy of less than one decibel for 99.7 percent of measurements in the team’s experiments.

An immediate application of Noise Explorer is for crowdsourcing noise data to help authorities identify

The researchers were able to control the properties of the noise barrier and produce them affordably.

and mitigate the source of noise more effectively. Other potential uses include tracking one’s exposure to noise over a period of time and coupling with artificial intelligence for condition monitoring of devices and equipment.

The work of Assoc Prof Lee and his team was published in the journal “Acoustics” in April 2019. The team is currently exploring further development and commercialisation of their noise attenuating blocks as well as improving the aesthetics of the blocks such that they can be seamlessly integrated into a building’s architectural design.

Assoc Prof Lee Heow Pueh from NUS Mechanical Engineering (left) holding up the noise attenuating block that his research team has invented.

“These noise reduction blocks can be easily incorporated as part of existing wall structures and it would not be necessary to build a host structure from scratch in order to implement the sound barrier. Such a modular design also means that a variety of blocks targeting different noise frequencies can be used within the same host structure to effectively block a range of low frequency noise.”

– Assoc Prof Lee Heow Pueh, NUS Mechanical Engineering

Self-healing Electronic Skin Has the Potential to Reduce Global Electronic Waste

Inspired by underwater invertebrates such as the jelly fish, Assistant Professor Benjamin Tee and his team from NUS Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with researchers from Tsinghua University, China and the University of California Riverside, USA, created an electronic skin with similar functionality.

Made by printing a gel –consisting of a fluorocarbonbased polymer and a fluorinerich ionic liquid – into electronic circuits, the electronic skin is transparent, stretchable, touchsensitive and has self-healing abilities in aquatic environments. These characteristics make

the material suitable for use in robotic applications ranging from soft and amphibious robots to water-resistant electronics.

More significantly, by making electronic devices from intelligent materials that can perform self-repair functions, the self-healing electronic skin has the potential to reduce the amount of electronic waste generated from broken mobile phones and tablets.

Performance on

World Stage

NUS Engineering students, alumni and faculty doing us proud

the

Laudable Performance of NUS Engineering Students at International Competitions

NUS iGEM Team Bags Gold and More at the 2019 iGEM Giant Jamboree

NUS iGEM team’s outstanding performance at the world’s largest annual synthetic biology student competition – iGEM – saw them edging out over 340 participating teams as top 5 undergraduate team and claim the Gold Medal at the annual iGEM Giant Jamboree in Boston, USA held from 31 October to 4 November 2019. Besides clinching the Gold Medal for the project, the team also went on to win two special awards – the Best Foundational Advance Project and Best Part Collection Awards. The team was also nominated for the Best Poster, Presentation, Wiki, Basic Part, Composite Part and Finalist awards. This was Singapore’s and NUS’ best ever showing at the competition.

NUS FSAE Team Keeps Up the Momentum at International Formula SAE Competition

The NUS 2019 iGEM team in Boston. From left: Joanne Lim, Suhasini Iyer, Cheng Kai Lim, Sheena Chan, Low Xi Zhi, Song Chun Yang, Zhao Hao, Prof Jimmy Peng and Prof Poh Chueh Loo.

Staying on track to its performance in 2018, the NUS FSAE team once again came in 13 out of 120 teams in the annual Formula SAE International Challenge. In addition to maintaining its position in the overall ranking, the team also ranked highly in various events and sub-competitions – bagging fourth in Engineering Design competition, seventh in Acceleration event, eighth in Skidpad event and among Top 10 in Engineering Design Drawing.

BumbleBee AUV Team Wins Best Static Judging at RoboSub 2019

NUS Engineering’s BumbleBee team pitted themselves against 53 other teams from 13 participating countries in RoboSub 2019 – an international competition designed to advance the development of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). While BumbleBee AUV team was able to build an AUV that can autonomously navigate through a series of tasks during practice runs, the uncertainties during the actual run hampered them from a better showing. Nonetheless, BumbleBee AUV team managed to clinch the Best Static Judging award.

The BumbleBee team with their AUV at San Diego, California.

The NUS FSAE team with their R-19 race car.

Start-up Founded by NUS Engineering Research Fellow Wins PIER71’s Smart Port Challenge 2019

Dravam emerged as the top three start-ups at PIER71’s 2019 Smart Challenge Grand Final under the leadership of Dr Vivek Kolladikkal Premandhan, a Research Fellow at NUS Mechanical Engineering. Also on the team are NUS Mechanical Engineering PhD students, Peter Farouk Ramzy Beshay and Nisim Shushan.

Pitching to an audience of over 300 investors, corporate partners, venture capitalists, and maritime professionals, the team impressed judges with their proposed innovative fuel quality monitoring solution, business model, market opportunity, impact to the maritime industry and overall team capability.

Through providing real-time information regarding fuel quality by scanning the entire fuel transfer in the bunkering pipeline, Dravam addressed challenges in the bunkering sector with its online fuel quality monitoring solution. Eventually, they beat 23 other international entrants from USA, Canada, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore to win a cash prize of $10,000 and a grant of up to S$50,000 from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to develop and pilot their solutions with maritime companies.

The technology is patented by NUS and exclusively licensed to Dravam, a deep-tech start up under NUS’s Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP).

has been an exhilarating experience being part of Smart Port Challenge. PIER71 Accelerate is such a unique programme – the quality of mentorship, workshops and networking opportunities is second to none. The last five weeks has brought us closer to being market-ready and we are very honoured by this win and excited to be part of this ecosystem.”

Dravam, start-up led by NUS Engineering Research Fellow, won the Grand Final of PIER71’s Smart Port Challenge 2019.

“It

– Dr Vivek Premanadhan, Dravam Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Winner of the Grand Final

About PIER71 Smart Port Challenge Organised by MPA and NUS Enterprise, PIER71 Smart Port Challenge is an annual innovation competition for global technology start-ups to address challenges of maritime companies in Singapore. One of the highlights of PIER71 is PIER71 Accelerate – a five-week market and business model validation programme that comprises a two-day bootcamp.

NUS Engineering Faculty Members

Recognised for Advancing Engineering and Enhancing Quality of Life of Singaporeans

Two projects from NUS Engineering faculty – Associate Professor Chua Kian Jon, Ernest, from NUS Mechanical Engineering and Assistant Professor Olivier Patrick Lefebvre from NUS Civil and Environmental Engineering –were awarded the IES Prestigious Achievement Awards by the Institution of Engineers Singapore on 29 August 2019.

Hybrid Solar-thermal Air Conditioners

The hybrid solar-thermal air conditioners, developed by Assoc Prof Chua and his industrial collaborators, Ecoline Solar Pte Ltd, represents a new generation of unconventional electrical compression machines which use heat from the sun and ambient surroundings to ease the electrical load of the energy-guzzling compressor. Notably, the collaboration between Assoc Prof Chua and Ecoline Solar demonstrates how research conducted in NUS’ laboratories can impact applications and strengthen the competitiveness of industries.

Key Benefits of the Hybrid Air Conditioner

• Increase sustainability and reduce greenhouse emissions

• Up to 30% to 55% less energy consumption compared to some of the best inverted air conditioning systems in the market

• The hotter the sun, the more efficient the system is, and the more cost savings consumers will enjoy

Electrochemical Treatment of Industrial Wastewater Assistant Professor Olivier Patrick Lefebvre from NUS Civil and Environmental Engineering came out with a proprietary graphene electrode that can treat all kinds of “hard-to-treat” wastewater, including chemical, electronics, pharmaceutical and waste sludge, for which there is no gold standard.

Wastewater electrochemical oxidation is the new frontier to support a green economy based on “zero-waste” and sustainability-oriented industry. The reagent for purification is produced within the waste itself using electricity instead of chemicals and with no harmful emission.

Assoc Prof Chua (right) and his industrial collaborators receiving the IES Prestigious Achievement Award from Professor Yeoh Lean Weng, President of IES, Singapore (left) and Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (second from right).

Asst Prof Lefebvre (centre) receiving the IES Prestigious Achievement Award from Professor Yeoh Lean Weng, President of IES, Singapore (left) and Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (right).

NUS Engineering Researchers Celebrated at the NUS University Awards 2019

Dean’s Chair Associate Professor Vincent Tan from NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Mathematics, NUS Faculty of Science, and Associate Professor Yan Ning from NUS Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering received the Young Researcher Award at this year’s NUS University Awards held on 28 May at the NUS University Cultural Centre. Conferred on researchers below 40 years of age based on their impact and promise in research, the Young Researcher Award carries a prize money of $2,000 and a research grant of $10,000 in the following year, subject to NUS’ grant guidelines.

About Associate Professor Vincent Tan

• Known internationally for his works on finite-length fundamental limits in networks which shape the design of lowlatency communication systems

• Established an impossibility result for point-to-point communication systems that matches Strassen’s achievable result from the 1960s. Also derived similarly stunning results for multi-user networks together with his collaborators

• New mathematical theorems constitute byproducts of these analyses and are applicable to machine learning tasks such as the estimation of graphical networks from data

• Raised research grants of $3 million from the National Research Foundation (NRF), Ministry of Education, Institute of Data Science, JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science)-NUS and Institute of Mathematical Sciences

About Associate Professor Yan Ning

• Received the annual ACS (American Chemical Society) Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering Lectureship Award 2018 for pioneering the “waste shell biorefinery” concept

• First and only recipient from Asia to be recognised with the RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) Environmental, Sustainability and Energy Early Career Award in 2017 for research on the valorisation of wastes through rational catalyst

• Led an international team in developing a chemical synthesis route of various amino acids from sugars

• Developed highly efficient single atom metal catalysts which address high temperature stability issue

• Raised research grants of $2.55 million from the National Research Foundation, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Ministry of Education, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, UNESCO and NUS, among others

Assoc Prof Yan Ning (left) and Assoc Prof Vincent Tan (right) were honoured alongside six other individuals at the NUS University Awards 2019.

of The Collaboration Power

A meeting of minds and a confluence of strengths

Partnership to Advance Technology for 3D-printed Implants in Humans

NUS Centre for Additive Manufacturing (AM.NUS) and TÜV SÜD signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 23 October. Apart from cooperating in areas of research and development, the partnership will also encompass process certification, inspection and auditing. The goal is to enable the AM.NUS facility at NUS Engineering become ISO-certified by the end of 2020.

After its achievement of the ISO 13485 certification, its 3D-printed personalised implants can be used in patients to improve healing potential and speed up the healing process and, ultimately, better patient outcomes.

Director of AM.NUS, Professor Jerry Fuh Ying-Hsi said, “Additive manufacturing technology can be considered as a great opportunity to provide easy access to healthcare in developing countries. It is a crucial step towards engineering patient-specific medical products. Thus, it is imperative to meet the global standards while developing these products. Partnership with TÜV SÜD is of strategic importance since it will help us achieve global standards while we build and strengthen our base in the region.”

Adding on, Richard Hong, Chief Executive Officer, TÜV SÜD ASEAN, said, “Additive manufacturing is ushering in transformation in the production of medical devices as the technology is enabling businesses to push boundaries. We are excited to work with NUS.AM, as this collaboration makes us the first company to certify the first additive manufacturing design and development that can print 3D-printed metal implants for clinical trials.”

The MOU will bring together both organisations in their concerted effort to define new frontiers in the space of 3D-printing of medical implants.

Working Together to Inspire Interest and Further Research and Development in Game Research

NUS Engineering signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tencent Institute of Games on 14 October 2019.

Professor Aaron Thean, Dean of NUS Engineering, said, “This agreement formalises our collaboration with Tencent Institute of Games in the area of game research and development.”

An implant made by 3D-printing applied on a human skull prototype.

Ms Sammi, Vice President of Interactive Entertainment Group and Dean of Tencent Institute of Games added, “Tencent is excited to work with NUS Engineering to further our mutual interests in game research and development. Particularly, we see Tencent enriching the partnership with our industry knowledge and expertise.”

The joint organisation of a games development competition was also discussed at the signing ceremony.

Common Goal Inspires Collaboration Between NUS Engineering, Keppel and SLNG

NUS Engineering joins forces with the Keppel Data Centres Holdings Pte Ltd (Keppel Data Centres) and Singapore LNG Corporation Pte Ltd (SLNG) to develop a new, energy-efficient and costeffective cooling technology for data centres.

The five-member team from NUS Engineering, Keppel Data Centres and SLNG under the leadership of Dean’s Chair and Associate Professor Praveen Linga will develop a prototype of a new cooling medium that can efficiently store and carry cold energy from SLNG Terminal to the various data centres as well as circulate the energy within the cooling loop in each data centre to achieve effective cooling.

In conventional chilling technology, a liquid coolant – usually chilled water – is used to cool the air in data centres. Large volumes of water are required to supply chilled water in the circulation loop to carry out cooling as water has limited thermal capacity. Consequently, to generate adequate pumping loads to maintain the flow of chilled water in the cooling system, a large infrastructure is required.

In this project, the research team will explore use of the Semiclathrate Thermal Energy Carrier System (ScTECS) which can potentially enable data centres to improve their power usage effectiveness by 20 percent. The footprint of the cooling infrastructure could also be significantly reduced –saving space and construction costs, and enabling more sustainable and compact data centres in the future.

The team also intends to harness and utilise LNG cold energy from LNG re-gasification terminals and use

it to offset the energy demands in data centres. Cold energy generated from LNG re-gasification could be stored in phase change materials and distributed to data centres for cooling purposes.

The process prototype demonstrating the cooling technology with a capacity

of one tonne per day will be designed, built and operated for demonstration by 2022 at NUS.

The research project is supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore under its Green Data Centre Research Programme.

“Improving the efficiency of the cooling system can result in significant energy savings and reduce the carbon footprint of data centres. Therefore, in this project, we aim to demonstrate a novel way of storing cold energy release from the liquified Natural Gas (LNG) re-gasification process and using it to cool data centres efficiently.”

– Assoc Prof Praveen Linga, NUS Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

From

Corporation)

left, Senior Engineer Tee Jackson from Keppel Data Centres, Sreekala Kumar from IncubateKeppel Manager, Senior Development Engineer Ho Wai Ying from Singapore LNG, Associate Professor Praveen Linga and Professor Iftekhar A. Karimi from NUS Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, will collaborate to develop more efficient cooling technology for data centres. (Photo credit: Keppel

Community Engaged

Best

NUS Engineering community coming together and paying it forward

at its

An

Annual Appreciation Dinner

On 17 January 2019, the Faculty held its Annual Appreciation Dinner at the Kent Ridge Guild House. NUS Engineering Dean Professor Chua Kee Chaing thanked the guests for their continued support and highlighted how these are endowed to needy students in the form of bursaries. Particularly, he applauded efforts of Class of 1976 who raised funds to enable needy students’ participation in NUS Overseas College, Student Exchange Programmes and Industrial Attachment.

Class of 1983 Charity Golf

On 26 February 2019, the Class of 1983 held a charity golf at the Orchid Country Club. It saw the participation of 144 alumni, donors, sponsors and friends. Er. Tan Seng Chuan, Chairman of the organising committee, and his committee presented a cheque of S$300,000 to NUS Engineering Vice Dean (Student Life, Alumni & Development), Prof David Chua during dinner. The funds raised will be used to set up an Engineering Class of 1983 Scholarship to help support

bright, talented and financially needy undergraduates pursue their dreams of a world-class Engineering education in NUS.

Fundraising by Mechanical Engineering Class of 1988

Under the leadership of Mr Alan Heng, the Mechanical Class of 1988 raised over $150,000 to establish an endowed class bursary to support financially-needy undergraduates from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Raymond Lau Bursary

Mr Raymond Lau from the Mechanical Engineering Class of 1992 had established the Raymond Lau Bursary, with an endowment gift of $150,000. This bursary will support financially-needy undergraduates from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

NUS Engineering Alumni Mentorship Programme

On 30 September 2019, NUS Engineering held the third run of its Alumni Mentorship Programme.

Besides building a strong and dynamic relationship between the student community and alumni, the programme aims to provide opportunities for students to learn about work and life outside university from accomplished alumni of the NUS Engineering. Together with 15 Mentors, the 38 student mentees form its largest intake to date.

Benefactor Campus Experience

The Benefactor Campus Experience, organised by the Development Office, was held on 24 August 2019. The University’s top donors and their families visited our Advanced Robotics Centre and viewed a showcase of machines with a focus on humanrobot collaborative systems. The visitors were also introduced to autonomous Personal Mobility Device, experimented with soft robotics prototypes, learned how the robotics walker can help in rehabilitation and controlled the KUKA robotic arm with a haptic device. The guests then joined NUS President for lunch and participated in creative workshops in the afternoon.

CLASS OF 2019

BEng

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT ENROLMENT TOTAL 6,231

Engineering 67 B Tech 136 Biomedical Engineering 604 Civil Engineering 520 Electrical Engineering 797 Industrial and Systems Engineering 350 Materials Science and Engineering 328 Mechanical Engineering 1,398 Chemical Engineering 1,064 Computer Engineering 658 Engineering Science Programme 130 Environmental Engineering 179 TOTAL 6,231

GRADUATE STUDENT ENROLMENT

MSc 1,535 MEng 127 EngD 4 PhD 962 TOTAL 2,628

RESEARCH • As at 9 January 2020

NUMBER OF CITATIONS (IN 5-YEAR INTERVALS)

2009-2013 2010-2014 2011-2015 2012-2016 2013-2017 2014-2018 2015-2019 Times Cited

AVERAGE CITATIONS PER PAPER (IN 5-YEAR INTERVALS)

12,222 16,146 14,602 19,713 24,576 28,694 31,950

2009-2013 2010-2014 2011-2015 2012-2016 2013-2017 2014-2018 2015-2019 Citations per Paper

NUMBER OF PAPERS (IN 5-YEAR INTERVALS)

4.41 5.26 4.97 6.02 6.85 7.48 8.14

2009-2013 2010-2014 2011-2015 2012-2016 2013-2017 2014-2018 2015-2019 Number of Papers

2,774 3,068 2,939 3,277 3,588 3,835 3,927

Design is not how it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works” – Steve Jobs (Apple co-founder and former CEO)

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