Commencement Guest Speaker: Er. Chua Tong Seng

Er. Chua Tong Seng is the Managing Director of Kiso-Jiban Singapore Pte Ltd, a Consultancy firm specialized in Geotechnical Engineering works. He graduated with a B.Eng (First class) and Master of Engineering from NUS. He is a registered professional engineer, a specialist professional engineer in geotechnical and a specialist accredited checker. His areas of expertise are in civil and geotechnical engineering and has been involved in many deep foundations, deep excavations, tunnels, underpinnings and land reclamation projects. He has worked for projects in ASEAN and Middle East. One of his most fulfilling projects was the construction of tunnels underneath Marina Bay Station which involved underpinning of tunnels and innovative method using Ground Freezing. He is a member of the Engineering Expert Panel of the Institution of Engineers Singapore, a board member of the Professional Engineers Board and a BCA Industry Ambassador. He is a Past President of Geotechnical Society of Singapore and the current President of the Association of Consulting Engineers, Singapore.

 

Speech By Er. Chua Tong Seng , Managing Director of Kiso-Jiban Singapore Pte Ltd. At The Engineering Commencement 2019 Ceremony (C16), For CEE Graduation On Tuesday, 16 July 2019 At 10am.

Member of the NUS Board of Trustees, Mr Abdullah Tarmugi; Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Professor Chua Kee Chaing; Professors, Distinguished Guests, proud parents and above all Graduates of commencement class 2019, good morning.

When I was a student here in the late ‘80s, I could not have imagined that one day NUS Civil Engineering will be ranked top 10 in the world.

This year, we are not just talking about top 10 but according to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2019, NUS Civil Engineering clinched second spot, better than those from the Ivy League. I am very excited to learn of this achievement. Congratulations to NUS, Head of Department and all Professors!

 

 Singapore Bicentennial  

Year 2019 is a special year. This year, Singapore commemorates bicentennial year. It has been 200 years since Raffles founded modern Singapore. This is the year that NUS Civil Engineering achieved its highest ranking in the world. Most importantly, to the commencement class of 2019, this is the year you graduated. Congratulations to all of you!

This memorable year presents an extraordinary gift that will form a solid foundation on which you will build your next stage of life and career ahead.

 

NUS Civil Engineering is Top

On reflection, the highest world ranking does not happen by chance but foresight of past Department Heads, collective effort of Professor Quek Ser Tong and Professors who planned well ahead of time for the transformation. They worked hard to excel not just locally but globally. The graduates’ competency and their contribution to industry resulting in happy employers are the other factors that make the highest ranking a reality. I had the privilege of learning from three energetic professors during my research days in NUS. They graduated from top universities in the world. One of them, Professor Lee Fook Hou developed and commissioned the NUS Geotechnical Centrifuge. This is the only geotechnical centrifuge in South East Asia, and he built it from scratch. Another is Professor Harry Tan. He prepares our undergraduates and teaches practising engineers to use advance software to solve geotechnical problem well ahead of many other advanced countries in the world. NUS is blessed to have other distinguished Professors like Professor K K Phoon. They are well known internationally, and this has contributed to the success story. 

 

Singapore Construction Industry 

The construction industry in Singapore is healthy. The total contract awarded last year was 30.5 billion dollars, a marked improvement from the 24 billion dollars awarded in 2017. It signified that the construction demands of the Built Environment have turned a corner. The good news is that construction demand is expected to remain strong this year and the same positive demand will be sustainable for the next few years.

You can look forward to working in projects like North South Corridor, MRT Cross Line, Jurong Regional Line, New Changi Airport Terminal 5, Tuas Mega Port, Punggol District Park, expansion of Integrated Resorts and many mores.

 

Construction ITM

The world is changing at a faster rate than before. To address potential challenges faced by the construction industry in the future, the government agencies like the Building and Construction Authority, together with public sectors are working on an Industry Transformation Map, or ITM, in short. This collective effort focuses on key areas, namely Design for Manufacturing and Assembly, Integrated Digital Delivery and energy saving Green Building. The aim is to exploit the advance of latest technology in construction work. This will be interesting especially to Millennials like you who are used to digital language and platforms.

Internationalisation is another interesting frontier. There is a vision to transform Singapore as a center of excellence for Built Environment in Asia to capture regional and global opportunities. One of the ways is to form Collaborative Alliance among local industry players to work together on oversea projects. Most of you have travelled a fair bit, either to learn and to see the world. I can see this is another area you might want to work to fulfil the curiosity and enthusiastic spirit in you.

 

My 9 pointers

The Professors have done their best to impart their knowledge. As your Guest Speaker on this wonderful day, I too would like to do my part and share with you some pointers that may be useful to you when you need to make choices in life. Since this is 2019, I will like to present to you 9 pointers.

1. Wiseman always said, “build something bigger than yourself”. If this resonates with you, there are lot of opportunities out there to Practice Engineering. For me, civil engineering allows me to practice creativity and be involved in design and supervision of some iconic structures like tall buildings and tunnels. I can proudly say to my family and friends when I drive them through the tunnel and say “I helped built this complex structure”. You will find fulfilment from your works and feel a great sense of purpose on seeing your design become reality. You will get to practice what you have learnt here and be involved in shaping the skyline of Singapore, creating connectivity for people when you are doing infrastructure project or crafting the shape of Singapore if you are involved in reclamation project.
2. Continue to learn. Professors are always ahead of us. While teaching is the best way of learning, they advance their knowledge further through continuous research. 200 years after Raffles founded the sea port, Singapore continues to develop. It now has world class seaport and airport and is taking a step further in building mega port at Tuas and new terminal at Changi to future proof. Go beyond your core expectation and specialise in your area of interest. This will allow you to go in-depth and acquire new knowledge. Remember the deeper you go, the higher you can build.
3. Be Grateful to your parents, professors and those around you, your brothers and sisters. I can see that they are all excited and ready with their latest smartphones to take photos of you when you come on stage later. Be good to your professors as they genuinely want you to learn as much and get you ready to face the world. Your parents worry for you when you stayed up late studying and when you are taking your exams. Most do not show it. You will know this when you become a parent one day, just like me. Show them the gratitude even though they do not expect it. So, I will take this opportunity to thank them on your behalf. Thank you, Professors and thank you, Parents, who have been supporting Class 2019.
4. Work for a good company. My company specialises in geotechnical engineering. It is known for three values; quality works, innovative and willingness to share their knowledge. The parent company invented some special equipment that enabled Engineers to obtain accurate geotechnical data that conventional type could not do. We all know that Data is the new oil, but the data must be accurate. Every structure that Engineers build will have to be founded on soil or rock. Therefore, we need to know this nature that we rely on in great detail. For me, I loved geotechnical engineering. I like to share my experience so that more people could learn and admire the wonder of this nature. Therefore, I feel aligned with the company especially when it allows me to help others solve their problems. So, find a company with a clear sense of purpose and whose business mission aligns with yours.
5. Be Innovative. I have been an external examiner for some of the past Final Year Projects and must said that I have seen high quality and innovative research works. I believe this year is as good, if not better. Keep up the good work. Recently, I just completed my most challenging project using Ground Freezing. This technique was used for the first time for a rail project in the tropical city of Singapore. Innovation addresses people needs and their challenges. As you make positive impact on people and community, you will feel a sense of fulfilment.
6. Be kind. Help others. Do charity. I am certain you will do well in the future. Don’t wait until you have accumulated certain wealth to do this. You can start small. Some call it micro-giving. What goes around, comes around. Life Guru said, “It is not what you have but what you give that you will find true happiness”. Most will agree that happiness besides acquiring knowledge is one of our main objectives in life.
7. Take your FEE exam. I am a board member of Professional Engineers Board. To be a registered Professional Engineer, you need to first pass the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination. Past data indicates that the passing rate is inversely proportionate to the number of years after graduation that a graduate took the exam. Professional Engineers Board is mindful to give local graduates a head start. So, take your exam early and I hope to see more Professional Engineers from Class 2019.
8. Collaborate. Collaboration is sometimes the best option and an essence of life. I notice today that NUS is also collaborating with other universities like Delft University of Technology. Life is not a zero-sum game. Mathematics professors might not agree but “the whole can be more than the sum of individual parts”. So, collaborate and always work towards a win-win outcome. A good way to cultivate this skill is to join learned societies like Geotechnical Society of Singapore, or GeoSS. GeoSS was inaugurated in 2008 and Professor Leung Chun Fai is the first President of GeoSS. I personally learned a lot from him. You can also join the Association of Consulting Engineers Singapore, or ACES. We have youth wings that provide excellent platform for younger members to learn, interact and network.
9. Last, but not least, Exercise. Take care of your body because you need it to do what you want to do. Do yoga, swim or run. It can be hard work, lots of sweat but this will benefit us. Do what is right, not what is easy. That’s the way to engineer your future.

 Thank you very much and once again, my heartiest congratulations to the special class of 2019!