A student team from the NUS Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has been recognised at the Global Sustainability Challenge (GSC) organised by the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. The team comprises Hiew Wing Yian, a PhD student from NUS CEE, and Lai Jun Tung, a Master’s student from USTC.
Competing in the Climate Adaptation category, the team was selected among the top 250 out of 845 teams worldwide to advance to Phase 2 of the competition. At the Asia-Pacific Regional Final held at Zhejiang University, their two projects achieved outstanding results – First Prize for Waste Mining and Second Prize for Zen Ascend.
Project Highlights:
* Waste Mining (First Prize): A digital, microbe-powered system that converts food waste into clean energy and low-carbon materials, reducing emissions from both waste management and cement production.
* Zen Ascend (Second Prize): A modular, sensor-enabled solution that detects early structural tilting in flood-prone housing, enabling proactive intervention and strengthening community resilience.
Poster session showcasing the Zen Ascend project during the regional finals.
Poster session showcasing the Waste Mining project during the regional finals.
The Global Sustainability Challenge is an annual initiative that empowers university students to develop actionable solutions to environmental and social challenges through a three-phase process—Ignite, Build, and Shine—supported by expert mentorship. The competition offers valuable exposure, allowing students to translate research ideas into real-world applications, gain international experience, and grow through interdisciplinary collaboration.
Team photo: Hiew Wing Yian (NUS) and Lai Jun Tung (USTC) at the Asia-Pacific regional finals of the Global Sustainability Challenge at Zhejiang University.
Our warmest congratulations to Wing Yian on her outstanding achievements and for representing NUS with excellence.
