STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS & STUDENT LIFE
Student Wellness tie-dye and bouquet-making workshops
The Office of Student Life conducted several wellness workshops for students in February.
The Re-Dye, Re-Style Tie Dye workshop, organised by CDE Wellness Ambassadors on 12 February, brought together 16 CDE students for a hands-on session that blended creativity and sustainability. The participants were encouraged to give pre-loved items a new look by experimenting with various tie-dye techniques, proving that a little colour and imagination can go a long way in reducing waste.
Love was in the air at the Valentine’s Day DIY Bouquet-Making Workshop on 14 February, where 27 students (including a few couples) crafted floral arrangements. Organised by the CDE Wellness Ambassadors, the hands-on session wasn’t just about flowers; it was about celebrating love, friendship, and the little things that bring people together.
Before diving into bouquet-making, participants got a quick rundown covering the meanings behind different flowers, examples of bouquet styles, and a step-by-step guide on prepping, layering, wrapping, and keeping the flowers fresh. With this newfound knowledge, they got to work designing their bouquets, whether for a friend, a partner, or even themselves. By the end of the session, everyone walked away with a beautiful, handcrafted bouquet and maybe even a new appreciation for flower arranging.
Interdisciplinary team from CDE wins 3rd prize at IBDC 2024
A remarkable example of interdisciplinary collaboration was demonstrated by a group of five CDE students. Their project, "Augmented Rosyth-A Community-Farm Learning Complex," was awarded 3rd prize at the International Building Design Competition (IBDC) 2024, with a cash prize of S$3,000.
The team included three students from Architecture programmes, one from Computer Engineering one from Electrical Engineering:
- Huang Zitao (MArch, Year 5)
- Guo Yuchen (BA Arch, Year 3)
- Zhao Xingqi (BA Arch, Year3 )
- Wang Silang (Computer Engineering, Year 4)
- Wan Jiacheng (Electrical Engineering, Year 4)
Discover more about their visionary project, which reimagines campuses as hybrid learning spaces focusing on flexibility, personalisation, and well-being here and here.
From Tanjong Pagar to Vietnam: Tan Yan's project gains recognition at ACARA 2024
Tan Yan, a third-year BA Architecture student, participated in the 13th Annual ACARA (Asian Contest of Architectural Rookie’s Award) workshop-competition at the Da Nang University of Architecture in Vietnam from 6-8 December 2024. The competition attracted 20 architectural contestants and seven judges from 11 countries and regions across Asia, including China, Japan, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, and India.
She presented her recent semester project, "Reclaiming the Alleyways," and secured the runner-up prize. In addition to the competition, she had the opportunity to collaborate with students from other Asian countries in a design sprint challenge during the workshop.
"Reclaiming the Alleyways" is a humanitarian initiative to design unutilised spaces for the often-overlooked users of shophouse alleyways in Tanjong Pagar. Click here to learn more about her project.
NCKU exchange student with the Department of Architecture shines at ASIA Young Designer Awards 2024
Congratulations to Liao Wei-Li Winnie, an exchange student from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) on winning the AYDA (ASIA Young Designer Awards) 2024 Gold Award. She spent a semester (AY2024/25 Semester 1) here with the Department of Architecture as part of her Year 3 Architectural Design Studio (AR3101 Design 5). We hope her exchange experience with CDE has provided her with invaluable learning opportunities and enriched her academic journey.
Click here to learn more about her award-winning project, 'Revitalising Tanjong Pagar,' which examines the role of cultural and religious events, community engagement, and informality in shaping 'soft' architecture and vibrant neighbourhoods.
BME team places 2nd place at APAC Huawei competition
Three graduates from Biomedical Engineering (The Golden Gamers) beat 69 other entries to clinch the grand prize of $20,000 in Huawei’s Tech4City competition, which was held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre on 11 October 2024. The project, PrimePlay, comprises a series of arcade-like fitness games to encourage seniors to stay active.
The same team was awarded 2nd place at the 9th Huawei ICT Competition APAC Final & Award Ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 27 February 2025. In his remarks, the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, underscored that empowering young talents is key to driving ASEAN’s digital transformation. Dr Kao also commended the ASEAN Foundation and Huawei for spearheading the Huawei ICT Competition, showcasing the power of public-private partnerships in advancing digital skills.
Congrats! Jonathon Leong, Fatin Sharafana, and Denise Caluza!
Read more about their project here: Arcade-like fitness games for seniors wins Huawei Tech4City competition - College of Design and Engineering
Project led by undergraduate Yihang Ouyang, published in Advanced Functional Materials
A study on the strain control of third-harmonic generation in Nb₂SiTe₄ driven by tunable anisotropic characteristics, led by fourth-year MSE undergraduate Yihang Ouyang under the supervision of Assistant Professor Maciej Koperski and Professor Kostya Novoselov (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, CDE, NUS) in collaboration with NUS alumnus Professor Zhihui Chen and Professor Jun He (Central South University, China), has been published in Advanced Functional Materials (IF = 18.5).
This work systematically demonstrates that 2D ternary Nb₂SiTe₄ crystals provide an excellent platform for tuning nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. It further reveals that the divergence of the NLO response in anisotropic materials can be modulated nonreciprocally through uniaxial strain along principal axes, enabling the potential application of NST materials in tunable anisotropic all-optical devices. This study was supported by the NUS Research Experience (REx) Grant for undergraduate research.
Students’ Achievements at iDEAS 2025: Paper Presentations and Travel Grant Highlights
We’re proud to celebrate the incredible research contributions of our BEng FYP students and Raffles Girls' School students (under the SMP 2024)! Their research was presented at iDEAS 2025, a platform showcasing innovative solutions in sustainable energy and engineering.
To read more about the projects, click here.