STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS & STUDENT LIFE
CEG student, co-founder of BEEP, named in Forbes 30 under 30
Four individuals from the CDE community have been named among the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. The list, published annually by Forbes, features 300 “entrepreneurs, leaders and trailblazers” under 30 in 10 categories across the Asia-Pacific.
According to Forbes, the list spotlights individuals “who are leading the transformation of industries and finding innovative ways to navigate new business realities in the region.”
The four include Computer Engineering undergraduate Benjamin Long.
Benjamin listed under the Enterprise Technology category, co-founded Beep in 2018, a start-up aiding vending machine operators with cashless and online capabilities. Their tech supported Singapore's mask and test kit distribution during the pandemic, earning them the COVID-19 Resilience Medal. In 2021, Beep expanded into electric vehicle infrastructure through its subsidiary Voltality.
iDP students getting their hands into 'greening' NUS
From March to May 2023, a team of students from the Innovation and Design Programme (iDP) at the Engineering Design and Innovation Centre (EDIC) had the chance to contribute to the construction of a nursery proposed by the Department of Biological Science (DBS). The nursery's purpose was to cultivate sun-loving trees to support reforestation efforts in Singapore.
The site, located near the University Hall, was a collaborative effort between Professor Veera of the Regenerative Agritech Centre (RAC), Dr Chua Siew Chin (DBS), and the iDP students. The iDP students played a crucial role in the initial planning and design of the site, dedicating their weekends to marking out the site, clearing the ground, paving the ground, building the structures, shelters and roofs, and installing the irrigation system.
The nursery project has been a transformative learning experience for the students. It provided them with a unique opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge in a practical setting, designing and building a project from scratch. Over the past year, they have witnessed the tangible results of their efforts.
Ms Jasmine Xie, taking a BBA major and iDP as a second major, recounted: “Building the nursery has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me. We gained hands-on knowledge from designing the layout to constructing the structures and installing the irrigation system. We saw our efforts flourish into a thriving project over the past year.”
In addition to this project, another collaborative project is in the works with DBS to transform a DBS walkway into a green walkway, introducing plants to reduce temperature and create inviting spaces within NUS. The project will use simple irrigation systems with automated irrigation to grow edibles and ornamentals. Various species of plants will be introduced to enhance the biodiversity of flora and fauna in NUS. This collaborative project involves EDIC, Landscape Architecture, and DBS students.
ME students make their mark at MRS Meeting
PhD student, Wang Jingxuan, has been awarded the Best Poster Award for his work titled “High Thermal Conductive Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanofibers” at the 2024 Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting, held on 22-26 April 2024, at Seattle, Washington, USA.
The Materials Research Society (MRS) was established in 1973. Its membership comprises materials researchers from academia, industry, and government, who hail from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and engineering — the full spectrum of materials research. The MRS is a recognised leader in the advancement of interdisciplinary materials research. Headquartered in Warrendale, Pennsylvania (USA), MRS membership spans over 90 countries.
Read more at: Wang Jingxuan project
At the same meeting, PhD student Li Sichao was awarded the 2024 Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting’s Graduate Student Silver Award for his work “Thermal Rectification Mediated by Polaritonic Heat Conduction”.
The MRS Graduate Student Awards are intended to honour and encourage graduate students whose academic achievements and current materials research display a high level of excellence and distinction. MRS seeks to recognise students of exceptional ability who show promise for significant future achievement in materials research.
Read more at: Li Sichao project
Both students work with Assistant Professor Sunmi Shin at the Heat Lab, NUS.