The IEEE-NUS Aquaponics Hackathon 2022, organized by IEEE NUS Student Branch and the ECE Department was held at NUS LT7A from 23rd to 24th July. Prior to the weekend hack, participants visited V+ Agritech Aquaponics farm at Kranji on the 16th of July, where Dr. Nelson Wei Tan, Chief Product Farmer, explained about how he grew vegetables and bred fish using aquaponics as well as the problems he encountered daily. The farm trip was crucial to setting the context of the problem statements that the participants would work on at the hackathon, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor activity.
In the subsequent week and over the two days of the hackathon, the contestants used their hardware and software expertise to come up with innovative and sustainable solutions that could in the long run help improve V+ Agritech farm’s ability to be a local food source. The event also featured insightful company talks from GlobalFoundries and IEEE Singapore Section, and delicious eateries from Arise and Shine. The top three winning teams, which also included students from NTU, were given cash prizes ranging from $200 to $50 in addition to certificates for their achievement. The novel solutions by the various groups was exciting and impressed the judges and we hope the students’ ideas will turn into reality someday, thus enhancing Singapore’s food security! IEEE-NUS student chapter would also like to place its thanks to the sponsors, V+ Agritech Pte Ltd, GlobalFoundries, IEEE Circuits and Systems Society and IEEE Singapore Section, without which the event would not have been possible.
