Pre-University Engagement
MOE Engineering & Tech Programme Scholarship (ETPS) Workshop
Get ready to dive into the future of technology and innovation!
The College of Design and Engineering (CDE) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) proudly presents an exclusive, hands-on workshop for ETPS scholars from January 6 to 10, 2025. Designed to inspire the next generation of engineering and technology leaders, this workshop will explore three dynamic themes: Healthcare Technology, Energy & Sustainability, and Climate Change & Coastal Protection.
Over the five days, scholars will experience immersive learning across engineering and design fields. Participants will join interactive workshops, guided tours, and lab sessions that blend theory with real-world application. Scholars will then put their knowledge to the test, collaborating on impactful projects that aim to solve real-life challenges.
The workshop will culminate in an exciting final challenge, where the top two teams from each theme will present their innovative solutions, competing for the 1st Prize within their theme.Â
Themes
Healthcare Technology
Enabling students to develop solutions that enhance the overall health management experience for individuals with chronic conditions.
For more information, click here.
Energy & Sustainability
Enabling students to build liveable spaces that promote energy efficiency and sustainability.
For more information, click here.
Climate Change & Coastal Protection
Enabling students to develop solutions that help the mitigate the effect of rising seawater on Singapore’s coastlines.
For more information, click here.
Workshop Schedule
The objective of this workshop is to develop an integrated glucose and heart rate sensor that combines the functionalities of glucose measurement and heart rate tracking into a single, user-friendly device. This integrated solution should provide seamless and real-time data, allowing users to monitor both parameters simultaneously and gain insights into how changes in one may affect the other. The device should enhance data accuracy, improve user convenience, and offer actionable insights to better manage health conditions and improve overall wellness.
Students are expected to work together to prepare the deliverables for day 5:
- Design and build an integrated glucose and heart rate sensor that combines the functionalities of glucose measurement and heart rate tracking into a single, user-friendly device
- 10-min project presentation
6 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructors |
| 1 | 8.30am - 9am | Light Breakfast | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â |
| 9am - 10am | Welcome Speech, Introduction to CDE | LT7A | Â | |
| 10am - 10.30am | Project Briefing | LT7A | Â | |
| 10.30am - 12.30pm | Workshop 1: Nanomedicine _________________________________________
Lecture introducing the concept of nanomaterials in medicine and biosensor, theory of plasmonic materials, understanding the concept of UV-Vis spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. |
LT7A | Dr Vincent Lee | |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â | |
| 1.30pm - 4.30pm | Workshop 1: Nanomedicine _________________________________________
Laboratory practical session where students will synthesise Au nanoparticles as bio-sensing component for glucose detection. Students will learn the use of UV-Vis spectrometer and scanning electron microscopy to better understand the effects of glucose concentration on the Au nanoparticle formation and visible light wavelength absorption. |
E3A Level 5 Materials 
Science & 
Engineering Lab | Dr Vincent Lee | |
| 4.30pm - 5.30pm | Free and Easy Group Discussions | E3A Level 5 Materials 
Science & 
Engineering Lab |  |
7 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructors |
| 2 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â |
| 9.30am - 11.30am |
Workshop 2: Basic Circuit and Measurement _________________________________________ The lecture will first introduce students to the basics of circuit connections and measurements. |
EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub | A/Prof James Kah | |
| 11.30am - 12.30pm |
Workshop 3: Introduction to Arduino _________________________________________
 This workshop will introduce the fundamentals of Arduino programming to integrate PPG sensor and LCD display in Workshop 4. |
EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
A/Prof James Kah | |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â | |
| 1.30pm - 2pm | Design Thinking and Innovation Sharing by Dyson | LT7A | Â | |
| 2pm - 3pm |
Workshop 3: Introduction to Arduino _________________________________________
 This workshop will introduce the fundamentals of Arduino programming to integrate PPG sensor and LCD display in Workshop 4. |
EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
A/Prof James Kah | |
| 3pm - 5pm |
Workshop 4: Photoplethysmography _________________________________________
 Laboratory practical session where students will then gain experience in programming both a PPG sensor and LCD display with an Arduino microcontroller before integrating them into a working medical device prototype capable of measuring and displaying their heart rate. |
EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
A/Prof James Kah | |
| 5pm - 5.30pm | Free and Easy Group Discussions | EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
 |
8 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructors |
| 3 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â |
| 9.30am - 10.30am | Workshop 5: Biophotonics _________________________________________ The lecture will first introduce students to the fundamentals of light and optics before focusing on the Beer-Lambert law and its application in photometry to determine the absorbance of a sample. |
EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
A/Prof James Kah | |
| 10.30am - 12.30pm | Workshop 5: Biophotonics _________________________________________
Laboratory practical session where students will set up a simple photometry circuit to measure the absorbance of a liquid sample. |
EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
A/Prof James Kah | |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â | |
| 1.30pm - 5pm | Workshop 6: 3D Printing _________________________________________ This session comprises both a lecture and a laboratory practical. The lecture will first introduce students to 3D printing (fused deposition modelling) and CAD (computer aided design). Students will then gain experience through the lab practical to design a cuvette holder using CAD software and later using a FDM 3D printer to print out the prototype. |
EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
Royston Shieh | |
| 5pm - 5.30pm | Free and Easy Group Discussions | EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
 |
9 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructors |
| 4 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â |
| 9.30am - 12.30pm | Workshop 7: Systems Integration _________________________________________ This session will serve to integrate the learning from all the previous four sessions where students will assemble an integrated glucose and heart rate sensor that combines the functionalities of glucose measurement and heart rate tracking into a single, user-friendly device. |
EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
A/Prof James Kah | |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â | |
| 1.30pm - 3.30pm | Free and Easy Prototyping (1h) | EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
 | |
| Tour @ iHealthTech Lab (1h) | E7 | Â | ||
| 3.30pm - 5.30pm | Free and Easy Prototyping | EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
 |
10 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructors |
| 5 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â |
| 9.30am - 12pm | Final Testing & Preparation | EA Level 4 Innovation & Design Hub |
 | |
| 12pm - 1pm | Lunch | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â | |
| 1pm - 3.30pm | Intracluster Presentation | LT7A | Â | |
| 3.30pm - 5.30pm | Final Presentation & Prize Presentation | LT7A | Â | |
| 5.30pm onwards | Tea Reception (Free-and-easy) | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â |
This workshop is designed to help students develop an appreciation for the engineering principles involved in creating a Cool House, focusing on sustainable and innovative design solutions. Each group in the "Cool" House challenge will be evaluated based on their house design using sustainable features.
Students are expected to work together to prepare the deliverables for day 5:
- Design and build a house/building structure and incorporate sustainable features
- 2-min video presentation
- 10-min project presentation
6 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructors |
| 1 | 8.30am - 9am | Light Breakfast | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â |
| 9am - 10am | Welcome Speech, Introduction to CDE | LT7A | Â | |
| 10am - 10.30am | Project Briefing | SDE3 Level 4 Barrel Room |
 | |
| 10.30am - 12.30pm | Workshop 1: Principles and Practices of Sustainable Architecture _________________________________________
This workshop introduces participants to basic concepts of sustainable architecture, as well as active and passive design strategies to enhance liveability in the built environment. |
SDE3 Level 4 Barrel Room |
Dr Terrence Tan | |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch | SDE3 Level 4 | Â | |
| 1.30pm - 2.30pm | Tour: Let There Be Light - Net-Zero Energy Building and Solar Roof Tour | SDE4 | A/Prof Stephen Tay | |
| 2.30pm - 5.30pm | Workshop 2: Developing and Presenting Your Cool House: A Hands-on Experience _________________________________________
The workshop aims to provide students with basic research methodology to develop the Cool House, and technical presentation skills to share their Cool House in the final day. |
SDE3 Level 4 Barrel Room |
A/Prof Stephen Tay |
7 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructors |
| 2 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | SDE3 Level 4 | Â |
| 9.30am - 12.30pm | Workshop 3: Key Fundamentals Of Building Structures _________________________________________
The workshop outlines the basics of Building Structures Appreciation presenting the concepts of structural geometry, types of forces, strength of materials, force transfer, force equilibrium and structural stability via a hybrid approach of a mini-lecture and a simple group hands-on experiential exercise. |
SDE3 Level 4 Barrel Room |
Dr Kong Kian Hau | |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch | SDE3 Level 4 | Â | |
| 1.30pm - 2pm | Design Thinking and Innovation Sharing by Dyson | LT7A | Â | |
| 2pm - 3.30pm | Workshop 4: Using Greenery for Cooling the Urban Environment _________________________________________
This workshop focuses on the role of greenery in reducing temperature in the built environment. Participants will learn about the different forms of greenery and how they can be effectively employed to improve thermal comfort for both indoor as well as outdoor environments. |
SDE3 Level 4 Barrel Room |
Dr Terrence Tan | |
| 3.30pm - 5.30pm | Workshop 5: Ensuring Liveable Neighborhoods: The Sustainability Challenge _________________________________________
The workshop introduces the complex urban challenges that cities face (urban heat, drought, flash floods, sea level rise, etc.), delving into Singapore’s challenges, and efforts to ensure a sustainable environment at the neighborhood and town level, with case studies and examples. |
SDE3 Level 4 Barrel Room |
Prof Fong Chun Wah |
8 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructors |
| 3 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | SDE3 Level 4 | Â |
| 9.30am - 12.30pm |
Workshop 6: Sustainable construction materials – how we can get to Net Zero Carbon?____________________________________
This workshop explores sustainable construction in Singapore, featuring the Green Mark Scheme, innovative materials like biochar and LC3, and hands-on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) activities to evaluate material sustainability. |
SDE3 Level 4 Barrel Room |
A/Prof Kua Harn Wei | |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch | SDE3 Level 4 | Â | |
| 1.30pm - 2.15pm | Transport to Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) | URA | Â | |
| 2.15pm - 3.45pm | Sharing on Planning in Singapore with Interactive Gen AI Demonstration (URA) |
URA | Â | |
| 3.45pm - 5.30pm | Tour: Exploration of Singapore City Gallery using Questeon mobile app gallery quest | URA | Â |
9 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructors |
| 4 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | SDE3 Level 4 | Â |
| 9.30am - 12.30pm | Workshop 7: Solar Photovoltaics for Green Buildings _________________________________________
The workshop provides students with a fundamental understanding of how solar photovoltaic deployment contributes to green buildings. |
SDE3 Level 4 Barrel Room |
A/Prof Stephen Tay | |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch | SDE3 Level 4 | Â | |
| 1.30pm - 5.30pm | Free and Easy Group Discussions | SDE3 Level 4 Barrel Room |
 |
10 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructors |
| 5 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | SDE3 Level 4 | Â |
| 9.30am - 10.30am | Final Group Discussion | SDE3 Level 4 Barrel Room |
 | |
| 10.30am - 12pm | Final Testing & Preparation | SDE3 | Â | |
| 12pm - 1pm | Lunch | SDE3 Level 4 | Â | |
| 1pm - 3.30pm | Intra-cluster Presentation | SDE3 LT423 | Â | |
| 3.30pm - 5.30pm | Final Presentation & Prize Presentation | LT7A | Â | |
| 5.30pm onwards | Tea Reception (Free-and-easy) | EA Atrium Level 1 |  |
This workshop focuses on raising awareness of climate change and its effects on Singapore's coasts. It provides students with hands-on experience in designing and implementing engineering solutions to protect the coast from rising seawater. Students will have the opportunity to test their solutions in a wave tank, assessing their effectiveness in real-world conditions.
Students are expected to work together to prepare the deliverables for day 5:
- Design and build a build a scaled coastal protection model of your solution
- 10-min project presentation
6 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructor |
| 1 | 8.30am - 9am | Light Breakfast | EA Atrium Level 1 | Â |
| 9am - 10am | Welcome Speech, Introduction to CDE | LT7A | Â | |
| 10am - 10.30am | Project Briefing | E4 Level 4, E4-04-04 |
Dr Paul Ong | |
| 10.30am - 12.30pm |
Workshop 1: Introduction to Climate Change This workshop explores the science of climate change, the human activities driving it, and strategies to reduce emissions, enhance carbon capture, and build climate resilience. |
E4 Level 4, E4-04-04 |
Prof Rajasekhar Balasubramanian |
|
| 12.30pm - 1pm | Transport to Marina Barrage | Â | Â | |
| 1pm - 2.30pm | Lunch & Tour at Marina Barrage | Â | Â | |
| 2.30pm - 3pm | Transport to NUS | Â | Â | |
| 3pm - 5pm |
Workshop 2: Introduction to Coastal Protection This workshop explores the impact of sea level rise and extreme weather on Singapore, highlights key Coastal Protection and Floor Resilience Institute (CFI) research areas, and introduces wave hydrodynamics research. |
E4 Level 4, E4-04-04 |
Prof Koh Chan Ghee | |
| 5pm - 5.30pm | Free and Easy Group Discussions | E4 Level 4, E4-04-04 |
 |
7 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructor |
| 2 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | E4 Level 4 |  |
| 9.30am - 11.30am |
Workshop 3: Introduction to Nature-Based Solutions This lecture explores how coastal ecosystems like mangroves and seagrass protect shorelines from climate change, with participants designing adaptation solutions and analysing wave mechanics using nature-based and traditional methods. |
E4 Level 4, E4-04-04 |
Dr Gary Lei | |
| 11.30am - 12.30pm | Free & Easy Group Discussions | E4 Level 4, E4-04-04 |
 | |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch | E4 Level 4 | Â | |
| 1.30pm - 2pm | Design Thinking and Innovation Sharing by Dyson | LT7A |  | |
| 2pm - 5pm | Labwork 1: Design & Testing of Nature-Based Solutions _________________________________________
Laboratory session for students to design their shoreline adaptation, choosing from models of nature-based solutions as well as traditional infrastructure. |
Hydraulics Lab | Dr Gary Lei | |
| 5pm - 5.30pm | Free & Easy Group Discussions | Hydraulics Lab | Â |
8 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructor |
| 3 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | E4 Level 4 | Â |
| 9.30am - 10am | Free & Easy Group Discussions | E4 Level 4, E4-04-04 |
 | |
| 10am - 12pm |
Workshop 4: Introduction to Green Concrete and 3D Printing This lecture covers the introduction of green concrete and its environmental impact, along with current measures to reduce the ecological footprint of traditional concrete. It also explores 3D concrete printing (3DCP) and highlights NUS's latest advancements in this innovative technology. |
E4 Level 4, E4-04-04 |
Dr Du Hongjian | |
| 12pm - 1pm | Lunch | E4 Level 4 | Â | |
| 1pm - 4pm |
Labwork 2: Artificial Coral Reefs In this lab session, students will explore the upcycling of solid waste into green concrete for construction purposes and assess the performance of 3D printed concrete, focusing on its strength, dimensional stability, and durability in coastal protection applications. |
Structures Lab | Dr Du Hongjian | |
| 4pm - 5.30pm | Free & Easy Group Discussions | EW1-1M-02 and EW1-1M-03 |
 |
9 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructor |
| 4 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | E4 Level 4 | Â |
| 9.30am - 12.30pm |
Workshop 5: Coastal Resilience: A Landscape Approach This lecture introduces landscape architecture approaches to coastal resilience, exploring urban, social, and cultural factors, the impact of climate change on cities, and the role of communities in nature-based solutions. These concepts will be illustrated through landscape architecture student design work on the Singapore Long Island project. |
E4 Level 4, E4-04-04 | Dr Maxime Cedric | |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch | E4 Level 4 | Â | |
| 1.30pm - 4.30pm | Labwork 3: Trial Testing in Wave Tank | Hydraulics Lab | Dr Paul Ong | |
| 4.30pm - 5.30pm | Free & Easy Group Discussions | Hydraulics Lab / EW1-1M-02 and EW1-1M-03 |
 |
10 January 2025
| Day | Time | Programme | Venue | Instructor |
| 5 | 9am - 9.30am | Light Breakfast | E4 Level 4 | Â |
| 9.30am - 12.30pm | Labwork 4: Final Testing in Wave Tank | Hydraulics Lab | Dr Paul Ong | |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch | E4 Level 4 | Â | |
| 1.30pm - 3.30pm | Intracluster Presentation | LT6 | Dr Paul Ong | |
| 3.30pm - 5.30pm | Final Presentation & Prize Presentation | LT7A | Â | |
| 5.30pm onwards | Tea Reception (Free-and-easy) | EA Atrium Level 1 |  |