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MOE Engineering & Tech Programme Scholarship (ETPS) Workshop

Climate Change & Coastal Protection Theme

The threat of rising seawater is posing a challenge for Singapore's urban planners and engineers. The East Coast region of Singapore is especially vulnerable to rising seawater. The concern is not whether this will happen, but rather when it will occur. To combat this existential threat, Singapore will require the collective effort of the nation and start preparation now. Students are invited to design a solution to protect the East Coast Parkway against rising seawater.  They are free to reimagine the coastlines that can embody liveability, flexibility and sustainability.

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Challenge:

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.

 

Deliverables:

  1. Design and build a build a scaled coastal protection model of your solution
  2. 10-min project presentation

Gallery

Instructors

Before joining NUS, Dr Ong has more than 10 years of experience in managing oil & gas projects in Sakhalin, Kazakhstan and Brunei. He has worked on both greenfield and brownfield projects, onshore and offshore pipelines. He is a Chartered Engineer of ICE and IMarEST. His research interest include: large floating structures, offshore renewables and aquaculture and management of capital projects
Before joining NUS, Dr Ong has more than 10 years of experience in managing oil & gas projects in Sakhalin, Kazakhstan and Brunei. He has worked on both greenfield and brownfield projects, onshore and offshore pipelines. He is a Chartered Engineer of ICE and IMarEST. His research interest include: large floating structures, offshore renewables and aquaculture and management of capital projects

Dr Paul Ong
Faculty Lead for Climate Change & Coastal Protection Theme
Senior Lecturer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Professor Bala’s research interests cut across environmental sustainability, climate change and urban air quality. The main goal of his interdisciplinary research is to advance understanding of environmental and health impacts of air pollution on scales ranging from local to global. His work provides policy-relevant scientific inputs and contributes to development of cost-effective technologies to mitigate adverse impacts of air pollution.
Professor Bala’s research interests cut across environmental sustainability, climate change and urban air quality. The main goal of his interdisciplinary research is to advance understanding of environmental and health impacts of air pollution on scales ranging from local to global. His work provides policy-relevant scientific inputs and contributes to development of cost-effective technologies to mitigate adverse impacts of air pollution.

Prof Rajasekhar Balasubramanian
Provost’s Chair Professor
Group Head (Hydraulics, Hydrology and Climate Resilience) | Special Hire (PYP and PF)

Prof. Koh’s research interests are primarily in structural dynamics, with emphasis on vibration mitigation, structural monitoring and system identification, offshore dynamics and hydrodynamics. Prof. Koh was the Director of LRF Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk from May 2019 to June 2023. Currently he is the Director (Research) of the recently formed Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute Singapore and the Director of Centre for Hazards Research at NUS.
Prof. Koh’s research interests are primarily in structural dynamics, with emphasis on vibration mitigation, structural monitoring and system identification, offshore dynamics and hydrodynamics. Prof. Koh was the Director of LRF Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk from May 2019 to June 2023. Currently he is the Director (Research) of the recently formed Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute Singapore and the Director of Centre for Hazards Research at NUS.

Prof Koh Chan Ghee
Director of Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute Singapore, Director of Centre for Hazards Research

Dr Gary is an assistant professor whose research focuses on environmental fluid mechanics, flow-vegetation interaction, and nature-based solutions for coastal protection. His work encompasses a range of projects, from exploring wave attenuation over aquatic vegetation to advancing hybrid solutions for coastal protection and employing enhanced machine-learning techniques for underwater flow prediction. Lei’s research not only contributes to the academic field but also has significant implications for environmental sustainability and the protection of coastal communities.
Dr Gary is an assistant professor whose research focuses on environmental fluid mechanics, flow-vegetation interaction, and nature-based solutions for coastal protection. His work encompasses a range of projects, from exploring wave attenuation over aquatic vegetation to advancing hybrid solutions for coastal protection and employing enhanced machine-learning techniques for underwater flow prediction. Lei’s research not only contributes to the academic field but also has significant implications for environmental sustainability and the protection of coastal communities.

Dr Gary Lei
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dr Du has a strong research focus on the digital fabrication of reinforced concrete to increase construction automation and the development of low-carbon building materials to combat climate change. He specialises in microstructural characterization and performance assessment of concrete. He is proactive in translating his research into products to impact society. He holds a few inventions and patents related to green cement and low-carbon building materials.
Dr Du has a strong research focus on the digital fabrication of reinforced concrete to increase construction automation and the development of low-carbon building materials to combat climate change. He specialises in microstructural characterization and performance assessment of concrete. He is proactive in translating his research into products to impact society. He holds a few inventions and patents related to green cement and low-carbon building materials.

Dr Du Hongjian
Senior Lecturer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director (MSC Civil Engineering Programme)

Dr Maxime Decaudin is a Senior Lecturer in landscape architecture. Situated at the intersection of landscape studies and environmental history, his research examines the historical agency of nature in Asian contexts.
Dr Maxime Decaudin is a Senior Lecturer in landscape architecture. Situated at the intersection of landscape studies and environmental history, his research examines the historical agency of nature in Asian contexts.

Dr Maxime Cedric
Senior Lecturer, Department of Architecture

Workshop Schedule

6 January 2025

Day Time Programme Venue Instructor
1 8.30am - 9am Light Breakfast EA Atrium Level 1  
9am - 10am Welcome Speech, Introduction to CDE LT7A  
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    
1pm - 2.30pm Lunch & Tour at Marina Barrage    
2.30pm - 3pm Transport to NUS    
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  
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  

8 January 2025

Day Time Programme Venue Instructor
3 9am - 9.30am Light Breakfast E4 Level 4  
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  
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  
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  
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  
9.30am - 12.30pm Labwork 4: Final Testing in Wave Tank Hydraulics Lab Dr Paul Ong
12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch E4 Level 4  
1.30pm - 3.30pm Intracluster Presentation LT6 Dr Paul Ong
3.30pm - 5.30pm Final Presentation & Prize Presentation LT7A  
5.30pm onwards  Tea Reception (Free-and-easy) EA Atrium Level 1 Â