FACULTY OF ENGINEERING ANNUAL REPORT 2007 Engineerin g E xc el l e n c e G l o b a l S u s t a i n a b i l i t y 14 34 38 CONTENTS 4 A WORD FROM THE DEAN 7 DEAN’S ADVISORY BOARD 8 FACULTY BOARD 11 UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION It’s not just what we do; it’s the way that we do it! 23 GRADUATE EDUCATION Moving up the Ladder 62 29 RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT AND ENTERPRISE Fostering Vibrancy 41 OUR PEOPLE Celebrating Excellence 53 ALUMNI Inspiring Success 61 OUTREACH Attracting the Best 66 FACTS & FIGURES VISION To be a globally-distinguished engineering school MISSION To nurture engineer-leaders with a global outlook and to provide technological leadership through high-impact research A Word from theDEAN It is my pleasure to present to you the 2007 Annual Report of the Faculty of Engineering. This report will give you a glimpse of what we have accomplished and affirms our position as a reputable global institution today. Our foundations remain strong as we continue to attract students of outstanding ability, talented faculty members, investment funds for research and development (R&D), resources for education, and provide a robust ecosystem for learning and innovation. Today there is a need to prepare our engineers better for the “With the backdrop of knowledge- and technology- globalisation and transnational intensive economy. To operations of companies, produce this technology-savvy ‘global orientation’ is a key knowledge asset, the Faculty aspect in our curriculum.” offers a comprehensive range of engineering programmes to give students a strong foundation The world is witnessing in engineering fundamentals unprecedented changes as well as a wealth of brought about by three forces opportunities to stretch their – mobility of talent, mobility minds. With the backdrop of of capital and mobility of globalisation and transnational knowledge. Globalisation, operations of companies, aided by technology and “global orientation” is a key conducive international trade aspect in our curriculum. and fiscal policies, is enabling Our curriculum is also evolving companies to span their to ensure that our graduates supply chains across countries will have the attributes while being able to respond expected of the University and quickly to market needs and the engineering profession. opportunities. Companies are Further, our graduates will realising a substantial portion have enhanced skills in critical of their revenues outside their thinking and problem solving home bases and in some cases, in the context of engineering trans-border transactions are design and practice in the larger than national economies. current business environment. There is a generation of They will understand the phenomenal amount of new importance and influence of knowledge, and an accelerated their work through a systems pace of innovation in products, approach and provide the processes and services. The leadership necessary for the human population has increased growth of Singapore as a key exponentially over the last three player on the world stage. centuries to cross the six billion mark, of which nearly half is set In 2006, the Institution of to live in urban areas. Growing Engineers Singapore (IES) A Word urbanisation has given rise achieved full signatory status to global challenges in clean to the Washington Accord. energy and water, security, This is a significant milestone from the as our more established healthcare, environment and sustainability. engineering programmes have been accredited by various DEAN Photo courtesy of Mr Michael Ozaki international bodies and the and received international local Engineering Accreditation recognition. For example, the Board. A curriculum review is intercultural team of five NUS also underway to prepare the undergraduate students and two Faculty for outcome-based Mumbai University Institute of accreditation processes. The Chemical Technology students latter will demonstrate that our has won the prestigious Daimler- graduates have the necessary UNESCO Mondialogo Engineering knowledge and skills to succeed Award 2006-2007 for the contest in the engineering profession. which attracted more than 800 (L-R): Mr Choo Chiau Beng, Chairman and CEO of Keppel Offshore & Marine Limited, The greater recognition of entries from 89 countries. We Dean Seeram Ramakrishna and Prof Choo our graduates’ academic recognise the need for constant Yoo Sang, Founding Director of the Centre qualifications translates into revitalisation of knowledge and for Offshore Research and Engineering, and Director of Offshore Engineering Programme, their employability and a higher expertise to stay at the forefront having a discussion at the 5th Keppel Offshore demand for them. of education and research. & Marine Lecture by Prof Andrew Palmer We carried out the largest recruitment exercise in the last engineer-leaders, recruit “We shall continue, among five years, recruiting more than high-quality faculty members, other efforts, to nurture 90 faculty members. In 2007 translate research outcomes engineer-leaders, recruit high- alone, 25 new faculty members, into dividends, and position many of them leading experts in quality faculty members, ourselves as a partner of choice their fields, were recruited from translate research outcomes for industries. I would like to all over the world. into dividends, and position thank the various advisory ourselves as a partner of choice The graduate student enrolment committee and board members for industries.” has reached more than 2,600 of who have provided their support which almost 56% are pursuing and encouragement that have their research degrees. As the brought us closer to achieving doctoral programme is the prime our objectives. Many of our To build and sustain its focus of our research degree alumni and friends of the Faculty technological advantage programmes, our doctoral have helped to support our in its next lap of economic students have already reached education, research and public development, Singapore an all-time high of about 1,200. service missions. I would also like has targeted R&D spending to thank all our partners for their Our total budget has increased of 3% of GDP by 2010. The contributions and look forward by 21% from S$163.4 million in Faculty recognises the critical to what we can accomplish FY2006-2007 to S$198.3 million roles R&D, innovation and together. in FY2007-2008. This increase is entrepreneurship play in due mainly to our grants from national strategic development, national funding agencies for and has taken on an active role R&D activities, and investment in national strategic research by industry. The Faculty has focuses such as Interactive and successfully attracted a total Digital Media, Environmental research funding of approximately and Water Technologies, S$85 million in the first eight Professor Seeram Ramakrishna Clean and Renewable Energy, months of FY2007-2008. This Dean, Faculty of Engineering Nanotechnology, Biomedical amount represents a significant Materials and Systems, Logistics increase of 56% over FY2006-2007 and Supply Chain Management, and 148% over FY2005-2006. and Offshore and Marine I am pleased to announce that 6 Engineering. A notable trend we attracted S$67.7 million worth in our research is the growing of external grants. This includes research partnerships with a total of more than S$19 million leading international institutions for two projects awarded by the and industry players, which National Research Foundation. have led to securing of external These two projects focus on grants and the facilitation of advancement of membrane technology commercialisation materials and spintronics activities. materials. A WORD FROM THE DEAN Our students and staff have We shall continue, among produced high quality work other efforts, to nurture AR 2007 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DEAN’S 9 10 11 ADVISORY BOARD 1 PROF LORD KUMAR BHATTACHARYYA 7 PROF VENKATESH NARAYANAMURTI Head of Manufacturing Group John A and Elizabeth S Armstrong Professor of University of Warwick, UK Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean, School of Engineering and Applied 2 PROF CHONG TOW CHONG Sciences, Harvard University, USA Executive Director, Science & Engineering Research Council, A*STAR 8 MR INDERJIT SINGH Executive Director, Data Storage Institute Chief Executive Officer, Infiniti Solutions Pte Ltd Executive Chairman, Tri Star Electronics Pte Ltd 3 PROF DON P GIDDENS Member of Parliament, Singapore Dean, College of Engineering Lawrence L Gellerstedt, Jr Chair in Bioengineering 9 MR SOO KOK LENG Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar Chairman of JTC Corporation, Singapore Georgia Institute of Technology, USA Technologies Electronics Ltd, Mt Faber Leisure Group Pte Ltd 4 ER. LEE BEE WAH Adjunct Professor, Division of Engineering & Principal Partner, LBW Consultants LLP Technology Management, NUS Managing Director, LBW Engineering Pte Ltd Member of Parliament, Singapore 10 ER. TAN SENG CHUAN President, The Institution of Engineers Singapore 5 PROF LUI PAO CHUEN President, The Federation of Engineering Chief Defence Scientist, MINDEF Institutions of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Adjunct Professor, Department of Industrial & Director, CH2MHILL Singapore Pte Ltd Systems Engineering, NUS 11 PROF IAN WHITE 6 PROF YOICHIRO MATSUMOTO van Eck Professor of Engineering Dean, School of Engineering Chairman of the Council, School of Technology, The University of Tokyo, Japan University of Cambridge, UK FACULTY BOARD 1 PROF SEERAM RAMAKRISHNA Dean 2 AssOC PROF ANG KOK KENG Vice-Dean (Outreach) 3 AssOC PROF ASHRAF