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President S.R. Nathan’s Visit to the Faculty of Engineering

Our Singapore President S.R. Nathan paid a visit to the Faculty of Engineering on Thursday 5 November 2009. During his short visit, he had a meeting with the Faculty Board where he was briefed by the Dean Prof Chan Eng Soon on recent educational initiatives such as the Global Engineering Programme and the Design Centric Curriculum. He also met students who worked on the Eco-car and other inventions. Engineering Science students, Siah Sin Cheng and his team briefed the President on their structural model and design that recently won the third prize in the International Earthquake Competition held in September in Taipei, Taiwan.

From Left to Right: President S.R. Nathan and Siah Sin Cheng

“Here’s what students say about ESP.” Click here for the article.

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Visitor to ESP

Dr Rosalind Archer, a senior lecturer in Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, visited ESP on the 13 February 2009 while en route to India. She was given a tour of the ESP laboratories and she met up with ESP students who will be going to University of Auckland under the student exchange programme. She also presented a lecture on Computational Challenges of Sub-surface Fluid Flow Modelling to ESP students. In her interesting lecture, she made used of the example of extracting petroleum from deep underground to enlighten   students on the application of Darcy’s Law, the handling of multiphase (oil, gas and water) flow, the innovative use of equivalent resistors in parallel formula for estimating the equivalent permeability coefficient for different layers of rocks/soil, the similarity between streamlines and magnetic fields and the tackling of a large number of nonlinear equations.

From Left to Right: Dr Rosalind Archer and Prof Wang Chien Ming

Research Collaboration between NUS and TUM

On 13-16 January 2009, Prof. C.M. Wang visited Technische Universitat Munchen (TUM) under the invitation of Prof. Ernst Rank. The purpose of the visit is to brief TUM computational engineering science research team on the project - Distributed stochastic simulation for the hydroelastic analysis of very large floating structures. Team members include mathematicians, computer scientists and engineers. Prof. Wang (of NUS) and Dr.-Ing. Holger Heidkamp (of SOFiSTiK) are the cooperation partners for the 3-year project. An 80,000€ grant from the International Graduate School of Science and Engineering, TUM as well as sponsorship  money for a PhD student from SOFiSTiK were awarded to research team. While in TUM, Prof. Wang also gave a lecture on very large floating structures to top notch students of the Bavarian Graduate School of Computational Engineering and had the opportunity to savor the famous Bavarian sausages (that are white in colour) and to enjoy a glass of beer at Hofbrauhaus in the heart of Munich.

Prof Wang presenting his VLFS book to Prof Rank and his computational engineering science research team

ESP Lecture Series

Professor Ernst Rank, the Chair for Computation in Engineering, Technische Universität München, visited ESP and delivered a lecture on Numerical Simulation of Fluid Structure Interaction using High-Order Finite Element Methods. He shared with ESP students, faculty members and research engineers the partitioned solution approach, where solid and fluid simulation codes are coupled via a dynamic, iterative process. Boundary tractions are transferred from the fluid to the structural code, whereas the displacement field of the structure defines the fluid domain in the next time step. He proposed the use of a high order structural FEM-formulation suited for geometrically nonlinear computations ensuring exponential convergence rates in the strain energy for smooth problems and coupled this solver to several different fluid solvers. Among these are the Finite Volume Method in an Arbitrary Lagrange-Eulerian formulation, the Lattice Boltzmann Method on a fixed grid and a Spectral Finite Element Method. The audience was impressed by the validation of the numerical approach using experimental benchmarks. Prof Rank will be using his technique to perform hydroelastic analysis of very large floating structures in a joint research project between his TUM team and Prof CM Wang’s team in NUS. The project is funded by the International Graduate School of Science and Engineering of TUM.

From Left to Right: Prof Ernst Rank and Prof Wang Chien Ming

Distinguished Visitors from Osaka University

On Monday 29 September 2008, ESP hosted the visit by Prof. Genta Kawahara and A/Prof. Etsuo Kumagai from the Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University. They began their visit by  first meeting Prof CM Wang who briefed them on the Engineering Science Programme in NUS. Later both distinguished visitors gave a talk on the Engineering Science Programme in Osaka University and their research work to some 14 ESP students who were eager to learn more of the programme and research in Osaka University. Prof Kawahara pointed out that Osaka University was first established as a Kaitokudo (School of General Education) in 1724. In 1931, it was established as the Osaka Imperial University and after the second world war, it was called Osaka University in 1949. Osaka University has 11 undergraduate schools with a student population of about 16000 and 10 graduate schools with about 8000 students. Both kinds of schools have an Engineering Science programme. Under the MOU signed between Osaka University and NUS early this year, NUS Engineering Science students can participate in either the Osaka University Short-term Student Exchange programme (OUSSEP), or the Engineering Science 21st Century Programme or the FrontierLab@OsakaU programme. It is worth noting that Liu Licheng and Jansen Chee will be the first NUS Engineering Science students going over to Osaka University for OUSSEP and vacation internship in 2009.

 

During lunch, the visitors exchanged notes with A/Prof Anne Pakir, Director of the International Relations Office, on how to encourage students to go abroad for a short-term study. In the afternoon, they made a call on A/Prof Ashraf Kassim (Vice Dean of Undergraduate Programmes) and A/Prof Loh Han Tong (Vice Dean of Graduate Studies) to discuss undergraduate and graduate student exchanges between Osaka University and NUS as well as Prof Victor Shim (Vice Dean of External Relations) to discuss academic exchanges/collaborations. Prof Kawahara and A/Prof Kumagai toured the Engineering Science Laboratories before leaving for Japan.

 

From Left to Right: Prof Victor Shim, A/Prof Loh Han Tong, Prof Genta Kawahara, A/Prof Etsuo Kumagai, Prof Wang Chien Ming and A/Prof Ashraf Kassim

First International LRET Marine Research Workshop

Prof C.M. Wang participated in the first International Marine LRET Research Workshop which was held in the University of Southampton from 22-24 September 2008. Mr Michael Franklin, who is the Director of Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust (LRET), welcomed the 54 participants. Featured in the workshop were plenary lectures by the leaders of LRET funded research centres in 5 universities which are the University of Southampton, University of Cardiff, Seoul National University, Pusan National University and the National University of Singapore. The 5 plenary speakers introduced their universities and highlighted the activities of their research centres. There were 3 technical sessions on hydrodynamics, structures and human factors where members of the 5 research centres shared their ongoing LRET funded research projects. Speakers from the University of Southampton spoke on hydroelasticity, parametric roll, sloshing, rogue waves, power flow analysis, smart and composite structures. Speakers from University of Cardiff gave lectures on perceptions of risk, incident databases, training and technology in ship navigation. Speakers from Seoul National University presented studies on hydrodynamic loads for ship design, sloshing, slamming, springing, and dynamic ship structural analysis for impact loads. Speakers from Pusan National University shared their work on fire and gas explosion loads, nonlinear structural mechanics, limit states and risk based design. Speakers from the National University of Singapore spoke on very large floating structures, control for installation of subsea templates, structural integrity management and strain-based design. The participants were also treated to a dinner in a spectacular mansion at Avington Park, Winchester.

 

Mr Vaughan Pomeroy chaired the last session on future directions. He closed the workshop after declaring the workshop a great success and suggested that the second international marine research workshop be held in two years time.

 

Participants of the LRET Marine Research Workshop

As part of the worldwide celebration of the Institution of Structural Engineers centenary year, the IES/IStructE Joint Committee (chaired by Prof CM Wang) organized a conference on iconic structures in Singapore and Asia. The 180 participants who attended the conference were treated to excellent lectures on 7 iconic structures in Singapore  (Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, Singapore Flyer, Marina Barrage, Gardens by the Bay, DNA footbridge, mega floating platform at Marina Bay, Changi Airport Terminal 3) and 5 iconic structures in Asia (Taipei Tower 101, Yumemai floating bridge in Osaka, Water Cube in Beijing, Harmony Tower in Shanghai and Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok) by the principal engineers of these projects. The proceedings of this conference may be purchased from Siew Keow (siewkeow@iesnet.org.sg). Owing to his international reputation on lithium battery and energy systems research, Dr Palani Balaya has been invited to give lectures in various workshops and conferences such as the "11th Asian Conf. on Solid State Ionics in Coimbatore, India (9-13 Jun 2008), 2008 Korean-Japan-China SOFC Symposium", Pohang, Korea (17-20 Sept 2008), "Int. Workshop on Fundamentals of Lithium-based Batteries", Tegernsee, Germany (23-28 Nov 2008) and the "International Conference on Electroceramics", Delhi, India (13-17 Dec 2009). He has also been invited to be a member of the International Advisory Board for the " International Conference on Electroceramics", Delhi, India (13-17 Dec 2009) as well as to chair the symposium on "Nanostructured Materials for Electrochemical Energy Systems: Lithium Batteries, Supercapacitors and Fuel cells" as a part of the "5th International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies, Singapore ( 28 Jun- 3 Jul 2009)". He has also been invited to submit following artilces: (1) Nano-size Effects in the Context of Energy Research, "Proceedings of 11th Asian Conf. on Solid State Ionics", World-Scientific, Singapore (2008), (2) Nanomaterials for Energy Applications, for the first issue of the journal "Energy and Environmental Sciences", Royal Society of Chemistry, UK (Perspective Review, 2008) and (3) Nano-ionics in the Context of Energy Systems for a special issue of the journal "Chemical Monthly /Monatshefts fuer Chemie" entitled 'Solid State Inoics: Electrochemistry meets Materials Science', edited by Juergen Fleig and Wener Sitte From Austria (2008). Provisional Accreditation of ESP - Undergraduate engineering degrees awarded by universities all over the world are often certified by a professional accreditation board of the country in which the institution resides. The accreditation board reviews and evaluates the programme for its curriculum contents, learning environment (i.e., faculty, class room, and laboratory resources), and sustained financial support for the programme. This certification is known as accreditation. A programme is eligible to be accredited only after at least two batches of students are graduated through the programme. When a programme is new and did not graduate any students, it may be considered for provisional accreditation. Since the Engineering Science Programme is in the second year of its degree programme, it can only be provisionally accredited. No engineering programme at NUS has sought such provisional accreditation to date. ESP has a sound, design-centric, curriculum that is considered as a strong point by accreditation boards. When ESP applied for a provisional accreditation, Singapore’s Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB) evaluation team visited for 2 days (9 and 10 Oct) to evaluate the programme. At the end of the visit, members of the evaluation team made very positive comments: “You have excellent faculty members, passionate students, forward-looking curriculum, and great facilities: and “Congratulations on the impressive accomplishment that you have done in setting up the new ESP in such a short span of time.” In the exit interview with Prof JN Reddy (Head of ESP), EAB evaluation team informed that they have recommended a provisional accreditation of 4 years, the maximum allowed. Prof Wang Chien Ming co-edited a book on Very Large Floating Structures. Groundbreaking and comprising articles by expert contributors, this book provides a comprehensive treatment of VLFSs and their relationship with the sea, marine habitats, the pollution of costal waters and tidal and natural current flow. Click Here for more information. Professor CM Wang was awarded a research grant of $100,000 from JTC and MPA to conduct a research feasibility study on technical and application of large scale, versatile, floating sea structures for processed petrochemical storage. This research on floating fuel storage facility is prompted by the urgent need to increase the oil and gas storage capacity of Singapore in order to keep up with the demand as well as to solve the problem of land scarcity. Professor C.M. Wang was the invited speaker for the IStructE Asia Pacific Forum on Advances in Structural Engineering, 13 October 2006, Tongji University, Shanghai, China. Organised by the IStructE China Group, the forum brought top-notch structural engineers from China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia to share the advances in analysis, design and construction of innovative structures such as the Mega-floats, the CCTV Headquarters Building, the Doha Office Building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, the Mid Valley City in Kuala Lumpur, the A380 Long-span Hangar at Beijing Capital Airport, the Guangzhou New Baiyun International Airport Passenger Terminal Building, the North-East China World Trade Plaza, and the Teaching and Research Complex of Tongji University. Professor Wang also gave lectures on mega-floating structures to faculty members and graduate students of the Department of Structural Engineering, Tongji University. Dr. Ho Ghim Wei has successfully obtained a cross-faculty research on the development of hybrid inorganic nanorod/nanocrystal-polymer materials for solar cell applications. The grant allows cross faculty research collaboration and interaction between Physics (Faculty of Science) and Engineering Science Programme (Faculty of Engineering). This research project focuses on the fundamental studies of excitonic solar cells based on hybrid materials which are promising for inexpensive, large-scale solar energy conversion. Future directions will emphasize the possibility of using these materials with solution based reel-to-reel processing so as to replace the relatively expensive brittle ITO conductors currently used in solar cells - September 2006 Professor C.M. Wang has been invited to serve as a member of the Editorial Board of Engineering Structures, a premier international journal published by Elsevier. Engineering Structures provides a forum for a broad blend of scientific and technical papers to reflect the evolving needs of the structural engineer; in particular, contributions dealing with applications of structural engineering principles and theories in all areas of technology. Professor Wang has also joined the Editorial Advisory Board of Recent Patents in Engineering & is a member of the Technical Committee of the 2nd International Maritime-Port Technology & Department Conference (MTEC), 26-28 Sep 2007.