Columns 2013/2014 - NUS ChESS

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Opening messagel Department Head’s Openning Message .................. 03 l ChESS Advisor’s Opening Message .......................... 04l EXCO’s Opening Message ....................................... 05l Editor’s Foreword .................................................... 06l Introduction to ChESS 22nd MC ............................. 07Chess eventsl ChemE Challenge ................................................... 09l Freshman Welcome camp ...................................... 12l Marketing ............................................................... 15l Overseas Community Involvement Program ........... 16l Publicity ................................................................. 20l Public Relations ..................................................... 22l Special Projects ...................................................... 23l Welfare .................................................................. 24experienCe sharing- Overseas prOgramsl NOC - iLead# ........................................................ 25l NOC - Israel .......................................................... 26l Summer School ...................................................... 29l AIESEC - Romania .............................................................. 30l AIESEC - Poland .................................................................. 33l Student Exchange Program ................................................. 37l Overseas Community Involvement Program ....................... 42- academic prOgramsl Chemical Science Program ....................................... .......... 45l Design Centric Program ..................................................... 46l Double Degree Program ..................................................... 48- wOrk experiencel Industrial Attachment Program ........................................... 52l Undergraduate Researcher Program ................................... 54

MITA(P) 177/02/2005

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elcome to Chemical Engineering @ NUS and congratulate yourself that you have just made one of the sound decisions in your life.

The university learning environment can be quite different from what you were familiar with – there are more open-ended problems, complex situations, and multiple solutions. A university life is also more than just an academic pursuit. You will get to meet interesting people, discover yourself, acquire life skills. This sounds like a lot of work but there are helps for you to make the transition smoother and more enjoyable. There is your mentor who will advise you on all things academic. There is the NUS career office which will prepare you for your future career; and there is the NUS Chemical Engineering Student’s Society (ChESS) for everything else. ChESS offers a wide spectrum of activities (which you can find out by reading the magazine in your hand) and shares wisdoms to make your university life a most memorable experience. Many lifelong relations are developed through the fraternity in student bodies such as ChESS.

Hence have fun, work hard, and be a fellow chemical engineer!”

Jim Yang LEEProfessor and Head

Chemical & Biomolecular EngineeringNational University of Singapore

Homepage: http://www.chbe.nus.edu.sg/email: [email protected]

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am glad to welcome readers to the 2014 edition of ‘Columns’ - the official publication of ChESS. ChESS is really a strong pillar of the undergraduate student experience in our Department, and it is a pleasure and privilege to serve as its faculty advisor over the years.

As always, ChESS has been very active with student welfare and outreach events. Besides organizing sales of welfare packs, lab coats and goggles, and networking sessions with industry, this year has seen successful versions of several recurring special project initiatives. For example, the Chemical Engineering T-shirt design competition allowed students the opportunity to envision their identity as chemical engineers, and led to some really amazing T-shirt designs! This is a great example of students taking ownership of their own public image as a group. The overseas community involvement programme - Project Cheway and

the ChemE Challenge continued their successful runs from past years. The latter, in particular, is a remarkable student-

led outreach initiative targeted at high school and JC students all over Singapore, and has really gathered momentum over the years!

I wish ChESS the very best in their efforts to continually enrich the undergraduate student experience in our department. Their constant striving to create new, valuable student experiences is truly commendable.”

Saif A, KhanAssistant Professor

Chemical & Biomolecular EngineeringNational University of Singapore

Faculty Advisor to Chemical Engineering Students’ Society

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i fellow Chemical Engineers!

Hope you have had a great time in AY2013/2014. This year also marks the completion of 22 years since the formation of Chemical Engineering Students’ Society (ChESS). As an independent student society, ChESS has organised numerous activities and developed new initiatives to better ensure the welfare of the Chemical Engineering Student Body. This would not have been possible if not with your continued support. Thank you for the contribution and participation. We would also like to thank the Chemical Engineering Department and our Sponsors for their unwavering support and guidance.

Looking back at AY2013/2014, ChESS has achieved quite a few significant milestones:• Freshmen Welcome Camp 2014: The Last Olympian, O-Day 2014 (for incoming freshmen)• Interaction sessions (Baxter BioScience, P&G) • Project CHEWAY 2014 (OCIP involving the application of Chem Eng. knowledge) • Welfare and organiser give-aways • Chem Eng. T-Shirt design competition • Columns 2014 – This magazine (our very own annual publication)• ChemE Challenge 2014: Synergy (Competition for JC and High-school students based on Chem Eng. Concepts; an outreach event)

“H It has always been a challenge for ChESS to re-invent itself with new initiatives. This year, ChESS set out to work on establishing contact with our very own seniors to better facilitate experience sharing via Interaction sessions and Industrial visits. Co-operating with the Chemical Engineering Department to establish the NUS AIChE Student Chapter is also a notable initiative.

Keep a look-out for ChESS events and activities. Please do communicate your feedback to us as well. And if you are interested in achieving more out of your life in NUS as a Chem. Eng. student, join us!

Thank you once again and ChESS looks forward to another year ahead, organising activities just for you.”

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ear Readers

On behalf of the publicity sub-committee, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to the 21st issue of Columns, a yearly magazine produced by ChESS. AY13/14 has been a fruitful year for NUS ChESS. With the vision of serving our chemical engineers better, ChESS has organized various exciting activities to enrich our college life. It is my great honor to be a part of ChESS.

Through the various articles that you will read insides this magazine, I hope that the unique and impressive moments of events initiated by ChESS could be engraved in our minds, waiting to be recalled once more. Now it is going to be another year in our transient university journey and the memories should be treasured as a keepsake for the future.

In this issue, we are also pleased to present you with more valuable experience sharing articles of various programs. Thanks to the contribution of our enthusiastic seniors and fellow chemical engineers, we managed to extend the coverage of experience sharing section this year. Here, you can find the most of the programs which a chemical engineering student can possibly participate in. Hope that the stories brought by our seniors and fellow chemical engineers can enlighten you in making the most out of your university life.

No work such as this magazine can be done without numerous of people working behind it. I would like to express my gratitude to Shi Jia, our previous publicity director, and all EXCO members for their support and help. I am especially grateful to Wenxi, Jieliang, and Xiaoman, my dear teammates in publicity, who make the success of this publication possible. Finally, I would like to say thank you to all writers for their passion and contribution in putting this magazine together!

Hope you will enjoy reading this Columns!”

YiAnChief EditorPublicity Director

22nd Management CommitteeNUS Chemical Engineering Students’ Society

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ormed in 1992, ChESS stood for Chemical and Environmental Engineering Students’ Society (ChESS) which served the Chemical and Environmental Engineering student body. In 2004, the two engineering fields formed their respective departments and ChESS has served the Chemical Engineering student body ever since. Now ChESS stands for Chemical Engineering Students’ Society.

ChESS is a student society within the National University of Singapore (NUS) that establishes the bridge between current students, freshmen and the Chemical Engineering Department. The Chemical Engineering Course in NUS is ranked 5th in the 2014 QS World University Rankings.

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“FInto its 22nd year, we seek to reach out to the student body, which comprises about 1190 undergraduates and 300 graduates, to work more closely with the Chemical Engineering Department, and with IChemE. Together with fellow chemical engineering students, we will continue to organise the FWC, O-Day, Industrial Visits and Bazaar-and-Sales. We will also give away Exam Welfare Packs before examinations and Chemical Engineering Organisers during the start of the academic year.”

Executive CommitteePresident Kannan ArunVice President (External) Ho Leon YoonVice President (Internal) Oh Cheng YongHonorary General Secretary Koh Kian Hui NicholasHonorary Treasurer Shi Jia

ChemE Challenge Committee Director Anastasia Frances FredericaVice Director Joshua Lum Zi Yuan

Freshmen Welcome Camp Director Lim Bing RuVice Director Liu AnjiVice Director Yeo Wei Zheng Marketing Director Sun JiayingVice Director Cheong Wei Ren

OCIP Committee Director Hiew Xin Hui, MelanieVice Director Fong Shi Ying Vivian

Publicity Director Li YiAnVice Director Yu Wenxi Public Relations Director Pradeep PeterVice Director Sean Lee YuehaoVice Director Wan Renyi Special Project Director Welson Lee Zhong WeiVice Director Mervyn OngVice Director Sherman Bok Welfare Director Nithya KarthikeyanVice Director Qing ZikunVice Director Du Bowen

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chool’s out and it was a Saturday morning, but in a small part of the Engineering Faculty in NUS, JC students were streaming into a Lecture Theatre. The students were bustling with excitement as they sat down and waited patiently for the event to begin. What was this event you may ask? Well, it is none other than ChemE Challenge 2014: Synergy!

Way back in November 2011 was when it begun. The NUS Chemical Engineering Student’s Society Executive Committee (NUS ChESS EXCO) was brainstorming about an initiative that could serve as a channel for educational outreach and a platform to enhance cohesion and interaction among our fellow undergraduates. After much discussion, this initiative materialized and became later known as ChemE Challenge!

“NUS ChemE Challenge 2014: Synergy!” is a competition targeted at aspiring JC students (or the equivalent) which aims to introduce Chemical Engineering concepts and pique interest in the discipline in a fun, interesting and interactive manner. This is its third-year running, after two very successful competitions in the past two years. The theme of this year’s competition is Synergy, which symbolizes the unity and integration of the basic sciences (Physics, Chemistry as well as Biology) and Mathematics, to aid us Chemical Engineers in “transforming” raw materials

Author: Anastasia Frances Frederica (Year 2), Vice Director of ChemE Challenge & Joshua Lum (Year 2), Vice Director of ChemE Challenge

into useful products. Indeed, we want to dispel the common belief that Chemical Engineering is just like Chemistry and provide a clearer picture of Chemical Engineering for those thinking of taking this discipline as their major.

The journey leading up to the event was certainly not easy. After taking over the helm from the previous committee, the first Challenge the committee faced was to design lab stations and questions with the difficulty level adjusted appropriately for the students.

With most of us being freshies ourselves, we had very little Chemical Engineering knowledge to rely on. Furthermore, it was also a challenge for us to relate interesting Chemical Engineering theories to practical experiments that were feasible and reproducible in our lab. Nevertheless, with much guidance from Associate Professor Saif Khan, our ChESS advisor, and invaluable laboratory assistance

from Mr Qin Zhen, the team managed to design a mix of 4 theoretical and 1 experimental stations to expose the bright minds to what Chemical Engineering is about. After one year of planning and preparation, our hard work finally paid off.

On 26th of July 2014 at 9:00 AM in the

morning, Synergy! was officially kick-started at our very own LT5 by our two eloquent emcees, Terence Tan and Quek Hong Lan. They hosted and hyped up a crowd of 95 participants (made

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In ‘Drug Delivery’, participants got to observe the dissolution of a Strepsil in water and monitored the rate of dissolution experimentally using a photospectrometer. Through this station, participants had the chance to learn about very relevant mass transfer concepts and got a taste of how Chemical Engineering could be applied outside of the traditional Oil & Gas industries. In ‘Flow Rider’, teams explored the concepts of viscosity and dimensional analysis by measuring the viscosity of water and oil using the Ubbelohde Viscometer. Participants had much fun as they tinkered with the curious little instrument, and learnt a great deal about fluid properties, something that most of them would probably have not been exposed to. And lastly, at ‘Unilateral Ties’, participants were first treated to a visually spectacular show of two dyes mixing in a Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor (CSTR). Following which, they investigated the chemical kinetics of the alkaline hydrolysis of an ester in a Plug Flow Reactor (PFR) through a simulated experiment. Through the station, participants were given the opportunity of witnessing the workings of an actual chemical reactor and from that, the industrial applications of varying reactor types based on the reaction mechanism. Although this is just a simplification of a process plant, it is well desmonstrated that chemical reactor kinetics forms the very heart of Chemical Engineering and hence a great starting point for budding Process Engineers. The day was split into two parts, with a three-station morning session before breaking for a sumptuous buffet lunch and continuing with the other two stations in the afternoon.

After the completion of the stations, participants gathered back in LT5 and waited anxiously for the release of the results as the answers were marked and scores tabulated back in the labs.

20 nerve-wracking minutes later, they were out!

up of 19 teams of 5 members each) from eight JCs all around Singapore: Anderson Junior College, Catholic Junior College, Hwa Chong Institution, Innova Junior College, Jurong Junior College, National Junior College, Tampines Junior College, and Yishun Junior College. After a quick introduction by the emcees on Chemical Engineering and a video screening courtesy of our 20th ChESS EXCO seniors, Associate Professor Saif Khan, who came down on a Saturday, gave an inspiring speech to the participants and the student ambassadors (i.e. facilitators) as well, who were also listening intently as Associate Professor Khan engaged everyone and shared about the versatility of a Chemical Engineering degree.

At 9:40 AM, participants were dispatched from LT5 and made their way eagerly to their first station. In a round-robin fashion, teams would tackle a total of 5 stations in turn. They would spend 45 minutes at each station performing an experiment and answering a set of questions that followed before moving on to the next station.

At ‘Balance It Out’, teams tackled an array of mass and energy balance problems that were encountered by a team of Chemical Engineers who have decided to build a Fruit Farm. Such problems not only offered a glimpse of our daunting CN1111 module, but much more im-portantly, showed the students how these fundamental laws of conservation were practically very applicable even in our daily lives. At ‘Liquidception v2.0’, teams completed a solubility curve on an incomplete ter-nary phase diagram by performing titrations using two solutions of different compositions and observing an initial homogeneous solution turning into two phases. Through the questions that followed, they also learnt about the principle of liquid-liquid extraction applied in Chemical Engineering. The students had great fun performing the experiment, and the curious minds were especially fascinated about the ‘magical’ workings of the auto burettes which they got to play with in the experiment.

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Hwa Chong Institution Team 1 clinched first place, with National Junior College Team 2 and Hwa Chong Institution Team 2 coming in first and second runner-up respectively! The trophies and medals were presented by our guest of honour, Mr Robin Coombs, Honorary Secretary of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (iChemE).

Overall, while the challenges were indeed very tough, it was heart-warming to see everyone having fun and enjoying themselves, getting a better glimpse at Chemical Engineering along the way. Participants also loved interacting with their ambassadors, who offered valuable insights into Chemical Engineering and shared about their exciting university life experiences.

ChemE Challenge 2014: Synergy! was definitely a success, and we owe it all to everyone involved in this initiative: all our super enthusiastic and friendly ambassadors, our main committee (Concept Team, Logistics, Welfare, Publicity, Treasurer & Marketing), our photographers Wenxi and Yee Jiunn, our ChESS advisor Associate Professor Saif Khan, our laboratory

support Mr Qin Zhen and most importantly, all the students who participated in the event. We’d also like to extend our thanks to the NUS Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering Department, the Chemical Engineering Student’s Society and our two main sponsors Singapore Chemical Industry Council (SCIC) and iChemE for their staunch support in the event.

All in all, the ChemE Challenge journey was an amazing experience for the whole main committee. This initiative brought together many of us from various backgrounds and different years of study to work on this very meaningful project. Once strangers, now great friends. Through this project, we have learnt how to work and play together as a team, how to leverage on each other’s strengths and expertise, and developed valuable skills outside of academics. We also saw each other’s frustrations, encouragements, quirkiness, humour and weaknesses. I am really proud to be a part of this great team and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Through all these, strong bonds were forged and fond memories were created, making this whole process a most memorable experience indeed for everyone involved.

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CheSS eveNtS - ChemE Challenge 2014: Synergy!

he Freshmen Welcome Camp 2014 (FWC2014) is the exclusive camp to welcome first year Chemical Engineering students by the Chemical Engineering Students’ Society (ChESS) of the National University of Singapore (NUS). The purpose of the camp is to create an immersive environment in which students will be able to network and build new and important

relationships for their university life and beyond. The camp emphasizes a ‘hair-down’ atmosphere to enable students to find out an alternative side of their fellows so as to facilitate the building of real lifelong relationships as opposed to stiff and impersonal acquaintanceships.

The camp itself was held on the 1st of July 2014 to 4th July 2014, a four-day event packed with fun filled

By FWC committee

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activities and bonding opportunities. The first two days of the camp was mostly centred around NUS campus for the freshmen to have a better grasp of campus life and the NUS Chemical Engineering department.

The first day began with ice breaker games, followed by dry games and ended with Secret Pal(SP). Our Orientation Group Leaders (OGLs) first stirred up the campers during the ice breakers with introductory

games and some cheers. In the afternoon, the campers are engaged in dry games around the Engineering Faculty. This further helped the campers to get to know each other better and at the same time, familiarise themselves with the layout of the campus. After Dinner, the campers participated in SP, which was designed to allow campers to get to know another camper of the opposite gender and engage on an

SP couples based on the speed-dating results on the first day. Blindfolded and still unaware of each other’s actual identities, they then completed games designedfor them to know each other better, and to improve their chemistry.

The third day saw campers playing beach games at Sentosa Siloso beach. Campers basked in the sun, enjoying the sand and sea during the games designed to make use of Siloso beach’s environment. The novelty and openness of the beach allowed the campers to let loose their inhibitions and cheer their hearts out in every game. It is noteworthy to mention that by this stage of the camp, most of the leadership and encouragement came from the campers themselves, with the OGLs taking a backseat after their hard work in the first few days. . The last game in Sentosa was the culminating inter-house game pitting the four orientation Houses against each other in a mass tug of

intellectually more intimate level. Participants were kept blindfolded and assigned nicknames to reduce their inhibition towards talking to a stranger as well as build up suspense and excitement regarding the mystery of their partner’s identity.

On the second day, the campers took part in activities in Sports and Recreational Centre (SRC). They started the day off with pool games. This segment was even more exciting as the campers played games which were specially adapted to the water environment. After lunch, the campers continued to participate in dirty games in SRC. Getting dirty allowed the OGs to further bond and build their unity and team spirit.

After getting cleaned up, the campers moved off to Aloha Loyang where they would be staying for the next two nights. Along the way, they can complete tasks to win more points for their houses. This let the campers to get to know each other better in a different setting.

At night, the freshmen were then paired up into their

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CheSS eveNtS - Freshmen Welcome Camp 2014

war game.The events at Sentosa finished on a high note, as the finale was hold in the Sentosa Pavilion. Each house sent a couple to represent themselves in the final competition. The couples were dressed up with newspapers and other materials provided. The houses, by then, well bonded, were cheering at the top of their lungs for their house representative. Followed by which was the much awaited SP revelation, where they found out the real identity of their SPs. The campers then moved off to enjoy time with their SP or OG mates.

In hindsight, while there were some plans that had to be modified impromptu, FWC2014 was undeniably successful. It not only fulfilled its aims of creating an immersive environment for the freshmento interact and bond in important new relationships, it went further and brought smiles to the campers for them to keep dear in their memories. The peals of laughter and hilarious moments will no doubt lift their spirits when the going gets tough towards the exams.

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CheSS eveNtS - Freshmen Welcome Camp 2014

Great Eastern Career Talk

Feb 12th 2014, – With the help of Great Eastern officers, ChESS marketing successfully organised a career talk for students who intend to engage themselves in a finacial career after their graduation. ChESS has been working with Great Eastern for years and has newly invited students from other engineering departments to join this workshop this year. This career talk provides students with not only the working experience sharing but also a platform for students who are interested in an insurance company for a full-time job or a paid internship. ChESS marketing liaises between the company and the students.

Overwhelming response from the student body was received for this event, with over 100 signups collected. The majority of the students who registered were from Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering , Faculty of Science, with a good spread of Year 1 to Year 4 students. Attendance was highly satisfactory as well, with close to 60 students attending this event.

The guest speaker-Mr Adam Khoo shared his ownunderstanding of what is a successful career and how to lead one’s career to a success. A senior who was once an intern in Great Eastern and became a fulltime employee after his graduation shared his working experiences in Great Eastern. Lastly, students were briefed on the summer internship and the fulltime job provided by the company so that they can consider joining Great Eastern.

Author: Sun Jiaying (Year 3), Marketing Director

Chemical Engineering Organiser

To help junior students adapt to their university lives better and to help year two students cope with their challenging year two modules better, ChESS marketing composes a chemical engineering organizer every year which includes timetable of the whole academic year , important tips on IA & SEP, and some useful formulas of year 1&2 modules. To attract more sponsors, the organizer puts in sponsors’ special design pages to gain popularity among students.

The organizer is given away to Chemical Engineering students several weeks after the beginning of semester one. The responses from both students and sponsors have been positive for years.

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By Melanie Hiew

I remember vividly the day I was asked to take up the challenge as a Project Director for OCIP. Having no prior experiences with overseas community service projects, I had some reservations on leading a team with no experience in Cheway. Nevertheless, I took it up and never regretted it.

The project began at the mid of the first semester by recruiting members and project heads in various sub committees. We had liaised with our partner, Operation Hope Foundation (OHF) whom we have worked with for 3 years on the possible projects we can take up in Cambodia, and had identified water scarcity as the main issue in Prey Veng, one of the poorest communities in Cambodia. Contrary to our Cheway

predecessors who have successfully built a reed bed system, we had opted to design a pump that would be able to draw water from a larger depth due to the lowering of water table in the wells. The task proved to be more difficult than we had initially thought and required a lot of optimising due to the lack of available materials at the local hardware stores. Furthermore, the lack of power tools meant that the assembly of the pump needed to be done manually. What would have probably taken minutes in Singapore would take almost an hour in Cambodia. Unfortunately after about 10 days of trial and error, the pump design had proved to be unfeasible. Although the pump did not work as planned, we have undoubtedly learnt a lot from this experience.

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Concurrently, we had also taken up the task to teach English to the kids at Hope Village orphanage during our first week of the expedition. It was indeed a tiring task and required a lot of patience due to the language barrier but their willingness to learn is something to be praised. This, of course, led to our success in organising an arts and craft session, science carnival, sports carnival and finalé day. The most heartwarming experience I still recall was going back to the orphanage a week later, and the kids still calling me “Sister Meow”. Despite the different backgrounds we had all come from, we were all really quite the same and really just enjoyed learning and sharing with each other.

As requested by our partner, we had also built a home and dug a well for two families in the community as

chosen by the chief villager. The labor intensive tasks had definitely bonded us all as a team as it required plenty of teamwork. Regardless, the team was always willing to go a step further, and sometimes even having shorter lunch breaks just so we could finish the house building as scheduled. The home and well owners were truly appreciative and always there to lend a hand. Having gotten to know them, we were also more understanding of their situation and needs.

It wasn’t all work and no play for us as we spent our R&R time both in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. All of us were elated as that meant no more scrawny chicken and GM lizards for us! Some of the places we had visited include the Angkor Wat temples, the Mekong river, night markets as well as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. We even got to meet

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two of the seven survivors of the Khmer Rouge! Lest we forget, the night life in Siem Reap was something we also managed to experience.

At the end of the day, I must say, it was truly daunting going into this but I am thankful for the given opportunity. The experiences gained and friendships forged through this OCIP is almost priceless. Although at times the scorching sun really got to us, but having stayed together as a team really helped us understand the differences in personalities. This OCIP experience would not have been a fruitful one if it had not been the friends I have shared it with and I would have never chosen to do it with anyone else. On behalf of the entire team, I would like to thank everyone out there who has supported us on our journey.

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he main responsibility of Publicity subcommittee in ChESS is closely connecting to other subcommittees in order to promote events and maintaining the official image of ChESS. Besides the normal daily track of blasting out emails, which is the traditional means of publicizing, Publicity has never stopped looking for new approaches with our philosophy in mind.

“Good resources are meant to be shared.”

Our official ChESS website (www.nuschess.org), apart from functioning as an event showcase of ChESS committee to the NUS student body and the wide public, also takes the role of a sharing platform for NUS Chemical Engineering students to pass on valuable information and experiences. On our website, students are encouraged to express their thoughts by leaving comments below event posts, and also feedback on our ChESS committee or the Chemical Engineering department.

The most white-hot sharing tool which also drives ChESS website to hit its highest click rate, is the Module Review portal. Initiated by Publicity in the 20th batch of ChESS in 2011, this year we have poured 24 more reviews into our Module Review pool. Moreover, the Module Review platform has been further extended to accept entries from other engineering students this year. By doing this, a more diversified and comprehensive collection comes into being.

By Yu Wenxi, Vice Director of Publicity

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“Competition stimulates innovation.“

As we believe that fierce competition and attractive prices will serve as the perfect stimulus for creativity and endeavor, this year we initiate a few competitions to beat the drum for our events and engage more participants. Module Review Competition is among the most practical and successful new initiatives adopted by ChESS this year. By giving out special prizes for module review contributors, the lesson learned from and the tips for the modules are being recorded on ChESS website and being passed on from one batch to the next. Moreover, an article competition for experience sharing is also held during the summer vacation to collect articles about various programs for our annual magazine now lying in your hands, Columns. With the newly designed chemical engineering shirts as the prize, experienced seniors shared stories about their experience in IA, SEP, DDP, DCP, GEP, CSP and so on.

“Learn to make full use of the power of images and new media.”

Pictures can speak louder and clearer than voice! Posters are meant to inform and engage the audiences. Through extracting the most critical details and catchy points of our events and combining them with the visual impacts of specially selected pictures, posters can make more sense than plain language in event advertising.

This year, we choose to stay away from the poster designs created by the previous batches and make new ones. However, making unforgettable posters to stand out from thousands of others to capture students’ attention is never an unchallenging task. From brainstorming, planning the layout and collecting materials to editing the poster layer by layer, being critiqued by EXCO time after time and ultimately printing it out, all the procedures take a lot of readjustment and reconsideration. We believe that Soft fire makes sweet malt.

By the end of this academic year, ChESS Publicity has proudly presented eleven posters to you, whose significance is evidenced by the increased number of people showing up.

What is also worth noting is that ChESS Publicity also perform the duty of managing the official NUS Chemical Engineering Facebook group, a communication platform filled with the entropy of almost 900 members now. Here, you will not only receive latest updates of upcoming events held by ChESS, but also encounter activities and questions raised by students who share the same passion as you.

In the future, we are confident that more chaos can be heard in our Facebook group and more thought-provoking posts will be seen on our ChESS website. If you have not yet been in the loop of our Facebook group or our ChESS website, do not hesitate to join us now!

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CheSS eveNtS - Publicity

n 2nd August 2014, the public relations department from the Chemical Engineering Students’ Society (ChESS) organized their annual flagship event. Orientation day, O-Day in short. This year’s O-Day saw approximately 140 participants which is an amazingly huge number of turn-up. O-Day serves to establish a platform for interactions between seniors and the incoming chemical engineers. It is often the lack of information which leads to the freshies missing out on the opportunities available, so O-Day is created as an event where the freshies get to know more about the academic opportunities available for them and the planning and application of different programs (e.g SEP DDP DCP).

O-day started with a fun filled ice breaker session in the morning where the freshies played games like whacko, ramen-siewmai-xiaolongbao-watermelon to get to know one another better. Following the warm-up session, the atmosphere of the event was brought to a high with stage and mass games conducted by our energetic emcee Nur Syafiq.

The freshies had the chance to mingle around in the lecture theateras they try to look for alphabets

by: Pradeep Peter (Director of PR committee, Year 3) & Sean Lee Yuehao (Vice Director of PR committee, Year 2)

could mingle freely with the speakers and ask any questions they want. The public relations department of ChESS would like to extend out the thanks to everyone who made this possible and we are really glad that the sharing sessions benefitted many who are thinking of going into the chemical engineering industry in the future. The sharing sessions served as a platform for the student to network, know more about what is needed in the industry and also spurs the students to study harder in school because we will definitely need all the knowledge we can acquire to get ourselves ready for work! Overall, this was a fruitful year for the publicrelations department of ChESS.

which are hidden all around to form the name of their orientation group. Lunch session was interactive as well where the seniors took the effort to share their own experiences with the freshies. After which, the freshies had the chance to tour the common lecture/tutorial spots in Faculty of Engineering, UTown while learning more about special programs (e.g SEP DDP DCP GEP NOC) at each location where a senior in that particular program will be sharing his or her experience. O-day ended officially with the freshies walking away with a goodie bag full of useful materials (e.g. highlighters, foolscap paper) and a compilation of past exam papers to prepare them for their first year of study as a chemical engineer!

Baxter/P&GThe 22nd public relations committee of the ChESS managed to organize two sharing sessions with Baxter and Procter & Gamble. It was really an eye opener for our students to get to know more about what a chemical engineer does in the work field, both in a pharmaceutical industry and a consumer product company. The speakers invited are all ex-NUS students which makes it much easier for more interaction between thespeakers and students during the Q&A session where the students

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Exam Paper & Recruitment Drive uring August last year, Special Projects held an Exam Paper Sales & Recruitment Drive. The event was held to recruit potential candidates for the various committee and sub-com positions available, such as OCIP committee, Freshman Welcome Camp Committee, etc. At the same time, the Exam Paper Sales was conducted with Year One as the target group, so as to help them with their revisions for mid-terms and finals of various Year One modules. Overall, the event was a success as there was a high demand for the exam booklets and the various Committees managed to recruit candidates. Special Projects Committee would like to thank the Exco and Committee members who helped out at the event, and also not forgetting the student body for your tremendous support!

Labcoat & Goggles SalesThe lab coat and goggle sales were held from 13 to 22 January 2014. The annual event saw an estimated 280 participants with our chemical engineering students forming the bulk of core purchases as well as those taking CM1502 or other lab modules. This year saw a twist from previous years; preorders were conducted instead of a straight-on sale to better cater to and serve the needs of the general student population, and leveraging on multiple pre-order dates and locations conducted throughout the duration of the event. As a welfare event, we were glad to reach the widest student population possible; in particular those from the department of chemical engineering. Notwithstanding, the heart-warming response will prompt us to continue providing cost-effective and affordable lab coats to all in the next instalment!

T-shirt SalesThis year, Special Projects has decided to continue with the Chemical Engineering T-shirt Competition pioneered by the former SP committee. This event hopes to create an identity among the

By: Welson, Sherman, and Mervyn, Directors of Special Projects

Chemical Engineer student body and instilling a feeling of commonness and belonging, which can be hard to get by given the hectic demands of school work. The event kicked off with a T-shirt design competition whereby the students are given the opportunity to unleash their creative minds of engineers and come out with unique and beautiful designs for the T-shirt. There was an overwhelming response to the competition, and after much deliberation, the committee has decided to announce the TOP 6 designs to be opened up for voting in which the final design lies solely on the decision of the students. It was a closely contested competition among the 6 designs but finally, the winning design was selected after accumulating the most number of votes at the end of the competition and the T-shirt with said design has been sent for printing. The T-shirt sales are being held early at the beginning of the new semester.

We would like to congratulate the top 3 winners of the competition who have all produced excellent designs for the Chemical Engineering T-shirt. We would also like to thank the remaining contestants who did not make it through, for all their hard work and dedicated contributions we sincerely hope they consider participating again in next year’s event. Last but not least, we would like to thank all of you who have actively participated and supported the event by diligently casting your votes!

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he vision of National University of Singapore (NUS) is to be “A leading global university in Asia, influencing the future”. The mission of NUS is – “To transform the way people think and do things through education, research and service”. Attaining this status requires an immense amount of effort, time and hard work from every individual who is a part of the community. In order to be able to fulfill this requirement, the individual needs to be driven, motivated, healthy and psychologically capable.

Chemical Engineers constitute a small portion of this community. Thus, the Chemical Engineering Students’ Society (ChESS) for responsible in ensuring that the chemical engineers are supported through all their endeavours in making NUS what it is today and will be tomorrow. Thus, the Welfare committee of ChESS organizes events to ensure the well-being, health and comfort of the chemical engineers in NUS. In the year of 2013, the Chemical Engineering Students’ Society’s (ChESS) Welfare Committee organized the ‘Welfare Pack Giveaway’ during the semesters of the academic year 2013-14. The purpose of this event is to disseminate packages to students before the exam week in order to boost their energy and morals, propelling them to push themselves forward and excel.

One of the mottos of ChESS is to be committed towards social investment in nurturing future generations of engineer leaders. Thus, the committee believes that this is a channel through which the organization is able to ensure that a majority of the chemical engineers are targeted and their needs are efficiently addressed. By ensuring the delivery of these packages, the committee is able to make sure that the students are mentally prepared and equipped to handle the various hurdles in their pathway to success.

The ‘Welfare Pack Giveaway’ has been extremely successful over the years and has continued to receiving an overwhelming response from the students because of the functionality of the items that have been disseminated over the semesters. Comprising of foolscap, food items and vouchers, the welfare packs were received with big smiles by the students.

Apart from giving back to community, the Welfare committee ensures that the students are given an avenue through which they can personally interact with the student body of the Chemical Engineering Students’ Society (ChESS) and express their views and opinions about the event or any other related matters. Although the interaction may not be necessarily long, these events are definitely a way for the students to understand the working of the student body and aid in achieving the greater common goal of succeeding the mission and vision of NUS.

By: Welfare committeeT

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n the past 3 months, I was enrolled in this NUS Overseas College program. For other NOC programs, students will be sent overseas to take an internship in that place. However, it is not the case for iLEAD. In iLEAD, we work in Singapore for 7 months and take an Overseas Study Mission for half a month. Generally speaking, the objective of all NOC program is to let students immerse into local entrepreneurial culture.

The reason why I choose iLEAD is that Singapore, as one of the most active entrepreneurial hubs in the world, has a lot of valuable things for me to learn. Due to the influence of my family (as both my parents are entrepreneurs in China), I would like to have my own company in the future. Hence, I believe this 7-months start-up internship experience in Singapore will be of great use for my future career.

In this summer vacation, I was working in a skincare product company. My major task is doing online marketing. I need to design our advertisements everyday, including online Ads, Taxi Ads, Promotion Ads and others. My skills in Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator have been improved rapidly during the past 3 months. As a start-up, we are always short of hands. Therefore, I got a chance to try almost all the jobs, like promoter, designer, customer service, videographer, and website programmer. I have seen how difficult and challenging it is for running a start-up in Singapore, which has a relatively small market. In the coming month, this company is planning to enter the China market, I believe that will be more exciting! From my experience so far, I find this program absolutely worthwhile for people who want to start a start-up in the future. It is a good chance to see the very beginning of success. You will taste the tiny sweetness (that might be big for start-up) of every step forward. You will see how cruel the competitive market is. If you want to survive, some others must be out.

For your information, check this website http://www.overseas.nus.edu.sg/ if you want to apply this program. Remember that, there are two intakes every year for iLead, January and May. The application will be open at the beginning of every semester.

By Wang Zhiyuan (Chemical Engineering Year 3)

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Introduction

Under the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) Programme, I spent a semester abroad in Israel. For those who are unfamiliar, the NOC is one of the flagship programmes of NUS Enterprise, aimed at developing entrepreneural traits in students. It places them in an internship at a local or overseas start-up for 6 months or a year, and also pays for them to study business and entrepreneurship courses at a partner university.

Concisely put, in my opinion, NOC is a highly intensive learning experience, which can be categorized into 3 parts.

By: Wu Chengliang

1. Acquiring relevant work experience

I had the opportunity to intern at a wastewater treatment start-up, called Aquanos, which has devised an energy-efficient means of treating wastewater, through the incorporation of microalgae in the treatment process. My workplace is at Aquanos’ pilot

plant (a pilot plant is a small-scale industrial system used to generate in-house empirical data) located in Rishon LeZion, a city south of Tel Aviv.

Being part of a start-up, which has only 4 members, means that my job scope is very wide. Hence, I could


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be performing daily readings to find out industry trends, brainstorming and conducting different types of experiments to devise more effective means of treatment, engaging in some design work, or performing routine maintenance.

This kind of unstructured learning experience is highly-beneficial as one gains a broad overview of the entire process, and understands the impact that his or her work would have, compared to more conventional internships where a job description or a project has already been laid out. I got the chance to understand the thoughts behind optimising the process, and had the opportunity to witness real-life chemical engineering principles in action. I think that as an engineering student, acquiring some form of working experience or internship is fairly essential because it helps us to understand the industry trends as well as to experience hands-on engineering, and my internship undeniably helped me greatly in these aspects.

2. Learning about business and entrepreneurship

As stated earlier, NOC students attend business and entrepreneurship lessons, which focus on translating an idea to a viable business set-up. Hence, we had the opportunity to practise business pitches, perform presentations, listen to invited speakers, and also learn about the steps involved in funding and investment. Israel has a strong start-up culture, and it is labelled as the Start-Up Nation. Actually it is not difficult to see the reason behind. Even in the cafes of Tel Aviv, we could

hear people talking and making presentations about their start-up ideas! Some of my peers also attended meet-up sessions, which are small seminars, centered around a particular topic, designed for exchange of information as well as networking.

On a daily basis, working in a start-up also shows an undeniable plus. There is barely any hierarchy in our company and therefore no office politics as well. I can sit and work beside the CEO, sweat in the sun with the Chief Technology Officer, and engage in discussions with everybody. Being in a start-up also entails being thrifty, so we have to constantly look for the most cost-effective ways to set up and conduct our experiments.

3. Living Overseas

Spending a long period of time away from your family and friends and live all by yourself is something particularly worthwhile for you, primarily because you get to immerse yourself in a foreign culture, language, and environment. I’ve had the opportunity to travel widely within Israel during the weekends, learnt to cook edible food, and picked up a bit of the Hebrew language.

It’s difficult to express everything in words, so I’ll let pictures do the talking ;)

experieNCe ShariNg-Overseas programs-NUS Overseas Program in Israel

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Application Process and Advice

NOC programs can be in full-year (China, Stockholm, US) or half-year (Israel and India), and the selection process is interview-based, although criteria may vary from year to year. You will be able to map your internship back to NUS, as part of your Industrial Attachment (IA), to claim college credit.

Last bit of advice: to work and live in a completely different environment and culture, especially during your “formative years”, is to me, a distinctly rare but unique opportunity. It will definitely change your thinking in one way or another. So don’t hesitate. Give it a shot and send in the application.J

experieNCe ShariNg-Overseas programs-NUS Overseas Program in Israel

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o idea what to do for summer? Want to have a meaningful summer? Why not try out Summer Exchange?

For summer exchange, not only you get to go on a one-month holiday of your lifetime, but you will be able to credit transfer up to 3 modules at your partner school. Despite saying that, most schools do not offer engineering modules as the workload is too tedious for the short summer period.

The summer program I had undergone this summer was at Korea University (KU). KU is one of the top 3 universities in Korea, together with Seoul National University and Yonsei University. KU not only provides a large spectrum of interesting courses, it also provides an option for internship before the start of the course. Besides engineering modules, most of the other modules were easy to map back to NUS. For those year 1s out there, you might want to start thinking about summer program early as it allows you to map one of you core module, organic chemistry, which you will be taking in your year 2 in NUS.

The summer program was an enriching yet challenging experience for me, as it cramps 12 weeks of normal lesson schedule into a span of 6 weeks. Lessons were very intensive as each module had to complete one chapter each day. Besides the normal lectures, we were also given several projects and presentations to do through the course. On the side note, the tests set were manageable and most of us were able to do reasonably well. The professors’ teaching styles were also quite different from those standard NUS professors. The professors I had were also animated and refreshing compared to the standard lectures I had in engineering. Despite the busy schedule, KU had also arranged field trips and activities for us every Friday. Some of the activities include Lotte World amusement park, Nanta performance, N Seoul Tower, Kpop experience, Soccer and taekwondo. These activities immersed me in the Korean culture and help me to blend. The activities also allow me to interact with other foreign exchange students and local students.

By: Oh Cheng Yong

We also had a chance to experience a soccer match by Korean soccer star, Park Ji Sung, and other famous Kpop stars such as Kim Jong Kook from Running Man, Minho from SHINee and Doo Joon from Beast.

For those who love shopping or skincare products, Korea is also for you. During the Summer school period, Korea will be having their Seoul Summer sale. Many skincare brands such as innisfree, missha and faceshop will have discount subjecting up to 50% discount. Upon bulk purchases, the sales assistance will also throw in lots of freebies and samples. Besides skincare products, the clothes in Seoul is also relative cheap (if you don’t compare to online prices) and trendy. Dong Dae Mun sells one of the finest and latest trends in the fashion industry.

The periods of summer are precious to us undergraduates as they are the last few breaks we have before we graduate. It’s the only long vacation we have that we can learn new skill or experience something different. I highly recommend considering options like internship or summer exchange or even Korea University which gives you both the opportunity in 1 summer.

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BefOre exChaNge: ife is busy and everyone must have their own ways to keep them move forward in these challenging days. For me, travelling is always the best motivation. I met AIESECers in a random occasion and they explained to me what this program is about. Deep in my heart, I always wish to travel to a faraway country where no one knows me and I know nothing about them too. Perhaps it might be a weird dream, but I just wish to jump out of my comfort zone to see how big the world is and how well I can adapt to it. Besides, I like children and volunteer works as well. I really like the feeling of everyone working together for a specific purpose and volunteer work also gives me a sense of satisfaction. Therefore, I decided to give it a try.

After registration, we need to find a project. There are many projects but they can be basically divided into three categories, which are education, environment and social enterprise. As I have mentioned before, I love kids, so I chose education without any hesitation. Then, you have to decide where you want to go and apply for the project. The local committee will contact you in around 1 to 2 weeks and after that you need to go through a SKYPE interview. I choose Romania as my destination just simply because it is in East Europe and not many people will travel to there. So, I think this would be a precious chance for me to explore their cultures and lifestyles. Secondly, I know nothing about it other than its location and I believe many people will misinterpret Romania as Rome too. Hence, I told myself that I must fill in the ‘blank’ with my own words after the 6 weeks of internship.

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By: Kar Yee

DUriNg exChaNge:I worked with another volunteer from SMU in a kindergarten. I can still remember the first day of my work vividly. You can hardly find an Asian in Romania, so you could feel that people are staring at you when you walk pass them or sitting in the bus. Sometimes, their stare can really make you doubt whether you came from another planet. Kids are always naïve and maybe this is their first time of approaching Asians. Therefore, they found us very interesting as we have

black hair and small eyes though I prefer their blond hair and big eyes so much. They just kept playing our hair and touching us like they have discovered something new. However, undeniably, they are very cute! It is just so sad that they don’t know English, so there is a language barrier between us. Most of the locals don’t know English since they speak Romanian and I think only people who are around the same age as us know some English. So, you can imagine that we had some difficult time initially in buying stuffs, asking for directions and etc. Luckily, I took French before and Romanian is a little bit similar to French, at least I can still guess what it means. This makes me realize the importance of learning a foreign language.

Our job scopes are planning lessons for the kids, for example, teaching them English, Mandarin, songs and origami; playing with them and assisting the teachers.

Although I don’t think they will remember what we have taught them since they are very young (3-4 years old), I will never forget their cute and shy faces in speaking English and Mandarin.

All of the volunteers in Brasov stayed in a house together. During the weekends, we will go somewhere else to explore. Other than Brasov, we have also visited to the Bran Castle (which is also known as Dracula’s castle), Peles Castle (one of the most beautiful castle in Europe), Sighisoara (a town with many UNESCO heritages), Poiana

(the most popular ski resort in Romania) and Sibiu. The most unforgettable trip for me is the time we spent in Sibiu. We went there to join the International Theater Festival and it was a really amazing night. We enjoyed the concert, watched the best-ever circus in my life and fireworks.

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experieNCe ShariNg-Overseas programs-Explore @ Romania!

During the weekdays, we will hang out together in the city, cook dinner and chit-chatting. I really appreciated the international friendship so much. It is because if without them, my journey would not be so wonderful and I will also never get to know what is happening at

the other part of the world, their cultures and lifestyles.

after exChaNge:I always thought that 6 weeks of internship would be very short and I would not be sad for leaving. However, it proves I am wrong. I never imagine that 6 weeks can change so many things; from I know nothing about Romanian to I can speak some basic Romanian now, from I can’t remember the kids’ name to I not only can tell their name now but also know which is their pajamas respectively, from I know nothing about Romania to I know their cultures, traditional food, lifestyle and many more. The last day of my internship was also their semester–end performance. I had a mixed feeling while watching their performance. I was wondering what will be their reactions if they found out that I will not be there anymore after tomorrow. Will they continue to play as before or will they miss us? No matter what, I just hope that they will remember that once in their lifetime, there are two ladies with black

hair came into their life. I sincerely wish them grow up happily and healthily in the future.

Indeed, I do not regret for joining this EXPLORE program. Although I think the actual contribution we

could provide is lesser than what I have expected, I did learn many valuable lessons from this exchange. Maybe Romania is not as developed as compared to Singapore, but they are still enjoying their life. The meaning of ‘living’ varies from people to people; perhaps one has to take some time to reflect what it means to you. I think the most precious lesson that this journey has taught me is that happiness is for who appreciate what they already have.

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experieNCe ShariNg-Overseas programs-Explore @ Romania!

projects are meant for those people who are passionate about sharing their own culture to others, who are brave enough to step out of the comfortable zone for overseas exposure and who want to know better about themselves in a new environment. To find something exciting for the long summer vacation, I joined the AIESEC organization as a volunteer and spent 6 weeks doing a voluntary project in Poland.

introduction into aieSeCFor the uninitiated, AIESEC is an international nonprofit organization which provides a platform for young people to do voluntary project or internship overseas. The name AIESEC comes from the abbreviation of its original French name.The organization now has over 100,000 members in 124 countries and territories, making it the largest student-run organization. AIESEC

By: Yu Wenxi (Chemical Engineering, Year 2)

mainly runs two programs: Global Community Development Program (GCDP) and Global Internship Program (GIP). Students need to finish GCDP before they can go for a GIP.

AIESEC sets up Local Communities (LC) based on either a city or a university, and the LC will admit volunteers or interns, most of whom are undergraduates, and send them out to other countries to carry out the project.

application for aieSeC gCDpThe application can take almost 2 months before you can go overseas. A short interview is held by the review board of your local community, which is NUS LC, before you can start sourcing for your own project on an online platform which is only open to AIESEC interns. There are hundreds of projects held by local communities all over the world on the online platform, and the topics of projects range from education,

AIESEC

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experieNCe ShariNg-Overseas programs-AIESEC GCDP @ Poland


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environment to marketing and website management. You can pick up the projects you take an interest in and write email application to the host LC. It is very common that less than half of the application you send get replies, and it could also happen that three out of thirty offer you Skype interviews. My advice is starting your application as early as you and spamming email application as much as you can. I joined AIESEC at the last round of interview held by NUS LC in the middle of March, and finally passed through the interview at the beginning of May. The key to the interview is trying to sell yourself through your words and body language, especially the parts about your relevant experience. Moreover, the majority of projects are on the topic of cultural sharing, most of the project managers rejected me because they already got one intern from Singapore in their team and they wanted diversity, so try to start applying early before spaces are filled up.

My aieSeC projectAs volunteers opt for different projects and work in different countries with different local communities, their experiences can also be significantly divergent from each other. My project is named “GCDP Holiday”, and what I did was playing with, teaching and cooking for students aged 6 to 18 in the daily care center “Amaltea” in Krakow, Poland. In most European countries, primary school and high school students usually finish their classes around 3pm when their parents are still working or busy with chores, and then they come to places like this to play with other children and have one meal together. In Amaltea, there are about 40 registered students in total, but as attendance is not compulsory, the number of students showing up each day could be 5 or 25.

Playing with children in a daily care center is not that kind of significant job I expected, but

I would not deny it as fun. The main activities in Amaltea include drawing, playing ping pong, dancing, doing outdoor sports, playing chess and cards (the most popular ones are “Pictureka!” and “Uno Spin”) and cooking. I was quite amazed when I found that most students there can cook very well and there is one student washing all the dishes for each day. What I brought to them was some playthings and lots of candies from China. I also taught them some simply spoken and written Chinese, and cooked Chinese foods for them as part of cultural sharing.

Six weeks is not a very long time, and at the end I presented a small gift to all students with their Chinese names written on top. I also got gifts from my students: a diamond drawn by Claudia, a Krakow dragon toy and a huge card with wishes in both English and Chinese! I was surprised by the comment given by one of the teachers there: “We had some volunteers before, but none of them are as close to the children as you are.”Bidding farewell is a hardest moment I ever had in Krakow. Keep saying good-bye to the students, I was wondering whether I got a chance to meet them again. At the end, one of the teachers said “Goodbye, we will see you soon”, which made me fail to hold back the tears.

Other experiencesBesides the precious memories with students in Amaltea, I got the chance to establish international friendship. In our project “GCDP Holiday” in Krakow, we have 11 people, who come from India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Egypt and Montenegro. Apart from members from our team, we are also strongly connected with another team in Krakow, in which interns mostly come from Mexico, Ireland. Although we are distributed into different working places, we still have lunch together, and go out at night for parties. The culture of drinking and the culture of party would definitely be shocking to most interns from Singapore. However, the best way to understand a culture is to immerse yourself in it. Hence, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Moreover, the host LC also organizes events such as Global Village, which allows interns to set up booths to present their own cultures

My new friends and I also spent weekends and the whole week after the project travelling around Europe. We have been to Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Italy. Travelling offers you chance to meet new people, visit breath-taking places, experience new cultures, and become braver and braver.

final CommentLiving in a foreign country for 6 weeks is absolutely different from traveling there for only 2 days. As only young students in Poland speaks English in the communicative level, when I first came to Krakow, I doubted whether I can survive there for six weeks. However, as I approached more and more Polish people, things turn out that people can always find means to communicate and to help you without language. Nevertheless, I still tried my best to learn Polish both from people around me and on my own, as I recognize that learning languages is also a way to show respects to other cultures.

When you are overseas, some cultural shocks may make you feel being seriously challenged, but this should not the obstacle that holds you back. While showing understanding and appreciation for other cultures, remember that you always have a choice to act on your own. Therefore, do not be afraid to get yourself immersed in new culture. I still believe that I made the right choice, and I would have to admit that the world is really different after you stepping out of your own safe corner.

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ife is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you might get. This was the belief I had as I set off on my SEP journey to the University of Leeds (AY13/14, Semester 2). SEP is a rare chance to leave the comfort and security of home, and to experience living and studying in a foreign country. It also presents one of the greatest opportunities in an undergraduate’s life to travel and interact with different people from all around the world.

Leeds is the third largest city in the United Kingdom, and has been ranked by TripAdvisor as one of the top 10 destinations to visit in the UK in 2014. There are lots to do in Leeds: shopping, clubbing, taking a stroll along the River Aire, visiting one of the several museums for free and even having a game of chess in the open streets. The World Cup season began during my last few weeks at Leeds and live matches were screened

By Terence Tan Chemical Engineering, Year 3

outdoors on cool summer evenings. It was a unique experience standing among all the passionate British fans, cheering on Team England in their match against Uruguay, which they unfortunately lost. In July this year, Leeds also hosted the grand depart of the annual Tour de France, one of the largest international events ever to be organized in the city.

The weather in Leeds is, more often than not, gloomy. It was sunny for the first couple of days when I arrived in Leeds, but I soon found that this was the exception rather than the norm. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it did not snow at all during the time I was there, but it was still quite wet during the winter months. Wet and windy, with strong gusts of wind intent on turning your umbrella inside-out on a rainy day. Even when it was not raining, you would shiver in your thick coats as you walk down the windy streets of Leeds. In summer, the temperature still remains at a low 16 to 20oC, which

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feels like an air-con room back in Singapore. The sun rises super early at 5am, and only sets after 9pm (this took some time getting used to, so I would not wake up every time the sun starts shining through the curtains). Flowers are in full bloom everywhere, and it’s time to head out to the parks for a picnic or a game of frisbee.

The University of Leeds has a large international student population, and like NUS, it offers a wide variety of sports and activities for all students to participate in. In addition, there are “Give It a Go” sessions (from quidditch and pizza making, to photo walks around the city), which are great

ways to try out a club or society with no pressure to join afterwards. Teaching venues are located on a central campus, and a short walk will bring you to the lecture theatres for your next class, cafés to grab a bite, computer clusters to print your notes, or one of the three research libraries where you can mug 24/7 during exam periods.

The Department of Engineering at Leeds also organized weekly gatherings for international exchange students, where we had to give a short presentation about our home country. It was through here that I got to know my new friends from the US, Canada, France, Poland, Spain, Denmark and Hong Kong (just to name a few). Sometimes after lessons, we would even head out for drinks at the “Library”, which is in fact a bar!

One of the perks of being on exchange is that you can have lots of fun without worrying too much about your academic work (#onlyneedtopass!), and still being able to transfer your modular credits back to NUS. Most modules average at around 3 lecture hours per week, and with good planning you could possibly have a free day or two. Compared to

NUS, the lectures I had in Leeds went at a much slower pace, which gave me more time to appreciate and absorb the content I was learning (and miss a few classes here and there). Lecturers follow a similar style as in NUS, using powerpoint slides and tablet screens. Video cameras were in the process of being installed and the University aims to have all lectures webcasted by the end of this year.

The opportunity to travel (almost every week) isprobably one of reasons why so many people

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experieNCe ShariNg-Overseas programs-SEP to the University of Leeds

apply for SEP each year. Are you a football fan? Take a tour of Anfield Stadium in Liverpool or Old Trafford in Manchester! Beatles fan? Visit the Beatles museum and their yellow submarine in Liverpool! Want to try some awesome fish and chips? Travel to the seaside town of Whitby! Interested in Shakespeare? Visit Shakespeare’s birthplace at Stratford-upon-Avon! Or do you fancy getting closer to nature? Plan a trip to the Peak District, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales or Scottish Highlands!

Easter break is a month long holiday (3 weeks in some other universities) and one of the best times to travel during the spring term. It started off with Singapore Day, which was held at Victoria Park in London, bringingwith it all the #sgfood that we so missed in the UK! After touring around London for a couple of days, my friend and I took the Eurostar, a two and a half hours’

ride to Paris from London’s St. Pancreas train station. From Paris, we continued our travel by train to Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Hamburg (to meet our friend who was on exchange there), before flying back to the UK. From world famous attractions like the Paris Eiffel Tower and Mona Lisa in the Louvre (and Disneyland!), to walking along the canals of Amsterdam and seeing first-hand history of Berlin, it was truly an eye-opening experience for this first-time traveler to Europe!

After our final exams, a group of friends and I went on a 3-day driving trip around the UK. We set off from London to Dover, where we had a breathtaking view of the white cliffs by the English Channel. Then we headed west towards Bristol, passing by the pebbled beaches of Brighton and taking selfies with the Stonehenge along the way.

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It is often said that “the grass is greener on the other side”, and SEP presents a perfect opportunity to see for yourself exactly how green that grass is. It is also a journey of self-discovery and I have learnt many valuable life lessons that cannot be taught from textbooks. I am also thankful for all my friends and travel buddies, who have made this 5-month journey all the more fun and memorable. So go on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, and you just might find a pot of gold on the other side of the rainbow.

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fter 7 months of recruiting, fundraising and paperwork, among other tasks, we were finally off to Prey Veng, Cambodia!

We spent out first week teaching at the orphanage run by our partner organization, Operation Hope Foundation (OHF) and working on our pump design.

During the first week, we spent the first 2 days teaching English by means of games and songs. I was part of the team that taught students of 14-15 year olds. It was really encouraging to find out how willing they were to learn and converse with us. We played games such as broken telephone and charades together with them to reinforce what we had taught them earlier on. Our topics of discussion included how to pronounce and spell various occupations as well as adjectives to describe themselves and their friends. Our rational for doing this was so that they could effectively describe themselves in English as, from our observation, most of them do end up writing their cover letters in English.

On the third day, we held an Arts & Craft day. I was part of the team working with the youngest age bracket of 5-9years old. At the beginning, we had a hard time communicating with the children as they could not understand English well. We then started having more fun once we had our translator who kindly proceeded to teach us phrases in Khmer upon request. It was pretty amusing when the children echoed after my friends and I, when we started shouting “Lun! Lun!” (meaning faster!) periodically to get them to hurry up lest their paint dries up before they fold their paper in half to reveal their masterpieces.

On the fourth day, we set up a series of stations, each with different science experiments. The younger children were fascinated by the visually appealing experiments that involved colours and balloons while the older students really appreciated the science behind the ‘magic’. It was easy for us to explain the experiments with help from the older students who translated our explanations for the younger ones. We were delighted to find that the students were really interested in our experiments and all wanted a try at it.

Written by: Vivian FongA

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Originally, the aim of our project circled around the design of a pump that can draw water up from a lower depth than the ones currently installed by OHF. We faced many difficulties while attempting

to assemble the pump in Cambodia as it was not feasible to bring an entire setup of over 60m from

Singapore to Cambodia. We had trouble obtaining the necessary equipment and we had to constantly think

outside the box to make it work. For example, to stabilize the structure of the pump, the team made round wooden

chips by sawing off portions of a broom, drilling a hole in the centre and smoothening the edges out with abrasive paper. In the end, even though the pump design did not work, we all definitely learned a lot from the experience of trying to make something work with alternative materials.

The last week of our service was spent building a house and a well for those in need. Before embarking

on our project, OHF had already done surveys to find out which village and family required a house or well the most. I

personally think that the house building was the most impactful out of all the things we did throughout our service period. We had little to no power tools and we made our wooden house using nails, hammers, chisels, axes and saws. The house building experience bonded our team even more as 3-4 people had to work together for any given part of the job. We constantly, yet subconsciously, rotated the people working together! We had

slightly different groups every day. My Project Director and me had an easy job those few days as there would always be people who would take the initiative to get tasks done in spite

of its difficulty level. In fact, everybody wanted to try a little bit of everything!

Despite our differences in opinions and personalities, I believe that we worked very well as a team. As days went by in Cambodia, it became easier to express our thoughts freely to one another. Working to achieve the goals of our project, not to mention our constant, collective struggle against oversized bugs and lizards, really brought us closer together. I was honestly surprised at how effortless it was for us to compromise and reach a consensus while in Cambodia, something that was much

harder to accomplish during our preparation phase.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my team and I could not have asked for more. I thank each and every one of you for taking the time and effort to make our service learning trip possible and our shared experiences memorable. On behalf of the Project Cheway 2014 team, I also wish to thank everybody out there who supported us during our fundraising and publicity events!

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CheSS eveNtS - OCIP Cheway 2014

What is the Chemical Science Program (CSP)?The CSP is a four-year program that involves taking modules from the Department of Chemistry, and the Department of Life Sciences,

in replacement of unrestricted and technical electives. In addition, by the end of this program, given the right combination of modules taken, one has the opportunity to obtain a Minor in Life Sciences. The CSP acts as

a platform to prepare students for graduate studies and research in interdisciplinary areas of science.

Modules that I have attempted thus far include LSM1301 (General Biology), LSM1101 (Biochemistry of Biomolecules), and CM2121 (Organic Chemistry 2). Upcoming modules include Level 2000 & 3000 Life Science Modules, CM2142 (Analytical Chemistry 1), and CM3221 (Organic Synthesis & Spectroscopy). A total

of 164MCs if you have background in A-Level

Biology) are taken throughout the entire program.

By: Yeo Zhen Qiang (Chemical Engineering Year 2)

Overall, the workload is relatively manageable during my first year of study.

Why join the Chemical Science Program?Acquiring knowledge in the fields of the mathematics and sciences has been a passion of mine. Via the Chemical Science Program, I am able to gain theoretical knowledge from the Faculty of Science, which complements the practical skills learnt from being a chemical engineering student (Theory vs. Application). Furthermore, the pharmaceutical sector has been expanding in recent years and I hope that with the additional life science knowledge acquired, I will be better equipped to join this industry.

This program also offers me the opportunity to make new friends from other departments. Shown below are the pictures taken during one of the laboratory sessions in LSM1101.

I have really enjoyed my time in the Chemical Science Program thus far. If you have an interest in the Life Sciences, do consider joining the Chemical Science Program! Application opens end-July (for AY13/14). For more information, approach the Department of Chemical Engineering or visit http://www.chemicalscience.nus.edu.sg

Photo Credits: Yong Shiyin (Life Sciences)

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ReflectionsIsn’t that for Mechanical Engineering (ME) students? Aren’t you a Chemical Engineering (ChE) student? What are you going to do there? Those were the kind of questions my friends asked when I first told them I joined the NUS FSAE Team as part of the Design Centric Programme (DCP). Incidentally, those were also the kind of questions the FSAE seniors asked me during the selection phase.

Their scepticism was justified. I knew nothing of automotive engineering. My knowledge of aerodynamic design could be summarised with a paper aeroplane. But I had a passion and I was driven. And that’s the beauty of the FSAE programme and the greater DCP. It’s a group of passionate people learning all they can and working together to create something incredible.

So I learnt. The FSAE project supervisor, Prof. Seah, is an incredible teacher and mentor. He is also very good at languages. So, you can imagine my surprise when he greeted me in Tamil and asked me how I was. We had lessons every week for FSAE along with our regular school schedules, learning everything from suspension systems to transmission system to intake and exhaust design considerations. Professor Seah would have

By: Ajay Govinda Menon (Chemical Engineering, Year 3)

the car placed in front of us and would point to the different components so we could follow. We gained a strong appreciation for the amount of thought that goes into making a car, even one as humble as the Cherry QQ. We also gained a very strong appreciation for coffee and tea.

At the start of the semester break this year, we learnt how to use various milling and lathe machines. Though the manufacture of most of the components we designed was handed over to precision engineering companies, these lessons did help us understand the limitations of the machines and design our components better.

Then came the fun part, the Design Phase! We started designing our new components. Every year the rules for the FSAE competition is changing, so one cannot simply add new pieces to the previous design. My advice for the design phase is being prepared to see your designs fail. I think I have already passed 30 iterations of designs for the components I’m working on, but the design phase isn’t even over yet! Every mistake you make teaches you something new. The seniors and Research Engineers (REs) will critique your design and suggest improvements. And there’s so much you can learn from their experienced

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seniors and REs, because more often than not, your crazy-cool idea is something they’ve tried before. Your designs probably didn’t work out at all sometimes, but you learn to brush off the failures and keep moving on. With an awesome bunch of teammates, there’s no dull moment at all. We’re constantly bouncing ideas off each other, talking about school, girlfriends (or lack thereof) and, of course, CARS!

NUS FSAE is an amazing project. Of course we need to spend hours working on the car and sacrifice a lot of our holidays. However, when the car ultimately comes into being and you get into the driver’s seat, pull your visor down and shoot past that start line, It’s always worth it.

Then if one day, someone asks, what did you do during your time in NUS? I can say that, I built a race car, and raced it in the US against the best teams from all over the world. What did you do?

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-academic programs-Design Centric Programme

hen I ask for advice about university life from seniors, I often get two extremely different answers. One camp suggests that we take our time and enjoy the varsity experience: the socializing, the bonding, the CCAs, the girls... ahem. The other suggests that we rush through this prelude to real life as fast as possible so that we can start our ‘real life’ as soon as possible. For better or for worse, I chose the latter when I joined the GEP programme. I must be mad.

For the uninitiated, GEP stands for Global Engineering Programme (it is not that well advertised, but you probably have one or two friends in it). The general idea of the programme is that we will finish the degree in three years while going on SEP for at least 1 semester. As you can probably imagine, this means overloading. Loads and loads of overloading.

The first thing I noticed was that the timetable was actually still acceptable. 4 hours of class over a week is less than an hour a day. That sucks, but it is not that big a deal. The problem is that we have to take a regular engineer’s semester and then add higher level modules on top of that. For example, in our first semester most of us took 24 modular credits, adding CN2122 Fluid Mechanics on top of the allocated classes. Needless to say, it was an experience, trying to take such a huge academic jump from JC work. We spent most of the second lecture trying to figure out what the upside down triangle is (its del ∇ . Yes year 1s you will need your MA1505 for this. You are welcome).

The next thing I noticed is that you totally can have a life even if you are taking more classes! I played loads of frisbee, practised and participated in a video game tournament, joined a fusion band playing a Chinese instrument and still did well enough that the school hasn’t decided to kick me out. Something I did learn in my first semester lodging in Tembusu College is that if you are just going to come to school, study everyday and night and then come out with a degree, then you are really wasting what a campus

By: Pang Hongbo (Chemical Engineering, Year 2)

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University can offer you. Never again will there be so many interesting people, events and activities happening right next to you. If only those annoying classes and tutorials didn’t get in the way of everything, it all boils down, surprise surprise, to time management. If you find time to put in consistent work every week then when the exams roll over at the very least you have the general idea of what the module is about. If you don’t, then you will probably panic and scramble to study everything right before the exams (accursed 2122 again).

The exams. Gosh the exams. Engineering is of course famously full of final exams. Especially since we take strange module combinations, some of us have absolutely brutal exam schedules. In semester 2 I had 5 exams in 4 days. I took the math paper with my own batch, then took the CN3124 Fluid-Solid System (year 2s will remember this paper as being absolutely merciless). 2 days later, I took MLE1101 with my batch, took ACC1002X Financial Accounting in the afternoon, then finished it off with CN2125 Heat and Mass Transfer the next day. I didn’t dare to eat lunch due to fears of food coma. To combat hunger I brought in sweets to eat during the paper. Naturally by the end of the day I would just flop onto my bed as the end result of the sugar crash. Even thinking back about it is tiring me out. This is easily the worst part of the programme: consecutive draining papers thanks to the bad luck of scheduling.

Unlike other special programmes, GEP is not glamorous. We don’t design actual products like DCP. We don’t get two degrees like DDP. We don’t live in a shiny nice hostel like USP and do fancy modules that other people don’t. We do the same thing as most other chemical engineers, just over a short time. In many ways we are just rearranging our time a little. By pushing all the academics together, I free up one year to do anything I want. Maybe I will travel around, maybe I will pursue a hobby full time. It’s difficult work now, but that’s why it’s worth doing.

ello fellow chemical engineers!

As you would have realized, university life is vastly different from any other part of our education. We are accorded an immense amount of freedom to shape our varsity experience, and NUS offers a myriad of opportunities through its various programmes, academically and otherwise The Double Degree Programme (DDP) in Engineering and Economics is one such programme, which allows an undergraduate to complete the two degrees concurrently.

Though some apply for and are offered the DDP when they apply to NUS for Chemical Engineering, the programme also accepts students who have completed one year of study. For myself, I entered the programme in year 2. To be eligible for this, you need to have read EC1301: Principles of Economics in the first year. This module is basically ‘A’ level H2 Economics with a few additional concepts, and it is a good module to take to gauge your interest in the subject. There was also a CAP requirement of 4.0 at the end of semester 2, though this might change with the new S/U options offered to year 1s.

By: Edmund Siau,

Chem Eng/Econs DDP, Year 3

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Economics at varsity level is a social science, so being in this DDP you will also be part of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS). Academically, Economics is a rather quantitative subject, and we engineers pride ourselves on mathematical competency. The first-year mathematics modules, MA1505 and MA1506, cover more than sufficient

material to prepare you for the economics modules. However, this does not mean that they are easy to score in. Generally, economics modules tend to be less technical, but more conceptual compared to engineering modules. Our affinity with math does give us an advantage, but there are many students of math majors, other DDP students and mathematically-inclined people who take economics modules too, so do not feel complacent!

There is a general impression that being in the DDP somehow makes you better than your peers. This is untrue, being in the programme merely means that your breadth modules and Unrestricted Elective Modules (UEMs) are all used to fulfil degree requirements for Economics. Moreover,

there are a few engineering and arts modules which can be used to fulfil requirements toward both degrees, such as MA1505/1506, SC1101E and some electives from both economics and engineering. However, these are not enough and you need to take extra modular credits compared with normal engineers in order to graduate with two degrees. Thus, the recommended schedule for a DDP student typically involves graduation in 5 years due to the extra modules required. This information can all be found online at the DDP website. However, one can accelerate one’s graduation by ‘overloading’, i.e. taking more than 5 modules a semester. Beware that this may compromise your CAP as well as your student life due to “the scarcity of resources”, which you will learn more about in economics!

It is important to consider another economic concept, “opportunity cost”, when embarking on the DDP. Take note that the Double-Degree Programme (DDP) in Economics is but just one of many programmes offered by the institution, and that there are many other programmes which can enrich your university education in its own unique way. Taking up the DDP would mean the loss of freedom for UEMs, and thus the inconvenience to pursue programmes that require them, such as the 6-month Industrial Attachment Programme. You can still do it, but it would mean taking extra modular credits on top of what is required of you. There are also other double major programmes and special programmes that you should consider before joining the DDP. As a DDP student, it is also

crucial to plan your roadmap, the modules that you take each semester until graduation, to ensure that you will graduate on time.

That being said, the DDP is not without its perks. Besides academic interest in Economics, one can also apply economic concepts to engineering and vice versa, making for a more holistic, multidisciplinary education that will no doubt stead you well for the future. It also provides you with the unique opportunity to belong to two faculties, and thus know more people and participate in more student-led activities such as both Engin camp and Arts camp. You will discover that the two faculties are very different, both the student body and the teaching staff! Personally, I found that the DDP enhances my university education both academically and socially. You can also now collect goodie bags from both faculties at each welfare giveaway!

University education is not meant to be a walk in the park, and the DDP is no exception to the rule. It will no doubt challenge you intellectually, but for those who enjoy economics, it is a good opportunity to take that interest a step further and develop it to complement your engineering education, broadening your career options upon graduation. Should you be considering taking up the DDP, do think carefully (cost-benefit analysis!) before making a decision. For those with genuine interest in the subject matter, it will indubitably be a fulfilling experience.

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ndustrial attachment program is an awesome opportunity for students who want to obtain more practical experience in real industrial working conditions. Students will only be sent to selected companies which have good track records or show high potential in providing interns with excellent industrial or research training.

At the second round of Industrial Attachment Program allocation, I was allocated to DORF KETAL CHEMICALS (DK). I gradually got to understand the properties of the company after I started working there.

DK is one of the largest manufacturers of formulation-based specialty chemicals to be used in refining, petrochemical and applied industry. DK is today a preferred supplier of chemicals and additives for customers in Middle East, Africa, and South America as well as the Asia Pacific. DK Singapore is the Asia-Pacific regional headquarter of DK Group.

I have negotiated with my supervisor to extend my IA period to eight months instead of 24 weeks. During this 8-month industrial attachment program, I was assigned to support its sales team in China and Singapore. As a technical support, I was taught a lot of technical knowledge in refining and petrochemical related industry. I have translated most of its product data sheets and material safety data sheets, and some other document such as China National Offshore Oil Corporation Construction Design Document, and its technical treatment program proposal.

Through the translation work, I have understood the process of refining and petrochemical, the potential problems of it, and the process chemicals needed forit. This experience gave me insights into the petroleum

By: Qian Hang (Year 4)

industry. Besides, the translation of MSDS taught me some general knowledge of emergency measures in reaction to fire accident, or accidental release.

Moreover, I was also sent to Singapore Refining Company for site training. The plant visit was a wonderful experience for me, as I was exposed to the real industry of refining.

My role has been well defined – technical support, help in materials translation, sales report preparation, and some other works. I have gained a general understanding of petroleum industry, fuel additives, petrochemical process chemicals, refining process chemicals, and cargo treatment.

On a personal note, I have witnessed some parts of a working life, the problem, vested interest, office hours, etc. I would still have a lot more to learn, much to refine, tolerate and accept, in this globalized world.

The main takeaway, from a technically competent point of view, is a basic understanding in refinery and petrochemical process plant that will be directly applicable to the design project in my last year in NUS – through shadowing the workshop and the potential issues for process plant design.

The real learning does not stop at just technical knowledge but much stem from the realities of the working world, interaction style, team dynamic, etc.

I encourage my juniors to apply for IAP, the experience and what you can learn will be paramount for your future career.

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have been working in a membrane research lab since September 2013. At that time, My Mentor was a final year PhD student and I was in year 2. One of my seniors introduced me to Prof. Chung’s lab as a part- time research assistant. It has been one year since then. When I looked back, seizing the opportunity of working in the lab is a wise decision I made. And I never regret it.

It is not the money I earned in the lab that matters, but the valuable experience of working in the lab that counts. Firstly, unlike the experiments we did in our modules, the experiments we are doing in the research labs now have never been touched by others before. Therefore, the accuracy of the experiment results depends fully on our performance. This limitation teaches us responsibility. We are responsible for the results of the experiment, and our effort is vital for the conclusion that can be drawn from the experiment. Secondly, the lab provides us with a real research environment, which is significantly different from the student daily life of an undergraduate. As undergraduate students, our days are filled with lectures and assignments. However, the research life is different. Researchers spend most of their time alone carrying out their research and experiments. They do not have any lecture or much opportunity to discuss their problems faced in the lab. Since no one has done the same experiment and research before, you have to study andresearch all by yourself. This process requires a lot of

By: Qing Zikun (Chemical Engineering Year 3)

learning and enquiry skills. Students will ultimately figure out what a research means, and what a real research life is like through the experience of working in the lab, which is exactly what they need to know before making their decisions of whether they will pursue a higher degree after they graduate. Thirdly, working in a lab teaches me many skills which cannot be obtained from lectures. For example, I have learned how to search the scientific papers that interest me in the library database. From work, I have also acquired some experiment skills that might be useful in my future lab modules and final year project.

One of the best things of working in a lab is that I can meet many of my friends in the lab. We often share our experience with each other. My mentor, Han Gang, is a nice and kind person. It has always been a great time working for him, and I have learned a lot from him. He is a respectable teacher and a brilliant friend.

However, working in labs is not only about good things, but also about challenges. Some of my friends worked until late evenings in the lab during the summer vacation, which is both exhausting and a bit dangerous. As you know, the chemical engineering lab is easily caught on fire. The latest big fire took place in E4 building in April 2014, and the labs are only fixed recently. The lab where I worked last semester is on the sixth floor of E4, exactly where the big fire started. Fortunately I was not in that lab at that time.

To conclude, it is exciting and worthwhile to work in the lab. Come on friends, I hope to see you in the lab!

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