DOODLING and sketching as a pastime has proven to be rewarding for Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) Year-2 student Tan Han Wei. Since primary school, Han Wei has loved reading Manga, a Japanese cartoon, and sketching his own cartoon characters.
For his outstanding contributions in multimedia, computer vision, and machine learning, Dr Yan Shuicheng, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, was conferred the NUS Young Researcher Award at the University Awards Ceremony on 4 May 2012.
NUS RESEARCH team led by Professor Lian Yong, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering has received the National Research Foundation (NRF) grant to carry out high impact research (8th Competitive Research Programme grant call).
Professor Nitish V. Thakor assumed duty as Provost’s Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering on 27 March 2012 with joint appointment to the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Medicine. Professor Thakor has also been appointed Director of the University level neuroengineering research centre SiNAPSE (Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology : Advancing through Partnership of Scientists and Engineers). Bio
Dr Ho Ghim Wei, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Engineering Science Programme, who led the team in this development: “Traditionally, ZnO are synthesized on surfaces such as silicon and sapphire which are rigid and expensive to boot. What’s also significant is that we have synthesized vertically aligned patterned ZnO nanostructures on flexible substrates. The array of nanostructures, coupled with visible transparency and good mechanical-electro conductive characteristics, is expected to show high device performance.”
A paper on this research, titled “Patterned growth of vertically-aligned ZnO nanorods on a flexible platform for feasible transparent and conformable electronics applications” authored by Dr Ho, W L Ong ( Electrical & Computer Engineering), Q X Low and W Huang (Engineering Science Programme), J A van Kan (Department of Physics) was published recently in the Journal of Materials Chemistry by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
YOU can say it is having a ball of a time -- in the air. Click here (http://uav.ece.nus.edu.sg/) and you can see what we mean. This “winged ball” which looks like a mini satellite is an UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) with an innovative coaxial rotor configuration. It has equipped with a customized flight control and navigation system designed by a 15-member team at the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. It hopefully becomes an award winning UAV.
GOOD news for students who have made Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) their choice. The ECE Scholarship has just been launched for outstanding students. The Scholarship is bond-free and is aimed at students who have the passion and drive for the discipline.
FACULTY of Engineering students had a field day at the Student Achievement Awards 2012 Ceremony (17 February) held at the University Cultural Centre. All in, there were 10 individuals and teams receiving the Award.
The National University of Singapore will launch a trial this year to study whether one-seater electric vehicles can enhance travel around its campuses.
Led by Prof Chua Kee Chaing, Head, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE), the trial is likely to start by April with a fleet of 10 such vehicles, provided by Toyota Tsusho (Singapore).
The six-month trial project is led by Prof Balaji Prabhakar from Stanford University, Assoc Prof Mehul Motani and Prof Chua Kee Chaing of the NUS Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, together with Stanford PhD student Ms Naini Gomes.
The prestigious award recognizes Professor Kwong for leadership in silicon technology and excellence in the management of microelectronics R&D. The award was presented at the 2011 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by Philips Electronics NV, the award comprises a bronze medal, certificate and an honorarium.
PROFESSORS Colin Sheppard, Department of Bioengineering, and Hong Minghui, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, have
been elected Fellows of the Optical Society of America (OSA) in October 2011. The honour is reserved to no more than 10 per cent of the total membership in OSA.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow
Prof Xu Jianxin is elected IEEE Fellow for his contributions to motion control systems, effective 1 Jan 2012.
Prof Venkatesan is honored for his exemplary scientific career in research, industrial leadership, and guidance of new generations of physicists in the creation of new ventures by innovation. He has outstanding work in the invention of pulsed laser deposition process, development in the field of oxide electronics, successful conversion of academic research into commercializable products, and having more than 10 students and researchers setup commercial enterprises. He is the first Asian outside USA to be awarded, and is also one of the most highly cited physicists in the world today, being ranked 66 globally (as at end of year 2000).
ASSISTANT Professor Yan Shuicheng, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, was awarded the Young Scientist Award
2011 which recognises researchers aged 35 years and below. Organised by the Singapore National Academy of Science and
supported by A*STAR, the award comprises a trophy, certificate and $10,000.
NUS Electrical & Computer Engineering alumna (Class of 2009), Tao Yijun shone again in Wushu at the recent SEA games held in Jakarta.
She took the gold medal in the women’s Duilian (team). Yijun was also part of the team that won the event in the previous Games.
Two research projects by NUS engineering teams were presented the IES (Institution of Engineers Singapore) Prestigious Achievement Award at the National Engineers' Day celebrations on 11 November by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapore Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts.
Prof Lian Yong and his team at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering developed a "wearable" ECG chip for managing cardiovascular disease. The innovation led to the formation of a spin-off called Clearbridge VitalSigns in January 2001, with Prof Lian as the co-founder.
Zhang Zongyang (Electrical & Computer Engineering) and Long Xiaoxing and Du Wei (both Chemical Engineering students) formed a team "Voices of Silence" (VOS). Participating in Youth For Cause 2011 (May to August), the team collaborated with the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) and organised a series of events including a first-of-its-kind photography workshop in Singapore for the deaf with the involvement of sign interpreters.
Dr Yan Shuicheng has authored and co-authored more than 200 technical papers on a wide
range of research topics. His research areas include computer vision, multimedia and machine learning.
ENGINEERING alumnus Darius Cheung is in the news again. This enterprising graduate from the NUS Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering has emerged this year’s Singapore Youth Award winner.
SCIENTISTS at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have found a cheap way to convert rainwater into electricity - and they are expanding their research to include sea water and wastewater, such as urine, as well.
Conferred the 2012 IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Outstanding Early Career Award
Assoc Prof. Tan Kay Chen has been chosen as the 2012 IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Outstanding Early Career awardee! This award recognizes an outstanding young scientist or engineer who contributed to the advancement of theory, technologies, and/or applications of computational intelligence through inventions, new technologies, innovative technical developments, new product implementations, or the management of innovative product design or production processes. The prize includes USD1,000 and a certificate. This award should be conferred at the award banquet during IEEE WCCI 2012 in Brisbane, Australia.
GREEN electronics, a new growth area in the electronics sector alongside Bioelectronics, Plastic Electronics and Security, may soon get a boost for further expansion.
ELECTRICAL and Computer Engineering Department’s Dr Steven Zhou received the inaugural Outstanding NUS Innovator Award at the Enterprise Connection Dinner. The Award was an initiative by NUS Enterprise and the NUS Society supported by the National Research Foundation’s University Innovation Fund.
THE ELECTRONICS sector is seeing phenomenal growth in Singapore. The Straits Times reported on 7 April 2011 that the electronics sector chalked up a “blistering growth” of 27 per cent to generate $89.9 billion in fixed asset investment last year – up 15 per cent from the level in 2010. Treble the rate across the global industry, this was Singapore’s electronics sector’s fastest growth rate in 20 years.
The inaugural QS World University Rankings® by Subject has placed NUS first in Asia in the fields of computer science and information systems as well as chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering.
A TEAM from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, supervised by Prof Lee Tong Heng and Prof Ben Chen, won big time at the Singapore Amazing Flying Machine competition held on 18 March.
AN OUTREACH effort by the NUS Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s External Linkage and Outreach, has resulted in innovations for the elderly. It has proven to be meaningful as well as a lot of fun for upper secondary and JC students who are involved in the project.
A NOVEL microscope to capture viruses, DNAs and biomolecules in real time is in the offing. This "nanoscope" can image molecules as small as 50nm. So far, conventional microscopes have been unable to do this and researchers had to use indirect methods such as atomic force microscopy or scanning electron microscopy.
WHEN Mr Khoo Eng Tat took up Electrical and Computing Engineering for his Bachelor of Engineering degree, he never knew it would open up a world which integrates technology with art and music. For this, he said, he has much to thank his supervisor, Assoc Prof Adrian Cheok, Director, Mixed Reality Lab at NUS.
TALKING about generation gaps, and the elderly becoming increasingly isolated... An Engineering PhD student, Ms Wang Xuan is out to change this. For starters, she and a team at the NUS Interactive Digital Media Institute (IDMI) have come out with a solution that will help bridge the generation gap. The solution, which is now available online and which may soon be in the form of an iPhone application, does not just bridge generations – but is able to link current times back to China of 2,000 years ago. Who better to help her in delivering this solution but Confucius, the Chinese philosopher and advocator of filial piety who lived during the Han Dynasty (500 BC).
IMAGINE sculptures which can morph into different shapes and “singing” different tunes with each new shape – this would not be
just an artistic feat but also an Engineering endeavour. Researchers have constantly been pushing the frontiers of 3D displays,
demolishing the confines of a flat digital world. A multidisciplinary team comprising researchers from the Interactive Digital Media
Institute (IDMI) and Engineering students recently won global recognition at the7th International Conference on Advances in
Computer Entertainment Technology in Taipei (Nov, 2010) -- for doing just this.
THEY are all set to break new ground. Team led by Prof Ben Chen at the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering have
taken steps which only few have ventured – designing and building miniature UAVs (Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles) – mini
helicopters capable of 3D indoor navigation.
GREATER experiential learning is now underway for the latest cohort of 1st-year Electrical and Computer Engineering students. The Department has launched two compulsory modules for 1st-year students which will jumpstart them in their learning journey. They will be getting hands-on knowledge and skills that are normally experienced by 3rd-year or even final-year students.
IEEE Fellow 2010
Prof Kam Pooi Yuen has been elevated to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow (2010), USA, effective 1 Jan 2010. He is honoured for his contributions to receiver design and performance analysis for wireless communications.
Junior Chamber International Singapore - The Outstanding Young Persons of Singapore (JCI TOYP) Singapore 2009
Dr Yeo Yee Chia is a merit award winner among the 15 recipients of this award on 4 November 2009. He has won numerous awards in the past, and has served very actively in the international research community. The award recognizes young persons between the ages of 21 and 40 who represent the heights of progress in human endeavors and inspires youths to make a change in society that transcends all boundaries. Dr. Yeo is recognized for his significant contributions to scientific and technological development.
A team of five from Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering developed the NUS ECG chip, a tiny, all-in-one speck that requires very little power to operate. Measuring just 25 sq mm - a quarter of the size of a woman's fingernail - it is perfect for emdebbing into a T-shirt.
On his team's win of the President's Technology Award, Prof Phang highlighted the importance of collaboration between NUS and SEMICAPS. He said both parties played an important role in achieving success.
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) gave grants amounting to a total of S$12.2 million to 17 projects in the areas of media & entertainment, medical technologies, education, water, infocomm, chemicals, energy and electronics. Of these, eight NUS projects were awarded grants.
EDB pumps $15m into studies on harnessing solar power
The Economic Development Board had earmarked $15 million to fund eight projects on solar technology, including three led by NUS Faculty of Engineering researchers Prof Andrew Tay, Prof Charanjit Singh Bhatia and Prof Armin Aberle.
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