TEXT Ervin Chung PHOTO Ervin Chung & Zhu Kankang
It had been nearly two months since the beginning of the semester. While everyone was bucking up and preparing for the finals, the fourth-year students were also starting to concern about their future careers. Thus, it was indeed timely for the CEE seminar held recently on 8th March 2012 by CEE club. This seminar was aimed at giving the civil engineering students a chance to engage the professionals in their related fields directly, so that they could learn more about the career prospects and the industry outlook at the same time. Of course, any student not in the final year was more than welcomed as well. The seminar lasted for two hours, and it had been a meaningful talk indeed for all the present students. The club had invited many speakers from several reputable companies to share about the job prospects and other things of interest of the respective company. The companies involved included Public Utilities Board, National Environment Agency, Keppel Offshore & Marine and NatSteel Holdings. Throughout the seminar, the students were also exposed to the characteristics and the opportunities in each company, as well as some eye-opening photos of the working environments of their future careers. During the session, the students were allowed to quench their curiosity that had been accumulating over the time by posing
questions after the presentation of each speaker and get direct response from the professionals from the respective company. After all the presentations of all the speakers, there was a Q&A session as well. Those who still had some questions regarding the talks could ask the questions and souvenirs would be given as encouragement to the question posers. Soon after the Q&A session, there was a presentation of tokens of appreciation to all the speakers. The seminar ended roughly at 6pm, followed by a sumptuous buffet for all the speakers and the present students. This seminar was indeed a success as higher participation rate was seen relative to the previous similar seminars. The club would like to see this to persist and would continue to serve the civil engineering students better and, even better!
C
EE Day and Night is organized annually by the Civil and Environmental Engineering Club as a way to bring together students from the faculty in an event which will enhance relationship between the members and advisors of the CEE club. It is also a platform for the CEE Club to show their appreciation for the support given by students of CEE throughout the year. This year on 15 March, CEE Day and Night was held in canopy K, NTU. A talent competition was held and the finalists were invited to perform in CEE night. Also, a drama production and a pageant contest “Mr. and Ms. CEE� were presented for the CEE students to relax and bond together. CEE T-shirt were released on this day and around 10 game booths including Postcard Exchange, Guitar Hero, Name card Exchange and CEE Photo were arranged to enrich the event. Coupons, redemption cards and goodie bags were distributed for CEE students. Photo Luo Jing, Feng Yuyun and Zhu Kankang
TEXT Tan Jiah Huey (CEE/2)
Sembawang Shipyard is a marine-based company renowned for its excellence in ship repairs, shipbuilding and ship conversions. As members of school of CEE, around 20 students and I joined the site visit to the Sembawang Shipyard organised by the CEE Club Welfare Division. The site visit started with an overview of the company, introduction of the various departments and employment opportunities within the company. Then, we were briefed by the Officer of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) about the rules and safety precautions to adhere to while conducting our visit. The highlight of this site visit was the sharing session from an EX-NTU graduate who started working at Sembawang Shipyard since last year. He described his job scope, working environment, promotion opportunities of his career and how much he enjoys his work and life there. We were pleased with this golden opportunity to consult a senior about this career. Besides that, our host arranged a tour around the yard, the mechanical workshop and the pipe workshop. We were extremely excited to see the ships in the dock or around the shipyard and those huge accessories. Undeniably this tour was an eye-opener and we gained a deeper insight about the operations of a shipyard. In a nutshell, this site visit was very educative and informative. It helped to clear our doubts about our future working life and greatly ignited our enthusiasm in the field of engineering. After participating in this site visit, I am more determined to start my career in this field as it is what I am looking for and believe in. In 3 hours, I gained a lot of extra knowledge through the site visit.
Founded in 2010 for the purpose of promoting a greater understanding of the commercial aspects of the Maritime industry. The NTU Maritime Business Society (NTU MBS) serves as a dedicated student body for students from all specializations interested in news and knowledge related to the Maritime industry. Our Vision: Our Mission:
Sailing Beyond the Horizon 1. To create awareness of the maritime industry 2. To forge ties with industry players and excel in value creation 3. To stay relevant with the industry's future outlook 4. To cultivate an alumni culture and enhance network
NTU MBS welcomes all NTU undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in learning more about the maritime industry to join us on our facebook page or email us at maritimebusiness@ntu.edu.sg.
Journey as the club president “ The old leaves, and the new takes over.� LEADERSHIP renewal process is constant. However, the circumstances that surround the process vary constantly. That is essentially the reason why taking over the helm is an interesting prospect. When the opportunity arose for us to ride on the waves set by my predecessor Sunny Sun Lu and his Executive Committee, we were excited since we had many ideas in mind to propel MBS further. Unfortunately, not every idea could be implemented within our term. This is ultimately the lesson: every term has its unique opportunities and challenges. What matters is that we capitalize on the opportunities and navigate around the challenges, together, as a cohesive team. When I received the baton from Sunny, my job was easier in the sense that we are already backed by the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) and the Maritime Port Authority (MPA). Furthermore, the MBS brand has already gotten around the many industry players and as such, opportunities are abound. This is simply down to the hard work of our first EXCO. From the bottom of my heart: thank you seniors and friends. Not forgetting also is the support and advices we benefitted from our professors, Prof Jasmine Lam, and Mr Teh Kong Leong. This leaves my committee with more resources to focus on new initiatives like the Site Visit Series, a mini Alumni Gathering, and an Industrial Immersion Sharing Session (IISS). We also recently had the Shipping: The Choice for you! sharing session, chaired by our Public Relation Directors Tianzhe and Chun Ho. I am certain that a few of these initiatives will develop into flagship events. Our society is just a few months over a year after all! With all that being said, we sincerely hope that we will continue to receive your continued support and enthusiasm. It can simply be through your participation for our events, feedbacks and suggestions, or even taking up the challenge to be part of our committee! In Singapore, there are two MBS that we can identify with. One is the Marina Bay Sands. The other is our Maritime Business Society. Join the latter in our voyage to raise the profile of the maritime industry! We are simply sailing beyond the horizon! MUHAMMAD HAZREEN BIN M HAFFIS, MS 2
Join us on NTU Maritime Business Society facebook page or reach us at maritimebusiness@ntu.edu.sg
only be outstanding academically, but also socially. We had site visits to PSA, industrial sharing by senior managers in the industry, networking sessions in the CBD area last semester, just to name a few.
FRESHMAN SPEAKS TEXT
BAI XIWEN (MS 1)
I feel that Maritime students need to play a dual role, one as a business student and the other as a science student. Part of the course is commercial based and we have to study the basic rules and laws in commercial transaction. On the other hand, terminologies like Meteorology and Oceanology are also what we need to be familiar with. Personally, I find it tough to change the way we are thinking from a businessman to a scientist.
Secondly, this course is rather industrialoriented. Our exposure to the industry is stronger than other courses. The requirement for us maritime students is not to
Six months away from Singapore, there were memorable events aplenty. Events like BI-nner, InSA Sports day, Weekend Stavanger Trip, traditional Norwegian Fårikål dinner, mushroom picking in the woods and the unforgettable hitch-hiking trip to the glacier at Jostedalen, were noteworthy moments that lived with me.
Joining the BI Outdoor Activities Club is highly recommended. My highlight trip with them was to hike the 1600m tall peak of Gaustatoppen with about 20 other international students to a “splendid” foggy view overlooking one-sixth of Norway mainland (it was raining and misty). On the trip, I learnt a Norwegian saying, "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing" which echoed many ways in life, such as being well-prepared for things; and despite the bad weather, our mood will
The Shipping Union at BI Norwegian School of Business NTU MBS officially forms a partnership with BI Shipping (Shippingutvalget). During their exchange in year 3, Maritime students from Singapore can get in touch with us and join in our activities. We facilitate business presentations from various shipping companies at BI Norwegian School of Business, as well as the annual “Shippingday”. This is to let our members and other students get an insight of career opportunities in the shipping industry and related maritime industry‟s and
At the beginning of last semester, the different maritime clusters our professors mentioned dazzled me. Now gradually I have gotten more familiar with the pattern of the industry. Although it is a specialized course, I believe there are many opportunities waiting for us. All the best for all Maritime students!
not be very much affected if we are adequately prepared for it. NICHOLAS LING, MS 3 Norwegians are not that reserved once during party time and especially when he thought you belong to his group. One can entertain himself/ herself very easily there, through learning from the future developments of one high-tech research, knowing about how bad the market is or simply listening to sharing of life stories from people in the party from time to time. Those maritime professionals were friendly, humorous and of course knowledgeable. I enjoy going to these networking sessions. And now I feel like I am a party animal! TEXT JUSTIN, SHI YI (MS 3)
EMIL ANDRE AARSTAD ANDRESEN, Head of marketing department
network with students with similar interest fields. Through lectures, company visits, external relations and existing members will attend a professional and socially stimulating environment. The committee will also be a social arena with various social events and new acquaintances.
on the Norwegian west coast), (8 -10 March) Three more business presentations and several social events are under planning, including an evening dinner with the Norwegian Ship Owning Society.
Programs at BI in 2012 :
We look forward to welcoming all of you from
Business presentation - Deep Sea Supply (Jan), The Klaveness Group (Feb)
Singapore!
Trip to Ulsteinvik/Å lesund (Maritime cluster
waterfall are strategically placed along the corridors to allow cooling from the water evaporation process, which helps in lowering the surrounding temperature and bring more comfort to the outdoor recreational activities. Ole Scheeren, former director of OMA, who has worked on the project design for two years, said that the design allows privacy and space, and „yet defines a sense of togetherness‟. Patricia Chia, CEO of CapitaLand Residential Singapore, one of the developers of the Interlace, said: “This is a great opportunity to create and build a residential destination at the Gillman Heights site that will challenge the present architectural definition of living spaces. While developing the dramatic external form, we have also given much attention to creating comfortable internal spaces. Ole Scheeren has created a new landmark for Singapore.”
D
The development, which will be ready in 2015, has already generated much interest. Many were won over by its radical and pioneering architectural design, generous offering of space, lush landscaping, convenient location and its focus on the community.
The Interlace, as the name suggests, brings up the interconnectivity between its residents and the natural environment surrounding them. The thirty one six-storey blocks are arranged on four main levels to form a multi-level building topography.
The Interlace breaks away from conventional residential developments in Singapore, which are usually isolated, vertical and box-like apartment blocks to an interconnected network of a community with a lush tropical environment. Where urban living meets nature, this Singapore latest architectural marvel has it all.
esigned as interconnected hexagonal building of thirty one flat buildings with 1,040 units, within a stretch of eight-hectare greeneries from Kent Ridge, Telok Blangah Hill and Mount Faber parks – the Interlace Condominium redefines Singapore‟s urban living in every way.
With its integrated designs of a green building, the Interlace condominium was awarded the Green Mark GoldPLUS in 2010 by the Building & Construction Authority (BCA) Singapore. This unique design utilizes the natural sunlight and ventilation by applying the concept of interlocking design and with an additional 20% opening at the basement car park for better lighting and ventilation. The building envelope design with deep overhanging balcony or planter as well as appropriate orientation of blocks also promotes effective sun shading. The construction of photovoltaic cells together with extensive green roof and landscaping at the roof tops help to generate renewable energy to promote minimal energy consumption. Water features such as the lotus pond and
Text Chong Wanyoon Photo Internet
I was fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to go on the INSTEP exchange program to Czech Technical University in Prague. My exchange last a total of 5 months from September 2011 to February 2012. Leaving home to study overseas for such a long period of time was a new and also challenging experience for me. I was able to study in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and travel to 10 different countries, including Iceland. Memorably, what I took back the most from this exchange program was neither the photographs nor the souvenirs, but the different perspectives I have attained from knowing students from around the world and the entirely new experience of backpacking. Having studied in Singapore all my life, I was extremely used to being spoon fed information and being led through the entire learning process. This accounted for a slight cultural shock when I started school in CTU. There were no lecture notes, powerpoint slides nor tutorial questions. All the information that was given by the lecturer was written on a blackboard and that was it. The courses were unlike that in NTU where you could slack for the entire semester and simply mug for the exams at the very last minute and still get by. In CTU, assignments must be completed and checked by the lecturer before you are allowed to take the exam. The toughest part is that some of the assignment questions are not taught in class and thus my friends and I found ourselves heading to the lecturer's office more times than we hoped for
since we were on exchange . Backpacking was a new experience altogether for many of us. Booking our own flights and accommodations, accompanied with exploring the city with our own map was a thoroughly enriching but tiring experience . The most memorable experience I had during my exchange was when i was travelling. Imagine waking up late for your flight, having to take a 80 euro cab ride to the airport only to realise that check-in counter has closed. The only option left was to take two connecting trains that lasted 20 hours in total to get to the final destination. If that was not bad enough, your wallet gets stolen right after you withdraw 500 euros to pay for the extra travel and the thieves then proceed to sign 1000 euros worth of merchandise on your credit cards. You then have to spend half of the only day you have in Vienna in the police station. Probably the only good thing to come out of all this was the comforting knowledge that the worst day of your life had probably past. All in all, I enjoyed my exchange and had no regrets choosing to leave home for these 5 months. I would urge anyone who has the opportunity to go for any exchange program to take up it up. There is much more to it than just the travelling and partying, much like any other significant stages in life, there are life lessons to be learnt.
Taking part in the (Global Immersion Programme) GIP Study in the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) for 6 months was a fascinating experience that is worthwhile to be reminisced. The culture, the weather and the academic system are simply some of the many differences which I had to get accustom to (with lots of pleasure of course). 'Ja kommer fra NTU' means 'I come from NTU'. This was the only phrase in Danish which I still remember because this language was simply too hard for an outsider to pronounce and write. Thus, while I was travelling around, buying groceries, even looking at the de-
I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to participate in INSTEP during the 1st semester of academic year 2011/12. My host university was Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), and the 5 months of exchange experience was breathtakingly amazing. The first thing that I had to adapt was the weather due to my first time travelling to Europe. The weather was not too cold towards the end of summer when I arrived but eventually turned bad months later. Apart from that, I needed to adapt with the Czech culture, which is totally different from what we have in Asia be it their language, cuisine, transportation, buildings and so on. Luckily, the CTU International Student Club was very helpful because they had guided us in course registration alongside other administration procedures during orientation week. They also planned for a number of local and oversea trips as well as many other events such as country presentation. We were given plenty of chances to know Erasmus (EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students)students from all over the world namely, Germany, France, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Slovakia, Spain, Costa Rica, Korean and Taiwan. Life in Prague was something that I will always cherish, from their gothic architectures and beautiful scenery along the Vltava River, friendly Czech locals and to the most important point: cheap beers!!! However, eating out in Prague was not cheap. The best solution to feed ourselves was to buy groceries from the nearby ―BILLA‖ – a very common supermarket, for cooking. I was staying in a double room in one of the students’ dormitory called Sinkuleho. The five- minutes-walk from the main campus of CTU is very convenient, and I really love the NTK library over there. There were country presentations every
week, which is a good opportunity for us to get to know friends of different nationalities and try their local food, as well as know more about their culture. Partying at night and hanging out with new friends are what I really enjoy over there. On the other note, I managed to clear most of my year 3 core modules such as Foundation Engineering, Steel Design, Environmental Engineering and some year 4 modules there. Our classes were made up of mainly exchange students and hence the courses are taught in English by extremely helpful Professors. It was a totally different experience studying in Prague. Meeting civil engineers from all over the world and sharing our knowledge was simply awesome. Besides studying, I often travel around Europe with two friends from NTU too. Travelling from Prague was very convenient because cheap trains, buses and air fares were readily available if you booked them at early-bird -price. We had wonderful experiences wandering around the famous cities of Europe, travelling to almost 10 countries in a mere duration of 5 months and seeing totally different cultures and histories. I would say that this exchange program was really life-challenging. I strongly suggest all CEE students to go for one as it is really enriching and fulfilling. I am sure that you will not want to miss this chance of a lifetime. Feel free to contact me at yong0121@e.ntu.edu.sg if you are interested to know more about Prague!
scription of products, I merely guessed. The outcome was surprising for instance when ketchup turned out to be chilli sauce. In the aspect of academic system, it was extremely different from NTU. Their maximum class size was around 40 students per class and the minimum duration of one class was 4 hours continuously. And most of the time when I had a single class, it lasted for 8 hours a day, with just a lunch break in the middle. In their system, I would need to solve tutorial questions immediately after the lecture together with classmates. We could discuss and consult teaching assistants. Doubts in both lecture and tutorial would be made clear within the 4-hour time, which I found it more efficient as compared to the system in NTU. Besides, the relationship between students and professors was very casual. Could you imagine that I was obliged to call professors in their first name? Moreover, professors would even organize after-class-party to have pot luck dinner and drinks together with students. On the other hand, team work was emphasized in DTU, too. I had a lot of group projects that required me to mingle and cooperate with students from other nationalities. Aside from studying, I had the chance to backpack around Europe. From the little mermaid in Copenhagen to ancient mythology in Athens, I was pleased that I had taken part in GIP. If I were to conclude the studying experience in DTU, I would say it was all about 'rest, relax and explore'.
General My exchange program to TUM lasted from October to February. As you all may know, their semester period is very much different from NTU. If you wish to come to Germany for exchange, you should consider the overlapping of semesters. For my case, I delayed my Industrial Attachment (IA) until early of March so as to fulfill the 22 weeks requirements. About TUM TUM is one of the most research-focused universities in Germany as well as in Europe. There are campuses located in Munich, which is the capital city of Bavaria State whereas the other 13 faculties are spread among the 3 campuses. Settling Down As soon as I arrived in Munich, there was a pick-up service provided by TUM International (TUMi). During the orientation week, they assisted me in administrative procedure such as opening an account, buying a transportation card as well as residential registration. They also provided campus tours so that we can familiarize ourselves with the new campus environment. A student mentor from the faculty will be assigned to you once semester commences, whom you can approach if any difficulties are experienced. Academic Matters Most of the courses are taught in German, therefore I did not take up many of my core subjects here. Instead, I cleared a lot of PE and UE. Studying in TUM is not that stressful as compared to NTU. Each course is normally conducted in 1.5 hours per week, which also includes tutorial sessions. In TUM, the system is quite flexible. They do not have the so called add-drop-period, so registration of courses is optional and hence you can simply join in the class halfway. On the other hand, registering for the course does not mean that you have to sit for the examination. In other words, you can give up the courses at the last minute if you find them uninteresting. Furthermore, the examination time table is
―negotiable‖. For example, if you have 2 examinations overlapping each other, you can actually sit for one of them in advance. If your exam date takes place after you go back, you may also request for an oral test or an examination in advance. People and Culture The German people are very nice and helpful! They are open-minded and willing to share their opinions with you. Try communicating with them and you will find them very interesting. The culture here is entirely different from Singapore. One particular fact about German people is they are very punctual. Besides that, their alcoholic consumption level is rather amazing. In Munich, there is not much night life, except partying. Party is a norm in their lives. Most of the shops and supermarkets are closed at 8:30pm and also closed on Sundays. Some German specialities are white beer, knoedel, brezel, Schweinsbraten, Pommes frites, white sausage etc. Travels Throughout the whole semester, I joined a lot of tours and sight-seeing trips organized by TUMi, and from there I made a lot of friends around the world. We travelled to many wonderful and exciting places during the semester break. Conclusion The exchange is an absolutely unforgettable experience. All in all, this exchange program has prepared me for the borderless world and also broadened my horizons.
Overview INSTEP is a must-go programme: it gives you the chance to study in a foreign country among the locals, to travel, experience another culture, make new friends, and also to SU your core modules if you manage to match some :P. Going to Europe to study for 5 months is an eye-opener. Yes, I fell in love with Poland and Europe in general and with the people I met—but this experience also makes me appreciate the Asian countries and culture I have been immersed in all my life.
Academic matters What I like about Politechnika is that the curriculum is balanced between hands-on lab sessions and lectures. For every 60 hours lesson time, 30 hours would be lab work. I think we should have more group projects and lab in NTU. It might be time consuming, but you can get to know your classmates and learn better. The best part is, if you failed the final exam on the 1st try, you get to repeat the next week (of course with different questions which might slightly be more challenging)
People & culture Poland might seem daunting due to the language barrier. In addition, it is an Eastern European country and thus feels more foreign to us. However I learnt that as long as you keep a positive attitude and not to give up on people, friends and good things would come your way eventually. Some foreigners (and even the Polish themselves) said that the Polish are unfriendly. Well, I would say when you meet an unfriendly Polish, there are 3 possibilities:
1. S/he is racist or is xenophobic (but everywhere there are such people!). 2. S/he is in a bad mood. 3. S/he doesn’t, or is afraid of speaking English. Whichever it would be, assume it’s number 3, and just smile. Poland is still an European country which is so homogenous; even in metropolitan Warsaw, about 80% of the population are Polish, and not many people speak English except the young and educated. Even those who know English are at times awfully shy to speak English. Be open, smile, and take the initiative. As a foreigner, I did experience people staring at me- in the bus or in the class. Being different may be stressful, but look on the bright side! Most of your classmates are actually dying to know you, but are too shy to say hi. So again, don’t forget your etiquette and basic courtesy. Join the class, be a good ambassador. Always remember that you are carrying your country’s name. This is what I tried to keep up while I was there, and really, it works. One of my friend actually remarked, ―Valencia, it’s like the entire Warsaw knows you!‖ (of course it’s hyperbolic, but you get the point). In Warsaw I get to know many friends from all over the world: Turkey, India, Pakistan, Tanzania, Mexico, Canada, Korea, China, and of course Europe. The feeling was just awesome—it’s like you’re really at the crossroads of the world. Getting to know and befriend new people broadens your thinking and opens your heart to so-called ―foreigners‖, and the next thing you know, hey, it seems like you’ve become a better global citizen!
E
ver wondered who is commonly regarded as the father of the civil engineering profession? Or at least, the first man who called himself a civil engineer in history?
The Englishman John Smeaton described himself as a civil engineer in 1768. He identified a new profession that was distinct from military engineering. Basically, at that time, the term „civil engineering‟ encompassed all aspects of non -military engineering.
ering:
ngine e l i v i c f o ther
Fa
ton
John Smea
John Smeaton‟s achievements and interests were wide ranging- from bridges to lighthouses and steam engines to astronomy. In short, he was a civil engineer capable of mechanical engineering as well. During his lifetime, he had at least 35 major civil engineering projects, of which the most famous was Eddystone Lighthouse, which has now become a tourist attraction. Clearly understanding that managing people correctly was as important as design and construction, he founded the Society of Civil Engineers in 1771, its existence impacting society to this day. It was the first engineering society formed in the world. When he died in 1792, a magazine stated that: “As a civil engineer, Mr. Smeaton was not equaled by any of the age he lived in: it may, perhaps be added, by none of any previous age.” Today, John Smeaton remains one of engineering‟s most revered professionals-the breadth and depth of his influence are still phenomenal. Text by Chung Ervin
Relax Corner
Comic by Zhong Ai
Procrastination Comic by Li Ya