CONTENT
Index 3 4 6 8 9 10 12 14 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 41
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Editor’s Note President’s Note MAE Week Investiture Subcomm Bonding Session MAE Games Subcommittee Bonding Session ISG MAE Club Workshop with NTU Toastmaster MAE Dialogue Spring Festival ISRG Night Cycling Featured Student: Dean’s List Behind the Scene A Word of Advise From NatSteel Boeing 777x: Redefining Aviation How To Prepare For Your Dreaded FInals? The Future of 3D Printing College Ballad A Short Conversation with Our Graduate Short Comic - Engineering Dream The Future
PERPETUAL MOTION Director: Forlando Tambunan Dharma Pranata Publisher: NTU School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Editorial: Elke Lidya Gregorius Marco Hong Yanxiang Pasha Laksamana Putra Say Xian Jue Tang Xinghuan Wang Ni Zhao Xuran Design: Gregorius Marco Stefan Putra Lionar Nicholas Laij Website: www.maeclub.com
Forlando Tambunan Editor-in-Chief
Dharma Pranata Assistant Managing Editor
The One and Only PM Magazine Perpetual Motion Magazine is back! After a short hiatus, we are ready to deliver the best news to you again. Everything is bundled in one extraordinary package to give you the best experience. With more pages, we intend to cover all MAE events so far and news that are most relevant to you. As a starting, we managed to strike an interview session with the HR of a well-established company. On top of that, we engaged in a dialogue session with professor and many others. With great confidence, I could say this is the best edition of PM Magazine just yet. Enjoy! Forlando Tambunan, Editior-in-chief
Also available at http://www.maeclub.com
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President’s Note Dear fellow MAE friends, I hope that you are learning and enjoying your semester at the Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering School (MAE). Working upon the club’s vision and mission, the management committee strives and works diligently to provide the best welfare and service to each and every one of you. We want you to have a fulfilling experience here and establish the pride as a student of MAE. Aware of the final year students’ apprehensions for the Final Year Project (FYP), we are determined to alleviate their anxiety by holding the very first FYP Talk, featuring 3 pivotal professors where they shared helpful tips and insights in doing well. During the Lobang Night a.k.a. the Alumni Networking Session, high-flying alumni were invited to interact with students and shed lights on possible career
paths. Additionally, we are committed to provide the best Pass Year Paper (PYP) solutions, which is available at Lee Wee Nam Library to calm your nerves and better prepare for the upcoming final exams. We understand the importance of striking a balance between work and play. With that in mind, we have organized activities such as Spring Festival, Night Cycling, Birthday Giveaway and Exam Welfare for you to relax and mingle with others. Apart from that, I am pleased to announce that MAE has emerged as the champion of Inter-School Recreational Games (ISRG) and runner-up of Inter-School Games (ISG). Cheers to all the school players who have done us proud! It is of foremost importance to stay connected to our
32nd Management Committee
student community and bridge the gap between the school administration and the student community. Hence, the MAE Club exclusive publication – Perpetual Motion was crafted with the aim of increasing our outreach besides highlighting MAE ongoing and upcoming activities. At the same time, we leveraged on online platform such as Facebook (facebook. com/ntumaeclub) to create a two-way communication plan. Also, our MAE website (maeclub.com) was overhauled to bring a better web navigation experience and the website traffic have improved ever since. Do keep a lookout (LIKE us on FB!) for more exciting activities by MAE Club as we are going all out to bring you the best service. Aside from our online platforms, you could find out more about MAE Club at the upcoming CCA week and explore possibilities of contributing to the student community by playing an active role as a MAE Club committee. All
enthusiasts and passionate students with great sense of responsibility are most welcome. With all being mentioned, it is beyond doubt that MAE Club is one of the most vibrant and exciting school clubs in NTU. I assure you that the 2014 MAE Week, happening next academic year will be a fun-filled event. Carnival games, goodies, discounted movie tickets and t-shits sales will keep you entertained. We value any feedback or questions you have and will make every attempt to respond to your message in a timely manner at feedback@maeclub.com. Thank you for your continuous support and patience. Lee Ming Hor (Mr.)
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Events
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MAE WEEK 2013
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“GEAR ON!” That’s the theme of MAE Week 2013, the latest and grandest event organized by the 31st Management Committee. Having thorough preparation from the summer holiday, MAE Week 2013 served all the MAE freshmen and seniors with lots of entertainment to begin the new academic year. The Hammer Challenge also became the center of attention where a heavy hammer must hit the base of a tall metallic bar hard enough in order for the small ball to bounce up and ring the bell. The strength of the participants were put to the test, their expressions reflected enthusiasm, struggle, and satisfaction. Onstage games were also held where participants could win instant prizes such as flash disks. Among the winners of the stage games, Calvin, a freshman took a 16GB flash disk home by playing “Balls, Balls and Balls!” where participants were asked to catch balls made of newspaper using pails on their head. Crowds were also amused as the participants compete to be the fastest to finish a banana, McChicken and Apple Pie in the “ The Hunger Games” competition.
Free beancurd for all MAE family
Proud winner of Basketball Competition
The last day of The MAE Week were the most awaited day where the June, July and August babies could collect presents. Moreover, moviegoers were also pleased as they could line up to purchase two movie tickets for only $10.
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eld from 26th to 28th August at the Canopy K, this event was filled with tons of games, goodie bags, lucky draws, and so much more. The NTU CAC Jazz and Blues also enlivened the crowds with their amazing performance at the beginning of the event, followed by the grand opening of MAE Week with Associate Chair Prof Ooi Kim Tiow as the guest of honor. The 31st Management Committee President, Tai Chi Loong, Eric, also delivered a short speech which officially opened the MAE Week 2013. Just few moments later, Canopy K became more crowded with students queuing up for the free goodie bags and exclusive MAE Week T-shirt. In addition, students could also stand a chance to win the grand prize of the lucky draw by filling up the coupon from playing the carnival games. These games varied every day and students could play as many as they wanted.
Finally, came the closing. First closing event is the awards giveaway for the best subcommittee in each portfolio. The best subcommittees received a certificate for their dedication and contribution for The MAE Club. Next was the lucky draw. Martin Febrian, a 3rd year student, was elated to be the lucky one to win the grand prize of Microsoft Surface RT. “I am very excited to attend this event, looking forward to other exciting MAE Club events” said Martin. The Jazz and Blues once again gave a pleasant performance and the event was closed by the photo taking of the 31st Management Committee. Overall, this annual event managed did not only benefit the MAE students, but also the passersby who enjoyed the games, free coffee, and performances. The positive responses from the students made MAE Week as one of the most awaited events in the start of academic year.
Everyone took a chance at the Hammer Challenge
Gregorius Marco
The Basketball Shooting Competition, became one of the most popular games played by the students. One student even managed to reach the high score of 600, a staggering feat given the limited time. It never gets more serious than this
Savouring the bananas at the Hunger Games Competition
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Hong Yanxiang Mechanical Engineering Year 3
Investiture 2013 MAE Club Investiture 2013 was the first event to be held by the newly formed 32nd Management Committee. Located in Lecture Theatre 1, this Investiture was attended by the Guest of Honor, A/P Lee Yong Tsui, the outgoing and incoming management committee, and the subcommittees On Wednesday, September 25th 2013, LT1 was full of MAE students who were eager to see the most crucial event in the MAE club. Investiture marks the beginning of MAE 32nd Committee’s duty to serve both the school and the students. The event started as the Guest of Honor, A/P Lee Yong Tsui, entered the venue. All of the audiences stood up and applauded him as he reach his seat. Soon after that, a video of the previous year’s MAE events was played, showing all the effort of the 31st Management Committee for the students. This year, instead of ribbon cutting, the main committees came up with new celebration idea. Prof. Lee was invited to the stage to change the number in the panel, from ‘31’ to ‘32’. Next, Eric, the president of the 31st Management Committee gave a short speech about his gratitude to Prof. Lee as the club advisor and to
The 31st Management Committee for all of their hard work. Lastly, the incoming club president Lee Ming Hor gave Eric a token of appreciation. Soon it was Prof. Lee’s turn to give a speech. He reminded the audiences about MAE club’s main role to serve the students and to help them perform well in academic matters. Prof. Lee also mentioned about the recent loss of MAE Nexus which was due to budget constraint. At the end of the speech, he thanked both the incoming and outgoing management committees. The investiture continued with appreciation ceremony, in which Prof. Lee gave each of The 31st Management Committee a certificate of appreciation. Following the appreciation ceremony, handover ceremony signified the passing down of responsibility from the outgoing to the incoming committee. The incoming management committee gave a token of
appreciation to the outgoing committee of each respective portfolio. After that, Lee Ming Hor , the incoming president of 32nd Management Committee, stepped forward to deliver a speech. First he expressed his gratitude for all of the attendees of the Investiture and expounded on his hopes and dreams for The 32nd Management Committee. At the end of his speech, he invited all of the audiences to join the MAE Games, the independent sports event held by the MAE Club.
Finally, the investiture ended with a photo-taking session of both the 31st and The 32nd Management Committee. The guests and audiences were served plentiful refreshments after the ceremenoy was over. Our hopes go with The 32nd Management Committees to serve the students better in this academic year. Good luck and all the best!
It is a fairly good event. The new committee was introduced so that we know whom to approach when we have problems. I hope that the new committee can make improvements and I also hope there will be something to replace Nexus. It is such a pity that it was taken back by the university.
Elke Lidya
Hopefully, the 32nd Management Committees are capable of serving the students better in the future. Good luck and all the best! Junaidy Lukman Aerospace Engineering Year 2 It is enjoyable – the atmosphere is not tense and the committee are giving their best. For the 31st committee, I thank you for the one year of welfare you have provided. And for the 32nd, please work hard and face the challenge!
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Basketball 1st: Eevann Seah, Yang Jin Long, Leong Jie Yong, Lee Ya Han 2nd: Xu Junshi, Guo PengSheng, Jiang Shan, Huang ShenRan, Dong Kuicai Badminton Men’s Single 1st: Jeremy Seet 2nd: Kong Tian Fook Women’s singles 1st: Li Yu Hua 2nd: Wang Bin Men’s Doubles 1st: Tan Zi Heng Aloysius & Daniel Lim 2nd: Benedict Tay & Kong Kian Shin Mixed Doubles 1st: Ng Wei Long & Choong Yu Ying Clarrisa 2nd: Henry Choong Li Xing & Susan Tyo Yin Sian Squash 1st: Brian Lee Zhan Rui 2nd: Ryn Aldrige Wu Wei Jie Table Tennis Men’s Singles 1st: A/Prof Pham 2nd: Tan Qun Feng Women’s Singles 1st: Wang Zi Yin* 2nd: Scrabble 1st: Wong Yun Jie 2nd: Soh Kelun Chinese Chess 1st: Yue Kin Chong 2nd: Larry Teo
MAE Games 2013 The MAE Games is an exciting event which is held annually by the school of MAE. This was the third time The Games were held and it provided a platform for the staff and students of MAE to get to know and compete against one another. Located at Sports and Recreational Centre (SRC) in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), MAE Games 2013 managed to catch the interest of MAE students. Seated among the students were professors and staff of the school of Mechanical and Aerospace engineering (MAE), all geared up to participate in this annual event organized by the MAE club. Lisan Purnama, the emcee, started the event by giving an brief introduction of MAE Games. It was followed by the opening speech from the Associate Chair (Academic), A/P Ooi Kim Tiow. The guests of honor of the MAE games 2013 were A/P Ooi and the Assistant Chair (Students), A/P Lee Yong Tsui. After the opening ceremony, MAE Games 2013 was officially started. It was a tense and thrilling moment in the recreational games room. Amongst the players, A/P Lee Tsui Yong was the only faculty staff. He is a talented and proficient Chinese chess player who enjoys playing the sport since he was in secondary school.
The winner of the Chinese chess competition was Yue Kin Chong, a MAE student. When asked about the secret of his victory, he explained that he is a member of the Chinese Chess Club in NTU and he has a burning passion in the game. Having played three games before being announced as the victor, he indeed had great patience and wits. For the Table-Tennis (men), the champion was the newest faculty member of the School of MAE, A/P Pham Quang Cuong.“Table-tennis is a sport like riding the bicycle, you will never forget how to play it,” he said . Having worked at faculties in France and Japan, he found that NTU is very unique to have organised games for the faculty staff and students to challenge one another in sports. Another member of the MAE faculty, A/P Yeo Song Huat, was an avid table-tennis player in his secondary school days. He admitted that competing with younger players made him feel young at heart and he enjoyed the rapport he built with his competitors which consist of fellow colleagues and students. At the squash courts, A/P Tan Ming Jen and his colleague, A/P Yap Fook Fah were having a heated competition with each other. A/P Tan practiced regularly with A/P Yap every week. He also advised students to take up this sport as he found that it was an excellent stress buster in his undergraduate days in UK.
Under the hot sun, teams of 4 gathered at the basketball court. They played mercilessly and crowds gathered there to watch them play. One of the players, Lu Yang Charles, a MAE year 3 student, was eliminated at the very first round. He commented that this year’s players were all very competitive and it was tough to win. However, he did not regret taking part as his team tried their best and they found it a relaxing way to spend their Friday afternoon, taking time off from their hectic workload. At around 6pm, the games ended and players gathered once again at the grandstand in front of SRC. Prizes were given out for the champion and the runner-up. The crowd laughed when A/P Lee made a joke about him being surprised that he did not win when he was handing the medal to Chinese chess runner-up. The MAE games 2013 was closed by a closing speech made by A/P Lee thanking all the organizing committee. Last but not least, delicious refreshments were provided for both the players and all the participants of MAE games 2013. Say Xian Jue
Events
Subcommittee Bonding Session 2013
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To celebrate and enhance the performance of the newly formed committee, MAE 32nd Management Committee went the extra mile for their subcommittees. Subcommittee Bonding Session is an annual MAE event to promote teamwork and foster friendship. By 10.30 am, the subcommittees had gathered in Canopy K, whereby they were given the MAE subcom t-shirt and gathered in their groups. The subcoms were divided into 2 groups (A and B) and there were 4 subgroups in each group. Two maincoms were assigned in each sub-group. The Bonding Session was hosted by Renee and Foo Zhisheng. First they opened the session with an ice-breaking game. The group member introduced themselves and then they played a mini game. Then the losing subcommittees had to dof forfeit in funny ways such as seven wonders, peel banana, and cheers in front of the crowd. Next, each subgroup was given 30 minutes to make a cheer. After having lunch, the subgroups had to perform on the stage. Just as expected, all of them managed to come up with creative cheer. After all of those battle cries, it was time for the Running Man Game. This game is an Amazing Race that spans across the entire North Spine Complex. At every location, the subcoms were tasked by the maincoms who acted as the gamemasters. The Running Man games consisted of the Word, All Flurry and Confusion game, Dizzy Ping Pong, Balloon, Copycat, Card Memory, Song Trivia, Lava, Throw and Catch, Racing Circle.
After the long yet exhilirating station games, the subcoms took a rest, chatting and eating dinner together. But the night was still not over yet. The maincoms had prepared 4 station games, but this time the subcoms were classified according to their portfolios. There were 5 teams which were P&P Bizmag, Sports, Social, MIT Logistics, Academic, and Welfare. Right after the MC announced the start of the game, all of the subcoms excitedly went to their respective stations. In these station games, the portfolios had to compete with one another in 4 different games. Chopstick Kungfu, Newspaper Boat Centipede, Human Pinball, and Rolling Wheel were the games that the subcommittees enjoyed profusely. Nobody showed any sign of exhaustion as the subcoms rushed from stations to stations. Although some of them lost in the station games, they ended up smiling
and laughing about what they had done in the games. As they came back to gather at Canopy K, joy and cheerfulness could be seen all over the place. Right after that, there was a word for friend session. A piece of A4 sized paper was taped at the back of all maincoms and subcoms, and then they wrote encouraging words to each other. With soothing music as the background, this was one of the most memorable sessions of the event. Before the prize giving session, Lee Ming Hor, the President of 32nd Management Committee, delivered a short speech to express his gratitude to all the participants. After that there was a prize giving ceremony, followed by the photo-taking session in which the subcoms formed the number 32 which signified the 32nd Committee of MAE Club. Overall, the main purpose of this Subcom Bonding Session was to bond the subcoms and maincoms together so they can give their best effort to the club and more importantly the students. Dharma Pranata
Events
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ISG 13/14
It has been another great year for team MAE. Ended up with 39 points in total, MAE manage to secure 2nd position in the overall rankings and tied up with NBS. Compared to last year’s rank which was 5th, now MAE has shown that they were able to move closer to become a champion. Here are some lists of achievement that team MAE got during ISG. Team MAE successfully became champion for Floorball, Bowling and Captains ball. Runner-up for Male Basketball and Frisbee. Third place for Badminton, Female Basketball, and Swimming Female Relay. Not to mention the fact that our players manage to get MVP title for several sports. The MVP title was given to Choo Xiu Min Cherie for Captain’s Ball and Chia Chong Long for Male Basketball. Congratulations team MAE !
Events
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OVERALL RANKING
MAE
2nd
ISG 2013/2014
Futsal never gets this hot before
Unstoppable combo of fetch and pass
Size does not matter here. Skill rules
Not gonna give it up easily
The opening duel of final basketball competition
Take the shot, even if there’s only split second gap
The wall will never let us down
Smash ‘em all!
Soaring high for the ultimate strike
Hitting strike with style
Events
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Events
Events
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Communication Workshop
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Organised by MAE Club and NTU InspYre Toastmasters The following session was Impromptu speech, which is usually held in almost all of the toastmaster workshop. The audiences were challenged to give an impromptu speech in front. The rules were pretty simple. After 1 minute had passed, the referee raised a green card, 1 and a half minute indicated by yellow card, 2 minutes by red card, and at 2 and a half minutes, the bell rang and stop. At first no one dare to step up and give a speech, but as the president of MAE Club, Lee Ming Hor was willing to be the first one. He chose one picture from the screen, and got “Intelligence is the ability to change” as his speech topic. As expected, he did a great job in giving the speech. Then, the MAE Club Vice President, Alvin Foo Zhi Sheng also wanted to try his communication skills. His speech topic was “Strangers are family you have yet to come to know”. Just like Ming Hor, Zhi Sheng also gave a remarkable speech. They both received chocolate bars as the prize.
Mr. Wekie Tay, the club advisor of NTU InspYre Toastmasters
Engineers are the front line of innovation. But a mind full of ideas would be wasted if one cannot communicate and share them to others. This time, MAE Club tried to overcome this common problem by inviting the well-known NTU InspYre Toastmasters Club to give a workshop about interpersonal skills.
NTU InspYre Toastmasters Club president, Wei Linyun. The 3rd Year Mechanical Engineering student gave her personal experience as a toastmaster since the first time she joined the club. Emphasizing the importance of communication as engineer, her speech not only motivated the audience but also kept the hype up along the event.
As the time approached 7.30, LT 19A was full of the eager participants of the talk. This was the first initiative by the Academic Portfolio of MAE Club to organize such talk for the benefit of the students. “The Secrets of Interpersonal Communication” was the theme of the workshop.
Finally, it was the main event of the day, which is the secrets of interpersonal communication workshop. Mr. Wekie Tay. He is the club advisor of NTU InspYre Toastmasters Club, and also known for his Communication training in other countries such as USA and Australia. It was no doubt that Mr. Tay was indeed a remarkable motivator and speaker. To draw the attention of the crowd, he used simple yet attractive approach. He even told the audience to interact with the person sitting next to them to immediately practice some basic form of communication. It turned out to be amazing, funny, and engaging activities. The audience were also able to understand the content of the workshop. Overall, Mr. Tay was successful in giving the workshop to all the audience.
The event started with an opening speech from the
“ Fun and engaging communication activities during the workshop
Just like any other events, MAE Club always express gratitude to the guest. Following the impromptu speech session was the handing of Token of Appreciation to Mr. Wekie Tay. There was also a lucky draw with Starbucks voucher as the prize. As the event approached its end, Lee Ming Hor gave a short speech to close the event. Such event was also the first initiative of MAE Club Academic Committee. It was indeed very successful and the students responded positively. Hopefully in the future, there will be more soft skills workshop that could help all of the MAE students to excel more not only academically, but also professionally. Dharma Pranata
Alvin Foo Zhi Sheng, the Vice President of MAE Club, giving an impromptu speech
But a mind full of ideas would be wasted if one cannot communicate and share them to others.
” Lee Ming Hor, the President of MAE Club, the first volunteer of impromptu speech session
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Prof. Chua Chee Kai proudly announced the international rank of MAE amongst other top engineering schools
MAE DIALOGUE The school of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) started the year of 2014 by holding a dialogue session open to all our students. The speaker for this session was Professor Chua Chee Kai and the information he disclosed about our school was very encouraging. Over the last few years, school of MAE has climbed the ranking among the top engineering schools. Thanks to all the hard
work by the schools, students, and everyone who was involved. Basically there are 2 things that determine ranking, which are citations and reputation. MAE has shown its quality as the 11th best Mechanical Engineering school in the world. However, rankings will come naturally as the quality of professors, students, and administration increases. The quality of a school is also determined by
the grants it receives. There are 4 major grants that MAE have received. Those grants consisted of ATMRI ($70 million), Rolls Royce ($70 million), Robotics A* Star, and 3D Printing. Prof. Chua continued to explain the future industrial prospects that MAE holds. 3D Printing and Robotics are top 2 industry that will get funded up to $500 million. Robotics Research Centre in NTU ranked 6th in the world,
and has a good reputation in medical robots. Worldwide, 3D Printing is known as the 3rd Industrial Revolution which greatly changes the way of manufacturing. For Aerospace industry, it is expected that Boeing will also come to NTU and hopefully able to do research on composite design simulation. The domino effect continues as Singapore Airline, as the major airline company in the country, has
a high chance to be the primary customer of Boeing. Basically, there is nothing to worry about the future of MAE in NTU. As long as we keep the standards high and improve our overall quality, good things will eventually come. Top rankings, grants, industrial collaboration are just small parts of our journey. By working together, both students and professors can achieve the ultimate success of MAE. Forlando Tambunan
SPRING FESTIVAL
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Celebrate the joyful Lunar New Year with MAE Annual Spring Festival. This time, to add some lovely Valentine’s Day atmosphere, the event is themed “Love in The Spring”. Unlike the past spring festivals, this year MAE club wanted to bring some new interesting stuff for the students to try. Located at N3 Level 2 Glassdoor Entrance, MAE Club social committee prepared the booth for their annual event, Spring Festival. As the clock showed 10.00, the event was officially started. Lots of people passed by, and they seemed to be baffled at
first. But as they approached the booth, social committee explained the details of the event. Here are some part of the event: Wishes board was a piece of large carton for students to stick the wishes that they wrote for their friends or colleagues. At first, the wishes board was empty, but as more people wrote their wishes, it became a very lovely artpiece. Besides, this wishes board served another function which was photo booth. The students were allowed to take photo with the wishes board as the background.
Calligraphy Writing Competition is a traditional art that is always held on every Spring Festival. The participants are required to write a Chinese sentence on a piece of red paper. Prizes were awarded to the most attractive calligraphy. To make sure that students who did not have Chinese background could participate in this competition, sample words were provided. The calligraphy were then hung and displayed so that everyone could see. This idea was very brilliant, not only that the hung calligraphy could attract more participants, the wind that blew just made the scenery
beautiful. Another new addition to this year’s Spring Festival was the Card Design Competition. MAE students were encouraged to write a Chinese New Year card or Valentine card. Crayons and other coloring stationeries were provided for them. Just like the Calligraphy Competition, prizes were also awarded for the winners. This competition served as a platform for MAE students to show their freehand art skills, and it turned out the responses were quite positive. There was also a lucky draw where
students could stand a chance to win the limited edition MAE Exclusive T-Shirt. By putting their hands in the box, and they have to pick up a ball. If they managed to get white ball, they would be awarded with the exclusive shirt. Beside the lucky draw and all of the things mentioned above, there was also mandarin oranges giveaway and exclusive shirt sales that went along with the Spring Festival.
Competition were Tan Zhuo Yen (1st), Teng Han Jer (2nd), and Wang Yaxing (3rd).
For the winner of the Card Design Competition, Congratulations to Sindhu Panamasivam (1st), Brigitta Rachel (2nd), and Ma Linlu (3rd). Also the winners of Calligraphy Writing
Dharma Pranata
It was great to have another Spring Festival this year. This event successfully brought the happiness of Lunar New Year and spread the Valentine’s Day love to MAE Students. Good Job MAE Club, hope to see a better Spring Festival next year.
ISRG
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Since 2009, Inter School Recreational Games (ISRG) has been an annual event for students to show their good sportsmanship and adept skill. 7 games were included in the schedule: International Chess (speed), Chinese Chess, Othello, Blokus, Quarto, Quoridor and Scrabble. The first game of ISRG, International Chess, was held on 5th to 6th Feb. Under the powerful fan wind, 14 pairs of players were seated face to face along three long tables. Unfortunately, the MAE team didn’t proceed to the finals, but the players still quite enjoyed the process, lifting the MAE team shirt and smiling widely to the camera.
Team MAE once again proved its prowess this time in recreational games
From the second day, Blokus game was held at the left side of the room. MAE team score wasn’t very satisfactory – while Leong Wei Kang got a bye, the other three players got 3rd and 4th place of their tables. However, this unsmooth beginning only motivated the players to play their best. With their calm pace and skilled play, Blokus team made it to the finals and became the runner-up. Chinese chess site showed an intense scene with players all absorbed in the board layout and the time ticking down., Quoridor session went on smoothly and comfortably. Team MAE also gave their best effort grabbed the 3rd place in the end.
Quoridor team confidently prepared for the upcoming match.
At the site of Othello, a MAE player was seen for the second time in ISRG. Xie Wei, a MAE year 2 student who joined both International Chess and Othello team, seemed quite calm when asked about his result in the first two rounds. “I won 1 round and lost 1 round now, still 1 to go today.” He admitted and he had a passion for such strategic board gamed, and he enjoyed the process of sitting there and considering about the next step peacefully. In MAE Quarto team, unexpectedly, the sports officer Soh Li Jing was one of the players. While making arrangement for all 7 MAE teams, she also managed to give her best to the game. She claimed that she was not professional but just did it for fun. Different from other MAE teams which are generally made of students from year 1 and year 2, Scrabble team was all seniors from year 4. “I only began to learn this game after I entered university. I joined in
Every second counts in the game of Othello
Celebrating the glory with a delicious dinner.
the team in hall, and then I played the game for 4 years already.” Kang Ai Lin, a girl with a pair of black-rimmed glasses recalled her Scrabble experience. In total, 6 of MAE teams proceeded to the final. Because of the players’ dedication and perseverance, MAE ranked the 1st on total score with 26.91667 points, 4 points ahead of the runner-up. Finally, a lucky draw among all players and committees was planned to bring the atmosphere to another peak, with Buddhi, a MAE student, as the first prize winner. The 8-day games ended successfully in the end, with buffet provided and photo taken among players. Zhao Xuran
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NIGHT CYCLING RACE THE SUN 2014
After a long tiring night, the participants were rewarded with a beautiful morning scenery of Bedok Jetty.
It is normal for the students to be overwhelmed by quizzes and project. MAE Club had just a perfect “reward” for them. Involving around 100 NTU MAE students, MAE Club organized the very first MAE Night Cycling which was located at East Coast Park. As the participants reached the meeting point, they were divided into several groups, with one GL and maincom in each group. As the GL spreaded out the necessary equipments, the students were chatting and getting to know each other. It was very clear that they were very eager for the event to be flagged off by Guest-of-Honor Ms Ellen Lee Geck Hoon, PBM (MP for Sembawang GRC (Woodlands)). The students were required to cycle 42 km along the eastern park connector passing through renowned supper venues such as Changi village then back to Bedok Jetty to catch the sunrise. The night cycling event was well-received and has marked an inaugural successful collaboration between Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Club (MAE) and Woodlands Galaxy Community Club Youth Executive Committee (WGCC YEC). NTU MAE student leaders have cherished the collaboration and the event was MAE’s first attempt in organizing night cycling. In expressing gratitude, NTU MAE President and Vice President presented a token of appreciation to our Guest of Honor Ms Ellen Lee, PBM (MP for Sembawang GRC (Woodlands)), Mr David Sim, BBM (Chairman,
Representatives of the MAE Club Management Committee posing with Mr. Pan Zhengxiang and Ms. Ellen Lee as the race was going to start
Woodlands CCC), Mr. Pan Zhengxiang (Chairman, Woodlands Galaxy CC YEC), Mr Toh Youxin (Sports Secretary, Woodlands Galaxy CC YEC) and Mr Huang Bo (executive committee, Woodlands New Media Youth Team). In an exclusive interview with MAE VicePresident, Mr Foo Zhisheng Alvin, he shared, “the event was planned and organized at a strategic timing where our students can take a break from all the project deadlines so as to bond through sports. After months of preparations and planning, I’m delighted that all our effort and hard work has bore fruits. On behalf of NTU MAE students, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks to our event’s Guest-of-Honor Ms Ellen Lee Geck Hoon, PBM (MP for Sembawang GRC (Woodlands)). Special thanks to Mr. David Sim, BBM, Mr. Pan Zhengxiang and Woodlands Galaxy CC Youth Executive Committee for their youth empowerment, guidance and fullest support.” The event concluded with all the participants cycled safely and witnessed the sunrise at Bedok jetty, drawing the smiles on their face. This Night Cycling is just another initiative by MAE Club to expand the students outreach and developing a common school identity, which provide the students with many more exciting, meaningful and memorable activities. Dharma Pranata
Interview
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Featured Student:
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Dean’s List Behind the Scene Pasha Laksamana Putra
is a year 3 mechanical engineering student. Last year, he was on the dean’s list. Perpetual Motion chose to interview him because not only does he excel in his studies; he is also active in Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs). We finally had the time to meet up and let him share his experience to us. So how do you feel being on the dean’s list? I am really grateful to be in the dean’s list. To be honest, I simply cannot believe it! How does it affect your life in NTU? I mean, does it bring any changes? I do not think it brings any changes. Throughout these years studying in NTU, I feel like there are not any differences. Since you are active in CCAs, would you mind sharing your activities besides your study? Last year, I was the associate vice president in AIESEC. This year, I work for Indonesian Cultural Night (ICN) 2014, a musical drama, as the artistic director. Basically, what I do is I supervise other directors – directors of music, play, and dance – and all the supporting materials for ICN. The event itself was held on March 1st, 2014. How do you balance all those activities? I plan every single activity that I am going to do. I plan when to study, when to rest, etc. I use Google Calendar to help me manage my time. Planning in detail is also important – use every single hour that you have in a day. Are there any more tips that you want to share to your fellow students of MAE – both in academic matters and in non-academic matters? For academic matters, I always have a motto: do not study hard, but study efficiently. What is the point of mugging all day in your room if doing so does not improve your understanding in the subject? Before studying, you need to know on which part of the course you are least capable in. Then, focus on that part – improve your understanding on those points. As for non-academic matters, I guess what is most important to us is to always be open-minded. Do not limit your life as an NTU student to your studies only. Join a CCA or two and learn real life skills. Do you have any plans for Industrial Attachment (IA) or Industrial Orientation
Prof. Ooi Kim Tiow (left) congratulates Pasha for making it to the Dean’s List on MAE Awards Night.
(IO)? Yes, I will be on an IA next semester. I will work for Natsteel, because the sponsored my studies in NTU. I chose IA than IO because I can get more exposure to work life – IA has 10 weeks more than IO, so it is more meaningful. Okay, here comes the tough question: What do you want to do in the future? Well, I want to go back to my home country, Indonesia, and improve it. I hope I can be a minister. That is my master plan. But before that, I want to continue my graduate studies in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Truth be told, I actually wanted to study in MIT for my undergraduate degree. However, I want to polish my English first. Fascinating! Would you share to us any difficulties you encounter when adjusting yourself to a Singaporean lifestyle? I did not really feel any difficulties in adjusting myself into this new environment. The thing is, as long as you are open-minded, you will be fine. Do not set limits or borders. Lastly, what do you love the most about Singapore? What do I love the most? I love the system in Singapore! Everything here is well organized, from public transportation to law. The people here are also very discipline. Elke Lidya
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A Word of Advise From NatSteel
employed by NatSteel? Interview plays a part because nowadays graduates like to know more about the welfare, benefits and pay of the company before they apply for the position. We prefer those who are more enthusiastic about the job rather than those who are only interested in the welfare and benefits. Of course, if you are being offered the job, those things can be negotiated. I will advice graduates to be more enthusiastic about the job and find out more about it, what it entails and what can you learn from the job. Does NatSteel employ their interns as full time employee after their graduation? We usually do not do that, however if there is a job vacancy in the future, we may refer back to our previous IO/IA supervisors for suitable candidates. What do you value most in a candidate’s CV? Prior to interview, CCA and GPA will be the pre-requisite, after that, the interview is the most important. How you sell yourself, I would say that that is the most important part to get a job.
We are honoured to have Mr Eric Lim to share some of NatSteel’s selection process and to get some tips from him about gaining employment at NatSteel.
Graduates will have to look up the job portals to find our advertisements for job vacancies and usually we will have an interview with them and if you are shortlisted, you will have to go through a medical check up and if you pass both, we will arrange a job starting date and you will be employed as an employee for NatSteel. This is for the students who are embarking on an IO/IA attachment during the semester break or semester term. Does NatSteel prefer candidates who have relevant internship experience in the same industry for internship (e.g Steel industry)? It does not matter where the candidates interned during their undergraduate years. We will consider candidates based on the job vacancies. We are open to all kinds of engineering but specifically we will prefer power and mechanical engineering graduates. We are not interested in where they have interned, however, we are more interested in what they do during internships and the skills which the candidate attained during their internship, for example good technical skills in terms of hands on practical stuff, and which can be applied to the job they applied for.
What is the application and selection process for NatSteel for MAE graduates?
Which component of the selection process plays a large part in determining whether a candidate gets
NatSteel is the only company in Singapore which provides premium reinforcement steel products and solutions for the construction industry. It was started as National Iron and Steel Mills since 1961 and now it has grown and expanded to one of the largest single downstream rebar fabrication operations in the world. The Singapore plant is the only local steel mill with an integrated upstream and downstream operation, where steel is manufactured through recycling scrap, and fabricated according to customers’ needs. With operations spanning across the region, the group has an annual steel production capacity of over 2 million tonnes. Today, NatSteel is the leading steel producer in Asia Pacific, with over 3,000 employees across the region.
Does NatSteel have programmes for undergraduates and graduates? NatSteel does offer scholarship to undergraduates and when they start work after graduation, they will be under the management training programme. We have a separate scheme, which is called the mentor to mentee scheme and this is for high potential employees who have worked at NatSteel for a few years and they are usually nominated by their head of departments. They will be groomed and shown the ropes of running the company the mentors, for example the Vice-presidents. We will most likely promote well-rounded employees. Does NatSteel promote its employees internally or externally? We try to promote internally as our employees already have the knowledge of the company before we look externally for candidates to fill the vacancies. We have internal job posting boards for existing employees and we will transfer employees to different branches overseas in order to fill the positions. Hiring externally will cause a lot of time to be wasted in adaptation and transferring of their skill sets to our jobs. Do you have any advice or tips for current undergraduates? Study hard and get the best grade possible because GPA is the passport to the world. Once your grades are fine, it is the passion and enthusiasm that is shown during the job interview that really matters. GPA is just to get shortlisted to be interviewed during the first selection process. Say Xian Jue Mr. Eric Lim sharing strategies on how to get employed at NatSteel
flight unfolding.”
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Boeing combines ground-breaking engine technologies with aerodynamics and an all-new high-efficiency composite wing. This efficiency directly links to exceptional environmental performance. The reduction in fuel usage brings an equivalent cut in carbon dioxide emissions. To top it off, the 777X takes the best of the proven and reliable 777, as well as the latest technologies from the 787 Dreamliner. Adding 787 technologies in the flight deck, flight controls and other systems is just the beginning. The 777X implements 787 technologies where they add value to our customers. Ultimately, the innovations of the 777X make it the most advanced and fuel-efficient commercial airplane.
Boeing 777x: Redefining Aviation Foldable wings are the relatively new technology in the aviation industry that allows better management of space and time. This particular feature is typical for naval aircrafts which have limited space for take-off. The folding action of the wings makes it possible to occupy less space in hangars and airports, also have better control while flying and landing. Another challenge faced is the vertical clearance of hangars. Some aircrafts such as Supermarine Seafire and Fairey Gannet have additional hinges to fold the wingtips downward to overcome this problem. Currently, foldable wings are available only for small aircrafts. But what if we apply these special wings to something huge like an airbus? Well, Boeing gave the answer to that. Boeing 777X, the newest family of twin-aisle airplanes that builds on the passenger-preferred and market-leading 777. Boeing Commercial Airplanes in November 2013 launched the airplane at the Dubai Airshow with 259 commitments from four customers. Production of the 777X is scheduled to begin in 2017 and first delivery is targeted for 2020. The 777X introduces the latest innovative technologies, including the most advanced, fuelefficient commercial engine ever. Engine supplier GE
was the first partner announced on the program. Their GE9X engine will be five percent more efficient than anything in its class. The most futuristic of the 777x’s energy-saving features is it’s foldable wings, which span 233 feet in flight and fold up once the plane lands, shortening the wingspan by about 20 feet. The design makes it possible to better navigate the massive vehicles around an airport, while still maximizing efficiency when flying. The company hails it as “the future of
Boeing airplanes lead the industry in passenger comfort. The 777X will take that advantage to the next level by incorporating 787 technologies and new advances to redefine the total passenger experience. Passengers will enjoy larger windows, a wider cabin, new lighting and enhanced architecture. With key development ahead, these improvements are just the starting point. With the advantage of state-of-the-art interior design and technologies. Passengers will enjoy the comfort and convenience while airlines will experience increased revenue opportunities
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Interview
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HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR DREADED FINALS An Interview with Professor Marcos To some, university could be the most challenging time of being a student. The high level of independence, fast pace of study, and numerous activities are merely parts of the hectic university life. As a result, not few falter in their studies. Seeing this, the school of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) organized a seminar on How to Score in your Next Exam led by Professor Marcos. Below is an interview about the subject.
Do questions without referring to your notes. If you can’t do it, that means you’re conceptually weak at it and hence have to take time to figure it out. When I first studied thermodynamics, it took me five hours to do one tutorial, but it is totally fine. Make sure you do your thinking process now and not during the exam. Trust me, the knowledge you get will be worth every hour you spend on this.
What is the best way to deal with the exams? Be consistent. Your brain needs time to digest all the information. You cannot expect to do well if you only start to cram everything the week before the paper.
During the presentation, you emphasized on the importance of understanding the concept physically. Can you explain what you mean by that? Seek to understand the concepts physically and only then attempt the questions. It is of paramount importance to have a full grasp at the concept because exam requires you to apply your understanding to solve new problems under new situations but based on the same theory.
What is usually the problem when students do not well in their exam? The problem stems from one important factor which is a lack of understanding of the concepts learned. Often students don’t know what they don’t know. How are you going to solve a problem if you don’t even know what the problem is? You have to realize where your weakness is and work on that first. How do you suggest we find where our weakness is?
There are practice questions from tutorials, past year papers, and textbook. Which one is do you think is the most important? All are useful but my advice is to be selective because you don’t have all the time in the world. Start with all your tutorial ques-
tions and if you need more practice, look at some questions in the textbook. Once you are more confident, try the past year exams. When doing them, simulate the exam conditions by doing it under time constraint and without referring to your notes.
Professor Marcos is an NTU alumni. He graduated with first class honors from the school of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE). He then proceeded to do his masters in MAE and Ph.D. in Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Having found a passion for teaching since young, he started tutoring his juniors when he was in secondary school. In his years in NTU, he took part in the voluntary peer-tutoring scheme under the Leadership Development Program.
What about all the formulae that we need to memorize? If you understand the concept, there is really not many formulae you need to memorize. Say for thermodynamics, there are only a few formulae you need to remember, the rest you can derive within 30 seconds. Lectures or recordings or textbook? You are going to hate my answer but it really depends on the person. Some learn visually, some learn by listening, and some learn by reading. As for myself, I learned 80% of the time by listening to the lecturer, but I also had a friend who learned solely from textbook and was a first class student. So my point is, there is no right or wrong in your method of studying, you just have to find which one works best for you. However that being said, I’m an advocate for live lectures as they prepare you better. In real life, you might not catch all the information thrown at you but you make do with what you have and figure out how to fill the gap. After all, there is no recording if you missed what your employer said, right? The lecture recordings are there for you as a revision resource, but it is not meant to replace the live lecture. Forlando Tambunan
Tips to Tackle Your Exam : 1. Know what you don’t know 2. Plan your time properly and stick to it 3. Understand the concepts, not memorize 4. Treat your tutorials and PYP as the real thing
Technology
Technology
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heated nozzle to create layers of printed object. That is why we can call 3d printing technology as additive manufacturing. 3D printing research in Singapore has started to boom by the current investment of a new $30 million research centre at NTU. This R&D center will be working on a project to develop new materials, software, and process before 3D printing can undergo commercialization.
The Future of 3D Printing
If you haven not heard about it, currently there are some researches that have successfully created a break through to print edible product. Mondelez International’s has found a way to print Oreo through 3D printing method. South by Southwest Interactive or SXSW has successfully printed colorful candy via the company’s “ChefJet printers. This 3D printing process uses sugar, water and alcohol to generate the sweets that apparently has sugary and fruity flavors. Despite of all this amazing futuristic capability of 3D Printer, some concerns might arise
Have you ever thought of downloading your own breakfast and then printing it next to you? Or even creating your own designed iPhone case. These amazing dreams will no longer exist only in science fiction in a few years. Thanks to the recent research and development of 3D Printing.
toys, household equipments, or even food being printed out of your own 3D Printer. The most incredible research is undergoing in which integration of 3D Printing and tissue engineering knowledge can possibly print your own genetically identical organs simply by collecting your DNA.
Since it was invented in 1980, no one has ever known the existence of 3D Printing until recent years. They year 2010 can be marked as the beginning 3D Printing existence where a lot of research and development projects started to begin. It has been considered as one of the most prospective invention in the next few decades. You can expect to see downloadable
So how is 3D Printer able to produce something out of nothing? In contrast to traditional printing which relies on material removal; such as cutting or drilling, 3D printed objects are created by printing layer by layer using certain material. The most current material that is used in 3D Printing is some kind of Thermoplastic materials which will be fed to the
when it fully commercializes. Given the ease of producing objects, it also means the ease of replicating them. Changes may be needed to current copyright legislation so as to protect intellectual property rights with the new technology widely available. Ease of object production also means uncontrollable production. Weapons, for example, can be easily manufactured in small scale. Government need to be aware of this and ready to adapt the regulation to compensate it. Pasha Laksamana Putra
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College Ballad: A Short Story 10th October
Today, was a fairly good day … until Prof Tan asked me to come to his office. Do you know that when you are asked to meet your teacher, you start to think about the bad things that you have done in your past? Well, on my way there, I could not recall any mistake that I have done in his course. Have I ever told you how he looks like? He is like an Asian version of Clint Eastwood. Imagine having to come to his office to talk about a serious matter and 15 minutes late – all the buses were off service so I had to walk. After I sat down, he said that my essay was inappropriate and I had to redo the whole thing. But the thing was he would not tell me which part is inappropriate. I dare not to ask him more about it, so I left his office with a big puzzle in my mind. What is wrong with my essay? How can an informative essay on the benefits of eating blueberries be inappropriate? FYI, I have checked the draft seven times before turning it in. I did not plagiarize or do anything illegal. So why?
12th October
Today is Saturday, and do you know what it means? It is Cinderella Day! That means I have to clean the room, do the laundry, and wash the dishes, just like Cinderella before she met Fairy Godmother. And today’s finding is … a dead moth under my desk. Great.
Then, I had a video call with my sweetheart, Desiree, on Skype this evening. She looked beautiful – as always – and we started chatting. We exchanged news about our recent activities – she joined chess club in her college, something that she swore would never do, and I did a mistake of telling her that I played WoW with tania0908. Desiree is a nice and smart girl, but somehow this evening, she accused me of cheating. Girl, do you even know what that means? I explained to her that it was an online game, which means I have never even seen Tania face to face. But she did not care. I am starting to get sick of this long distance thing. It is hard for us to find the right time to meet virtually. And not to mention trust issues that we just had.
13th October
After that fight last night, I could not think clearly today. It was so bad that I forgot that I had a quiz on 9:30 … and I woke up on 9:08! I quickly rushed to LT26 and I arrived 5 minutes late. After I sat down and started writing, I remembered that the calculator that I brought has not been approved yet! As the invigilator came to check my matric card and calculator, I was so nervous that I could not write at all. Surprisingly, he returned my calculator as if everything was okay.
I checked it, and it turned out to be my roommate’s calculator, which happened to be the same type as mine, and he had it labeled already. Whew, that was a close one.
15th October
I just found out that Dave was the culprit who ruined my essay. So when I was talking to my friends at dinner, I told them that Prof Tan made me redo my essay since it was inappropriate. Then, they gave me that poker face. I knew that something was up. Then Lucas broke the silence. He told Dave that he should just confess. I was startled. What should he confess on? That he had a crush on me? No. Do you recall the night before the submission? They were chilling in my room while I struggle to do the essay. And as I left to get some water, Dave had the idea to insert some foul words into my essay. It was just a prank. He thought that I would check it once again but I did not. I submitted it immediately. Was I mad at him? Of course! Did he know that his measly prank got me into trouble? But Dave apologized and promised to meet Prof Tan tomorrow to sort it out.
16th October
Dave and I met Prof Tan today to talk about my essay. I explained everything to him and Dave apologized. Prof Tan was surprised but was unconvinced. Only after Dave told him that he would take all
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consequences, he accepted the fact that it was just a horrible prank. He also told me that I do not need to redo the essay! Anyways, Desiree and I had our fight resolved. I found a picture of tania0908 on the Internet, and it turns out that ‘she’ is a dude. He was a wellknown geek and used the username Tania in remembrance of his late niece who liked games so much. I showed his picture and the article and she believed me. In the end, everything turned out good Elke Lidya
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A Short Conversation with Our Graduate environmental aspects of the shipyard which I am working at now. I play a very strict role in ensuring that standards are met and observed as safety cannot be compromised. I am also in charge of making sure that my engineers and workers do the safety induction training, complete the risk assessment and have the necessary work permit in order to start working at the shipyard. Describe your typical working day? My normal work day starts from 7:15am to 4:15pm. When I reach the office at 7:15am, I participate in the mandatory 5-min morning exercise workout. Afterwards, I will go on board a ship. It can be a luxury cruise (e.g Superstar Virgo), cargo carrier, oil carrier, semi-submersible oil rig or a jack-up rig. I will do safety checks throughout the day to ensure that everyone is working with their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), for example, safety harness for working at heights, safety glasses, helmet, boots and gas masks when doing spray painting.
Kenneth Gan, a graduate from MAE NTU, now working in Sembcorp Marine
Kenneth Gan is a Health Safety Environment
(HSE) engineer with Sembcorp Marine. He recently graduated from NTU with a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering. HSE engineers are very important assets to the company as they play major roles in enhancing and maintaining the safety of the workplace, therefore maintaining the reputation of companies. However, their job can be rather stressful at times. Below is an interview with Kenneth about his job as an HSE engineer. Can you give an overview of your job in Sembcorp Marine? My main role as a HSE engineer is to be in charge of the safety and development of the health, safety and
What are the various experiences that you have been through so far? It is actually very eye-opening to be a HSE engineer. As a HSE engineer, I have the authority to enforce the rules on the shipyard. Therefore, I get to communicate with captains, chief engineer and superintendent of ships. I also get to encounter people from the top management, from senior project engineer, all the other different types of engineers, down to the supervisor, the workers and the contractors. Basically I have to convey the message of keeping the workplace safe at all times. What is the career prospect of a HSE engineer? In recent years, there is a shortage of engineers, especially in the Health, safety and environment sector. HSE engineers are highly demanded and highly important in the company. The career outlook of HSE engineer is very bright in Singapore and it will continue to grow due to Singapore being the busiest port in South East Asia. What advice will you give to your MAE undergraduates who are considering this career? Be prepared to work 7 days a week and you may be required to work till late at night every day. Training will be provided by the company and you must be prepared to adapt very fast as the actual work will commence after your two-weeks training period. It is a job with very high responsibilities and therefore you need to be meticulous and alert at all times for potential hazards which could lead to accidents. Say Xian Jue
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