The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) bestowed the IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Awards 2017 to 12 engineering projects for making exceptional contributions that enhance the quality of life and bring about engineering progress in Singapore.
SINGAPORE, 20 July 2017. Mr. Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, presented the annual awards to the winning teams at the World Engineers Summit – Applied Energy Symposium & Forum (WES-CUE) 2017 Joint Conference Dinner today as the event guest-of-honour.
Spanning the healthcare, defence, manufacturing, chemical, energy and environmental industries, this year’s winners demonstrate distinctive brilliance in delivering exceptional value to the well-being of people and communities.
Selected from a record-setting 37 entries, these projects proved their merit to a judging panel of industry experts in these areas: resourcefulness in the planning and solving of design problems and the pioneering use of materials and methods; innovations in planning, design and construction as well as unique aspects and aesthetic values.
Kandy Lake and the Mid-Canal project in Sri Lanka was recognised at the IES Engineering Achievement Awards 2017. Receiving the award were Prof Ng Wun Jern, Director of NEWRIComm (second from left) and Dr Shameen Jinadasa, Senior Lecturer from the University of Peradeniya (second from right). On the far left stands Dr Yeoh Lean Weng, Deputy President of The Institution of Engineers, Singapore and on the far right, Masagos Zulkifli, Singapore's Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.
In the 'Applied Research and Development' category, a team from the School of Engineering, Nanyang Polytechnic developed apparatus and a method to assess endothelial function to better manage patients with diabetes.
Another team from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS) invented the EscoGlove: A soft and wearable robotic glove for assistance of hand-impaired patients during activities of daily living and rehabilitation.
Lastly, a high power mid-infrared fiber laser was developed by SIMTech, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
For Engineering Projects, the winners include: Littoral Mission Vessel by Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), and 'Mitigation of pollution at Kandy Lake and Mid-Canal, Sri Lanka' by Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University.
Technology Innovation winners were 'Island Air Defence - networked air defence capabilities through technology' by DSTA, and 'The av-Guardian - guardian for renal failure patients' lifeline; plug-&-play ready for dialysis of the future' by Advent Access Pte Ltd.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Mr. Masagos Zulkifli conferred coveted industry awards at the World Engineers Summit 2017
Two of the three Young Creators Awards went to 'Florisensors - Novel flower-based chemiresistive gas sensors' by NUS, and 'Soft robotics technology for application on bedside ankle rehabilitation' by NUS.
The team behind each winning project received a commemorative plaque and individual certificates.
More than 400 international and local engineers, sustainability specialists, policy makers and business leaders celebrated these outstanding engineering achievements with the winners at the dinner that marked the end of the second day of WES-CUE 2017. Themed “Low Carbon Cities & Urban Energy”, the event championed engineering-led discussions on latest research findings and showcased cutting-edge engineering innovations in sustainable development.
“The winners of the Prestigious Engineering Achievement Awards 2017 embody the engineers’ spirit of determination and desire to improve lives. I would therefore like to commend all winners for their devotion and determination to break through difficult boundaries to achieve engineering excellence in their projects. Through these awards, IES hopes to recognise and reward these engineers for their achievements and hopefully inspire the younger generation to do the same and more in the years to come,” said Er. Edwin Khew, President of IES.
“This year’s award is significant as we had received the largest number of entries since the awards started. This shows the ingenuity across wide-ranging areas of engineering. It is also notable that three of the winning projects focus on sustainable urban development, in line with the push for Singapore to be a global hub for low-carbon, high energy-efficiency development through WES-CUE 2017,” said Er. Ho Siong Hin, Chairman, Awards Committee, IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Awards 2017.
These include winners from the 'Engineering Projects' category: 'BCA SkyLab - the world's first high-rise rotatable laboratory for the tropics' by BCA SkyLab, Building and Construction Authority, and 'Singapore Sports Hub' by ARUP, DP Architects and AECOM.
The third project, which won the Young Creators Award and received special mention, was 'Green and sustainable buildings: for our future' by School of Engineering, Temasek Polytechnic.
Source: IES media release.