A campus committed to changing the world

Text: Lester Kok

Watch our world to change

NTU School of Computer Science and Engineering alumnus Dr David Woon, who is also the Co-Director of the Continental-NTU Corporate Lab, is leading the revolution in autonomous vehicles and smart technologies that can help cities like Singapore reduce its carbon emissions.

Among the many projects at the joint corporate lab, Corriere is an electric food delivery robot that could one day move autonomously and self-sufficiently through traffic, and in future, work in a coordinated fleet to deliver food and goods. “These technologies may usher in the era of electric vehicles, which in turn would help in climate change,” says Dr Woon.

The lab’s works were showcased in “Our World to Change”, a three-part documentary series on NTU’s sustainability efforts that aired on CNA and on Channel 5, and is still available on demand on meWATCH and on the NTUsg YouTube channel.

Like Dr Woon, many NTU graduates continue to champion sustainability after graduation. NTU graduate Louisa May Fung, currently an Environmental, Social, and Governance Analyst, emphasises her role in ensuring projects align with local and global sustainability benchmarks.

In her interview with CNA, she credits NTU for equipping her with the skills that are enabling them to make an impact on the world: “I want to be able to promote sustainability and bring about positive outcomes for the environment," says Louisa, 25, who graduated from the Asian School of the Environment in 2021.

Photo clockwise from left: Dr David Woon (SCSE/2001), Louisa May Fung (ASE/2021) and Celine Ng (SBS/2021) are alumni fighting for the environment.

Fellow Class of 2021 graduate from the School of Biological Sciences, Celine Ng, is also an ardent sustainability advocate working at a venture capital firm that invests in promising agrifood tech start-ups. I feel really inspired to be able to drive real impact in the food industry, and even dream of completely revolutionising and changing the food system," says the 26-year-old.

Across all schools and research institutes, NTU is also a powerhouse when it comes to sustainability education and innovation. Students are taught important topics related to sustainability in the Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core curriculum while the University has recently partnered with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research to set up a centre in Singapore, to train government leaders and policymakers in Asia Pacific.

Engineering students also get the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in building electric cars for the future which boosts their employability in related sectors while others are commercialising new innovations that can change the world.

"NTU aspires to be a global leader in sustainability. We aim to lead by example and demonstrate habits and behaviours to reduce our carbon footprint."
– Prof Ho Teck Hua, NTU President

“The University wants to groom its students to become good stewards of this planet earth and contribute to human society. Why? Because we have a responsibility to ensure that this earth continues to be habitable for generations to come.”
– Prof Ling San, NTU Deputy President and Provost

 

This article first appeared in issue 4 of U, the NTU alumni magazine.