It’s been a wild two weeks since we landed in Singapore… I finally got around to recording our adventures on a blog!
I’m excited to have accepted a research experience here at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) through funding provided by the US-Singapore Summer Exchange Scholarship! I’ll be here for 10 weeks, 2 of which have gone by so fast. I’ve never really written a blog before, but I’ll update my experiences (the culture, the major events, the food, the research, the recreational activities, etc) on here throughout the summer! I won’t be able to mention details about the research because of confidentiality, but I’ll make up for it with other happenings.
Research Project:
Designing of Nature-inspired Polymeric Membrane for Biomedical Application
Originally, I arrived here with the project assignment titled “Attack of Insecured Mobile Robots,” which was geared more towards electrical engineering, sensors, and waves for autonomous vehicles. As a materials scientist with intentions of pursuing a graduate degree in bio-based materials, I tried my best to relate this project to materials by considering sound absorbing materials. However, SUTD was very helpful in allowing me to be reassigned to a project called “Designing of Nature-inspired Polymeric Membrane for Biomedical Application,” where I am now working on designing, 3D printing, and characterizing a bio-polymer for biomedical purposes. Although I work with plenty of 3D printers at the Wilbur Powerhouse in Lehigh, I hadn’t worked with a liquid dispensing 3D printer until this week. Instead of using motors to extrude a filament or UV lights to cure resins, we dispense the liquid by controlling air pressure (using the blue box in the second image) applied on the liquid. Currently, my task is to optimize the viscosity and printing speed by adjusting the composition of the solution and the printing parameters.
Major Events:
2018 North Korea–United States summit:
“Enjoy being in the center of the world for a couple of days”
We were planning on visiting Sentosa for the beach and boardwalk on June 10, but because of the increased security in preparation for the summit, we chose to ferry over to St. John Island and Lazarus Island for the beaches (and feral cats!!!) instead. However, the atmosphere in Singapore was very…neutral regarding the meeting. There was no boosted security in the Somapah Changi region (the location of SUTD), and while I wanted to travel to Sentosa to see how crazy things would get, it was difficult to plan what would have been a full day trip on a work day.
Eid al-Fitr (Hari Raya Puasa/Aidalfitri):
Celebrating the end of Ramadan, what I’ve grown up calling Eid, they call Hari Raya Aidalfitri… but when in Rome…
Throughout the month, we fast from dawn to sunset, refraining from consuming food and water and engaging in sinful activities, all while making efforts to perform good and charitable deeds. Hari Raya Aidalfitri is the celebration marking the end of the month of Ramadan and the beginning of the next lunar month, Shawwal. Typically, I have celebrated this holiday by attending morning prayer at a masjid or mosque, then spending the day with my family (eating delicious food)! However, when my family is almost 10,000 miles away, I found alternate ways to spend my day.
The Istana is the official residence and office of the President of Singapore, President Halimah Yacob, and the working office of the Prime Minister of Singapore. In the Main Building, state guests are received and entertained, and gifts presented from various countries around the globe were found displayed in cases. The Istana is open to the public on only five days a year, so we took advantage of the holiday and visited the grounds. Although we could not take pictures inside the building, we captured plenty of images around the giant estate, and then appreciated touring the Main Building.
Recreational Activities:
Fellow Students:
Participating in this research program with me are two other Lehigh students (Jacob Dooley ’19 and Esther Park ’20), and the other recipient of the US-Singapore Scholarship, Seth Reine ’20 from Texas A&M. We all live in the same two buildings, and we’re fortunate to have a very friendly, fun, and compatible dynamic! We’ve also met various Singaporean students (both undergraduate and graduate) in our research labs, and even two students who will be attending a semester at Lehigh in the Fall 2018!
(left to right: Seth, me, Esther, Jacob)
WALKING:
Disclaimer: I am not an outdoors-y individual
Yes, there’s a lot of walking that goes on here. And yes, I’ve been pushing myself to try new things. So that validates me going on what feels like 3 hikes in the past 2 weeks. First we went to Mount Faber Park, walking approximately 10km. The views were amazing, and it was there that I got my first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean!
Then we traversed the free-standing suspension bridge called the TreeTop Walk on a 6km trail near the MacRitchie Reservoir. I was promised monkeys, but aside from near the entrance, we didn’t see any. However, I don’t consider the few that we saw to be a win. The monkeys here have learned to associate plastic bags with free food, and someone tied a plastic bag near a fence, which explains why 5 or 6 (including a baby) were loitering around. This is not good for the monkeys, as they are lazily becoming dependent on handouts from humans, resulting in them in eating less of the natural foods, and ultimately disrupting the balance of the forest. We couldn’t remove the plastic bag, though, in fear that the monkeys may become aggressive. It’s important to know that the best way to help these monkeys will be to leave them alone.
The third occasion wasn’t so much of a hike, but it was a lot of walking on the boardwalk of Sentosa. Jacob and I ventured down to the island resort to grab lunch, wander the boardwalk, cross another rope bridge, and conduct fun little photoshoots! Stay tuned for another trip there, as I still have yet to visit the S.E.A. Aquarium, Universal Studios, and climb the giant Merlion!
Gardens by the Bay – Cloud Forest:
Lastly, we visited the cloud forest, one of the exhibits that you can see at the Gardens by the Bay, to learn about the unique biodiversity and geology from cloud forests, and to see the world’s tallest indoor waterfall (35 meters!). Upon exiting, we caught the end of the light show, and ended the night by relaxing in the serene atmosphere of the large trees softly lighting up the night.
So now that I’m mostly up to date, follow along with me for my adventures here in Singapore and potentially around Southeast Asia!
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