Earth & Environment | Science @ NTU

Public Service Medal winner Dr Shawn Lum’s views on water & nature issues

by Nurhidayah Binte Amirhamzsa, Kow Zi Shan and Wong Xin Yi | Aug 14, 2020

Dr Shawn Lum, a senior lecturer at the Asian School of the Environment and President of the Nature Society Singapore, has recently been awarded the Public Service and Long Service Medals. Previously a member of the Public Utilities Board (PUB)’s Water Network Panel for over ten years, his expertise has helped shape the various programs and initiatives spearheaded by the PUB. Science@NTU caught up with Dr Lum to find out more about his time on the panel, and also his views on water and nature issues.

Graduate College Research Excellence Award to Dr Deepa Mele Veedu

by Anna Lagerstroem | Aug 14, 2020

Our warmest congratulations to Dr. Deepa Mele Veedu, recipient of the Graduate College Research Excellence Award (AY 2019-2020). Dr. Veedu received the award in recognition of outstanding research achievements during her Ph. D. candidature with ASE/EOS.

ASE graduate Foo Zhen Hui wins Esri Young Scholars Award 2020

by Anna Lagerstroem | Aug 12, 2020

Our warmest congratulations to ASE graduate Foo Zhen Hui, winner of the Esri Young Scholars Award 2020! The award recognises exemplary work of geospatial science students, which is singled out from a nationwide competition and showcased during the Esri User Conference (Esri UC) held in San Diego. Foo Zhen Hui graduated from ASE in 2019 with a BSc in Environmental Earth Systems Science with a specialisation in Geoscience.

They PhDid It! (Part 1): Dr Weiran Li is turning her interest in volcanoes into a career

by Anna Lagerstroem | Aug 6, 2020

They PhDid it: Every year in CoS, dozens of PhD students defend their thesis and earn their doctorate, the highest university degree. In this series, we catch up with some new doctors to find out about their experience of doing a PhD in CoS, what made them embark on the intense four year journey and what plans they have for the future. First up is volcano researcher Dr Weiran (Alex) Li from the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS).

Meet the 2020 CoS Valedictorians: Lee Ming Yang (ASE)

by Nurhidayah Binte Amirhamzsa | Jul 13, 2020

The convocation ceremonies for this year have been postponed in light of the pandemic, but don’t let that dampen your spirits to celebrate this important milestone! In this series, Science@NTU took some time to know the 2020 CoS valedictorians. Next, we have Lee Ming Yang from the Asian School of the Environment.

Human-tiger Conflicts in Sumatra – using data modeling to tailor management response

by Anna Lagerstroem | Jun 30, 2020

“The most important thing when working with human-tiger conflicts, as well as other conflicts involving humans and predatory animals attacks, is to work collaboratively and to prepare the local communities in how to deal with or mitigate conflict situations. This human-tiger conflict risk map will help prioritize areas and enable more effective use of the limited resources available”, says ASE PhD candidate Muhammad Irfansyah Lubis, lead author of a new paper published in the journal Animal Conservation.

Lights Out for Muddy Water Coral Reefs as Global Sea Level Rises?

by Anna Lagerstroem | Jun 24, 2020

Although the impacts of climate-related coral bleaching are well documented, knowledge of how sea level rise will influence reefs is limited. Global sea level rise (SLR) will present a major threat to turbid coral reefs, located in shallow coastal waters, by increasing the depth of water covering them, and reducing the amount of sunlight available on the seafloor. This will change the amount of habitat available for certain corals to grow, shows a new study led by ASE Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow and AXA Research Fellow Dr Kyle Morgan published last week in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Testing Wastewater Supports Monitoring of COVID-19 in Singapore

by Anna Lagerstroem | Jun 24, 2020

ASE/SCELSE Associate Professor Janelle Thompson is leading a team of scientists from NTU-SCELSE working with the NEA Environmental Health Institute to monitor the presence of the virus causing COVID-19 (SARS‐COV‐2) in wastewater in Singapore. Measuring the presence of virus in wastewater is not only cost effective but could also help trace new outbreaks at an early stage.

Accelerating Sea Level Rise Could Drown Mangroves 30 years From Now Unless Carbon Emissions are Cut

by Anna Lagerstroem | Jun 17, 2020

A recent publication in Science, co-authored by ASE chair/EOS PI Prof Benjamin Horton, shows that vast areas of mangroves are under threat from sea level rise, which may cause the mangroves to drown by 2050 unless we curb climate change by cutting carbon emissions. The study surveyed 78 sites in the tropics and subtropics around the globe, using paleorecords of mangrove growth and sea level rise to predict the future of these ecologically and economically important ecosystems.

New Opinion Piece by Profs Horton and Horton in Today Online: Can we pass the green test post Covid-19?

by Anna Lagerstroem | May 30, 2020

Could the pandemic offer an opportunity for humankind to hit the reset button and address the environmental crisis and the climate emergency? This is what ASE Chair Prof Benjamin Horton and his father Peter Horton, Emeritus Professor at the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, suggest in an opinion piece in Today Online.