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SINGAPORE – In the next 10 years, many new jobs will be created in the agri-food sector and engineers will be needed, including people with experience in process control, automation and robotics.
Speaking on Saturday (November 21) in celebration of National Engineers Day, Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu said that the future in sustainability and climate mitigation and adaptation requires engineered solutions.
“From building flood protection structures, more efficient solar photovoltaic (photovoltaic) systems, charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, harnessing the value of waste to high-performance agricultural technology system, we look to engineering … solutions for our current and future challenges, “she added.
The annual event for young people to discover engineering, held online this year, began on November 12.
The winners of this year’s Engineering Innovation Challenge were announced on Saturday.
For the competition, 101 teams of students competed to find engineering solutions to real-world problems.
Winning projects included a system to improve crop quality, yield and growth rate in an urban farming setting, as well as a bacteria-killing UV light tunnel for sushi conveyor belts.
All winners will get a seed fund to start their projects.
“Since we now produce less than 10 percent of our nutritional needs, it is even more crucial for us to harness technology and creative minds like yours to push the frontiers of local food production,” Fu said in his virtual speech, Delivered from The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) building on Bukit Tinggi Road.
“We are no longer just growing our food; we are producing our food with manufacturing equipment and processes.”
IES President Richard Kwok said that each year students leave National Engineer Day celebrations with a “new sense of awe of engineering.”
“Their experience often awakens in them a seed of passion for engineering, opening their eyes and minds to the positive differences they can make in the world by becoming engineers,” said Dr. Kwok.
Three agreements on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in engineering were also signed at the event.
Two will contribute to the establishment of Singapore’s first AI Engineering Hub, as well as the establishment of learning and development programs for engineers.
The latter, between AI Singapore (AISG) and SMRT Corporation, is a collaboration on various AI projects.
Laurence Liew, Director of AI Innovation at AISG, highlighted the importance of educating young people about the usefulness of AI in everyday life.
For example, the technology enables hobbyist photographers to achieve a nice bokeh photographic effect, which uses out-of-focus parts of an image, with their smartphones, he said.
“You can take really nice pictures without having expensive equipment,” added Mr. Liew. “AI is a tool. You just have to take advantage of it.”
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