A total of 16 candidates received the Singapore Sustainability Scholarship (SSS) from the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Grace Fu, at a scholarship award ceremony on 25 Jul 2022. The SSS is jointly offered by the National Environment Agency (NEA), PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
Each year, the SSS identifies potential leaders with the foresight to anticipate future challenges and develop solutions for climate change, energy efficiency, as well as Singapore’s water resources and food security. These scholars will pursue studies in engineering, environmental, food and science-related disciplines in either a local or overseas university, or polytechnic. Upon graduation, they will begin fulfilling careers with NEA, PUB, or SFA, playing a key role in Singapore’s sustainability story and contributing to the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Since the inception of the SSS in 2008, a total of 224 scholarships have been awarded.
Goh Xin En Joylynn, 19, is one of the recipients of the SSS from NEA this year. Joylynn has a keen interest in environmental protection and previously completed an NEA internship project on waste treatment policies and decentralised waste treatment facilities. Her dream to find solutions to ensure Singapore’s environmental sustainability has led her to pursue a degree in environmental earth systems science at Nanyang Technological University. She hopes that her university education would deepen her understanding and appreciation of the environmental issues faced by Singapore and give her the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded individuals.
Luke Goh, CEO of NEA, said: “NEA welcomes this batch of six scholars into our ranks. They all share a common vision with NEA — to create a clean, liveable and sustainable Singapore for the present and future generations. We look forward to their contributions to NEA and service to Singapore.”
Lee Wai Yee, 19, who will be pursuing a (direct masters) master of science in geophysics at Imperial College London, is one of the scholarship recipients from PUB. With an interest in coastal protection work, Wai Yee looks forward to being a part of the PUB team that looks into innovative solutions to protect and transform Singapore’s coastlines due to rising sea levels.
She said: “Growing up, I was exposed to many of the impacts and devastating side effects that our current lifestyle has on the environment. As such, I was motivated to choose a career where I could play my part in creating a sustainable and safe environment in Singapore for future generations. I chose to study Geophysics as it will allow me to acquire a broad range of skills such as data analysis and geophysical surveying, while also enabling a deeper understanding of how the Earth works. I also had the opportunity to participate in a research programme at the N.1 Institute for Health at the National University of Singapore, where I worked on how artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to turn simple ideas into working solutions. I hope to apply my learnings in my future work at PUB through developing ways in which AI can be used to predict and model rising sea levels in order to defend Singapore against it.”
“Climate change will result in more extreme weather events and sea level rise that can impact our water resources and threaten our shorelines. Ensuring Singapore’s water resilience and protecting our coastlines is a long-term effort that requires both sound planning and ingenuity, and will remain a top priority. We welcome and look forward to nurturing our talents as they pursue a fulfilling career with PUB, and chart a sustainable future for Singapore,” said Goh Si Hou, CEO of PUB.
Low Hwee Keng, 19, who will be embarking on a bachelor of science in chemistry at Imperial College London, is one of the scholarship recipients from SFA. With a keen interest in chemistry, she looks forward to using the knowledge acquired from her studies to ensure food safety and strengthen the nation’s food supply resilience.
“From reviewing food testing procedures and standards to building technological capabilities of the food industry, I believe there are many ways I can contribute to Singapore’s food future. I look forward to embarking on a meaningful career with SFA,” said Low.
Joanne Chew Jia Hui, 18, who is pursuing a diploma in biotechnology at Republic Polytechnic, is also a recipient of the SSS from SFA. Having gained valuable insights during her internship with SFA, she shared: “It was really an eye-opener for me during my internship, where I experienced first-hand how SFA meaningfully engages our food stallholders in ensuring food safety. I believe the knowledge learnt from my biotechnology course will equip me with skills such as microbiological testing, agri-biotechnology research, food production and innovation which can be applicable to my future work at SFA. I look forward to working on technology innovation to tackle the challenges in our food safety and sustainability.”
Lim Kok Thai, CEO of SFA said, “As SFA works towards achieving the ’30 by 30’ goal to produce 30% of our nutritional needs locally by 2030, we will need passionate individuals of diverse skillsets to build up the capability and capacity of our agri-food industry. We are pleased to welcome these young talents under the Singapore Sustainability Scholarship who will join us in ensuring a supply of safe food in Singapore both now and in future. We look forward to their contributions towards Singapore’s food safety and security.”
Under the SSS, NEA, PUB and SFA offer both undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships. Both undergraduates and fresh graduates are given the opportunity to pursue a mid-term and master’s scholarship. SFA also offers diploma scholarships to students in our polytechnics. NEA focuses on environmental-related domains such as environmental engineering, environmental science, environmental management, as well as sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences and meteorology, amongst others. PUB focuses on students pursuing engineering disciplines, mainly in civil, electrical, environmental and mechanical engineering. SFA focuses on sciences such as agricultural and aquacultural sciences, chemistry, and food science.
