Surprising Science
Chemistry
Carbon Dioxide – Harmful or Useful?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas. High concentrations of it will lead to harmful climate changes. Prof Jason Yeo shows how to convert CO2 to high value molecules, such as ethylene and ethanol. This transformation is achieved by using cheap copper catalysts, water and electricity, which can be generated renewably using solar panels.
One Degree, Many Opportunities
Most of us associate chemistry with a scientist in a laboratory coat, testing reactions in fancy glass test tubes. The reality is different, and more exciting. Chemistry as a discipline encompasses far more. Prof Ryan Bettens explains how studies in chemistry open the door to many career opportunities in diverse sectors.
Computational Biology
Biology: From Qualitative to Quantitative Science
Modern biology involves integrating quantitative techniques from physics, engineering and chemistry along with computational approaches from statistics and computer science. Prof Timothy Saunders explains how he utilises these quantitative and analytical approaches in his laboratory – along with the humble fruit fly – to gain insights on how organisms develop from a single fertilised cell to a functioning adult.
Data Science and Analytics
Causal Inference
It is often said that “correlation does not imply causation”. Here, Prof Sun Baoluo discusses why causal inference is important for translating the insights gleaned from Big Data through data analytics into actionable knowledge for informed decision-making. He also delves into opportunities to conduct causal inference research in Singapore.
Environmental Studies
Waste in the Environment
We are confronting an environmental crisis – arguably the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. Here, Dr Joanna Coleman explains how we got to this point and how it relates to our daily behaviours, including the consumption and disposal of plastics.
Food Science and Technology
Sweet, Yet Not Diabetic!
Although sweeteners are all sweet in nature, consumers may be able to detect sweeteners that will influence their acceptance of a product. Can you tell the difference between products sweetened by zero calorie sweeteners and table sugar? Sensory evaluation is a scientific method that can be used to discover consumer perceptions of a newly developed food product.
A Rainbow Diet for Better Health
Prof Philip Barlow explains how you can maintain a well-balanced diet by choosing a range of different coloured foods. Red tomatoes give us lycopene, orange carrots are the precursor for Vitamin A and green foods provide Vitamin C and Vitamin B. A variety of colour also makes food more attractive on our plate!
Hidden Dangers in Some of Your Food
How do we know what is in food? Prof Philip Barlow brings us through various ways. One is to look at the food label, which is a good guide to the major components of a food product. The label also indicates specific components that we might have to avoid if we have food allergies or food intolerance. Sometimes it is necessary to conduct laboratory testing to find out what else might be in our food. This would include looking for contaminants such as pesticide residues or the presence of toxic metals. As we cannot see bacterial contamination, it may also be necessary to screen foods for the presence of pathogenic bacteria.
Life Sciences
Inside a Crime Scene Investigation!
Prof Stella Tan shows how forensic light sources are utilised in criminal investigations to enhance visualisation of evidence, especially those that are difficult to detect with the naked eye. See how physiological fluids, such as urine and semen, fluoresce under different wavelengths of light, and how Raman Spectroscopy can identify an unknown substance based on its chemical fingerprint.
Frontiers in Bioimaging
Single protein molecules are the smallest unit working in our bodies. To find them and observe how they act and function is the aim of single molecule fluorescence detection. Bioimaging and single molecule detection helps us understand how our bodies work, one molecule at a time. However, finding a single molecule in a cell or organism is like looking for a needle in a haystack…only that the haystack is much, much larger than you can think of! To do this, Prof Thorsten Wohland uses lasers and state-of-the-art detection technology, as well as expertise in biological sample handling and computation, to tease out the information from the molecules that are imaged.
Mathematics
Space-filling Curves and Their Applications
Prof Vincent Tan describes the concept of a space-filling curve, which is a strange mathematical oddity. Cantor showed that the set of points on the unit interval [0,1] has the same cardinality as that of the unit square [0,1]2. Can we construct a continuous curve that maps from the unit interval onto the unit square? Prof Tan shows through an elementary construction of such a fractal that this is indeed possible. He also discusses some real-life applications of fractals in finance.
Modelling Epidemics with Networks
In curbing the spread of an infectious disease, the traditional focus is in understanding the disease itself and how the human body fights against infection. Dr Ng Kah Loon explains how mathematics surprisingly lends a helping hand in modelling the structure of the community in which the disease is spreading. Mathematical quantities, like the degree of clustering in a network, can provide insights to guide intervention strategies like quarantines and vaccinations.
Mathematics of Tsunamis
By using satellite radar ranging, it will be possible in the near future to detect disturbances on the surface of the ocean, anywhere on Earth. This will be extremely useful if it can be applied to detect tsunamis when they are still far from shore. Then there may be time to warn coastal populations, potentially saving tens of thousands of lives. Mathematical modelling of tsunamis allows us to predict the exact shape of the wave, given its speed. By correlating the shape and the speed, it may be possible to distinguish tsunamis from all of the other waves on the surface of the ocean, and so detect them.
Physics
A Quantum Leap into the Future
Prof Alexander Ling introduces SpooQy-1, the world’s first compact quantum nanosatellite which provides a glimpse into innovative satellite communication technology of the future. He also shares how physicists at NUS are building quantum satellites and other quantum devices for next generation communications.
The Little Laser that Could
Nanoscale materials have attracted great interest in recent years. Low-dimensional systems such as two-dimensional (2D) materials, nanoparticles, nanorods, nanowalls or networks show great potential as important components for nanoscale devices with various interesting functions. With these efforts, a wide variety of nanostructured materials has been investigated. After the synthesis of nanomaterials, the properties of nanomaterials should be modified to improve their functionality. If we can create micro-patterns on these as-grown nanomaterials, it can further expand their potential applications. Here, Prof Sow uses a focused laser beam as a versatile tool for micro-patterning and micro-structuring a wide variety of micro- and nanomaterials.
Statistics
How Statisticians Model the Spread of COVID-19
The Ministry of Health works closely with researchers from NUS to make informed decisions about the spread of COVID-19 in Singapore. Profs Adrian Roellin and Alex Cook discuss the basic mathematical tools that go into understanding and predicting the present coronavirus epidemic.
