Congratulations to our NUS students, alumna and staff who won environmental awards!
In recognition for their outstanding efforts in protecting the environment, a few of our NUS students, alumna and staff were given various environmental awards. Congratulations to all of them!
Woo Qiyun
Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Geography Specialization), Year 3
With a vision to enact environmental change, Qiyun sought opportunities that would boost her skill sets. She participated in numerous sustainability-related competitions such as the Singapore Frontier Challenge held by NUS, where her team emerged as finalists, as well as the SembCorp Green Wave 2018 competition and the CDL E-generation Competition 2018. She was also one of 1000 selected participants in the international social incubator, UNLEASH Singapore 2018, where her team worked on solutions to tackle Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
Qiyun represented Singapore at the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights Conference, during which she learnt about environmental damage as a human rights violation and engaged in debates with ASEAN youths. She will soon assume the role of Singapore Youth Representative to the 2018 APEC Edutainment Exchange Programme to learn about inclusive and sustainable growth in the region.
Currently, Qiyun is a part time Community Lead at a locally-based social enterprise, Green is the New Black, where she works on the artistic experience of their upcoming Conscious Festival as well as develop content and assist with the strategic work of the company.
Momoka Ang
Life Sciences (Environmental Biology), Year 3
Momoka was the president of NUS Students Against Violation of the Earth (SAVE) from 2017 – 2018. Under her leadership, Momoka has enabled the smooth communication between members and stakeholders to actualise the proposed projects. For example, she liaised between student advocates, various NUS offices and SAVE to help create an awareness campaign for plastic reduction at The Deck canteen in January 2018. She was also part of the team in SAVE in 2017 who first came up with the idea of having the Reusable Bag Library, a pioneering scheme in Singapore that promotes shared usage of reusable bags between shoppers to reduce plastic bag use. This scheme is set to be a permanent fixture in NUS and has been emulated by many NGOs in Singapore.
Momoka’s experience in SAVE for the past two years helped her to lead SAVE members to achieve their goals, such as aiding in the recruitment process of the SAVE app and meeting stakeholders to promote the members’ campaigns.
Sankar Ananthanarayanan
Life Sciences (Environmental Biology), Year 4
Sankar is the co-founder of the Herpetological Society of Singapore (HSS). The HSS is made up of a group of volunteers who are passionate about the conservation and study reptiles and amphibians in Singapore.
At the HSS, Sankar trains volunteers to become effective nature guides, surveyors and naturalists. He also regularly conducts free guided walks for the public around nature spaces in Singapore such as Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, MacRitchie TreeTop Walk, Pasir Ris Mangrove once a month. On these walks, reptiles and amphibians that are normally missed by casual visitors are highlighted as the HSS hopes to dispel fear of these animals and promote a culture of respect for nature in Singapore.
Sankar has also done fieldwork in Sinharaja Forest Reserve and Yala Nature Reserve in Sri Lanka as he believes that rigorous ecological work is vital to making informed conservation recommendations.
Low Jia Hui Pamela
Economics, Alumna (Class of 2018)
Pamela is the founder of Tingkat Heroes, working with NUS to reduce use of plastic and paper disposables for food takeaways and consumption at the systemic level, and to promote responsible consumption to the NUS community through various outreach channels such as roadshows and social media.
Pamela’s journey into environmental leadership began when she became a pioneering member of the Singapore Youth for Climate Action’s (SYCA) Learning and Leadership Programme 2016. There, she was able to participate more actively in the cause for environmental protection through her interactions with like-minded individuals and stakeholders. The SYCA is one of the groups that the Ministry for the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) is consulting on ideas for campaigns to raise awareness on climate change.
Through her involvement in the SYCA and her student exchange programme to Germany, Pamela was inspired to start her own ground-up environmental movement to encourage communities, schools and businesses to go disposables-free. The programmes are expected to have a reach of at least 10,000 youths. Tingkat Heroes has been featured in the Straits Times, Lianhe Wanbao, Channel 8 News and various other media agencies. Her movement has also been awarded the ‘OCBC Cares for the Environment Fund’.
Dr Toh Tai Chong
College of Alice and Peter Tan, Academic Director of Capstone Programme
EcoFriend Award 2018 (Non-Governmental Organisations and Grassroots Volunteers)
Dr Toh founded Our Singapore Reefs (OSR) in 2017 to help conserve marine biodiversity. The non-profit initiative organises quarterly clean-up of Singapore’s waters and engages divers to join their environmental cause. Volunteers are trained how to reduce ocean waste and given the opportunity to take action by entering the waters and clearing trash as a team.
Since OSR’s conception, the participation rate for underwater marine clean-up in Singapore has increased 40 times from an average of 5% (2014 – 2016) to 198 in 2017. Apart from marine clean-up, youth engagement is a key element of Dr Toh’s vision. In the past year, OSR’s public education has reached out to more than 2200 people. Since 2015, Dr Toh has also been volunteering as a guest lecturer and coordinator of the International Seakeepers Society’s youth programmes.
To achieve success, Dr Toh developed an innovative community-to-community framework to foster strategic partnerships with different businesses in order to overcome resource constraints and create a greater socio-environmental impact. The synergies created among the stakeholders not only helped to further their respective interests in conserving Singapore’s habitats but also instilled a sense of shared ownership of Singapore’s marine biodiversity. In addition, data gathered from clean-up sessions are compiled for local and international agencies and partners to facilitate future management plans and similar projects in the region.
Sam Shu Qin
Tropical Marine Science Institute, Research Assistant
Shu Qin is a cofounder of the non-profit initiative Our Singapore Reefs (OSR). The OSR has been working closely with non-government organisations (NGOs) and governmental agencies for dive clean-ups and public outreach activities. Shu Qin focuses on conserving and restoring corals through coral nurseries in our southern reefs. Since her graduation, Shu Qin continues to pursue her interest in marine biology and has been working with marine animals. Her passion is to educate youth on coral conservation. Sam is also pursuing a postgraduate degree in Science Communication, to achieve her goal of effectively conveying the ocean’s plight to the young and old.