Dryer for Medicinal Herbs Three graduating students from the Diploma in Intelligent Building Technology, Dai Si Ming, Zhang Yi and Wang Yu Heng, have developed a novel food dryer that uses pressure to remove moisture from herbs. Unlike solar or other forms of heat which may cause damage to the cells and result in nutrient loss, drying by pressure changes can help retain the colour and nutrients in the herbs. The group’s effort was featured prominently on pg. 12 of the 18 Aug 2007 edition of Lianhe Zaobao, reported on in the Mandarin news on 95.8 FM, and also featured in MediaCorp’s Channel 8 and Channel U news. One of the team members, Zhang Yi, in an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, noted that presently, most TCM herbs are dried in the open. This method tends to be both unhygienic and damaging to the color, smell and medicinal value of the herbs. He added that some medical halls were interested in their project as pressure drying helps retain the herbs’ original colour, smell and medicinal value. Dr Ernest Chua, the project supervisor, was very pleased that the students could apply what they had learnt in building air flow, temperature and humidity control to create the pressure food dryer. The food dryer was one of 37 projects featured in TP’s Engineering Project Show (EPS), which ran from 15 – 16 Aug 2007. |
Left to right: Zhang Yi, Dai Si Ming and Wang Yu Heng, with their pressure-swing dryer and some herb samples |
Automated Ramp for Disabled Passengers Mr Roy Tang and his team of three IBT students succeeded in solving a vexing problem faced by LTA. In this project, they developed a system that automatically bridges the gap (which can be up to 100 mm wide) between an MRT train and the station platform, thus reducing the risk of accidents and minimizing inconvenience to wheelchair-bound passengers and parents with strollers or prams. The system and train doors share the same compressed air supply. Not only was the team awarded a $500 cash prize by LTA, they also went on to clinch the Merit prize in the prestigious IES Design Award and a Commendation in the Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors’ Award subsequently. |
Left to right: Chua Thiam Koon, Vincent Tan, Frida Djueliana and Mr Roy Tang (supervisor)
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Special Shopping Cart for Disabled Users Mr Lim Kok Hee and his team of three IBT students have given new hope to the wheelchair-bound on their shopping trips. The team invented an adjustable, wheeled PVC frame into which a shopping basket can fit snugly. The whole assembly is then fitted onto the front of a standard wheelchair. This wheelchair-cum-trolley enables a handicapped person to do his or her shopping independently and unhindered. The team’s effort earned them a Silver in the IES Design Award. |
Back row, left to right: Shaikh Abdul Alyym, Mohd Shuhaimi and Mr Lim Kok Hee (supervisor). Front row: Muhd Khair |
| Redevelopment of the Bowyer Blocks at SGH’s Outram Campus |
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(Source: http://www.bca.gov.sg/GreenMark/others/gm2006.pdf) The Bowyer Blocks is one of 3 buildings that formed part of the original General Hospital which opened in 1926. (The other 2 buildings were the Stanley and Norris blocks). Today, the Bowyer Block is the only one of the 3 original buildings that remains standing, with its iconic clock tower and tall columns bearing witness to the SGH Outram Campus’ rich history. Besides offices and other facilities, the redeveloped Bowyer Block also houses the SGH Museum, which encapsulates close to 2 centuries of the history of medical education and medicine in Singapore. In what was a first for the Diploma, IBT was approached by the project consultants to provide energy and climate consultancy services encompassing:
The project was undertaken by 8 students from IBT as part of their SIP-MP program. The Bowyer Redevelopment project was awarded the Green Mark GoldPlus by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), in recognition of its sustainable design.
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| The Bowyer Redevelopment’s project team from IBT. Clockwise (from left): Mr Terence Wong (supervisor), Asokan Prasanth, Regi Abraham, Alvin Lee Wee Siong, Ms Wiliana Sulistio (supervisor), Wang Shou Zhang, Ng Chee Wai and Vipin Prasad (Source: ENGINEERUS, Jul 2006 issue) |
Development of Learning Centers for the Dyslexia Association of Singapore
Imagine for a moment that you’re a 6 or 7-year old child, who’s already completed Primary 1 (or Primary 2, as the case may be), and you’re still in the habit of reversing your alphabets ie. you write ‘p’ when you meant to write ‘q’, or ‘bonkey’ when you meant ‘donkey’ or you might pen ‘delisious brakefast’ when you what you really meant was ‘delicious breakfast.’ Not only do you achieve dismal scores on your spelling tests, you also start to realize that you aren’t so hot about reading and writing in general. What’s worse, you may not just experience difficulty in learning the English Language, you may have problems with learning the Chinese Language as well. As if that’s not bad enough, your teachers think you’re unmotivated, distracted, forgetful and just plain unfocused.
Welcome to the world of the dyslexic. According to the Tennessee branch of the International Dyslexia Association, ‘the term dyslexia comes from the Greek root word "dys" (trouble) and "lexia" (word). Trouble-with-words is neurologically based and often familial. Dyslexic individuals are intelligent, yet have difficulty with language: reading, spelling, and writing. Dyslexia is not a result of lack of motivation, sensory impairment or other conditions. A dyslexic brain is structured and functions differently than a lexic brain (easy-to-words). A dyslexic is often highly strategic and creative in their cognitive abilities. Dyslexics respond successfully to appropriate instruction; however, reading is seldom a favorite past time.’ The Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) estimates that ‘3% to 5% of Singaporeans may be dyslexic’, thus possibly up to 23,000 children from kindergarten to secondary school level could be suffering from this learning disability. But the good news is that ‘the difficulties caused by dyslexia can be overcome with specialist teaching and the use of compensatory strategies.’
In line with the Ministry of Education’s pledge to level up opportunities for all students by ‘raising the quality of education for children with special education (SPED) needs,’ the DAS announced on 1 Oct 07 that it plans to launch another 3 learning centers across Singapore to cater to meet the needs of about 750 more dyslexic students. According to the DAS’ Executive Director, Mr Robin Mosely, this expansion serves to meet the increasing demand for its services. And we at IBT are indeed very privileged to have had the opportunity to help the DAS meet this objective via an MP-SIP, in which 6 our students and their supervisor did the space planning for these new centers.
Essentially, the group built 3-dimensional, virtual architectural models using AutoDesk Revit software and presented their design concepts to DAS by means of walk-through visualizations and rendered perspectives. In this way, the project group helped the DAS staff to visualize and select from the various Learning Center design proposals even before these are physically constructed, thus minimizing the possibility of rework and saving time and money.
| The project team for the Learning Centers, clockwise from top left: Mohd Nurhazwan, Abu Suphian, Mr Lee Siang (DAS’ Head of Corporate Services), Ms Boey Lai Yin (Supervisor), Mdm Tey Ching Ching (DAS’ Corporate Services Coordinator), Poh Wan Han, Marianne Freeman, Mr Robin Moseley (DAS’ Executive Director), Rahimah bte Mazelan and Ivana Sadikin |
| Reception Counter of the Jurong Learning Center |
| Typical Teaching Room in the Jurong Learning Center |
| Reception Counter of the Woodlands Learning Center |
| Typical Teaching Room in the Jurong Learning Center |
Sources:
- Tennessee Branch, International Dyslexia Organization (http://www.tn-interdys.org/terms.htm)
- Dyslexia Association of Singapore http://www.das.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=70
- The Straits Times (2 Oct 07, p. H6) ‘Dyslexics get more help in schools’
