Project Titles / Synopses 2020 - NTU Singapore · 2020-02-24 · ENGINEERING CEE01 Title When a Waste is not a Waste Description Plastics are widely used in storage and packaging

Project Titles /

Synopses 2020

NANYANG RESEARCH PROGRAMME Overview of Project Titles 2020

Project Code

Category Project Title

CEE01 Engineering When a Waste is not a Waste

EEE01 Engineering Data Analytics and Machine Learning

EEE02 Engineering RF Filters for 5G Communication Systems

EEE03 Engineering Microstrip Antenna Array Design for Beamforming Applications

EEE04 Engineering Metamaterial Frequency Selective Surfaces

EEE05 Engineering Single Pixel Imaging

EEE06 Engineering Machine Learning/Deep Learning Techniques for Advanced Image Inference Tasks

EEE07 Engineering A Portable High-Accuracy ECG-Assisted Blood Pressure Monitor for Smartphones

EEE08 Engineering Emissions from Rare-Earth Ions by the Energy Transfer from ZnO Nanocrystals Embedded in SiO2 Film

EEE09 Engineering GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) for RF Switching Application

EEE10 Engineering Novel Gallium Nitride-Based Sensor for Air Pollution Monitoring

EEE11 Engineering Implement Environmental Sensor Under Internet of Things

EEE12 Engineering Water Rectanna

EEE13 Engineering IOT (Internet of Things) for Optimal Lighting Control in Green Buildings

EEE14 Engineering Smart Car Sharing in On-Demand Mobility

EEE15 Engineering Interficial Engineering for High Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

EEE16 Engineering A Numerical Simulation Study on Opinion Evolution in Complex Social Networks

EEE17 Engineering Data-Driven Method for Li-Ion Battery Health Monitoring

EEE18 Engineering Holography vs Photography

EEE19 Engineering Study of Feasibility of Superman Memory

EEE20 Engineering Development of a Financial Portfolio Game

MAE01 Engineering Virtual & Augmented Reality Technology Enhanced Army Logistic Training

MAE02 Sciences Riemann Zeta Function

MAE03 Engineering Printing Electronics on Textile

NIE01 Business, Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences

Translational Specifications of Neural-Informed Game-Based Interventions for Mathematical Cognitive Development of Low-Progress Learners


Investigating the Public’s Experiences and Knowledge of Communicating with People with Dementia


The Effect of Leisure Experience on College Students' Life

NIE05 Sciences Xplore: The Effect of Using of Technology in Physical Education


Teacher Learning – What Happens Behind the Scenes


Effect of In-Games Advertisement on Sponsor Recall


Exploring the Role that Game-Based Worlds and Immersive Environments Potentially Play in Learning

NIE09 Sciences Pure and Doped BiFeO3 Thin Film for Photodetector

NIE10 Sciences Plasma Assisted Low Temperature Graphene Synthesis


After School Food Consumption Habits of Teenagers in Singapore

NIE12 Sciences Optimising Power Output of Simple Microbial Fuel Cells


Exploring the Science of Language Assessment through the Lenses of Scientometrics

Project Code

Category Project Title


A Scientomeric Review of Educational Research

SBS01 Sciences Functional Dissection of Cerebellar Output Circuits that Control Motor and Cognitive Behaviours

SBS02 Sciences Antibiotics Potentiator against Drug Resistant Gram Negative Bacteria

SCBE01 Engineering Analysing the Impacts of Cold-Chain Dependence of Vaccines via Life Cycle Analysis

SCBE02 Engineering Determining the Environmental Sustainability of Oral Drug Packaging via Life Cycle Analysis

SCBE03 Engineering Plasmonic Nanostructures Based Surface Enhanced Optical Sensors

SCI01 Business, Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences

Linguistic Indicators of Success in Aviation Emergencies: A CVR Investigation


The Language of Automation: How do Leaders Discuss the Replacement of Humans?


Fighting Fake News: Defining, Determining and Dealing with Deliberate Online Falsehoods in Singapore

SCSE01 Engineering Document Layout Analysis via Machine Learning

SCSE02 Engineering Augmented Reality Hologram

SOH01 Business, Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences

Contemporary Literature


Cryptanalysis and Language Deciphering: A 'Python Attack' to an Undeciphered Writing System


Language and Identity Among Young Singaporeans


A Sociolinguistic Investigation of French, German, Italian and Spanish in Singapore Shop Signs


Accounts of Self-Differentiation in Singapore's Schools


A Tale of Two Deficits: Causality & Care in Medical AI


Language Shift in Singapore’s Indian Community


A Comparative Analysis of Selected Singapore English- and Chinese-Language Literary Works


Singapore Literature Translation Project

SPMS01 Sciences Shining Light on Nanomaterials

SPMS02 Engineering Treating Cheap Commercial Metal Foams to be Effective Catalyst Material by Surface Engineering

SPMS03 Sciences Magnetic Materials for 2D Spintronics

SPMS04 Sciences Unbalancing Lights or Gale-Berlekamp Switch Game

SPMS05 Sciences An Elementary Proof of the Johnson-Lindenstrauss Lemma

SPMS06 Sciences The Brachistochrone Problem and the Calculus of Variations

SPMS07 Sciences Seismic Data Analysis with Conventional and Modern AI Techniques

ENGINEERING

CEE01

Title When a Waste is not a Waste

Description Plastics are widely used in storage and packaging of consumer goods, such as electronics, medicine, chemicals, food and beverages. Depending on the application, various types of plastics can be present in the waste. The properties of plastics are typically modified with chemical additives, such as fillers, plasticizers, flame retardants, colorants, stabilizers, lubricants, foaming agents and antistatic agents. Due to such diversity in material composition, mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic waste remains technically challenging at large-scale.

As a result, only 9 wt.% of plastics ever produced by 2015 have been recycled, 12 wt.% have been incinerated while 79 wt.% have been accumulated in landfills and as litter in natural environment. Mismanagement of plastic waste on land due to littering and disposal into open and uncontrolled landfills leads to environmental pollution, including in marine environments. In the absence of developed infrastructure for plastic waste processing, this situation is expected to further worsen. Thermal treatment of plastics via pyrolysis is a mature technology with multiple plants around the world used mainly to produce liquid fuel.

The project will aim to critically review pyrolysis technology in order to identify possible other value added products except that of liquid fuels. The proposed new applications of pyrolysis in treating plastic waste and development of new materials, the project will provide the environmental assessment of the proposed solutions.

Type of Project Offered as

NRP Enrichment

College / School School of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Target Group Year 5 / JC1

Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Basic knowledge in Chemistry with focus on Environmental Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and process control. The knowledge of life cycle assessment will be desired.

Other Requirements NIL

Back to Table of Contents

ENGINEERING

EEE01

Title Data Analytics and Machine Learning

Description Machine learning has gained a lot of popularity in recent years due to the advent of computing power and data storage. In this project, students will be exposed to machine learning - they will be able to exploit the power of machine learning to find patterns in data. Students who are keen to pick up new skills such as Python to help them gain a better understanding of the collected data will find this project interesting.


NRP Enrichment

College / School School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering


Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Interest in machine learning and data analytics. Knowledge in Python is advantageous though not necessary.



ENGINEERING

EEE02

Title RF Filters for 5G Communication Systems

Description 5G radio access technology will be a key component of the Networked Society. It will address high traffic growth and increasing demand for high-bandwidth connectivity. It will also support massive numbers of connected devices and meet the real-time, high-reliability communication needs of mission-critical applications. 5G will provide wireless connectivity for a wide range of new applications and use cases, including wearables, smart homes, traffic safety/control, critical infrastructure, industry processes and very-high-speed media delivery.

As a result, it will also accelerate the development of the Internet of Things. The overall aim of 5G is to provide ubiquitous connectivity for any kind of device and any kind of application that may benefit from being connected. 5G networks will not be based on one specific radio-access technology. Rather, 5G is a portfolio of access and connectivity solutions addressing the demands and requirements of mobile communication beyond 2020.

One of the essential elements is a bandpass filter in the communication receiver. This project will address the design criteria to the specifications of 5G communication systems. The student will be using relevant analytical skills to design the layout and the EM simulation software to optimize the design, and validate by experiments.


NRP Enrichment


Target Group Year 5 / JC 1

Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Interest in engineering innovation and research.



ENGINEERING

EEE03

Title Microstrip Antenna Array Design for Beamforming Applications

Description In recent years, due to a large growth in the number of users added to the development of applications requiring high bit rates, an enormous increase in traffic has been experienced by wireless communication systems. As personal wireless devices increase, the problem of interference, increasing data traffic and capacity also increases as RF spectrum becomes more congested. For overcoming the problem of interference, the combination of multiple antenna arrays and beamforming methods help in suppressing the interfering signals and receiving the signals incoming from the desired ones. The basic principle of beamforming is the cancellation of interfering signal by constructing signals in such a way that at required angles we obtain constructive interference and at other angles, the interference is nullified by destructive interference.

In this project, an overview of beamforming methods and their importance in wireless communication standards history to be surveyed. Different types of beamforming and how beamforming was implemented in each standard to be presented. Also the future trends in wireless communication and how beamforming can be used to improve the performance in keeping with the advancements to be described. One case study of microstrip patch array will be implemented to demonstrate the beamforming technology.


NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Interest in engineering innovation and research.



ENGINEERING

EEE04

Title Metamaterial Frequency Selective Surfaces

Description Because of impracticalities resulting from their much larger size, lensing systems in a millimeter wave band cannot be dealt with in the same manner as optical systems. One technique for implementing this lensing is to transform the phase of the incident field, using metamaterials such as frequencyselective surfaces (FSSs). In this project, the FSSs known as the gangbuster surface (GS) is used to achieve the lensing effect. Considering the GS above a perfectly conducting ground plane. Incident waves reflect totally, and the phase of the reflected waves depends on characteristics such as the type and period of the GS, the lengths of the wires, and the separation between the GS and the ground plane. Any change in the various parameters used to design the lens results in deterioration in the profile field intensity and the diffraction efficiency, among other unwanted effects.

The goal is to optimize the lens for changes in the angle of incidence such that the intensity of the electric field and the resolution at the focal plane are both optimized. To accomplish this optimization, differences in phase distribution for various angles are to be minimized by using an existing algorithm to modify the lengths of wires on the GS. Through the use of these different wire lengths, a GS can be constructed for a lensing system in the millimeter wave band that is stable for differing angles of incidence.


NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Interest in Engineering design and programming knowledge.



ENGINEERING

EEE05

Title Single Pixel Imaging

Description Imaging with megapixel camera is common today. However, imaging at infrared light is very expensive due to limited hardware performance. The project will do imaging at low cost by utilizing only single pixel for imaging. The algorithm is the key to construct an image from the single pixel signal.


NRP Enrichment



Group Size Individual / Pair

Specific Knowledge Not necessary to know, but must like algorithm and computer coding.



ENGINEERING

EEE06

Title Machine Learning/Deep Learning Techniques for Advanced Image Inference Tasks

Description Advanced image inference tasks include image classification, i.e. classifying an image from its content; object detection, i.e. detecting and drawing bounding box(es) on object(s) of interest; and semantic segmentation, i.e. classifying and labelling each image pixel to a category. These inference tasks have wide range of applications in areas such as self-driving cars, computer vision, automated inspection systems, etc. Conventionally, these tasks were performed using hand-engineered features which were both cumbersome and inaccurate.

In recent years, machine-learning, especially deep-learning techniques (using deep neural networks) have gained tremendous progress in realizing these tasks. In this project, we will explore these machine-learning, especially deep-learning techniques. The selected student will have access to state-of-the-art deep-learning software frameworks such as Keras and TensorFlow from Google, PyTorch from Facebook, and MATLAB etc. Throughout this project, the student will learn practical programming skills in Python and MATLAB for applying machine learning and deep learning techniques.


NRP Enrichment



Group Size Individual

Specific Knowledge NIL



ENGINEERING

EEE07

Title A Portable High-Accuracy ECG-Assisted Blood Pressure Monitor for Smartphones

Description Blood pressure (BP) has long been one of the best indicators to detect the early onset of diseases and health issues. High BP or hypertension often leads to a greater risk of heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease. Preeclampsia or high BP during pregnancy afflicts 5-10% of women, and is dangerous for both the mother and child. High BP is called the 'silent killer' as it often produces no symptoms so that the affected people usually do not treat it until it is too late and the blood vessels are damaged. Having regular BP readings is important to monitor health and provide early warning signs of potentially fatal diseases. BP readings are preferably taken in comfortable or familiar locations, where patients carry on their daily routine, to avoid the 'white coat hypertension' syndrome due to the anxiety experienced in the physician's office. Automated BP monitors are preferred by patients to take readings at their convenience. Other factor that can lead to their popularity is the global trends of aging population and obese population, whose risk of hypertension is high. They will likely increase the demand for BP monitors as they become aware of the risk of hypertension. The market for BP monitors is projected to reach US$2.7 billion by 2020.

Automated BP monitors have an inflatable occlusion cuff that is wrapped around either the arm or the wrist. Arm-type monitors are generally bulky/non-portable and expensive. To encourage people to take BP readings regularly, wrist-type monitors would be more suitable; however, their readings are generally less accurate than those obtained by the arm-type monitors. Recent studies show that a 3-4mmHg increase in systolic BP would translate into 20% and 12% higher mortality from stroke and coronary heart disease, respectively. Thus, even the smallest inaccuracies can lead to false information and fatal consequences. In short, there is a need for BP monitors that are highly-accurate, and convenient to use whenever and wherever.

The objective of the project is the design and realization of a portable high-accuracy BP monitor that can be attached to (and detached from) smartphones. The monitor will be non-invasive and primarily employ the oscillometric method to estimate the BP by converting the oscillations of arterial blood flow to electrical signals. The significance of attaching the monitor to the smartphone is that it will be more convenient to the user to carry the monitor around and use it. Further, the BP reading can be sent to the smartphone so that it can be logged and transmitted to healthcare professionals for analysis. The critical requirements for the monitor are low power-consumption, small-form-factor, and high-accuracy BP readings/estimations. Low-power consumption is imperative to reduce the required energy storage elements and to render possible usage of low-power mechanical components with smaller form-factor. Unlike conventional BP monitors, the proposed BP monitor will also be designed to acquire electrocardiogram (ECG) signals from the user simultaneously, and subsequently, incorporate them to achieve more accurate BP estimations.


NRP Enrichment or H3 Science Research







ENGINEERING

EEE08

Title Emissions from Rare-Earth Ions by the Energy Transfer from ZnO Nanocrystals Embedded in SiO2 Film

Description Rare-Earth (RE) ions have been extensively used for various source of light emissions. The emissions cover a wide range of spectrum, from visible to near infra-red, and hence they have been used for lighting, displays, optical amplifier and many others. The optical excitations of the RE ions, however, requires specific wavelength which is challenging and relatively expensive to have. In this project, we will use semiconductor ZnO nanocrystals to act as sensitizers. The optical excitation of the ZnO nanocrystals is quite easy to have, as long as the photon energy is higher than the bandgap. The RE ions can in turn be excited by the energy transfer from the excited ZnO nanocrystals and give emissions when the RE ions relax to the ground states. The RE ions and the ZnO nanocrystals will be incorporated in SiO2 films. The project involves the fabrication and the characterization of the samples.


NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Very good in Physics and Chemistry.

Other Requirements Very careful and diligent students as this project involves lab experiment.


ENGINEERING

EEE09

Title GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) for RF Switching Application

Description High-speed high-power switching elements are key components of Transmitter/Receiver module, digital phase shifter and attenuators in Radar, wireless, aerospace & defense communications etc. Gallium Nitride (GaN) based transistors have emerged as a very promising and important building blocks of many future advanced applications such as high-power switches, wireless communications, satellite communications etc.

In this project, the students will be exposed to the technology of GaN transistors for switching application and the device physics parameters. They will also learn the useful and important basic operation, characterisation techniques and analysis of GaN based transistors. This hands-on experience and device knowledge will prepare the students well for their future studies in electronics engineering particularly in the areas of semiconductors, RF and power electronics and integrated circuit design.


NRP Enrichment







ENGINEERING

EEE10

Title Novel Gallium Nitride-Based Sensor for Air Pollution Monitoring

Description Gas sensing technology has gained increased attention especially where the detection of gases and air pollutants is imperative for the safety of human health. There is a need to detect NO2, since its long-term exposure can lead to bronchitis in asthmatic children and can impair lung growth. Moreover, it is the primary source of nitrate aerosols, forming an important component of dangerous airborne particles. Thus, the regulations governing NO2 in automobiles are becoming increasingly strict.

Similarly, the presence of CO2 gas in high concentration poses risk to human health and may lead to serious physiological damages due to O2 deprivation and organ failure. At present, the commonly used gas sensors suffer from limited sensitivity, limited lifetime, poor selectivity and high energy consumption. In order to overcome these shortcomings, gallium nitride material based sensors are attractive due to their unique physical properties such as high band gap, high career density near the surface and chemical inertness.

In this project, students will help to characterise the sensors developed in our team using a gas sensor system for NO2, CO2 and O2 gases. The effect of functionalisation layers on the gas sensitivity, response time, recovery time, etc will also studied as a function of temperature and gas concentration. The underlying sensing mechanism will be understood.


NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Interest in materials science.



ENGINEERING

EEE11

Title Implement Environmental Sensor Under Internet of Things

Description There has been very strong interest and attention in the past few years focused on the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT refers to a network of physical objects embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity, which enables these objects to collect and exchange data. It allows remote sensing and control across network infrastructure, creates opportunities for more direct integration between the physical world and computer-based systems, and resulting in improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit.

[1] One of the challenges in the IoT technology is the provision of energy for the sensing, electronics, communication, etc. It is important that the deployed devices are autonomous, that is, able to harness environmental energy and be self-sufficient so that there is no need to provide and replace batteries. Among the various sources of energy that can be harnessed from an indoor environment, light energy has been shown to be one of the most efficiency and widely available.

In this project, the student will study and implement an environmental sensor to sense and transmit signal wirelessly to a host for real-time monitoring of the environmental parameter of interest. The scope will also include the building of communication circuit and circuit for harnessing of light energy to power the sensor and communication circuits, to realize a fully autonomous sensor.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_Things


NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge No pre-requisites. Students should preferably have an interest in electronic engineering and in the study of renewable energy.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_Things

ENGINEERING

EEE12

Title Water Rectanna

Description Water is an interesting medium that is transparent, flexible, and can be potentially low loss. Therefore, water can be an excellent candidate for designing reconfigurable antennas. The objective of this project is to explore innovative shapes for wide-band and multiband antennas that can be used in modern communication systems. Both theoretical simulations using ANSYS high frequency structure simulator (HFSS) and experimental measurements will be involved in this project. Dedicated students can get a lot of hands-on experience in this project.


NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair




ENGINEERING

EEE13

Title IOT (Internet of Things) for Optimal Lighting Control in Green Buildings

Description Energy consumption attributed to buildings in Singapore is estimated to be over 30% of total national use. The target is to reduce energy consumption to meet the goals and increase the stockpile of Green-mark certified buildings as well as adapt to the circadian rhythm of the human occupant.

As lighting accounts for about 20% of the building’s electricity usage, the student would be working on: (1) an efficient and reliable and robust dimmable IOT enabled LED system for

commercial buildings; and (2) the system adapt to the circadian rhythm of the human occupant. Some surveys

from the occupants may be required.

The lighting control system would be incorporated with building information modelling (BIM). Matlab or software programming skills would be expected for the students. The students should be self motivated and eager to lean.


NRP Enrichment



Group Size Individual/ Pair

Specific Knowledge Programming skills e.g. Matlab, C or Python.

Other Requirements Knowledge of 3D printing would be useful.


ENGINEERING

EEE14

Title Smart Car Sharing in On-Demand Mobility

Description Singapore has gone through a remarkable urbanisation process for the past several decades. So far, about 12% of the accessible land has been used for building traffic roads, and it is simply impossible to continuously expand the traffic network. To meet the ever-growing number of traffic demands, advanced traffic management techniques such as traffic signal control and flow management by road pricing have been developed and implemented. In addition, it is commonly believed that, by promoting ride sharing, the number of travel demands may be significantly reduced, which could ease the high pressure faced by LTA on pan-island traffic management.

In this project the student will learn to model a simple traffic network and analyse the impact of ride sharing on travel demand reduction. There are several objectives that the student is expected to meet: (1) To learn how to model a ride sharing problem as a mathematical programming

problem. (2) To learn some simple optimisation techniques, in particular, the Lagrangian

multiplier method. If time allows, some evolution algorithms may also be learned. (3) To apply relevant optimisation techniques to the ride sharing problem and solve it

with right tools. (4) To develop a simple simulation based case study to illustrate the solution.

During this process, the student is expected to learn some basic concepts of linear programming, mixed integer linear programming, Simplex, Lagrangian relaxation and genetic algorithms. The simulation case study may be developed within a realistic traffic simulator PTV VISSIM, which also allows the student to understand some basic traffic management principles.


NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge (1) For students who intend to develop their own optimisation algorithms, knowledge about calculating function derivatives may be needed. Nevertheless, this is not mandatory, as specific optimisation tools can be used to solve relevant optimisation problems.

(2) Students may use their own familiar programming languages to develop some case studies. Yet, they will be encouraged to use PTV VISSIM, which will be provided by my group at NTU.



ENGINEERING

EEE15

Title Interficial Engineering for High Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

Description Perovskite solar cells offering promise for the realization of a low-cost, printable, portable and flexible renewable energy sources have attracted much interests. Although over 21% of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of Perovskite solar cells has been reported, further improvements in their PCE and lifetime are required for commercialization. Much effort have been made to improve the PCE of these solar cells. In particular, introducing the interfacial layers between the active layer and electrodes in the device structure is very important to improve the PCE and stability PSCs.

In this project, suitable materials to engineer the interface between the active layer and the carriers transporting layer of a Perovskite solar cell will be investigated based on understanding the Perovskite solar cell structure and it's operation principle. The student will need to propose a suitable Perovskite solar cell structure with suitable materials and simulate the operation and performance of the solar cells to optimize the solar cells. If possible, experimental implementation of the solar cells will be evaluated.


NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge Have taken the Physics and Chemistry modules in JC.



ENGINEERING

EEE16

Title A Numerical Simulation Study on Opinion Evolution in Complex Social Networks

Description In this project, by using Python or C or any programming language that the student feels comfortable to use, we shall conduct a simulation study on how social opinions may co-evolve with social networks.






Specific Knowledge It would be of some help if the student has background knowledge in computer programming. This, however, is not compulsory.



ENGINEERING

EEE17

Title Data-Driven Method for Li-Ion Battery Health Monitoring

Description This project aims to develop a data-driven method to real-time monitoring the health of the Li-ion batteries.

Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms will be developed to learn from a battery health data set, train a health monitoring model, and then be used for real-time state-of-healh (SOH) monitoring of the batteries.

The project involves programming in computers, preliminaries of AI and programming is needed.






Specific Knowledge Artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer programming. Battery health monitoring.



ENGINEERING

EEE18

Title Holography vs Photography

Description This project will understand physics of holography and build the system. Students will learn how the holography is different from photography, and how the difference leads to 3D image construction. Students will have an opportunity to build their own hologram, and explore if the holography is implemented in a smartphone.


NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge Not required.



ENGINEERING

EEE19

Title Study of Feasibility of Superman Memory

Description A superman memory crystal, or also known as 5D optical data storage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5D_optical_data_storage), offers massive storage technique for hundreds terabytes of data in a single piece of glass. This project aims to review current technology and understand its practicability and scalability. The project involves intensive literature review and analysis.


NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge Fundamental knowledge on optics.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5D_optical_data_storage

ENGINEERING

EEE20

Title Development of a Financial Portfolio Game

Description A financial portfolio is an investment in a basket of assets or securities with the intention of generating profits while mitigating risk. Imagine that you are an investor managing a financial portfolio. Your goal is to generate profits from fluctuations in the prices of equities. In this project, you will develop a game that simulates the portfolio structuring and balancing. The objective of the game is for the player to generate (maximize) profits by dynamically adjusting the investment holdings by redeploying capital among the assets within an assets cluster against a backdrop of price fluctuations.


NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge This project requires a moderate level of coding and programming.



ENGINEERING

MAE01

Title Virtual & Augmented Reality Technology Enhanced Army Logistic Training

Description Military training plays an utmost important role in defense. Safety and productivity are two sites of a same coin with the military training. This project is interested to develop innovative virtual & augmented reality (VAR) technology to enhance the military training in collaboration with the Army Logistic Training Institute. In particular, this project will look into the detail of Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer (SSPH) system. Two students will be recruited in this project working on the design and simulation of the SSPH with the aid of the latest VAR technology.

One of the students will be taking care of the design of SSPH in full three-dimension and the other student will be responsible for interactive simulation. Students with strong interest in design and programming are encouraged to apply the project. Knowledge and skill using 3ds Max and Unity3D, as well as Java or C# scripting will be an advantage.

The project students if accepted will work with a team in NTU for the entire design and development phase.


NRP Enrichment

College / School School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering


Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Students with strong interest in design and programming are encouraged to apply the project. Knowledge and skill using 3ds Max and Unity3D, as well as Java or C# scripting will be an advantage.



ENGINEERING

MAE03

Title Printing Electronics on Textile

Description The project will entail exploring printing of electronic components on various fabrics and textile. A simple passive device and/or sensing circuit will be designed and printed on the fabric using suitable electronic inks. The techniques of printing or direct writing will be studied and compared. Requirements of fabric for printing will be observed and suitable measures taken to lay down continues and homogeneous circuits on the substrate. The fabric will be characterized and imaged. Electrical measurement, stability and mechanical integrity tests of the printed circuits on fabric will be carried out.


NRP Enrichment







ENGINEERING

SCBE01

Title Analysing the Impacts of Cold-Chain Dependence of Vaccines via Life Cycle Analysis

Description A majority of vaccines requires full cold-chain dependence during their transport and storage to preserve their viability. The use of cold chains in transportation (e.g. refrigeration, cold room, etc) generates high energy wastage and carbon emission to the environment. Recently, there are movement to reduce the cold chain dependence of vaccine by shifting to dry powder vaccines that can be transported and stored at ambient temperature. However, this remains far from actual implementation, therefore the more realistic approach is to reduce the cold-chain dependence, instead of completely removing it. In this project, we aim to determine the environmental sustainability index of having a full cold-chain in vaccines' transportation and storage by performing life cycle analysis (LCA). Different cold chain cycles will be investigated to determine the impact of slight reduction in the cold-chain energy on the environment. The project will start with literature review on different cold chain cycles, followed by building the inventory of data regarding their environmental sustainability (e.g. mass and energy consumption for their process, toxicity to the environment, etc.). This project is 100% non-laboratory based, only LCA software will be used.


NRP Enrichment

College / School School of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering


Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Interest in Chemistry, Biology, and passionate about environment.



ENGINEERING

SCBE02

Title Determining the Environmental Sustainability of Oral Drug Packaging via Life Cycle Analysis

Description Oral solid dosage form, particularly tablets and pills, remain the most widely used form of drug formulations for human ingestion (>70% market share) owed to its simple and well known manufacturing process, physical stability over time, and ability to control the dissolution once ingested via coating. The widespread use of oral tablets/pills, however, also means that there are large amount of packaging materials of these tablets lying around in our environment. Most packaging materials are made up of polymers, which some of them have better environmental sustainability profile than the others.

Recently, there are interest in completely shifting to biodegradable packaging for oral tablets similar to the shift towards biodegradable food packaging. In this project, we aim to determine the environmental sustainability index of different oral tablet packaging materials by means of performing Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), including those materials that are already used in the market as well as those that are currently still in development.

The project will start with literature review on different oral tablet packaging materials, followed by building the inventory of data regarding their environmental sustainability (e.g. mass and energy consumption for their manufacturing, toxicity to the environment, etc). This project is 100% non-laboratory based, only LCA software will be used.


NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Have interest in Chemistry and passionate about environmental sustainability.



ENGINEERING

SCBE03

Title Plasmonic Nanostructures Based Surface Enhanced Optical Sensors

Description Ultrasensitive detection of biomarkers is of considerable interest for early disease diagnosis. To improve the sensitivity of traditional on-surface assays, we will develop a plasmonic substrate prepared by 2D assembly of metal nanoparticles for enhanced fluorescence readout. The 2D assembly will be prepared by self-assembly of polymer-coated metal nanoparticles at the water/oil interface and then transferred to glass or PET substrate by dip-coating. The substrate will be characterized by scanning electron microscopy and UV-vis absorption spectrometer. For improved detection sensitivity, we will optimize the optical property of the building block nanoparticles and the thickness of the polymer coating to match the extinction spectrum of the plasmonic substrate to the excitation/emission spectra of the fluorescent dye. A sandwich assay will then be performed on the plasmonic substrate with the capture antibody and the detection antibody labelled with dyes. The fluorescence signals will be read out by a fluorescence microscope and be compared with results obtained with pure glass or PET substrates.


NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge Chemistry and Physics.



ENGINEERING

SCSE01

Title Document Layout Analysis via Machine Learning

Description With the increasing number of digitisation projects initiated by libraries world-wide, document layout analysis become one of the fundamental important problem in document image analysis. In this project, student will learn about some popular machine learning approach eg. deep learning, transfer learning and apply them to detect and classify the text and pictures from the document.



College / School School of Computer Science and Engineering



Specific Knowledge Interested to learn programming and good at Mathematics.



ENGINEERING

SCSE02

Title Augmented Reality Hologram

Description Augmented Reality is slowly and steadily marking its presence in the technology landscape. This year, we have witnessed the growth of Apple’s ARKit and Android’s ARCore. But, AR is picking pace not just by the push of tech giants like Apple and Google, but also individual developers who are pushing boundaries to integrate AR into more.

This project aims to create mobile hologram app based on latest AR frameworks including Apple ARKit, Google ARCore & Tango. This app should allow users to place a variety of holographic models and figures into a scene for photo and video capture. This will provide most enjoyable AR experiences for the users. Users will be able to share their creations directly from the app’s built-in access to popular social media platforms.

(a) Design component Develop an algorithm combing image processing techniques and GPS. This will further enhance using clustering algorithm.

(b) Implementation component Develop mobile app for hologram applications.

Mobile app will be developed using latest AR and VR platforms (Apple ARKit, Google ARCore & Tango, Microsoft HoloLens, etc.).


NRP Enrichment

College / School School of Computer Science and Engineering



Specific Knowledge Android or iOS development experience.



ENGINEERING

SPMS02

Title Treating Cheap Commercial Metal Foams to be Effective Catalyst Material by Surface Engineering

Description Water splitting reaction refers to the fundamental reaction that water molecules decompose into hydrogen and oxygen molecules. This is an uphill reaction and requires a theoretical energy input of 1.23 eV. In practice the voltage is higher than 1.6 eV because of extra energy required for absorption, resorption, potential drop at contact interfaces etc. Therefore, in order to make this reaction technologically viable for the generation of hydrogen (energy carrier), it is important to deploy catalyst to make the reactions happen easily. The most effective catalyst are usually precious metals such as Pt, Pd, Ir, Ru, etc. It would be much more desirable to develop cheap catalyst that are based on non-noble metals.

Commercial Ni foam is a potential cheap catalyst for water splitting reactions but it requires a voltage input more than 2.0 V. Its performance is very poor because of large pores and non-favorable electronic surface states. In this NRP project the student(s) will learn the basic knowledge about water splitting reactions and the role of catalysts. He/she will employ some facile but effective methods to modify the nanostructures of commercial metal foams, and then conduct physical characterizations, and evaluation of the suitability of the treated metal foam for catalyst. He/she will receive close guidance from lab members.


NRP Enrichment

College / School School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences


Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Secondary school knowledge of Chemistry and Physics.



SCIENCES

MAE02

Title Riemann Zeta Function

Description The Riemann zeta function is central to number theory and also plays an important role in physics and engineering. The scope of this project is to investigate some important properties and applications of the Riemann zeta function.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment







SCIENCES

NIE05

Title Xplore: The Effect of Using of Technology in Physical Education

Description This project is looking at using technology to improve engagement and learning in physical education - specifically in climbing. In this project, the researcher will use an electronic climbing wall and compare the performance and engagement level of high-school students between a regular climbing lesson and a lesson that uses the electronic climbing wall. The expected conclusion is that the use of new technology in teaching can enhance student engagement and therefore improve teaching and learning.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment

College / School National Institute of Education



Specific Knowledge Student researcher will use MS Excel (or equivalent) to compute the data (small calculation) and vizualize the results (design of graphics). No specific skill in climbing is required, but any appetite for physical education and sports is welcome.



SCIENCES

NIE09

Title Pure and Doped BiFeO3 Thin Film for Photodetector

Description Multiferroic (exhibiting both ferroelectric (FE) and Ferromagnetic (FM)) are promising candidate for designing multifunctional devices including novel high density magnetic storage memories, sensors, photovoltaic devices, micro actuators etc. Multiferroics are also being synthesized as a composite system, e.g. as a product property of a composite phase consisting of a magnetostrictive and a piezoelectric material. Whereas BiFeO3 is single-phase multiferroic system exhibiting both FM and FE. In the present work, we will focus towards the development of BiFeO3 thin films on cost effective corning glass, ITO/glass and Pt/Si substrates. Further to achieve significant enhancement in the ferroic properties, site doping engineering approach will be employed by adding dopants at the A-site and B-site in BiFeO3 lattice. At the end of work, emphasis will be made to realize the photodetector from pure and doped BiFeO3 thin films.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Motivated for basic Physics and magnetism. Hands-on skills towards to experimental Physics.

Other Requirements Self-motivated and sincere.


SCIENCES

NIE10

Title Plasma Assisted Low Temperature Graphene Synthesis

Description Well-stabilized chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method has been used for quite long time for the growth of graphene on the copper and nickel substrates. In order to grow the high quality graphene on copper and nickel substrates using CVD, high temperature processing above 1000oC is required. High growth temperature does not allow us to grow the graphene on the various desired substrates which are useful for various applications like wearable and flexible electronics. Hence, we propose a plasma assisted graphene growth in which carbon precursor will be exposed to RF plasma before deposition. The plasma will help to dissociate the carbon and will promote the graphene growth even at very low temperature close to room temperature. The approach can be used to grown the graphene on various type of substrates.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Motivated to learn advance materials characterization techniques.



SCIENCES

NIE12

Title Optimising Power Output of Simple Microbial Fuel Cells

Description Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are bio-electrochemical devices, where some of the energy from the food source of the microbes in the MFC that is released via cellular respiration, is "stolen" and converted into electrical energy. This technology has potential use in areas such as power generation using sewage as the food source, thus recovering energy that would otherwise be lost as heat to the atmosphere as the raw sewage decomposes.

In small scale experiments, the power output of simple MFCs are limited and useful mainly as a teaching tool, only able to light up LEDs and very low power digital circuits. For this purpose, a curriculum package has been developed for school-based programmes where student teams investigate the parameters influencing MFC power output, principally its voltage output over time, and hence use their data to design-and-make improvised MFCs with improved performance. In these investigations, it is noted that each parameter varied (e.g. type or concentration of sugar used as food source, oxidising agent, electron mediator, size and shape of chambers, type of electrode, etc) results in varied performance in a non-linear, non-intuitive relationship. This is due to the complex interactions between each parameter. For example, changing the concentration of one reagent might influence reactivity and internal conductance that should improve voltage output, but at the same time, such changes might stress the microbes and thus reduce their rate of respiration.

This project seeks to establish and map the effect of changes to MFC parameters in isolation and in combination. Understanding these complex relationships will help towards optimising MFCs for production of power at modest scales to contribute towards the search for sustainable energy sources, as well as further develop them as teaching activities for science education from school to university levels. There is also scope for student-led innovation of MFC design, engineering and discovery, dependent upon the interests of students on the project.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge Basic knowledge of cellular respiration, reduction-oxidation (redox) chemistry, and electricity (voltage, current, power, resistance, etc). Interest in interdisciplinary science, STEM, and science education would be vital. Student(s) should ideally have access to school lab where controlled chemistry-based experiments can be conducted, and ideally should have dataloggers with voltage sensors available. Some experimentation can be done in school lab, if these resources are available.



SCIENCES

SBS01

Title Functional Dissection of Cerebellar Output Circuits that Control Motor and Cognitive Behaviours

Description In addition to motor and classical conditioning functions, the cerebellum contributes to motivational processes that underlie complex behaviours. To influence non-motor processes, such as motivated behaviours, the cerebellum is presumed to integrate external and internal sensory information, and transmits output that eventually modulates cortical and subcortical feeding centers. The only path through which the cerebellum can influence feeding control is through cerebellar output circuits in the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN). Yet little is known about how DCN circuits are organized and whether discrete pathways are dedicated to motivated behaviours such as food seeking. The recent identification of a molecularly-distinct subset of DCN neurons that project to the cerebral cortex, thalamic and hypothalamic regions indicates the existence of neural subtype organization to cerebellar output. Based on published and preliminary data, the primary hypotheses of this project are that: 1) discrete DCN-mediated pathways project to known feeding centers to influence food intake; and 2) these features identify distinct DCN circuits dedicated to acute feeding and/or motivated feeding; and finally, 3) dedicated DCN-mediated pathways are engaged during feeding, and influence the neural activity of specific neuronal subtypes in key feeding centers. This project will test these hypotheses through two aims.

First, we aim to delineate distinctions in target selectivity of specific DCN circuits. We will employ conditional viral tracing, and genetic fate-mapping methods to define the nervous system-wide output connectivity of DCN neurons, which we hypothesize control motivated behaviour via distinct hypothalamic circuits. Next, we aim to determine the activity profile of DCN neurons in freely moving mice during food intake using deep-brain imaging. By defining the anatomical and functional organization of cerebellar output pathways, and their activity dynamics involved in motivated behaviour, findings from this project will provide insight into more general mechanisms of how cerebellum controls motivational processes and establish a framework for exploring the more enigmatic cognitive roles of the cerebellum. A more comprehensive understanding of cerebellar function will provide greater insight into how neurological disorders and injuries disrupt motivational processes and lay the groundwork for development of novel treatment strategies for neurological disorders.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment

College / School School of Biological Sciences






SCIENCES

SBS02

Title Antibiotics Potentiator against Drug Resistant Gram Negative Bacteria

Description Novel treatment options are urgently needed to treat drug or multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial infections. Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria are projected to kill 10 million annually by 2050, higher than any other disease. Chronic wounds, such as those that occur in diabetic patients, are highly susceptible to bacterial infections, and frequent antibiotics usage can lead to the development of MDR bacteria. Among all of the bacterial resistance challenges, Gram-negative bacteria are considerably problematic due to some species’ resistance to nearly all known antibiotics. A trove of antibiotics that are active against Gram-positive bacteria remain largely ineffective toward Gram-negative pathogens. The reason is largely attributed to intrinsic resistance of the Gram-negative lipopolysaccharide outer-membrane. A potential solution for the treatment against MDR Gram-negative bacteria is to employ the existing antibiotics in combination with antibiotic potentiators. Antibiotic potentiators can expand the potency of standard-of-care antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria and a number of antibiotic potentiators are under clinical trials. We designed peptides that are antibiotic potentiator. These peptides have good potential to serve as a platform for the treatment of MDR infection in wounds and also in systemic infections.

Type of Project

Offered as


College / School School of Biological Sciences






SCIENCES

SPMS01

Title Shining Light on Nanomaterials

Description The object of this project is to investigate photoconductivity of nanomaterials in a simplified photodetector configuration.

When light is shined on a material, electrons inside are excited by the energy absorbed by the material. Consequently, the conductivity of the materials may be enhanced. This optical and electrical phenomenon is photoconductivity. The photoconductivity phenomenon has a great application potential in many areas, including the commonly used photodetectors, i.e. devices that measure light intensity. A simplified photodetector configuration contains the photoconductive material, which is connected as part of a circuit and its resistance values responses to the light intensity. Furthermore, nanomaterials, such as nanoparticle and nanometer-thick thin film, has attracted great attentions in scientific studies, due to the unconventional properties, unusual responses to external stimuli, and promising technical application. Benefiting from the advantages of the nanomaterials, intriguing photoconductive phenomena are expected when shining lights onto nanomaterials.

In this project, students will characterize the conductivity changes of nanomaterials under the light irradiation. In a photoconductive study, the light that strikes the nanomaterials shall have sufficient energy to excite electrons. Here, we propose using a laser with different wavelengths in the visible range, in order to provide different energy for excitation. The students will choose one or two interested materials to study. Our laboratory will provide options ranging from well-known graphene, to new Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDCs) and even low dimensional complex oxide, such as 3 unit cell thick LaMnO3. These materials will serve as the photoconductive materials to form a simplified photodetector. The performance of the photodetector will also be measured.

Throughout the project, students will learn the core physical concepts. More importantly, program and practical engineering skills will also be taught, which will greatly help the future career of the student.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment







SCIENCES

SPMS03

Title Magnetic Materials for 2D Spintronics

Description In this project, we will investigate different 2D magnetic materials for a room temperature 2D MRAM devices. The relevant physics includes: How to use magnetic material in 2 dimensional world, How to increase the working temperature of 2D magnet and how to understand

the microscopic origin of 2D magnetism.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment







SCIENCES

SPMS04

Title Unbalancing Lights or Gale-Berlekamp Switch Game

Description The Gale-Berlekamp switch game consists of 100 lightboards arranged in a 10 by 10 array. There are 20 switches, one for each row and one for each column. When you hit a switch, the ten bulbs in the corresponding row (or column) change their states. If a bulb was on, it turns off. If it was off, it turns on.

The game objective is as follows. I will set the initial state of the board by lighting some of the 100 bulbs. Your goal is to minimize the number of lit bulbs (bulbs turned on) by throwing some of the twenty switches. Fishburn and Sloane (1989) and later Carlson and Stolarski (2004) studied this game and showed that given any initial state, you will always be able to ensure that at most 35 bulbs are lit. We look at variations of this problem in this project and related applications.

[1] J. Carlson and D. Stolarski. "The Correct Solution to Berlekamp’s Switching Game." Discrete Mathematics, 287(1–3):145–150, 2004.

[2] P. C. Fishburn and N. J. Sloane. "The Solution to Berlekamp’s Switching Game." Discrete Math., 74(3):263–290, 1989.

[3] "Unbalancing Lights aka Gale-Berlekamp Switch Game" https://shortfatboychalkboard.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/unbalancing-lights/

[4] Sloane, Neil JA. "A new approach to the covering radius of codes." Journal of Combinatorial Theory, Series A 42.1 (1986): 61-86.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Interest in Mathematics. Programming experience (like Python) is very much appreciated.



https://shortfatboychalkboard.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/unbalancing-lights/

SCIENCES

SPMS05

Title An Elementary Proof of the Johnson-Lindenstrauss Lemma

Description The Johnson-Lindenstrauss states that a set of n points in higher dimensional space can be embedded into a lower dimensional Euclidean space with very small distortions. This result from pure mathematics has far reaching applications in computer science.

The original proof of Johnson and Lindenstrauss is probablistic and utilize techiniques including functional analysis. In this project, we will study some elementary proofs of the Lemma.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge A good foundation in Mathematics. Need to self-study linear algebra, multi-variable calculus, probability.



SCIENCES

SPMS06

Title The Brachistochrone Problem and the Calculus of Variations

Description Newton was once challenged to the following problem: Find the shape of the curve down which a bead sliding from rest and accelerated by gravity will slip without friction from one point to another in the least time. He solved the problem the very next day. This problem is known as the brachistochrone problem. The solution to the brachistochrone problem is merely an application of the wider theory of Calculus of Variations.

In Calculus, we seek to find the points to minimize/maximize a function. In Calculus of Variations, we seek to find functions that minimizes certain “functions of functions”, which we called functionals. These led to the development of the field Functional Analysis.

In this project, we will study the theory of Calculus of Variations. We will apply the theory to various problems including the the brachistochrone problem.

Type of Project

Offered as





Specific Knowledge Very strong foundation in Mathematics. Further Mathematics preferred.



SCIENCES

SPMS07

Title Seismic Data Analysis with Conventional and Modern AI Techniques

Description Time series analysis has wide applications in many fields such as economics, finance, computer sciences, engineering, and earth sciences, where understanding patterns and trends is important to decision making and predicting future behaviours. For example, the ground motion caused by an earthquake is recorded as a course of time. Time-series data are always noisy and high-dimensional. There features increase the difficulty of deep and precise analysis. Recent development in deep learning provides some new techniques for efficient time-series analysis. In this project, we aim to create new models of unsupervised learning of features for time series analysis and prediction. Applications into seismic data for earthquake identification & prediction and for petroleum exploration will be explored.

Type of Project

Offered as








BUSINESS, HUMANITIES, ARTS & SOCIAL SCIENCES

NIE01

Title Translational Specifications of Neural-Informed Game-Based Interventions for Mathematical Cognitive Development of Low-Progress Learners

Description A team of researchers from NIE and mathematics specialists from MOE, in collaboration with experts from University College London, UK, is embarking on a research study that aims to narrow mathematical achievement gaps within the Singapore education system.

We aim to identify the characteristics and causes why learners persistently perform poorly in math, particularly those who continue to struggle despite current established behavioural and cognitive intervention approaches in schools. We aim to conduct behavioural and neural profiling of low-progress mathematics learners, starting at the lower primary level (Grades 1 and 2).

The project will introduce mathematics games to learners to aid them in their mathematical progress. This project has a neuroscience component and there will be opportunities to use cutting-edge technologies for brain imaging in this project.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge (i) Strong in Mathematics; (ii) Knowledge of educational games or interest in games;

(iii) Interest in game development; (iv) Interest in neuroscience in education; (v) Familiar with primary school setting;

(vi) Able to administer survey, conduct interviews/ knowledge of quantitative or qualitative research;

(vii) Knowledge of statistical methods; (viii) Good writing skills.

Other Requirements (i) Good interpersonal and verbal communication skills, and able to interact with teachers and lower primary school learners;

(ii) Good organisational skills, ability to take initiative and to work flexibly, as part of a team, as well as independently with minimum supervision.



NIE02

Title Investigating the Public’s Experiences and Knowledge of Communicating with People with Dementia

Description Dementia is characterized by a group of symptoms that can include memory loss, behavioural, cognitive, communication, and emotional changes. People with dementia often experience communication deficits that have negative influences on their social interaction and social relationships. More specifically, as a degenerative disorder, dementia occurs in three stages: early stage, middle stage, and late stage. As the stages progress, speech, language, and communication impairments become more and more prominent. For example, the late stage of dementia can involve severe communication limitations that can lead to violent behaviour or withdrawal from activities the individual once enjoyed. Usually when people with dementia reach the end stages of this disorder they will lose the ability to speak and communicate effectively.

By far, there exists some research that explored evidence-based strategies for communicating with people with dementia. For example, it is recommended to use yes/no questions in conversing with people with dementia compared to asking open-ended questions. However, it remains unclear about the public’s experiences of communicating with people with dementia and if so their knowledge of evidence-based strategies that can be used in communication with this group of vulnerable population. Less information on this aspect is available in the Singapore context. Therefore, this project is aimed to develop a survey to investigate the general public’s experience and knowledge of communicating with people with dementia in Singapore. Findings will be of both theoretical and practical implications.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge Have strong maths skills. Have strong writing skills. Uses Microsoft software (especially Excel) well. Knowledge and skills at SPSS or R or Python is preferred. Have genuine interest in the vulnerable group of people with dementia or

communication.




NIE04

Title The Effect of Leisure Experience on College Students' Life

Description Much of the previous research found that participating in leisure has tremendous physical, physiological, and social benefits. Particularly, by participating in physical activity, individuals can reduce the risk of chronic health conditions, decrease stress, and mood disturbance, and have an opportunity to socialize with others. Further, active pursuit of leisure positively affects work performance. It is indicated that how individuals spend their leisure time is an important factor in their life, even affecting work-related outcomes. By applying this notion to the context of education, this study aims to investigate that leisure experience has a positive effect on students’ psychological outcomes, including life satisfaction and academic self-efficacy.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment








NIE06

Title Teacher Learning – What Happens Behind the Scenes

Description Singapore is a high-performing education system and teachers contribute a big part of it. Have you ever wondered how in-service teachers learn and continuously develop capacities for their practice? What problems do they face in classrooms? How do they work together in professional communities to design lessons, address problems, reflect and refine practices? These are all scenarios and processes that teachers engage in for continuous capacity building and professional development.

In this project, students will unpack the structures and processes that shape teacher learning in Singapore schools. Students will craft their own research questions about teacher learning in schools and gather qualitative data to address the research question. One possible project could be a collection of stories about teachers’ professional development with a focus on eliciting common traits that enable and constrain teacher learning.

Students with interests in Education and Social Sciences will find this project meaningful for their personal learning and future career development. They will gain some experience of the nature of research in Social Sciences.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Interest in qualitative research and social sciences. Excellent written, oral, and analytical skills with an eye for detail. Good interpersonal skills and able to communicate effectively with teachers.




NIE07

Title Effect of In-Games Advertisement on Sponsor Recall

Description The aim of this research is to the rate of sponsor recall when respondents are exposed to brands appearing in sports video games. Respondents will be tasked to play a console racing game. After the game, respondents will complete a survey to examine the rate of sponsor recall for brands that appear in the game.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge 1) Have an interest in sports sponsorship and racing console games (PS platform). 2) Able to recruit up to 30 respondents to play console games. 3) Able to conduct statistical tests i.e. t-tests.




NIE08

Title Exploring the Role that Game-Based Worlds and Immersive Environments Potentially Play in Learning

Description Since 2009, lesson units have been carried out in a number of schools with the aim of developing an understanding about how game-based worlds and immersive environments can be leveraged for learning; these lesson units have been used in a variety of subjects, such as Geography, Literature, and Design & Technology.

If you are interested in thinking about such worlds and environments, and / or about maker culture and open-source hardware / software, with a view to designing more authentic learning experiences, we welcome your participation in this project, which is likely to be sufficiently flexible to support your own particular areas of interest. You will be working as part of a team of designers and software developers as we help build teacher-capacity in curriculum and pedagogy.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge A healthy interest in collaborative learning. Interest in maker culture, game-design and learning through games is a plus.

Other Requirements Participation in this project will likely involve site visits to schools around Singapore.



NIE11

Title After School Food Consumption Habits of Teenagers in Singapore

Description The 2016/2017 National Population Health Survey of Singaporeans aged 18 to 69 showed that the overall obesity/overweight rate had decreased to 8.7/36.2 per cent, a drop from 10.8/40.1 per cent in 2010, respectively (Ministry of Health, 2017). While this figure indicated a sign of improvement in general health of Singaporeans, the percentage of people having diabetes mellitus has been increasing over the last few years, reaching 8.6% in 2017 (MOH, 2017). In addition, obesity among the children in mainstream schools had increased from 11 per cent in 2011 to 13 per cent in 2017 (Lee, 2018). Despite the various efforts to equip and empower the students in schools to consume a healthy diet and exercise regime to control their weight, the rate of obesity indicated a gap in their practices at school and after school.

This study aims to investigate the gap in the current health programme in school and students’ afterschool dietary practices. Ethnographic data will be collected to understand how their knowledge, lifestyles and environment (micro and macrosystem) have an integrated and ancillary effect on their diet and dietary habits. Published works in the Singapore context in this topic is scarce. Curriculum review, self-reporting survey and food intake recalls are the primary instrument for collecting data. Results from this study will provide baseline information for designing targeted and effective education programmes for schools to empower and encourage healthy lifestyle among the youths of today to prepare them to be a healthy and efficient workforce for the nation in near future.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Basic knowledge in food and nutrition. Ability to do basic statistical analyses will be good, but not necessary.




NIE13

Title Exploring the Science of Language Assessment through the Lenses of Scientometrics

Description In this project, students will have a chance to work with databases such as Scopus and the Web of Science. The project aims at generating relevant databases in language assessment and analyzing them using co-citation analysis, which is a Scientometrics method.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Ability to write coherently. Willingness to learn to work with specialized software.




NIE14

Title A Scientomeric Review of Educational Research

Description This project leverages Scientometrics to investigate the trends in educational and/or psychology research. Scientometrics, known as the science of science, is a technique to explore network relationships between units of analysis, which includes publications, authors, journals, or countries.

The project will therefore seek to review a field of interest in education to shed light on its development and turning points. The technique used in the project will be quantitative and is characterized by visualization and text-mining methods of investigation. Two recent publications using Scientometrics are available from: 1) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09588221.2019.1647251 2) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02197/full

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Willingness to publish the project as a journal paper in a peer-reviewed journal.



https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09588221.2019.1647251

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02197/full


SCI01

Title Linguistic Indicators of Success in Aviation Emergencies: A CVR Investigation

Description In this project the research team will analyze Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcripts from a number of aviation emergencies to determine if there are linguistic trends which are correlated with successful outcomes (i.e., safe landing, mitigated emergency) or failure (i.e., crash, passenger casualties). We will use a number of linguistic analysis techniques, primarily the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) methodology, to identify trends. This project is ideal for students who with an interest in commercial aircraft or for students who are considering careers in the aviation industry.

The NRP Researcher will primarily be responsible for the data aggregation and categorization phases of the project. This project (1) involves the identification and acquisition of available CVR transcripts and may involve some contact with external regulators to gain direct access to incident reports. Second, (2) the NRP Researcher will use critical thinking skills to categorize the transcripts into broad categories, answering questions such as: Were the pilots capable of solving the problem? Was the incident due to mechanical failure, automation failure, or human error? Did the pilots have adequate time to respond to the problem? Were the pilots fearful or calm during the incident?

After answering these questions and categorizing transcripts, the NRP researcher will (3) prepare the transcripts for processing through linguistic analysis - this involves some editing of the transcripts to remove slang language or communication directed at Air Traffic Control (ATC). Next, (4) the NRP Researcher will be trained in linguistic analysis software and assist in interpreting results; finally (5) the NRP researcher will complete a research paper & presentation in line with NRP guidelines.

Throughout the research process, the NRP researcher will work with other team members to complete deliverables. This project does not require previous knowledge of aviation but some familiarity with aviation terminology (i.e., altitude, autopilot) is beneficial; the more the better. The most important quality of the NRP Researcher in this project is attention to detail (for example, in categorizing transcripts) and critical thinking (for interpreting results). The ultimate goals of this project are (1) to publish academic research which increases safety in aviation and (2) produce recommendations for aviation professionals (i.e. pilots) that they can immediately implement for safer operations.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment

College / School Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information



Specific Knowledge Throughout the research process, the NRP researcher will work with other team members to complete deliverables. This project does not require previous knowledge

of aviation but some familiarity with aviation terminology (i.e., altitude, autopilot) is beneficial; the more the better. The most important quality of the NRP Researcher in this project is attention to detail (for example, in categorizing transcripts) and critical thinking (for interpreting results). The ultimate goals of this project are (1) to publish academic research which increases safety in aviation and (2) produce recommendations for aviation professionals (i.e. pilots) that they can immediately implement for safer operations.




SCI02

Title The Language of Automation: How do Leaders Discuss the Replacement of Humans?

Description This research project will investigate how corporate leaders (i.e. CEO's, members of the Board of Directors) publicly discuss the potential replacement of human labor with automation. To accomplish this, the research team will analyze transcripts of publicly available earnings calls.

The NRP Researcher will be responsible for three major deliverables in this project: (1) Search available earnings transcripts for relevant keywords and then critically

read, determining if the discussion is truly about automating human labor or if it is about tangential issues. This phase will take 3-5 months.

(2) Select a core group of roughly 250 transcripts which are the best examples of automation being discussed. Then, edit the transcripts for processing by analysis software. This phase will take 1-2 months.

(3) Finally, the researcher will be trained in the use of linguistic analysis software and process the transcripts. This phase will result in findings which the NRP Researcher will discuss in an NRP Report and Presentation (consistent with NRP guidelines). This final phase will take 1-3 months.

The goals of this project are to (1) identify how the replacement of human labor is discussed by corporate leaders and (2) to determine if any discussion pattern is likely to result in the success or failure of automation efforts.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge There is no prerequisite knowledge needed for this project. Some familiarity with the vocabulary used in business leadership (i.e. capital investment) will be helpful, but not required.

The most important skills the NRP Researcher possesses for this project are: attention to details consistent work habits (prefers to work on a moderate schedule instead of

procrastinate) reading comprehension and critical thinking skills an interest in automation and how leaders discuss the future of human skill

Researchers will be trained in any needed skills and be given access to analysis software if needed.




SCI03

Title Fighting Fake News: Defining, Determining and Dealing with Deliberate Online Falsehoods in Singapore

Description This project looks into how different stakeholders define, determine, and deal with fake news and other forms of disinformation spreading in Singapore. It involves a series of interviews and focus group discussions with social media users, journalists, technology professionals, businesses, and policy makers in Singapore. If you join our project, you will have the opportunity to: 1) help in conducting interviews and running focus group discussions (FGDs); you

will get the chance to ask questions and meet stakeholders; 2) assist in reviewing the academic literature on disinformation; 3) be trained in analyzing qualitative data by working with the researchers in going

through the interview and FGD transcripts; 4) contribute to writing academic articles and news commentaries based on our

findings; 5) co-present our findings in workshops and symposia in Singapore. Through the project, we aim to understand how different stakeholders define the problem of fake news and disinformation in Singapore; by understanding the scope and depth of the problem, we can propose propr interventions in proactively responding to this problem by improving social media literacy among Singaporeans as well as ensuring information quality in the country.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge We are inviting students who possess the following: Ability to work and learn in a multi-cultural setting. Ability to interact effectively with people and researchers from different

background cultures. Adaptability: Able respond to the situation positively and effectively while

remaining productive. Attitude: Be willing to learn and contribute to discussions. Planning and organizing: Is able to establish goal-oriented plans and to translate

plans into actions. Language: Excellent command of the English Language, both spoken and written

is a requirement. Ideally, applicants would possess good knowledge of a secondary local language such as Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

Willingness to meet with the research team regularly during the duration of the project (e.g. once a week).




SOH01

Title Contemporary Literature

Description For this project, students will examine any work of contemporary literature. The topic of the research paper will be decided upon by the students.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment

College / School School of Humanities



Specific Knowledge Students should have a good command of English and an interest in literature.




SOH02

Title Cryptanalysis and Language Deciphering: A 'Python Attack' to an Undeciphered Writing System

Description This project aims at developing a cryptanalytic 'brute force attack' on the undeciphered Linear A Aegean writing system, dating back to the Bronze Age and 'hiding' the so-called Minoan language.

The project is aimed at the development of a software to accomplish the first complete cryptanalytic attack on the Linear A writing system, possibly reconstructing the Minoan phonetics and phonology and isolating significant clusters of symbols. That would lead to the decipherment of the undeciphered Aegean writing system. The software would have to be written by using the Python programming language. This pioneering research associates Crypto-Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, and Language Deciphering with Digital Humanities and Computer Science.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge Phyton Programming Language, basic knowledge; Coding, basic.




SOH03

Title Language and Identity Among Young Singaporeans

Description Singapore's bilingualism policy means that many Singaporeans are able to speak more than one language. In addition, with the push for multilingualism and the opportunity to learn third language in schools, many young Singaporeans have multiple language skills. In the light of this development, how do our young Singaporeans decide on their language choice? How do young Singaporeans decide which third language to learn or which language to use when speaking with their friends or family. How did the language choice affect their personal identity? The study seeks to understand how young Singaporeans perceive the role of language in shaping their personal identity.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair





SOH04

Title A Sociolinguistic Investigation of French, German, Italian and Spanish in Singapore Shop Signs

Description This study is a first step in investigating the recurrent forms and patterns of French, German, Italian and Spanish as used in commercial shop signs across different business sectors in Singapore. It seeks to uncover the users’ motivations behind the use of French, German, Italian and Spanish here via surveys. Apart from the four official languages and their various spoken dialects, Singapore is host to a variety of other minority languages (Gordon 2005). French, German, Italian and Spanish are another case in point. Apart from its economic value, the popularity of French, German, Italian and Spanish seems to be due to its positive associations with high culture, haute couture and elegant life-style. These associations appear to be increasingly exploited in commercial signs across the island.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge Interest in European languages.




SOH05

Title Accounts of Self-Differentiation in Singapore's Schools

Description This study examines whether and how race (or other factors such as nationality) might contribute to (dis)affiliation amongst students in Singapore. The project proposes data collection of interviews and focus group discussions with students in particular schools, investigating how informants engaged in self-differentiation (i.e. how individuals positioned themselves in relation to others when describing their experiences of school). The analysis of data is based on a sociolinguistic axiom that does not assume the contexts of communication (Blommaert & Rampton 2011), and guided by Bucholtz and Hall’s (2005) framework about the emergence of identity from linguistic interaction.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge No prior knowledge or skills required. Though it is important for students to be people-friendly and open-minded, with an eager attitude to learn.




SOH06

Title A Tale of Two Deficits: Causality & Care in Medical AI

Description This interdisciplinary Medical AI project, generously funded by the intramural NTU Accelerating Creativity & Excellence (or ACE) grant, is a research collaboration between a philosopher and a physicist. Given certain demographic trends (viz. ageing population, declining birth rates) and the growing pressure on the healthcare industry, it is anticipated that medical AI will play an increasingly prominent role in healthcare. However, the optimism of AI researchers must be balanced against certain humanistic ideals about healthcare and certain deficits in state-of-the-art AI systems. While the research collaborators on this project anticipate that their work will end in heroic failure, they are inspired by the desire to find this balance and determine how far they can go in addressing the causality and care deficits.

The interdisciplinary bent of this project, established from the outset, has facilitated the swift development of computational methods from sound theoretical foundations in philosophy. Aspects of the research output from this project have appeared or are due to appear in Philosophy & Technology, the Live with AI White Paper, the AI + X Workshop (NTU), the Transform MedEd Conference (NTU), and the AI & Society Conference (Cambridge). Members of this project welcome the interest and participation of NRP students.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge 1) Interest in AI, healthcare, and interdisciplinary research (must-have). 2) Ability to code in Python (good to have but not necessary).




SOH07

Title Language Shift in Singapore’s Indian Community

Description My current research project explores language issues among the Indian community. While nearly half of the total Indian population are of Tamil background, the rest have other languages such as Malayalam, Punjabi, Hindi, etc. Further, regardless of their language background, nearly 70% of the Indians prefer English for communication in the home. This language diversity and inclination towards a non-ethnic language is of interest to linguists like me.

Therefore, in my ongoing research project, I seek to understand some of these issues: what languages (official and non-official) do people of Indian ethnicity use/don't use? What happens to the other languages? How do language choices impact communication among different family members/generations? How does the use of non-mother-tongue languages impact sense of identity among the Indians? What languages will continue among the community and which are at risk of diminishing? If you're curious about these questions (whether you're of Indian background or not), you're welcome to explore any of these questions or propose your own so long as it's along these lines. You will be expected to either survey or interview (or both) members of the Indian community to get a richer understanding of the issues. The number of respondents for either method will depend on the research project.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment



Group Size Pair

Specific Knowledge This project would appeal to any student interested in community languages or puzzled by the linguistic diversity among the Indian community in Singapore. However, it may be of additional interest to student with an Indian background/connection. Since the project will involve survey and/or interview with members of the Indian community, interested students should assess if they have access to a social network (access to friends or family members) with an Indian background. Knowledge of any Indian language/s and language situation of Singapore will be an advantage but is not necessary.




SOH08

Title A Comparative Analysis of Selected Singapore English- and Chinese-Language Literary Works

Description This project gives students an opportunity to undertake comparative analysis of selected Singapore English- and Chinese-Language Literary Works. All works in all genres and periods are accepted. Examples include how local anglophone and sinophone short stories depict HDB life, how they engage with gender-related concerns, how they use myths and-or how they approach issues of form and structure. Literary discussion in Singapore tends to take place in separate, language-denominated silos. The objective of this project is to move beyond those barriers, to encourage cross-cultural and multi-lingual deliberation, exchange and discussion.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge Students must have high-level English-language capability, and also advanced-level Chinese language reading skills. They must love to read.




SOH09

Title Singapore Literature Translation Project

Description Students are to choose a Sinophone literary text (or an extract thereof) and translate it into English. Any text in any genre or period can be considered. From there we will engage/use some simple translation concepts, terms, and theories.

Type of Project

Offered as

NRP Enrichment




Specific Knowledge Students must have advanced-level Chinese-language reading capability and high-level English language reading and writing skills. They should preferably have an interest in creative writing.



Documents

Project Titles / Synopses 2020 - NTU Singapore · 2020-02-24 · ENGINEERING CEE01 Title When a Waste is not a Waste Description Plastics are widely used in storage and packaging