WHEN EARTHQUAKES STRIKE: TALK BY HARVARD EXPERT

- by Lo Tien Yen

EARTHQUAKES: Professor James Rice is an expert on the subject.

Professor James R Rice of Harvard University, a leading expert on earthquakes, will be giving a talk The dynamics of subduction earthquakes, including past and future Sumatran events at NUS. The talk on 20 January, at Engineering Auditorium (Block EA), 5.30pm, is organised by the Materials Research Society of Singapore and the NUS Civil Engineering Department. His talk will review the basic mechanics and geology of the earthquake process; as well as efforts which can improve earthquake survivability.

Professor Rice has the rare distinction of being a Member of both the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences, and also a Foreign Member of the Royal Society of London. His earthquake studies are on the mechanics and physics of fault zone processes, including the nucleation of seismic rupture, dynamic slip propagation, rupture through branched fault systems, factors controlling earthquake populations along faults, and relations among stressing, seismicity and deformation in or near continental and subduction fault systems. He has also contributed to techniques of computational mechanics, including finite-element and spectral elastodynamic methods.

NEW GENERATION R&D LEADERS WITH ESP

A new NUS Engineering Science Programme (ESP) will equip engineers and scientists with integrated skills to lead in R&D. The Programme, offered by the Faculties of Engineering and Science will start in August with about 50 students.

ESP trains engineers with a strong scientific background for leadership in R&D, government and civilian jobs that require interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary education. Students will be proficient in mathematical modelling and technology development in selective emerging interdisciplinary areas.

In traditional engineering curricula, students are required to take science and humanities courses in the first year prior to taking engineering courses. In ESP, science and engineering subjects are taught in an integrated way, so that students are directly exposed to the interdisciplinary aspects.

Said Professor Seeram Ramakrishna, Dean, Faculty of Engineering: “In an increasingly competitive global economy, engineers equipped with integrated skills for multidisciplinary R&D are critical to the next phase of Singapore’s growth. This unique programme is timely in nurturing the engineer-scientist.”

Associate Professor Tan Eng Chye, Dean, Faculty of Science, added that the new class of engineer-scientists will be able to lead Singapore’s R&D laboratories because of their understanding of both fundamental science and technology development.

$9 MILLION BOOST FOR MARITME R&D AT NUS

Two professorships to push maritime R&D in Singapore have been launched as a result of a new collaboration between Lloyd’s Register, a leading international classification society and risk management organisation, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and NUS.

Lloyd’s Register and MPA will each commit $3 million to the Lloyd’s Register Professorship and the MPA Maritime Technology Professorship (MTP). With grant from the Government, a total of $9 million will go towards the professorships.

R&D COLLABORATION: The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Mr John Stansfeld, Lloyd's Register Asia (left), Professor Shih Choon Fong, NUS (centre) and BG Tay Lim Heng, MPA. The ceremony was witnessed by Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Minister for State, Finance & Transport; and Mr Alan Collins, British High Commissioner to Singapore.

The establishment of the professorships is an important tripartite collaboration between industry, government agency and tertiary institution – a significant effort to create a dynamic maritime R&D cluster in Singapore. Said Mr John Stansfeld, Director for Asia, Lloyd’s Register Asia: “NUS is ranked 22nd in a global ranking of 200 best universities and 9th for the disciplines of Engineering & IT, and this has been an important factor in the decision to support a university outside of the UK for the very first time.”

The Lloyd’s Register Professorship and MTP will be established at the Centre for Offshore Research & Engineering (CORE) which was jointly set up by NUS and the Economic Development Board.