Singapore Challenge: The Science of Future Cities Singapore`s

Singapore Challenge: The Science of Future Cities
Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) - invites budding
researchers from around the world to participate in its first ever “Singapore
Challenge: The Science of Future Cities”.
A*STAR is Singapore’s lead public agency focused on building a vibrant knowledgebased and innovation driven economy through research & development in science &
technology.
The “Singapore Challenge: The Science of Future Cities” will be held from February
2015 to April 2015 as part of A*STAR’s contribution to national celebrations for
Singapore’s 50th year of independence under the auspices of “Science@50:
Transforming the next 50”. The Science@50 message is about how science &
technology continues to be a crucial component in ensuring Singapore’s progress in
the next 50 years. Science and technology can make life better for Singaporeans and
impact the economy in new ways, such as creating sustainability, reinventing
manufacturing, and building a viable silver industry.
The “Singapore Challenge: Science of Future Cities” aims to create a platform for
young researchers to test their creative ideas to solve real-world issues that have
arisen as a result of rapid urbanisation. Aspiring undergraduates, doctorate students
and post-doctoral fellows who may have an interest in pursuing a research career in
Singapore are invited to submit their ideas and proposals for smart city-living for the
future.
Winners will receive an invitation to participate in the Singapore Scientific
Conference, to be held from 16 to 17 September, 2015, where they will receive their
prize. They will be able to meet with like-minded research fellows, learn from
luminaries from the international scientific community, participate in discussions
around challenges in our modern world, and gain a better understanding of research
opportunities in Singapore.
What we are looking for:
With an estimated 70% of the world’s populace projected to live in major cities by
2050, issues such as comfort, and the sustainability of mega-cities and modern urban
environments become crucial. As cities grow, so does the stress on resources and
urban infrastructure like transport, housing, and energy consumption. In this
challenge, we are looking for ideas on how science and technology can help address
such issues.
We invite individuals aged 18 years and above who are currently studying in an
institute of higher learning to submit good idea(s) articulating how science and
technology can be effectively utilised to address real-world liveability and
sustainability issues and challenges that cities like Singapore, New York, Shanghai,
Tokyo and London may face in the 21st century.
Up to 50 entries which aptly address the issues surrounding sustainability and urban
challenges in the 21st century will be selected. The top 10 winners will be required to
fly to Singapore to participate in a poster presentation to introduce and share their
creative ideas and solutions, during the Singapore Scientific Conference, as well as to
attend pre-arranged programmes on the 16 and 17 September.
Prizes
The 50 best entries will be awarded a cash prize:


**Cash award: Top 10 entries: S$7,000 (other shortlisted entries: S$5,000
each), to support travelling expenses to Singapore for the prize giving
ceremony.
A certificate will also be given to the awardees.
**The monetary prize is conditional upon the awardee’s attendance of the
conference. Check terms and conditions for more details.
Submission Guide
You may submit a 2500-word essay, and accompany this with any other supporting
documents, videos, animations or even computer models. The judges will be looking
out for creative and workable solutions for use in real-life.
Please include an introduction to yourself, your body of work/research, as well as an
abstract supporting your idea.
The judges will be looking for:
• Originality & innovativeness
• Scientifically grounded ideas that pass peer review within the research
community
• Feasibility, completeness and relevance of ideas
• Quality of the articulation
Timelines
Registration of interest: 28 February 2015
Submission: 1 May 2015
Notification of outcome: latest by 30 June 2015 via email
Registration of interest should be done via the following website:
http://www.science50.com.sg. Registrants will be informed subsequently on
procedures to submit their entries.
Background on A*STAR
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore's lead public
sector agency that fosters world-class scientific research and talent to drive
economic growth and transform Singapore into a vibrant knowledge-based and
innovation driven economy.
In line with its mission, A*STAR spearheads research and development in fields that
are essential to growing Singapore’s manufacturing sector and catalysing new
growth industries. A*STAR supports these economic clusters by providing
intellectual, human and industrial capital to its partners in industry.
A*STAR oversees 18 biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering
research entities, located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis, as well as their vicinity. These
two R&D hubs house a bustling and diverse community of local and international
research scientists and engineers from A*STAR’s research entities as well as a
growing number of corporate laboratories.
More information on Singapore and research landscape:
 Official source of information on Singapore: http://app.singapore.sg
 Agency for Science, Technology and Research: http://www.a-star.edu.sg
Appendix: Description of relevant urban challenges
Sustaining Urban Liveability
Increasing global urbanization has brought along several societal, environmental,
resource and economic challenges to urban liveability. As cities grow, rising
population density places heavy strains on housing, energy, and transport
infrastructure, not to mention greater pressues on the availability of quality
healthcare services, recreational spaces, and efficient waste disposal. Without
careful and effective urban planning, cities can only grow at the expense of reduced
liveability and diminishing quality of living.
To address these issues, your entries should present original suggestions on how
scientific research (within the context of your own current research goals or
interests) can effectively contribute to liveability in increasingly crowded urban
environments around the world.
As a guide, you may wish to consider some of the following points:




What are the factors that affect liveability in the face of rapid urbanization
and increase in urban population densities? How would your research
contribute to knowledge or understanding of these factors?
How could science and technology work hand in hand with urban policy
making in order to preserve liveability?
Would the science or technology that you are researching be potentially
usable in improving liveability? If so, how?
How could the subjective experience of liveability be understood, measured,
and enhanced? How would people’s subjective experience of liveability relate
to objective measures or factors influencing liveability?
Healthcare & Lifestyle
While rapid technological advancements have immensely improved modern day
healthcare and lifestyle, we continue to seek out solutions for pertinent issues faced
by urban populations.
As humans become globally interconnected, what novel interventions could we
implement to better control infectious epidemics? In our quest to improve our
quality of life, how can technology help us tackle the challenges of aging and
disease? There are higher incidences of non-communicable chronic and metabolic
diseases even in our modern world - how may we better manage these? Are these a
result of imbalanced food and nutrition, exercise or other unsustainable lifestyles
characteristic of urbanised societies? What innovative contraptions can facilitate or
encourage us to adopt healthy lifestyles?
As urban populations continue to grow rapidly, how can we find novel solutions to
these pressing questions?
Environment & Sustainbility
As cities increase in number and size, the strain and implications on the environment
are many. How should we consider the effects on the environment, and how these
in turn impact human societies and their well-being, as well as how we can maintain
a sustainable environment for future generations to come, are all key issues to
consider.
Questions to consider :
 How to better detect and measure pollution (e.g. noise and air)?
 What are the physiological effects of pollution on the ageing human
population?
 What technologies can be implemented to improve reducing, reusing,
recycling (and remanufacturing)?
 What are ways to maintain sustainable food sources with the growing world
population?
 What are possible ways to grow cities in limited and confined spaces?
 How can we make our buildings and transportation systems greener?
Energy
There is substantial evidence that mankind’s reliance on fossil fuels is leading to
increased levels of carbon emissions in the atmosphere, one of the main
contributors to climate change risks. A strong emphasis worldwide is thus placed on
seeking out novel technologies and policy initiatives that will make further
development in the energy landscape sustainable, while preserving or enhancing
quality of life. Such approaches could cover a broad spectrum, ranging from directly
influencing consumer living habits and hence energy demand (such as in
transportation), to improving renewable energy alternatives to be cost-competitive.
In particular, current technological research can largely be generalized as falling into
one or more of several areas: alternative energy sources, energy storage and
transport.
Questions to consider :



What improvements can be made to advance mainstream renewable energy
technologies, such as (but not limited to) solar, wind, biomass, and marine
power?
How can grid integration of renewable energy sources be improved? In
particular, what are some options for improving short-term/intermittent
energy storage and transport?
What are some promising directions for the development for long-term, high
efficiency and/or portable energy storage options?