IAHR-NUS Student Chapter

Background

The IAHR National University of Singapore (NUS) Student Chapter was created on December 2008 and is the first IAHR student chapter in Singapore.  The founding members of the IAHR NUS student chapter are a group of 11 NUS students who are part of the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance (SDWA) in NUS. SDWA is a multi-national, interdisciplinary research Centre of Excellence for Water Knowledge involving PUB (Singapore), National University of Singapore and Deltares (The Netherlands), established through an initiative of the National Research Foundation in Singapore.

Objectives

The objectives of this organization that are stated in By-Laws of National University of Singapore Student Chapter are:

Faculty Advisor

Assoc. Prof. Vladan Babovic who is Director of SDWA, is the IAHR-NUS Student Chapter faculty advisor.

Membership

IAHR-NUS Student Chapters are composed of undergraduate and graduate NUS student who are part of SDWA. The list of current members is presented in the following table:

IAHR-NUS Student Chapter members and SDWA Staff

Students Chapter’s Project

Project MHBox

Students involved:

1. Alamsyah Kurniawan

• Analysis and prediction of tides using Delft3D-Tide
• Tide generation force simulation with Singapore Regional Model using Delft3D-Flow
• Tidal analysis of FLOW time-series and comparison with observed constants using Delft3D-Triana

• South China Sea model

3. Sun Yabin

He has a research background in data assimilation, artificial intelligence and hydroinformatics. He is currently working in the Must Have Box project of Singapore-Delft Water Alliance. His research activities include:

• Assimilate observations into the Singpore Regional Model to enhance the forecasting accuracy of the numerical model;
• Forecast sea level anomalies based on data driven techniques;
• Assimilate sea level anomolies into numerical model.

4. Wang Xuan

• Tidal analysis of FLOW time-series and comparison with observed constants using Delft3D-Triana

• Data assimilation of the water level in stations of Singapore Region Model

• Error forecast of the water level in stations with actual measurement
• Error spatial distribution to the stations without measurement.  

Project Pandan

Students involved:

1. Kalyan C. Mynampati

2. Nyi Nyi Niang

• Analysis of environmental pollutants using microextraction techniques 
• Analysis of organic pollutants in the aquatic environment by either of solid/liquid phase microextraction, polymer coated hollow fiber microextraction and micro-solid phase extraction techniques.
  

Real Options Analysis – Application to Singapore Water Supply System via Monte Carlo Simulation

Student involved:

1. Nguyen Tan Thai Hung

In project evaluation, the traditional discounted cash flow model, for which decision making is based on net present value, has been widely practiced. However, this model is a rigid approach and is incapable in risky projects that involve a high level of uncertainty such as water supply system planning. Therefore, Singapore water supply system, consisting of four national taps, requires a more flexible planning. Real options analysis, born in the 1980s but only started blooming early this century, assists decision making much better. This research aims to test the value of flexibility and the potential of a “fifth tap” in planning for Singapore water supply system in the next 40 years, using real options analysis, and looking at more objectives than just one single NPV. The research consists of: a case study to demonstrate the advantages of the real options analysis compared to traditional NPV; a summary of the current picture of the Singapore water supply and the uncertainties involved; a review on the theory of real options; and finally, an application of real options analysis to the planning of Singapore water supply system. The analysis is carried out in a Monte Carlo simulation model built in MATLAB.

Past and Future Activities

On Friday, 30 January 2009, the IAHR NUS student chapter joined the Aquatic Science Centre (ASC) Pandan project team to carry out their monthly water quality monitoring survey exercise at the Ulu Pandan River.  

Water quality monitoring survey exercise at the Ulu Pandan River

The ASC Pandan project is a project within SDWA that aims to develop cost-effective water improvement measures to manage urban waterways. To achieve this goal the urban water system needs to be better understood, quantitatively and qualitatively, by gathering knowledge on the relevant biological, chemical and microbial processes and their interactions. One such activity is the monthly water quality monitoring survey exercise of the Ulu Pandan River. The monitoring includes analyses on nutrient and organic compounds, as well as trace contaminants such as heavy metals and pharmaceuticals. All the information is compiled and is used as baseline data for further, in-depth research studies. 

For our future activities, IAHR-NUS Student Chapter plans a Marina Barrage tour. Built across the mouth of the Marina Channel, The Marina Barrage is a dam built across the 350-metre wide Marina Channel to keep out seawater, forming Singapore’s first reservoir in the city and 15th reservoir (http://www.pub.gov.sg/marina/Pages/default.aspx). We also plan to visit Tuas Seawater Desalination Plant - Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO). Singapore's first desalination plant – the largest of its kind in Asia – ranks among the most energy efficient ever constructed, enabling it to achieve the lowest desalinated seawater price in the world (http://www.water-technology.net/projects/tuas/). Moreover, the members are interested in participating in international conferences and networks with fellow IAHR Student Chapter, researchers, and engineers.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank the IAHR for its kind attention and support of the student chapter. We are looking forward to participating in its programs and are excited by the opportunities that await in this community.