Untold first-hand stories showing determination, passion and ingenuity of an amazing generation of engineers
On 7th April 2018, the Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) launched “Engineering a First World – 50 Feats that Transformed Singapore”, a book recounting first-person stories of engineers behind Singapore’s 50 greatest engineering feats. Mr. Heng Chee How, Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress graced the event held at the National Library Building as the guest-of-honour.
The 240-page book offers exclusive behind-the-scene looks into the many challenges that had confronted engineers behind the winning projects of the Engineering Feats @ IES-SG50 competition. It presents inspirational journeys of these unsung heroes whose work were chosen by the public to have made the greatest economic, infrastructural or societal impact to Singapore from 1965 to 2015.
The book features engineers who answered the nation’s call to address various needs over its first 50 years, from cleaning up the Singapore River to battling the war against SARS; and from creating Asia’s first ice-breakers to building the world’s largest underground district cooling network. These stories are covered under seven main sections: Building Our Country, Moving Our People, Defending Our Nation, Greening Our Island, Enhancing Our Lives, Transforming Our Industries and Globalising Our Cities.
“The engineering profession still plays an important role in Singapore’s development. We need good engineers to maintain and upgrade our infrastructure to meet the changing needs of our ageing population, and to keep on developing innovative solutions to our resource constraints. I hope this book will inspire our next generation of engineers to meet future challenges, and take the profession to new heights,” said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the book’s foreword.
“Through the book, IES aims to provide insights into the personal journeys of engineers whose work has transformed Singapore into a first world economy and given our people a high quality of life. We hope to instil pride in the profession and recognise these engineers’ efforts in Singapore’s nation-building. We also hope that the legacies of the past generation of engineers will spur future generations in building engineering legacies of their own,” said Er. Edwin Khew Teck Fook, President of IES.
Mr Philip Heah, Senior Director (Technology and Infrastructure) at IMDA said, “IMDA is honoured to be a part of the IES’s choice of engineering awards. I remember when I was studying physics in NUS, I could never have dreamed of working on such a massive national project; and that I would one day be a part of the team that has given every citizen access to ultra-high speed Internet at affordable prices. ICM technology has been the fuel of growth in the digital economy, and I want to encourage more young adults to consider a career in engineering.” He graduated with a Honours degree in Physics in 1988.
IES will be distributing this book to all schools, junior colleges, institutions of higher learning and public libraries in April 2018.
Engineering Feats @ IES-SG50 was a nationwide competition organised by IES and launched by DPM Teo Chee Hean in celebration of Singapore’s 50thanniversary in 2015. The top 50 winners emerged from 113 shortlisted entries to receive awards from Prime Minister Lee at the IES Golden Jubilee Dinner in July 2016.
Pricing & Availability
The book will be available at S$48 (before GST) from 7th April 2018 onwards. Please call IES at (65) 6469 5000 or (65) 6461 1231 to purchase.
About The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES)
The Institution of Engineers, Singapore was formally established on July 1966 as the national society of engineers in Singapore. IES is the premier engineering Institution in Singapore and is often called upon by the Government to provide feedback on professional engineering matters.
IES is well represented among the faculty members of the major engineering institutions of higher learning in Singapore. Through close collaboration with the local universities and polytechnics, IES organizes courses, seminars and talks for engineers and IES members to advance the continuous development of engineers.
The Institution maintains close links with professional organizations of engineers regionally and throughout the world. These include organisations in Australia, China, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States. The Institution also represents Singapore in the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations (AFEO) and the Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and the Pacific (FEIAP) in promoting goodwill and fellowship among all engineers in the region and internationally.
Through its Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB), IES obtained full signatory status in the Washington Accord (WA) in June 2006. The entry grants IES the authority to represent Singapore, the first country within the ASEAN region which has obtained full signatory status in the WA, to vet education systems under the WA mutual recognition framework.
To raise the technical competencies of engineers in Singapore and promote engineering to the community, IES has introduced the Chartered Engineer Programme, World Engineers Summit and National Engineers Day.
IES will not rest on its laurels and will seek to bring the engineering profession greater recognition and raise the status of engineers both locally and internationally through closer collaboration with its stakeholders and contributions to society.