Rocking to her own beat
Singapore Institute of Technology undergraduate Nicole Charmaine Ng wants to work on engineering projects that can improve people's quality of life
Aster Tan
Dec 12, 2022
Between working on university projects, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) engineering undergraduate Nicole Charmaine Ng tries to find the spare time to jam on her Fender electric guitar.
“I enjoy playing the electric guitar and find myself intrigued by the electronics that produce the various audio effects,” the 22-year-old says.
In her childhood years, this intrinsic curiosity about how things work led her to spend entire days taking apart and tinkering with toys and working on small DIY projects.
After her O levels, the aspiring inventor enrolled in a diploma in engineering science, where she created a rehabilitation device for patients that have underwent wrist surgery for her final year project.
Known as a Wrist Torque Measurement device, it allows medical allows medical specialists to measure the flexibility and movement of a patient’s injured wrist to aid in their recovery.
“The experience re-ignited my passion for innovation and invention. Additionally, it gave me a great creative platform to apply the academic material taught in school,” she says.
Beyond the classroom
After graduating from polytechnic, Ms Ng decided to pursue the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Mechatronics Systems programme at SIT.
“The course provides me with a comprehensive view into the development of electromechanical systems, which involves the integration of different fields of engineering using a systematic approach, as well as project management in the systems engineering context,” the third-year student explains.
One of the reasons Ms Ng chose SIT is its variety of joint degree partnerships with overseas universities. Hers is a joint programme offered by SIT and the Digipen Institute of Technology (DigiPen) in Redmond, US. DigiPen is a renowned institute in education and research in computer interactive technologies and offers computer and software engineering disciplines led by experienced and skilled professors.
Last summer, Ms Ng went on a trimester-long Overseas Immersion Programme at the main DigiPen campus. There, she attended lectures and labsessions for five modules, all taught and graded by the institute’s professors.
“Adapting to the new environment and culture, while living independently, was such a unique experience,” she says.
Giving it back
University life at SIT is colourful, but can get hectic. Ms Ng says she enjoys the long hours spent on campus working on projects with her coursemates. It has fostered a deep sense of camaraderie among them.
In 2021, Ms Ng was awarded the SIT Mid-Term Scholarship for her good academic performance.
Despite her busy schedule, Ms Ng also gives back to the SIT community as a teaching assistant. She mentors juniors when they need help academically and alleviates the workload of the teaching staff by helping to grade lab reports and assignments.
Ms Ng is also doing her work attachment at the Institute of Microelectronics, a research institute under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) as part of her Integrated Work Study Programme.
In October, Ms Ng participated in SIT’s inaugural hackathon, HackRift, organised by the SIT Geeks community in partnership with GovTech. “It was my first hackathon, and I am proud that my team won third place and for Best Pitch, despite having little to no experience with developing the UI/UX (User Interface/User Experience) of a software,” she remarks.
When she graduates, Ms Ng is keen to work on engineering projects that could improve people’s quality of life.
