Largest gathering of engineers in the history of Singapore to take place this week
SINGAPORE, Sept. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ –The World Engineers Summit 2013 (WES 2013) opened its doors today at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Mr Teo Chee Hean officiated the opening ceremony by sharing remarks on the key role engineers play towards mitigating the effects of climate change, as well as the importance of engineering as a course of study where skills learnt can be applied towards the development of solutions to many future day-to-day problems.
Over the three days of the conference, leading thinkers and advocates of sustainability from governments, non-profits, private corporations and academia will be discussing issues pertaining to environmental policies, food and water security, innovative technologies, corporate social responsibility, education, natural disaster management and more.
The event will see over 30 distinguished speakers from around the world with attendees gathering to participate in keynotes, technical presentations, exhibitions as well as networking events.
Summit Highlights
Keynote speakers on the opening day included Dr Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary‐General of the United Nations, and Dr Bindu Lohani,Vice President, Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development, Asian Development Bank, among other international heavyweights. In the coming days, the programme will feature keynote speakers such as Prof Asit K Biswas, Founder and President, Third World Centre for Water Management, Prof Armin Aberle, CEO, Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS), National University of Singapore, Mr Chee Hong Tat, Chief Executive, Energy Market Authority, Singapore, Mr Chew Men Long, Chief Executive and Board Member, PUB Singapore, and Prof Janie Fouke, College of Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and many others.
WES 2013 also included a Sustainability Leadership Forum on the first day, chaired by Prof Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large and Special Advisor, Singapore Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore.
“It is a privilege for Singapore to host the inaugural World Engineers Summit. I am confident that it will prove to be a great platform for all climate change stakeholders and I look forward to a rich exchange of ideas on how engineers and technologists can contribute innovative solutions to mitigate the threat of climate change,” said Prof Koh.
Other speakers at the Sustainability Leadership Forum were Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Singapore, Mr Francois Guibert, Executive Vice President President, Greater China South Asia Region, STMicroelectronics and Dr Selda Gunsel, Vice President, Global Commercial Technology, Shell.
IES Chartered Engineer Accreditation Programme
The opening ceremony also saw the official launch of the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES) Chartered Engineer Accreditation Programme. As an official endorsement of an engineer’s experience, expertise and practising competence, the Chartered Engineer title will be a quality mark for engineers in their respective engineering disciplines, and will serve as validation by IES and peers of the individual’s professional standing. The title also serves as a benchmark of professional competence to potential employers. More than ten heads of leading companies and government agencies, such as Rolls Royce, ExxonMobil, ST Aerospace, LTA and PUB, signed a memorandum with IES in support of the programme during the ceremony.
Young Engineers Competition
WES 2013 will also see young aspiring engineers, from secondary to tertiary level, compete for up to S$8,000 in prize money at the Young Engineers Competition.
Themed “Trust Us, We’re Engineers”, organisers hope that the competition will help promote engineering as a course of study, raise awareness of energy sustainability and climate change issues, and encourage young minds to propose innovative answers to issues at the Energy-Water-Waste nexus. Students from all around the world were invited to submit their ideas for sustainable solutions addressing the impacts of climate change.
Shortlisted teams will be presenting their prototypes at the finals to be held on 12th September at Connexis, Fusionopolis@one-north; where it is hoped that the venue’s integrated work-live-play-learn environment will inspire students to take up an education in engineering. Mr Lawrence Wong, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information will be the Guest of Honour at the occasion.
WFEO General Assembly
The World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) is an international, non-governmental organisation representing the engineering profession worldwide. It brings together national engineering organisations from over 90 nations and represents some 20 million engineers around the world.
This year, the WFEO General Assembly will convene in Singapore alongside the World Engineers Summit.
The biennial gathering will culminate in a leadership transition where current President Eng. Adel al-Kharafi from Kuwait, will hand over the federation’s presidency to President-elect Eng. Marwan Abdelhamid from Palestine.
“Engineers have a responsibility as originators of ideas and facilitators of change to foster collaboration through multidisciplinary partnerships, so that we can build a liveable environment for our future,” said Er. Tan Seng Chuan, Vice President, WFEO and Chairman, WES 2013 Steering Committee.
“By launching the World Engineers Summit in Singapore this year, we hope to drive home the message that engineers have an important role to play in building a more sustainable future by coming up with the visionary creations and innovative solutions for our next generation,” added Er. Tan.
For more information on the World Engineers Summit, visit www.WES2013.org.
About WES 2013
The World Engineers Summit (WES) 2013 brings together engineers from different disciplines and from around the world to discuss, explore and share ideas on “Innovative and Sustainable Solutions to Climate Change”. The inaugural Summit will be held from 9th to 15th September at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore, in conjunction with the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) General Assembly and committee meetings, and alongside industry events, Build Eco Xpo (BEX) Asia 2013, International Green Building Conference (IGBC) 2013 and the new World Engineering Expo 2013. For more information, visitwww.wes2013.org.
About The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES)
The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) was formally established in July 1966 as the national society of engineers in Singapore. IES is the premier engineering institution in Singapore and is 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 organises courses, seminars and talks for engineers and IES members to advance the continuous development of engineers.
The Institution maintains close links with professional organisations 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 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 ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region.
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.
About Reed Exhibitions
Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading event organiser, with over 500 events in 41 countries. In 2012 Reed brought together seven million active event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today, Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organised by 34 fully-staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 44 industry sectors with trade and consumer events and is part of the Reed Elsevier Group plc, a world-leading publisher and information provider.
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Inaugural World Engineers Summit 2013 to Open Today
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