A team of RP School of Engineering (SEG) lecturers received the 2018 Cities of Love Social Sustainability Merit Award for incorporating a service-learning component into a Year 1 engineering design module.
Presented in April by Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North West District, the award recognised the team’s effort in creating Engineering-in-Community (EIC), an initiative that encourages our students to give back to the elderly beneficiaries directly. A total of 874 Year 1 students taking the module worked together with five Social Service Agencies (SSAs), befriending and teaching more than 155 beneficiaries over the course of a five-day workshop.
Through the workshop, the students eased the beneficiaries into using smartphones, and taught them to use apps such as Google Translate. They also brought the beneficiaries to visit the Singapore Sports Hub, Singapore Sports Museum, and Shimano Cycling World to expose them to the different types of sports technology. They also collaborated with the National Library Board to arrange library visits and keep the beneficiaries up to date with the current book borrowing process in Singapore.
After interacting with the beneficiaries, the students also designed a variety of useful prototypes which address their day-to-day needs and invited them to try the prototypes and share their feedback. Some of the prototypes include:
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Trolleys with brakes
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Umbrella with built-in fan
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Foldable chair with arm handle
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3D printed spoon stabiliser
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Foldable walking chair prototype
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Wearable electronic reminder for medications