Infinite Opportunities to Grow · 2020. 6. 13. · Words Justin Choo photos Contributed by DSTA...
Transcript of Infinite Opportunities to Grow · 2020. 6. 13. · Words Justin Choo photos Contributed by DSTA...
95
F or Claudia Kho, Lee Xun Yong and Yap
Lin Hui, the choice was clear when it
came to choosing their career paths.
While they are at different points of their career,
they share the same feelings about their time
at the Defence Science and Technology Agency
(DSTA) and DSO National Laboratories (DSO).
Growing up, Claudia had a variety of
interests ranging from music to languages,
but was not particularly inclined towards math
or science. Her interest was only piqued after
she was introduced to the Raspberry Pi, which
inspired her to explore programming on her
own, starting with Python since “it is known to
be the simplest for new programmers”. She also
explored online forums to learn more about the
various engineering fields available.
The DSTA Scholarship Tea Session would
prove to be instrumental in her decision to take
up the scholarship, as she was deeply impressed
by the sharings and demonstrations. “I found
out about the many opportunities available to
a DSTA scholar such as studying at world-class
universities, the Global Internship Programme
and more. The engineers whom I spoke with that
day were also very passionate about their work,
and told me that knowledge and ideas were
shared freely in the organisation,” she recounts.
But what really struck her was the
importance of engineering in the context of
Singapore’s defence effort and how it involves
DSTA Scholarship
the integration of many diverse engineering and
infocomm technology fields such as artificial
intelligence, data analytics, machine learning,
Internet of Things, virtual and augmented reality.
“I felt that DSTA kept up with tech advances
and I wanted to do engineering work in a place
like that!”
Starting Out
Claudia was set on applying for the DSTA
Scholarship. “The scholarship interviewers were
genuinely interested in getting to know more
about my experiences and interests,” she says.
“After the interview, I also had the chance to visit
and talk to some of the engineers at DSTA. This
further solidified my decision, as I saw that the
workspaces were conducive and the people were
very welcoming.”
Claudia soon learnt that it was not a one-
off experience as her scholarship officers kept
in touch throughout her semesters at Carnegie
Mellon University and she received regular
updates on the latest happenings within the
organisation. While still in the midst of her
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer
Engineering, she has already gained valuable
experiences as an intern at DSTA, where she
applied her newly acquired skills to develop a
speech-to-text tool for military training.
After completing her degree, Claudia is
interested in creating new solutions that have a
the sky’s the limit when you have a wealth of learning opportunities.
Words Justin Choo
photos Contributed by DSTA
Infinite Opportunities to Grow
Claudia Kho, a DSta Scholar, is currently pursuing a degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon university. Her overseas academic stint has enriched her with global perspectives on life and work.
Feature 96
“I have wonderful colleagues who will, out of their own work time, conduct weekly sessions to teach us about technical concepts.” – Yap Lin Hui
“There is a wide scope of interesting and challenging work available at DSTA with opportunities to scope out the latest technology areas such as Internet of Things, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.” – Lee Xun Yong
97
areas such as Internet of Things, data
analytics, artificial intelligence, and
cybersecurity,” he says, pointing out the
countless possibilities for those interested
in science and technology. “You should also
have a deep desire to contribute back to the
public service and Singapore and of course,
find the best engineering and technological
solutions for Singapore’s defence and
security,” he advises.
an Early Start
Lin Hui is a Defence Engineer from the
Sensors Division of DSO, working on
satellite systems. Her journey to DSO
started as early as Secondary Three, after
her exposure to Quantum Mechanics under
the Young Defence Scientists Programme.
She furthered her interest through a related
project with DSO on Quantum Entanglement
and while in Junior College, she worked on
another research project with DSTA under
Research@YDSP. It was through these
experiences that she was first introduced to
DSO’s “friendly working environment”.
It seemed inevitable that their paths
will cross again, and it did. “I’ve actually
never planned to do satellite systems,”
she explains. “Back then, I was looking to
continue my specialisation in embedded
systems and firmware programming,
which was my field of study at university.
Coincidentally, the Space Systems
Programme in DSO was looking to hire
someone with this skill set and, after
learning more about the programme, I
found the projects relevant and interesting,
so here I am!” she exclaims.
DSTA Scholarship
lasting impact on the quality of Singapore’s defence.
Particularly, she is interested in high performance
computing, which involves optimising software so
that it runs faster, or uses fewer resources. This is
essential for developing efficient machine learning
programmes. Ever eager to learn, her interests do
not stop there: “I hope to work on more projects in
the hardware area of high performance computing,
which involves register-transfer level and silicon
optimisation, either at school or through another
internship at DSTA! If possible, I think it would be
really fun to design my own chip architectures.”
Her advice to aspiring scholars? “It is very
important to be clear about the job scope that you
will be doing and to ensure that your interests are
aligned with it. This will help you decide if a career
as a defence engineer is a good choice for you!”
For Xun Yong, the choice was clear as well.
“The DSTA Scholarship represented many exciting
opportunities – studying at top universities,
exploring a wide range of technical areas for a
career, and contributing to Singapore’s defence
and security. It was easy to make a decision after
weighing out the benefits of the scholarship,”
he says.
WOrKing WitH tHE BESt
Like Claudia, he has no doubt that the scholarship
has given him an education beyond comparison. His
time at Imperial College London introduced him to
a wide range of engineering fields such as control
engineering, software engineering and robotics,
while his Master’s degree armed him with industry
applications and experience: “I was also able to
take up a Master of Science in Mobile and Satellite
Communications from the University of Surrey,
UK, which had established good working relations
with major satellite industry players such as Surrey
Satellite Technology Ltd, Airbus and more. There
were ample opportunities for me to learn from
senior industry leaders who spoke at seminars, and
to collaborate with the industry for my master’s
thesis project.”
Xun Yong also had the opportunity to participate
in DSTA’s Global Internship Programme, where he
was attached to MBDA Missile Systems in France
for a month. “My mentor, an expert in Guidance,
Control, and Navigation, also taught me more
about how Control Engineering is applied in the
algorithms that control a missile’s autopilot
system,” he adds. During other summer vacations,
he explored a wide range of technical areas and
learnt about analytics and datalinks as an intern at
DSTA and DSO.
a nEW SpaCE paraDigM
These days, Xun Yong is a Senior Engineer at DSTA’s
Air Systems Programme Centre, where he supports
government agencies through satellite technologies.
This includes haze monitoring, air crash search and
rescue, and humanitarian assistance and disaster
relief. “It is an exciting time to be in the space
industry as the whole industry is undergoing a
tremendous evolution, which we have termed ‘New
Space’. Investments are shifting the economics and
use-cases in this field, driving increased access to
space, spurring rapid technological advances, and
lowering costs and time to develop small satellites,”
says Xun Yong. He hopes to be able to lead a
programme to deliver new and advanced satellite
solutions to improve support for government
agencies, and beyond that, have a leading role in
creating next-generation solutions.
“The DSTA Scholarship gave me the opportunity
to pursue a world-class education in Electrical and
Electronic Engineering and Satellite Engineering
which has served as a solid technical background
in my daily work, and also enabled me to continue
growing on the job,” he reflects. In his years on the
job, he also developed skillsets in other domains
such as cybersecurity, system engineering, project
management, and leadership.
“There is a wide scope of interesting
and challenging work available at DSTA with
opportunities to scope out the latest technology
(rE)unitED WE StanD
Thus, Lin Hui became reacquainted with DSTA/
DSO, who gave her many opportunities to build
her skillsets and experience. “I completed
an internship with the C3 (Command,
Control and Communications) Development
Programme Centre in DSTA. My time at DSTA
included helping out in the development of a
maritime surveillance software and picking
up a new programming language, C++,”
Lin Hui elaborates.
Learning how the technology development
process and reviews worked was instrumental
in preparing her for her current role: building
a research payload that will be launched into
low Earth orbit and exploring new techniques
and creating technologies for use in future
space missions. Along with assistance from her
seniors, she was able to pick up the relevant
skills and concepts quickly. “Thankfully, I have
wonderful colleagues who will, out of their own
work time, conduct weekly sessions to teach us
about these technical concepts,” she says. Within
the first year, she and her team were tasked to
put together a ship-targeting Inverse Synthetic
Aperture Radar (ISAR), despite her lack of
experience. But with help from senior engineers,
her team managed to integrate an old radar with
a new, non-compatible module and managed to
test and validate the new technology.
a CarEEr liKE nO OtHEr
“The projects that are done in DSO and DSTA are
unlike research in universities or other research
organisations,” says Lin Hui. “Here, Research &
Development is done to solve specific problems
faced by our stakeholders, that impact our
national security. My advice (to students) would
be to read up on defence technologies or defence-
related problems to broaden your perspective
and better understand our work. There is a wide
variety of career opportunities that are available
to DSTA scholars. The projects handled by DSTA
and DSO span across multiple disciplines and,
hence, require expertise from various fields. Even
within my department, there are engineers doing
software, hardware, firmware, mechanical and
even thermal design.”
For Lin Hui, the sky is literally no longer the
limit as she hopes to make her own breakthrough
someday: “My personal dream would be to one
day come up with my own technology and see it
through from the fundamental stages of research
to the final development and to launch it on
a satellite!”
lee Xun yong delivers advanced satellite solutions for Singapore government agencies as a Senior Engineer in DSta’s air Systems programme Centre. He is a recipient of the DSta Scholarship and holds an honours degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from imperial College london as well as a Master in Mobile and Satellite Communications from the university of Surrey.
yap lin Hui is currently working on the development of satellite systems as a Defence Engineer in the Sensors Division at DSO. She is a DSta Scholar, and holds a Bachelor as well as a Master in Engineering (Electrical Engineering) from the national university of Singapore.
This article was first published in BrightSparks Volume 1, 2020. Republished with permission from CareerBuilder Singapore. To explore scholarships and higher education opportunities, visit www.brightsparks.com.sg