Singapore may sit geographically sheltered, but earthquakes are a very real phenomenon elsewhere across Southeast Asia and beyond. Some 150 students from various Junior Colleges learnt more about earthquakes in the region, and the protective measures taken in this country by the Building and Construction Authority.
In the first of an annual outreach collaboration between BCA and the Geography Teachers’ Association (GTA), the “BCA-GTA Talk on a Safe Built Environment”, held on 22 July 2009, aimed to enrich students’ learning of geography with practical examples of how Singapore is affected by earthquakes. It also focused on BCA’s role in managing these effects to ensure the safety of buildings in Singapore.
Professor Kerry Sieh, Director of NTU’s Earth Observatory, delivers a presentation on forecasting earthquakes and tsunamis.
The highlight of the session was a talk by one of the world’s leading earth scientists, Professor Kerry Sieh, who is now the Director of Nanyang Technological University’s Earth Observatory. His engaging presentation on forecasting earthquakes and tsunamis in Southeast Asia generated much interest and excitement from the young participants. During his talk, Professor Sieh stressed the importance of forecasting such natural hazards to allow better preparation and management of their effects.
In fact, Professor Sieh’s talk was so engaging that it even won praises from his counterparts.
“Professor Kerry Sieh's presentation convinced us of the potential as well as urgency in doing earth science research in Southeast Asia. It was a pleasure to collaborate with BCA to organise this talk for our students,” said fellow geography teacher Josef Tan.
“More importantly, it is most gratifying to interact with like-minded professionals from the building and construction industry, and to reaffirm our belief in the relevance of geography education in the real world.”
BCA’s engineer, Mr Leonard Ong, also presented on the tremor monitoring system for buildings in Singapore, which helped to reassure the students of the safety of our built environment. The students then went on an educational tour of the BCA Gallery, where they were inspired to take up challenging and meaningful careers in the built environment.
“It was very beneficial and informative. The talks made me more aware of the precautionary measures taken to ensure that everyone in Singapore is safe from earthquake-related hazards,” said Eloise Wee Bao Hui, a student participant at the session.