WES 2023 – Engineering for a Sustainable Future

TRACKS

Track 1: Sustainability through Technology

Advancements in these areas are crucial for mitigating climate change, reducing environmental degradation, and creating a more sustainable future.

Chairperson: Dr Teo Tee Hui

Deputy Chairperson: Mr Bernard Lim & Dr Lana Winayanti

Keynote Speakers:

Stay tuned for more details!!

List of sub-topics:

Renewable Energy: The development and utilization of renewable energy sources such as solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, and bioenergy. This includes advancements in solar panels, wind turbines, energy storage solutions, and grid integration.
Energy Efficiency: Technologies and practices aimed at reducing energy consumption and increasing efficiency. This includes energy-efficient appliances, smart grids, smart buildings, efficient transportation systems, and industrial processes.
Circular Economy: Strategies to minimize waste generation and maximize resource efficiency. This includes recycling technologies, waste-to-energy systems, sustainable product design, and the reuse and repurposing of materials.
Smart Cities: The integration of technology to create more sustainable and efficient urban environments. This involves smart grids, intelligent transportation systems, data-driven urban planning, energy management systems, and sustainable infrastructure development.
Sustainable Agriculture: The use of technology to promote sustainable farming practices, reduce environmental impact, and increase productivity. This includes precision agriculture, vertical farming, aquaponics, and remote sensing for crop monitoring.
Water Management: Technologies for efficient water use, treatment, and conservation. This includes water recycling systems, desalination techniques, water monitoring and management systems, and leak detection technologies.
Waste Management: Innovative approaches to waste management, including waste sorting and recycling technologies, waste-to-energy conversion, composting methods, and decentralized waste management systems.
Internet of Things (IoT) for Sustainability: Utilizing interconnected devices and sensors to optimize resource consumption, monitor environmental conditions, and enable smarter decision-making in various sectors such as energy, transportation, and waste management.
Sustainable Materials: The development and use of eco-friendly materials with reduced environmental impact. This includes bio-based materials, biodegradable plastics, sustainable construction materials, and recycling technologies for plastic waste.

Track 2: Building a Resilient Future against Climate Change

These topics highlight the multi-faceted nature of building a resilient future against climate change. They require a combination of scientific knowledge, policy frameworks, technological advancements, community engagement, and international cooperation to effectively address the challenges posed by climate change.

Chairperson: Dr Aaron Sham

Deputy Chairperson: Er. David Ng

Keynote Speakers:

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List of sub-topics

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Track 3: Future of Industry Sustainability

These topics highlight the diverse aspects of industry sustainability, with a focus on reducing environmental impact, optimizing resource use, and fostering social responsibility within industrial sectors. By addressing these topics, industries can contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future.

Chairperson: Ms Wan Siew-Ping

Deputy Chairperson: Mr Soh Tiam Chwee

Keynote Speakers:

Stay tuned for more details!!

List of sub-topics:

Sustainable Manufacturing: Implementing cleaner production methods, resource efficiency, and circular economy principles in manufacturing processes. This includes reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste generation, implementing sustainable supply chain practices, and utilizing eco-friendly materials.
Green Technologies: Developing and adopting innovative technologies that enable sustainable industrial practices. This includes advancements in clean energy technologies, pollution control and abatement systems, sustainable materials, and digitalization for resource optimization.
Sustainable Supply Chains: Promoting sustainable practices throughout the supply chain, including responsible sourcing, ethical labor practices, and reducing carbon emissions. This involves implementing transparency, traceability, and certification mechanisms, and collaborating with suppliers to ensure sustainability standards are met.
Industrial Ecology: Applying principles of ecological systems to industrial processes, aiming for a closed-loop system where waste from one process becomes a resource for another. This includes industrial symbiosis, where the waste or byproducts of one industry are utilized as raw materials by another.
Decentralized and Distributed Production: Shifting towards localized production systems that reduce transportation and energy needs. This includes concepts such as distributed energy generation (e.g., rooftop solar panels), local manufacturing hubs, and 3D printing technologies that enable on-demand production.
Sustainable Product Design: Incorporating sustainability considerations throughout the product lifecycle, from design to disposal. This includes concepts such as eco-design, life cycle assessment, product durability, recyclability, and use of environmentally friendly materials.
Industrial Energy Efficiency: Implementing energy-efficient technologies and practices to reduce energy consumption in industrial processes. This includes energy management systems, process optimization, waste heat recovery, and energy-efficient equipment.
Water and Resource Management: Implementing strategies to optimize water and resource use in industrial operations. This includes water recycling and reuse systems, responsible water sourcing, and minimizing the use of scarce resources.
Social Responsibility and Stakeholder Engagement: Focusing on the social aspects of sustainability within industries. This includes fair labor practices, employee welfare, community engagement, and responsible corporate governance.
Policy and Regulation: Developing and enforcing policies and regulations that incentivize and regulate sustainable practices within industries. This includes carbon pricing mechanisms, environmental standards, eco-labeling, and green procurement policies.

Track 4: Smart and Sustainable Urban Mobility

These topics highlight the key aspects of smart and sustainable urban mobility, aiming to create more efficient, accessible, and environmentally friendly transportation systems in cities. By addressing these topics, cities can improve quality of life, reduce traffic congestion, and mitigate the environmental impact of transportation.

Chairperson: Mr Lew Yii Der

Deputy Chairperson: Dr Zheng Jianxin

Keynote Speakers:

Stay tuned for more details!!

List of sub-topics:

Public Transportation Systems: Enhancing and expanding public transportation networks, including buses, trams, light rail, and subways. This involves improving connectivity, increasing frequency, integrating real-time information systems, and implementing smart fare payment systems.
Active Transportation: Promoting walking, cycling, and other non-motorized modes of transportation. This includes developing safe and accessible pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, implementing bike-sharing programs, and creating pedestrian-friendly urban spaces.
Electric and Low-Emission Vehicles: Encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and other low-emission vehicles for personal and public transportation. This involves establishing EV charging infrastructure, providing incentives for electric vehicle ownership, and supporting the development of electric public transportation fleets.
Mobility as a Service (MaaS): Integrating various modes of transportation into a seamless and user-friendly mobility platform. This includes smartphone apps that provide information, booking, and payment services for multiple transportation options, such as public transit, ridesharing, bikesharing, and carpooling.
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS): Utilizing advanced technologies to optimize traffic flow and enhance transportation efficiency. This includes traffic management systems, adaptive traffic signal control, real-time traveler information, and intelligent parking systems.
Urban Freight and Logistics: Improving the efficiency and sustainability of goods movement within cities. This involves implementing last-mile delivery solutions, optimizing logistics networks, promoting electric and low-emission freight vehicles, and encouraging off-peak deliveries.
Data Analytics and Predictive Modeling: Leveraging data to improve decision-making and optimize transportation systems. This includes analyzing transportation patterns, predicting travel demand, identifying congestion hotspots, and optimizing route planning.
Integrated Land Use and Transportation Planning: Promoting compact and mixed-use development that reduces the need for long-distance commuting and supports walkability and accessibility to public transportation. This involves coordinating land use and transportation planning efforts to create sustainable urban environments.
Green Transportation: Innovations in transportation that promote sustainability, such as electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid vehicles, fuel-efficient engines, and public transportation systems. This also includes the development of infrastructure for EV charging stations.

Track 5: A Greener and Renewable Built Environment

The built environment can contribute to a more sustainable future by reducing energy consumption, minimizing environmental impact, promoting resource efficiency, and improving occupant well-being.

Creating a greener and renewable built environment involves various topics related to sustainable design, construction, and operation of buildings and infrastructure.

Chairperson: Er. David Ng

Deputy Chairperson: Dr Aaron Sham

Keynote Speakers:

Stay tuned for more details!!

List of sub-topics

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Track 6: Pedagogy and Educational Technology in Engineering Education

Pedagogy and education technology in engineering education can enhance student engagement, critical thinking skills, and practical application of knowledge. It prepares students for the evolving demands of the engineering profession and promotes lifelong learning in a technology-driven world.

Chairperson: Mr Danny Lee

Deputy Chairperson: Mr Mark Nivan

Keynote Speakers:

Stay tuned for more details!!

List of sub-topics:

Evolving a more inclusive STEM Education Landscape in Singapore
Fostering a Growth Mindset in a STEM Education setting
Innovative Pedagogical Approaches in STEM Education
Leveraging Educational Technology to enhance the learning experience in STEM Education
Building Industry & Learning Institutes Partnerships
Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in STEM Education
Sustainability in Engineering (STEM) Education

ABOUT WES 2023

Engineering for a Sustainable Future

Launched in 2013, the biennial World Engineers Summit (WES) is a premier platform for engineering-centric discussions to advance the world towards a resilient, sustainable future.

From 8 to 10 November 2023, The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) will host WES 2023 in Singapore. Themed ‘Engineering for a Sustainable Future’, the sixth WES will facilitate the timely exchange of knowledge, ideas and solutions amongst engineers to support the world’s net-zero transition.

Joining the engineering community will be thought leaders, policy-makers, specialists, business leaders and academics from across the globe. Together, they will share expert opinions and solutions to address global issues arising from climate change and carbon-intensive urban development.

WES 2023 is a key event in 2023 for the IES Green Plan 2030, unveiled in January 2023 to support Singapore’s sustainability journey.

The summit will feature keynote addresses from prominent experts and leaders as well as discussions across six curated tracks:

Sustainability through Technology
Building a Resilient Future against Climate Change
Future of Industry Sustainability
Smart and Sustainable Urban Mobility
A Greener and Renewable Built Environment
Pedagogy and Education Technology in Engineering Education

Join us at WES 2023 to be part of a collective effort to build a greener and brighter future through engineering.

SITE VISIT

TO BE CONFIRMED

Join us for a session packed with rich technical content, featuring eminent experts as keynote speakers and renowned researchers, practitioners and policy makers showcasing the latest research findings and engineering innovations in support of a low carbon future and sustainable development.

As humankind grapples with unprecedented challenges unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic, never before have engineers been more needed to work together to set the world on a strong course of recovery.

To spur the creation of innovative, sustainable solutions from international engineering communities at this time of crisis, The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) will host the sixth biennial World Engineers Summit (WES) from 8 to 10 November 2023 with the theme “Engineering for a Sustainable Future”.

The conference will facilitate discussions on pressing current issues and new growth opportunities via six tracks: Sustainable through Technology, Building A Resilient Future Against Climate Change, Future of Industry Sustainability, Smart and Sustainable Urban Mobility, A Greener and Renewable Built Environment and Pedagogy and Educational Technology in Engineering Education

We have designed a rich and varied programme comprising keynote speeches by leading field experts, insightful presentations and interaction opportunities to benefit delegates from different disciplines, industries and countries.

IES initiated WES in 2013 as a platform to address crucial issues confronting the world through engineering solutions. With the colossal magnitude of the issues at hand due to the pandemic, IES is committed to supporting engineers across borders to leverage on WES 2023 to formulate plausible next steps for a better well-being and a more sustainable global society.

Just as the pandemic has brought about permanent and far-reaching changes, engineers are the ones with the minds and means to drive transformation in all corners of the globe. Let us come together as engineers to turn this unprecedented crisis into new opportunities for future generations.

We look forward to seeing you at WES 2023.