Yale-NUS Infrastructure Office exhibits new campus initiatives

On 11 January 2017, the Yale-NUS Infrastructure, Safety & Security Office held a roadshow on Safety, Security and Environment. The event was attended by over 250 guests, including representatives from the Singapore Police Force, the Central Narcotics Bureau and the Yale-NUS Safety Committee.

The Roadshow exhibited the latest campus initiatives from the Infrastructure, Safety & Security Office to improve residential living for the entire College community as well as guest speakers from the Singapore Police Force on crime prevention and safety.

One such initiative is a new fault reporting smart phone application that Yale-NUS students and staff can use to give instant feedback on infrastructure-related issues on campus. Instead of sending emails or making calls, users can simply take a photo of the problem and send it to the relevant technician via the app. Once the issue has been resolved, the technician could close the loop with the user by replying with a photo of the resolved area on the same platform. The app is scheduled for a pilot launch in April 2017 with an initial full subscription of 100 users who had signed up at the roadshow.”

Dennis Aw, Director of Infrastructure, Safety & Security Office, said: “Throughout the process, we would be able to monitor and track feedback and whether it had been satisfactorily attended to.”

Mr Aw said the app in the later part of its development will also include a built-in data analytics engine that helps the Infrastructure team analyse pattern recognition models to develop and implement predictive maintenance strategies to prevent similar defects from occurring.

The Infrastructure, Safety & Security Office takes a proactive approach in facilities management. Mr Aw said they adopt a process “that will help to continually look at the symptom of a brewing issue and address it promptly before it morphs into a complex problem.”

For the staff and students who study, work, sleep and play on campus, Yale-NUS is like a second home and the work of Mr Aw and his team play a key role in maintaining a conducive environment for the College community. Their responsibilities range from renovation, improvement of residence and common areas to security and safety compliance. Mr Aw added that events like the Roadshow not only help to increase awareness in the community of the College’s house rules but is also an opportunity to share recent improvement works carried out within the student suites.

The Roadshow also featured booths and games that were organised by the NUS Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES), Office of Safety, Health and Environment and Office of Campus Security.

Mr Aw said: “There are resources that we can tap from one another to leverage off synergies and create economies of scale. For example, we can share data on consumption of water and electricity with OES so that we know where we are positioned and strive to improve on areas in managing sustainability if needed.”

As a ‘second home’ for the Yale-NUS community, the Yale-NUS campus requires immense attention and care. “Every student and staff has a role to play to keep our second home safe, sustainable and comfortable,” Mr Aw added.

Aditya Karkera (Class of 2020) was heartened to see the Infrastructure, Safety & Security Office team respond to feedback and develop new initiatives to improve the overall college experience for faculty and students. “It is great to see them have an active interaction with the college community. Their work behind the scenes is really essential for our campus.”

Students should report infrastructure issues and hazards as promptly as possible and can give suggestions for improvement to the Infrastructure Office at: infra@yale-nus.edu.sg