Singapore Polytechnic students Pavan, Leong develop advanced biochips

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| Singapore | 21 March 2016 | Asia Samachar |
Pavan Singh Gill and Leong Guang Hao, both 19-year old students from Singapore Polytechnic, has developed an advanced biochip which can potentially speed up the separation of cells for the diagnosis of viruses such as HIV, Ebola, and SAR. This project is a collaboration between Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) and Singapore Polytechnic Centre for Biomedical and Life Sciences (CBLS). Photo TODAY. Photo on left is from Pavan's Facebook page.
Pavan Singh Gill and Leong Guang Hao, both 19-year old students from Singapore Polytechnic, has developed an advanced biochip which can potentially speed up the separation of cells for the diagnosis of viruses such as HIV, Ebola, and SAR. This project is a collaboration between Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) and Singapore Polytechnic Centre for Biomedical and Life Sciences (CBLS). Photo TODAY. Photo on left is from Pavan’s Facebook page.

Two electrical and electronic engineering final-year students from Singapore Polytechnic have developed an advanced biochip which is said to have the potential to speed up the separation of cells for the diagnosis of viruses such as HIV, Ebola, and SAR.

The project is a collaboration between Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) and Singapore Polytechnic Centre for Biomedical and Life Sciences (CBLS).

Pavan Singh Gill and Leong Guang Hao, the 19 year olds students, were featured in a story that appeared in Singapore’s Today Online.

The innovation will mean that the equipment needed to show up these viruses will also be far more portable — from big machines to a chip smaller than the palm of a human hand, according to the Today report.

The design of the biochip will have to be further optimised, now that it is in its prototyping stage.

The two students, both pursuing a diploma in electrical and electronic engineering, have been working on this for six months under the joint Polytechnic Student Research Programme, and at a ceremony on Wednesday (March 16), their project was among 10 that received the best project award, the report adds.

Two projects each from the five polytechnics in Singapore won awards, out of a total of more than 80 multi-disciplinary projects this year under the programme, which aims to expose students to future career possibilities in research and development (R&D) while working with different institutions such as the National University of Singapore and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), the report adds.

 

The story appeared at Today Online, 16 March 2016, under the headline ‘SP students behind biochip that speeds up detection of deadly viruses’. 

 

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Congrats to Pavan and pray his ambition is fulfilled. Hope he does not become too materialist where more importance is given to wealth accumulation and human values such as family relationships, friends and caring for those in need are lost or are superceded.
    May the Wahe Guru Ji be his guide.

  2. http://youthphoria.stomp.com.sg/on-the-ground/disadvantage-sp-electrical-and-electronic-engineering-student-realises-dyslexia-helps

    Disadvantage? SP Electrical and Electronic Engineering student realises dyslexia helps him visualise better

    Posted on 12 May 2016

    Pavan Singh Gill

    Awards: Lee Kuan Yew Award
    SMRT Gold Medal
    OCBC Prize
    The Institution of Engineers Gold Medal Award

    Grabbing Every Learning Opportunity

    From the day he stepped into Singapore Polytechnic (SP), Pavan Singh Gill made sure he would not let any learning opportunity slip by.

    Not even when dire situations arose.
    After his G.C.E. O Level examinations, he visited SP Open House and left with the decision that This is the place for me!.

    He knew he wanted to be an engineer but was unsure which field of specialisation he should take up.

    Thus, he chose the Common Engineering Programme and found his niche in the Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering a few months later.

    The former Woodgrove Secondary Student initially thought that he may be disadvantaged because he is dyslexic.

    To his amazement, he found that his condition actually helped in his course because he could visualise better.

    Therefore, modules that involve AutoCAD or 3D drawings were easy for him.

    His excellent performance in Year 1 won him the SP Engineering Scholarship.

    Pavans interest in engineering research led him to intern with SP Nano Fabrication Lab where he learned about technological process such as photolithography.

    The Model Student Award recipient also participated in the Polytechnic Student Research Programme where he and his team mate worked with A*STAR researchers to develop an award-winning biochip that could simplify and speed up the breaking down of blood cells to diagnose viruses while speeding up diagnosis and reducing the costs involved.

    A lung infection almost halted his progress last May.

    He missed lessons for 10 days and spent his June vacation catching up on his modules with help from course mates and lecturers.

    Not wanting to be an engineering nerd who is oblivious to the world outside, Pavan participated in various non-academic programmes such as the LEAP Camp in Malaysia where he picked up leadership skills and played a key role in the Youth Model ASEAN Conference 2014.

    He went to Cambodia for a community service project where he helped to build a study shelter, repair broken facilities and teach English in an orphanage.

    Back home, he also volunteers with community involvement projects such as the distribution of food to needy homes in Chinatown.

    The dream of becoming a technopreneur in the future led him to join the SP Student Entrepreneurs Club where he eventually became its President during his final year.

    Pavan is exploring his options for further studies in local and overseas universities.

    He has secured a place with the Singapore University of Technology and Design with a Global Leadership Programme Scholarship to University of California, Berkeley.

    In ten years time, he hopes to own a technological start-up that focuses on robotics, sustainable energy or aerospace.

    He also hopes to spend some time researching how to help children with special needs learn.

  3. Congratulations to Pavan and Leong. I am sure the Govt will reward them. It is only appropriate that the Sikb community also recognizes tbeir achivement.

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