Today-June 14

It was an opportunity of a lifetime for two 28-year-old Singaporean scientists to be invited on a research expedition to the Arctic Circle last month, joining a group of other international scientists on board an icebreaker in a geeky cruise of sorts in the Barents Sea. For 12 days from Apr 29 to May 10, Ms Yan Yu Ting and Ms Toh Yun Fann from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) found themselves in the bitter cold aboard the Kronprins Haakon, a Norwegian research vessel crewed by a multinational group of 30 scientists. Called the Advancing Knowledge of Methane in the Arctic project, the effort was led by The Arctic University of Norway and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in the United States, which invites scientists and students from around the world to join in a learning journey. Speaking to TODAY after their trip, Ms Yan said they were there to pick up new skills and try out state-of-the-art research technology, such as remote-controlled submersibles, to study one of the largest remaining undisturbed marine ecosystems on Earth. In the process, the team serendipitously discovered a new mud volcano, known formally as the Borealis Mud Volcano, spewing fluids and gases some 400m underwater. Ms Yan, who is in the process of completing her PhD studies with NTU’s Asian School of the Environment (ASE) and the Earth Observatory of Singapore, has been studying the sediment core in the Kallang River Basin near the Southern Coast of Singapore to learn about the paleo environmental change. With their experience in marine geology, both jumped at the opportunity to participate in the international collaborative project when they received the invites to join the expedition aboard the Kronprins Haakon, which they both described as a “cruise ship” for science geeks. The duo will be using their new knowledge and skills to continue their research study on the seabed of Singapore, which aims to help provide a reference point to better understand how Singapore waters change over time. Read more at:

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/female-ntu-scientists-arctic-expedition-2188911