Void Deck

Singapore may be known as the Little Red Dot, but its ambitions are astronomical. In this episode, we explore how this tiny island nation is becoming an unexpected player in the space industry, with homegrown spacetech companies reaching for the stars. We chat with Dr. Christopher Luwanga, the CEO and founder of Galamad Aerospace, a space start-up based in Singapore. We discuss his journey growing up in Malawi to completing his engineering PhD at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Along the way, Christopher talks about the awe-inspiring vastness of the universe, the importance of reuseable satellites, and his vision of the future of space exploration.

Episode Highlights

• Discover how Dr. Christopher Luwanga went from reading Shakespeare at age 9 in Malawi to founding a spacetech company in Singapore
• Learn about PROSat, Galamad Aerospace’s programmable and reusable satellite that could be part of the expected 50,000 satellites orbiting Earth in the near future
• Find out why Singapore, despite its small geographical size, is an ideal base for space start-ups
• Explore the challenges of implementing AI systems in satellites, including creating synthetic space environments for training
• Hear first-hand about fascinating developments in the space industry, such as the fact that since 2019, more satellites have been launched than in the entire period from the 1950s to 2019 combined!
• Get mind-blowing insights into the sheer scale of the universe: when you look at the sun, you're seeing the sun as it was roughly 8 minutes ago due to the time it takes light to travel!

Timestamps

00:00 Preview

00:27 Intro

01:31 Growing up in Malawi and early interest in literature

04:18 From Shakespeare to space: realising the immense scale of the universe

07:11 Founding Galamad Aerospace

09:28 Why Singapore is an ideal base for Galamad Aerospace

10:45 PROSat, Galamad Aerospace’s spacecraft, and the state of current satellites

14:24 How do satellites avoid hitting each other?

16:36 Implementing AI systems with satellites

20:07 Managing operations across Asia and Africa

21:31 Creating opportunities in Africa

23:37 [Mid-roll Ad] Space Explorers: THE INFINITE at Science Centre Singapore

24:25 Paiseh question: Does Singapore have astronauts?

26:19 Advice to Singaporeans interested in the space industry

27:32 Word Association Game

33:10 Outro

Guest Bio: Dr. Christopher Luwanga is a space engineer and physicist based in Singapore, and originally from Malawi, Africa. As founder of Galamad Aerospace, he is leading a team of designers, engineers, and builders of spacecraft for the new age of consumer applications that are built around space technologies. One of the most exciting applications is that of broadband connectivity from and via outer space. This extension into space not only creates a powerful, resilient complement to our existing terrestrial network infrastructure but in some places is the only practical means to connect people to the internet. Galamad Aerospace is also specifically developing the PROSat, a programmable, reuseable, and highly manoeuvrable spacecraft that will ultimately enable smart constellations that do not unnecessarily crowd or pollute the space environment.

Read the full transcript & show notes at https://voiddeck.science.edu.sg/exploring-spacetech/

We all know Singapore as a Garden City, but what about seeing Singapore as an island country? We dive into the lesser-known marine elements of Singapore's tropical environments with Dr. Siti Maryam Yaakub, Senior Director of the International Blue Carbon Institute. We talk about her passion for unsung underwater heroes like seagrass, her journey to becoming a marine ecologist, and what makes mangroves and coastal habitats so important in the fight against climate change.

Episode Highlights

• The surprising fact that Singapore has more seagrass species than the entire United States
• How blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves and seagrass are secret superheroes in the fight against climate change
• The fascinating world of seagrass - not to be confused with seaweed or seagrapes!
• Why corals bleach, and how seagrass produces its own natural “sunscreen”
• The crucial link between dugongs and seagrass, and why protecting one means saving the other
• How everyone, from chefs to economists, can contribute to marine conservation using their unique skills

Timestamps

00:00 Preview

00:36 Intro

01:52 What is blue carbon, and what are mangroves?

05:31 Seagrass vs. seaweed vs. seagrapes

07:14 Interesting fieldwork and overseas experiences

10:17 Misconceptions about marine ecologists

11:40 Does Singapore have a lot of native seagrass?

12:41 Dr. Siti’s career path

17:20 International Blue Carbon Institute’s contributions and COP29

20:37 Advice on taking climate action

23:39 Mid-roll ad: Climate Changed exhibition at Science Centre Singapore

24:07 Paiseh question: how bad is the state of our marine environments, really?

25:28 Effects of heat stress on marine life, e.g. coral bleaching

29:55 Word association game

33:07 Outro

Guest Bio

Dr. Siti Maryam Yaakub, Senior Director of the International Blue Carbon Institute at Conservation International, leads the institute's global efforts in translating blue carbon science into tools and methodologies for climate mitigation and adaptation. Based in Singapore, she spearheads initiatives aimed at fostering multidisciplinary expertise and cultivating a resource hub for knowledge exchange. Siti is a marine ecologist and works across tropical marine and coastal habitats. Her work and research interests broadly lie in the areas of ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions for adaptation and mitigation in marine environments. Within this, she is specifically interested in using seagrass habitats as a model system for understanding ecological thresholds to stress, ecosystem resilience, and the effects of human activities and climate change on the marine environment.

Read the full transcript & show notes at https://voiddeck.science.edu.sg/marineecology

You've probably seen those vibrant Peranakan shophouses in Joo Chiat – but how did this unique mixed-heritage community come to be in Singapore? To discover more, we speak with Prof. Roger Foo, the first Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Professor of Medicine at the National University of Singapore. Prof. Foo was one of the researchers behind the Singapore Peranakan Genome Project. We unravel some mind-blowing research about DNA, genetics, and the human heart. We also hear a bit about Prof. Foo's personal journey to becoming a doctor (hint: involves a hit medical TV drama).

Episode Highlights

• Whether the science stacks up to legends about the origins of Peranakans in Singapore
• The sheer volume of data each of us possess in our genome (enough to stretch for 9000 km and fill up several thousand Bibles if written out)!
• How you (yes, you!) could likely be a descendant of famous historical figures like Genghis Khan
• The mysteries of species evolution, or, is the fish in the wet market your distant cousin?
• How cells 'sing' different songs from the same DNA, leading to diverse bodily functions
• Groundbreaking current research on rewiring heart cells and the potential future of regenerative medicine

Timestamps

00:00 Preview

00:24 Intro

01:27 Prof. Foo's personal journey to becoming a doctor

06:56 Inception and findings of the Singapore Peranakan Genome Project

15:32 Genghis Khan and genetic isopoints

18:48 Is your 185th million grandfather a fish?

21:02 [Mid-roll ad] Bioethics: We could, but should we? at Science Centre Singapore

21:26 Paiseh question: what is DNA?

23:58 Epigenetics and heart health

28:02 Word association game

31:08 Outro

Guest Bio

Roger Foo is Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Professor at the NUS School of Medicine, Vice Dean of Research, Director NUHS Cardiovascular Metabolic Disease Translational Research Programme, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Advisor to the NUHS Clinician Scientist Academy, and Senior Consultant Cardiologist, National University Heart Centre. He is an NUS med school graduate, and spent 20 years abroad on specialist training before returning to Singapore in 2013. His training was undertaken at Kings College Hospital, London, and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. He was Wellcome Trust Fellow at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, and returned to Cambridge to start a group as British Heart Foundation Fellow and Consultant Physician, before eventually returning to Singapore. His lab was the first to publish an epigenomic map of the failing human heart. More recently, he has published an in-depth analysis of the human cardiac chromatin 3D organisation, elucidating its changes during the heart disease response. The lab deep dives into the heart epigenome in continuing aspirations to discover mechanisms of disease for new therapies or biomarkers. Today, he spends a lot of time mentoring young scientist, alongside growing research on heart disease prevention and targets for new drug development.

Correction

The episode misstates the number of Peranakans whole-genome sequenced by the Singapore Peranakan Genome Project. The study collected blood samples from 177 self-declared Singapore Peranakan volunteers, not 700. Thanks Colin Chee for spotting!

Read the full transcript & show notes at https://voiddeck.science.edu.sg/peranakan-ancestry/

Launching Science Centre Singapore's first-ever podcast, taking you from Jurong to Jupiter and beyond. Explore the online publication and podcast at voiddeck.science.edu.sg.