The 25th edition of the Hulme Prize Paper Competition was recently held for young engineers and awards presented at a packed event held by the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Society (Singapore) (TUCSS).
The annual competition run by TUCSS is for the best technical papers from young engineers or students below the age of 35 years on a subject associated with tunnelling and underground construction.
The Hulme Prize Paper Competition was held at a ceremony in September at the Auditorium of Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The winner of the first prize paper this year was presented with a cash prize of S$2,000 (US$1,490, £1,170) as well as second and third prize of $1,000 (US$744, £585) and $500 (US$373, £293), respectively.
Out of the 10 outstanding papers to the Hulme Prize Paper Competition that were received by the judging panel, the following three papers were shortlisted as finalists and for presentation:
Three independent judges were on the panel, one each from a contractor, a consultant and a client organisation.
Presenters of the shortlisted papers were asked questions. Winners were chosen based upon the submitted papers as well the oral presentations.
First prize was awarded to Venus Tan, of LTA, for her paper and presentation –
- ‘Preliminary Study of Utilising Machine Learning to Predict Cutter Wear in Tunnel Boring Machines’
The other shortlisted papers were:
- ‘Performance of Deep Excavation using Island Method – Temporary Beams and Buttress Wall Retaining System,’ by Rosemary JJ Vong of Mott MacDonald; and,
- ‘Design of an Innovative Single-Pass Tunnel Lining for Watercare’s Auckland Central Interceptor Tunnel,’ by Podianko Surya, Arup
The President of TUCSS, Chang Kin Boon, in his opening address stated that the quality of the papers and presentations have steadily increased over the years and encouraged more young tunnellers to take part in future competitions.
He further shared that the winners have gone on to become leaders in the industry and quoted as example that the winner of the first competition, in 1999, is now an Executive Director for a large consultancy firm with responsibility for business operations in Europe and west Asia.
Further, TUCSS says the latest Hulme Prize Competition gave the awards audience an opportunity to have more appreciation for how new trends are influencing the tunnelling industry, such as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
