On 26th July 2023, Asst Prof Edward Park and doctoral scholar Sonu Kumar from NIE conducted a 2.5-hour session in the Geoinformatics Lab for 4 Ministry of Education (MOE) Geography teachers from the Academy of Singapore Teachers and Junior Colleges. The workshop facilitated professional development on sustainability and explored the integration of the Flume into the new A-level H2 Geography syllabus.

The Flume is a stream table that enables students to use their hands to vary discharge, mould topography and observe in real-time as the landform evolves. This enables the simulation of river hydrology, geomorphology and water resource issues in relation to human activities and natural hazards. By using the Flume, teachers could make the abstract concepts of fluvial processes and delta formation more intuitive to Junior College students.

As Dr Park and Sonu shaped simulations of sea level rise, dams, river sand mining and climate change, the impacts and their feedbacks unraveled clearly in front of the team. The team also witnessed the formation of braided, meandering and anabranching channel patterns, sand bars and islands.

Funded by the MOE and NRF, the Flume at NIE is the only one of its kind in Singapore. Currently, the Flume has already been implemented in 2 labs in the Tropical Geomorphology course in NIE. Students typically have 2 weeks of hands-on experience with the Flume to explore channel patterns and human impacts on deltas.

This workshop is part of NIE’s plans to set up a teaching program to support Junior College students with experiential learning on sustainability.