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Green engineer
Mr Ye works with cutting-edge technology at Sembcorp..
PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
TURN off the tap when brushing teeth, write on both sides of a piece of paper and turn the tap on just enough when washing hands – these were habits his family drilled into him from a young age, says Mr Jackson Ye, an engineer with SembCorp Industries.
His habits eventually became an interest, so during his schooldays, he paid more attention to topics like global warming and the depletion of natural resources, says Mr Ye.
His mindset complements the role he now has at SembCorp's water operations department, where the 26-year-old works on issues related to water reclamation, specifically recycling.
He says that his department takes in municipal wastewater, which includes those from toilets and sinks, from other companies.
Some of the wastewater is discharged into the sea after treatment. The section Mr Ye is working in oversees the treatment of the rest of the wastewater until it is ultra pure and sold to companies that need reclaimed water, like those in the petrochemical industry.
An interest in conservation coupled with his strength in mathematics and science made moving into environmental engineering a natural progression, he says.
After his A levels, he landed a scholarship with SembCorp and left for the United States to pursue a degree in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Studying overseas was an experience that changed his outlook on life.
"Previously, I lived my whole life in Singapore, so I wasn't exposed to other cultures and I didn't have the urge to explore," says Mr Ye.
In the US, he met people from all over the world, and for group work in university, students were mixed so that they were of different cultures.
"They forced you out of your comfort zone," recalls Mr Ye. "I learned to appreciate other cultures that may be very different from ours. It developed that part of me and I was able to communicate with people from other cultures."
In between, he also came back to Singapore twice for two internships, which he describes as "useful".
"If I had not done an attachment when I was studying, I would not be able to know what I needed to look out for and how it could be applied at SembCorp."
The company places its interns in operations departments so they are able to learn about working at the ground level and understand how the business works, he explains.
"In operations, you have to run the plant smoothly without any hiccups, but that is not always the case."
"When machines fail, they have to be fixed while keeping up the production output, since there are clients to be accountable to. And cost is a key concern when doing repair work," he says.
Mr Ye is in the seventh month of his six-year bond and is grateful for the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and be mentored by highly experienced people, he says.
As he gains more experience, he hopes to be posted out of the country, particularly to the Middle East.
"It'll be very interesting to see how people live there, as well as to deal with its water scarcity issue."
"It could be a culture shock but I'm prepared. I think I'm comfortable enough to be able to interact with people from other cultures."
"I like to experience new cultures and new people."