Lucian sets ideas into motion through UWCSEA’s creative makerspaces
Lucian ‘25 and the UWCSEA Foundation Team
2 October 2024
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Whether it's remotely-operated underwater submersibles, miniature aerodynamic F1 cars and solar-powered drones—Grade 12 student, Lucian ‘25, is no stranger to bringing innovation to life. In the IDEAS Hub, one of UWCSEA’s innovative spaces supported by #UWCSEAGiving, Lucian puts his theories to the test, finding opportunities for creativity, critical thinking and construction, and gearing up for competitions.
Lucian leads both Competitive Robotics and the Robotics Club at Dover Campus. He has been deeply involved in various projects that bridge classroom learning with real-world applications. Lucian was the team leader in the group that won first place in the 5th ASEAN MATE Underwater Robot (MATE-ROV) Competition in April 2024, what an impressive feat!
The reason competitive robotics is so important to me is that the passion and motivation of others have brought me to where I am today. I feel it is now my turn to share this passion for creativity and technology with others.
Lucian at the Ideas Hub on Dover Campus.
From iTime to the classroom and beyond
Lucian’s journey began in Grade 4 during i-Time when he first joined as a new student at UWCSEA. His introduction to creating products for Market Day sparked his interest in robotics.
Eight years later, he now leads competitive robotics teams and participates in exciting challenges like MATE-ROV, driven by a desire to share his passion and inspire others. MATE-ROV is one of the projects supported by philanthropy at UWCSEA. Teams are tasked with building an underwater remotely operated submersible capable of diving two metres, retrieving objects, taking temperature readings, and moving underwater, then competing against other schools in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
Lucian highlights how his learning experiences both in and out of the classroom are interconnected and mutually beneficial. He explained that understanding physics concepts, such as buoyancy, was essential for the team’s success in the MATE-ROV competition, where they had limited time in the pool and relied on physics calculations to manually adjust their underwater robot. Conversely, the leadership and coding skills he developed through his involvement in robotics helped him visualise abstract theories and concepts. This demonstrates the power of interdisciplinary learning and how practical experiences can enhance understanding of theoretical principles.
The fact that students at a young age are entrusted with equipment and allowed to experiment in a carefully managed environment is amazing! Without that experience or the opportunities I was given early on, I don’t think I would have developed this level of interest in technology.
Lucian is also working on personal projects that extend far beyond the classroom. His current projects involve working on an F-5E-compliant solar glider, improving tools for tandem solar cell characterisation, and exploring asymptotic methods to determine their maximum power point.
He plans to study a niche area in university—characterisation, which he describes as “a very cool field”, focused on taking precise measurements on a nanogram scale. This passion has led him to undertake two exciting internships: a year-long research attachment with the characterisation working group at the NUS Solar Energy Institute last year; and an internship at the German National Metrology Institute, where he helped in developing circuit boards under cryogenic conditions to enable materials to superconduct and exhibit quantum properties.
The Innovation Ecosystem
Lucian believes that the College’s innovation ecosystem and its community-funded spaces like the Ideas Hub at UWCSEA Dover play a crucial role in supporting aspiring students interested in the engineering field. These spaces create a bridge between Dover and East campuses, forming an innovative ecosystem with extensive resources, teacher guidance, and a risk-free makerspace. Here, students can hone their skills, beginning with creativity and exploration, and progressing through experimentation and collaboration.
“The Ideas Hub is a space filled with endless opportunities because it facilitates essentially whatever you want to do. There are no restrictions on your creativity, and our teachers will go out of their way to support you. Many of our students flourish in the Ideas Hub because it is not a hyper-competitive environment with external pressures.”
For example, Lucian and his friends once organised a competition for miniature F1 cars optimised for aerodynamics. They used facilities and resources from both campuses: East Campus provided access to the wind tunnel and fabrication tools, while Dover Campus teachers offered guidance, helped with paperwork, and provided storage for their equipment.
Lucian with his mentors Luke Milburn (centre) and Dan Belliveau (right).
A moment to remember
Winning first place as a team leader in the ASEAN regional championship MATE-ROV competition stands out as Lucian’s proudest moment. He attributes their success to teamwork, camaraderie, and a supportive, non-competitive environment.
“The competition required us all to work together. UWCSEA teams had not participated in MATE-ROV in the past, so we had to build all our principles and understanding completely from scratch. We all invested ourselves in the project, everyone made sacrifices with their time and made a choice to do it well. There wasn’t a UWCSEA team that was not willing to help other teams. We shared both the struggles that we faced and our discoveries and successes. The atmosphere was one of combined support, where you felt like you were standing on the shoulders of your fellow UWCSEA students.”
Students successfully adapted and programmed their robots to complete various tasks in the shortest time possible during the TechBot Final Challenge.
To all UWCSEA dreamers
Lucian dreams of becoming a scientist, working on cutting-edge projects that benefit others. “That would be cool,” says Lucian, who shares a piece of advice for aspiring innovators: “It’s simple, just sign up. If there's something you want to do and isn’t offered, reach out to any teacher, or visit the Ideas Hub and ask Mr Milburn, Mr Belliveau or Ms Siti. There is always somebody there to help.”
Lucian's journey is among the many empowered by UWCSEA, shaping their journey towards becoming innovators, problem-solvers, and future leaders, who can inspire their generation of changemakers through collaboration, creativity and technology – just as Lucian has.
#UWCSEAGiving invests in futures of possibilities and potential, inspiring more young people to be the change they want to see in the world.
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