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Project description
Global food loss and waste has been identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as an issue of major public concern. Around 1/3 of the world’s food goes to waste every year, and even a small country such as Singapore has had an increase of nearly 35% in food waste over the past decade. However, there is actually immense potential to upcycle this high-value food resource via insect bioconversion: Using fast-growing insects to consume food waste and produce high-value commodities. Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae are able to voraciously feed on and process food waste quickly. Mature larvae and the leftover frass are also nutrient-rich, and can be processed into animal feed as well as nutrient-rich soil supplements suitable for farming. Thus, BSFs are an attractive solution for efficient organic waste management via bioconversion. BSFs could present a sustainable solution to Singapore’s crisis of food waste and security, yet there is a paucity of essential information on how we can optimize. The PhD student will quantify and test bioconversion efficiency using various waste streams at NUS BSF facility. In addition, he/she/they will investigate the feasibility of industrializing BSFs in collaboration with a local industrial food waste company. Requirements
Application details Apply via http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/education/prospective-graduate-students.html
The Reproductive Evolution Lab at NUS is led by Assistant Professor Nalini Puniamoorthy. Dr. P shared more about our lab's exciting findings on dung beetles during NTU's EOS-ASE Seminar series talk yesterday. Here's the video if you missed it! Hope everyone's been doing alright during the COVID-19 pandemic? Come take a breather this Friday, 15 May 4-5pm SGT, and join the #SGSTEM Talk & Trivia session featuring Dr. P!
She'll be speaking about our current research involving black soldier flies (BSFs) and how they can aid us in combating food waste and contribute to local food security. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/sgstem-talk-trivia-insect-army-tickets-104733249970 Dr. P visited Tampines Park today, and shared about the usefulness of a black soldier fly (BSF) army in combating food waste.
Food waste is one of the largest contributors of Singapore's waste, making up 20% of our total waste. Yet only 17% was recycled in 2019, according to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (n.d.). Singapore's 2019 Zero Waste Masterplan targets a 30% reduction in waste transported to Semakau Landfill for incineration. While we should firstly aim to reduce generation of food waste, recycling our food waste by using it to rear BSFs, which can then be used as plant fertiliser or nutritious animal feed, in Singapore can be such a practical solution to help meet Singapore’s waste reduction goals. Update: The BSF facility is up and running at Sustainability @ Tampines Park, Singapore’s first circular ecosystem for sustainable food production. Learn more about what they do here! Lab Attendant (Part-time) for Reproductive Evolution Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, NUS
Our insect lab is currently seeking an experienced Lab Assistant. The successful candidate will perform various tasks to support the Research Assistant, mainly in the maintenance of our lab and insectary. The individual will work collaboratively with students of the lab. Responsibilities · Maintenance of live insect stock cultures · Cleaning of used stock cultures and work area · Preparation of microscopy slides for research purposes · Restocking of lab supplies and reagents Requirements · Prior experience in working with insects and in the molecular lab · Ability to work independently · Good communication and organization skills · Conscientious and responsible · 4 – 8 working hours per week (flexible) · Able to commit at least 6 months · Pay is dependent on candidate experience ($6-7/hr) Application Details
The Reproductive Evolution Lab at NUS is led by Assistant Professor Nalini Puniamoorthy. The Beetles were featured in an episode of Channel 8's "Morning Express", a Mandarin-speaking programme. Turn on captions for English subtitles!
We took a short break today to celebrate our beloved PI's birthday. Happy birthday Dr. Nalini! Hope you had a great day!
Our UROPS student will soon be leaving for her exchange in the US after a long semester of hard work in our lab on dung beetles. You've done a great job, Hillary! Hope you like your "Beetle Friends" shirt, and see you soon!
Dr. P was live on CNA recently to share about the importance of insects in our lives. These tiny bugs are crucial to many ecological networks and also provide us various beloved products such as honey, or services such as pollination! Find out more during the premier of Wild City: Secret World on 10 August, 9pm on CNA, or watch online afterwards at cna.asia/wild-city.
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March 2024
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