Find out how a young woman’s passion for engineering led to an enriching career at DSO National Laboratories.

By Joyce Lin

Thanks to her inquisitive nature as a child, Adele Chong would often take apart household appliances to find out how they worked. Today, 25-year-old Adele is a research engineer at DSO National Laboratories, also known as DSO, Singapore’s national defence research and development organisation...

Adele holds a coveted position, as only top-notch research scientists and engineers are hired in DSO, which has about 1,400 staff in total. The research scientists and engineers work hand-in-hand to design cutting-edge defence technologies and systems for both the Ministry of Defence and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

DSO is the key technology partner of the SAF, and seeks to transform the SAF into a progressive Third Generation knowledge-based, integrated fighting force. The engineers of DSO are spread across various research and development divisions, namely: Guided Systems, Electronics Systems, Emerging Systems, Information, Networks, Sensors and the Defence Medical & Environmental Research Institute. Their job scopes require rigorous research and testing to make sure that the products and systems that they design are foolproof, as Adele attests to. Adele is part of the advanced communications laboratory of the Networks Division, and she works in both small clusters of teams, or with other divisions to develop superior communication systems for the SAF.

Rose among the thorns

Being a woman in a male-dominated field has not fazed Adele one bit. “Most male engineers tend to look at the bigger picture, whereas as a female engineer, I have an eye for detail. I like to think that my presence strikes a balance in the field of engineering,” says Adele. Her passion for this field began in secondary school, when a teacher explained what engineering was about.

Armed with the prospect of embarking on an exciting career, Adele went on to pursue an engineering diploma at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, where she won several awards, including a Motorola Award for Top Female Engineering students, as well as the Polytechnic Students Research Programme Award given out by the then National Science and Technology Board.

Adele went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree from NTU, and is currently sponsored by DSO to pursue her Masters of Science in Engineering at NUS on a part-time basis. “Furthering my studies gives me an all-rounded perspective of engineering. It’s also a great chance to keep up with the latest developments in defence technology. This is very important s technologies are always constantly changing,” says Adele.

Against the odds

Two years into her current job, Adele is still bursting with enthusiasm, as she relates the satisfaction of seeing a product or system that she’s worked on come to fruition.

Although this may mean endless rounds of troubleshooting to make sure everything is in check, or arduous trial runs of lugging heavy equipment around fields, Adele still handles this with panache. “I enjoy both the research and hands-on experiences,” says Adele. She explains: “DSO is one of the few organisations in Singapore that gives you the best of both worlds. It’s not just pure engineering or pure research. We have to develop technologies and systems that are unique to Singapore’s defence needs, so we need to grow our research into something tangible.”

While defence technology is a particularly challenging field, as the technologies developed have to be tailored for the country’s needs, Adele has no qualms cracking her brains to help design defence systems that will work seamlessly in the event of a crisis.

Adele’s first experience at DSO was as an undergraduate, during a six-month internship programme at NTU. She describes her experience as a memorable one: “The laboratory I was posted to was warm and inviting, and everyone was friendly and willing to help. Through my mentors, I was able to pick up a lot of hands-on skills, and also learn about other areas of engineering that were different from what I had studied,” says Adele.

It was during a career fair organised by NTU that DSO got in touch with Adele once again. Adele jumped at the opportunity, as she explains: “My time as an intern at DSO really cemented my passion for engineering and research, so it made sense to return after my graduation.”

For aspiring engineers, Adele advises that if you venture into the area that you’re most interested in, your passion will carry you far. For Adele, working in DSO’s Networks Division has been a challenging, yet enjoyable experience. “I relish the fact that I’m at the forefront of technology, having to design reliable systems that will stand the test of a war; systems that will be used for the next generation of defence. You need to have determination and perseverance in what you do. There will be ups and downs and occasional failures, but I love the job because of the challenge and excitement. It has been an eye-opening ride so far!”

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