Melanie Tan always jumps at the chance to educate her friends when she sees them wasting water. “They are quick to change their habits when I point out the problem,” she says with a smile.

Previously from Raffles Junior College, Melanie received a scholarship from PUB to read Engineering at Cornell University in the US. She continued with postgraduate studies and completed her Masters in Environmental Engineering at Stanford University.

Being overseas had been fun and “enriching” in more ways than one. “It was difficult to avoid the ‘Freshman 15’ syndrome during my first year in the US,” Melanie says, referring to the extra 15 pounds (6 to 7kg) that freshmen often gain in their freshman year.

Melanie decided to major in environmental engineering during her freshman year at Cornell. She had enjoyed an elective that introduced her to basic water treatment processes. She even built small-scale models of water treatment plants during the course.

MASTER PLANNING
Her internship at PUB was an enriching experience. “Back then, I used to associate PUB as the agency in charge of water pipes but my two-month internship broadened my knowledge,” Melanie says.

“During the internship, I worked in different departments such as the Water Reclamation Plant and Water Supply (Network) departments. I especially enjoyed working in the Water Supply Network department because I got the opportunity to go on site visits to learn to check and monitor the network of water pipes.”

Melanie now works as an engineer with the Strategic Planning Division, which is part of PUB’s Policy and Planning Department. Among other things, she prepares planning papers, attends meetings and contributes PUB articles to organisations such as the World Meteorological Organisation.

She also engages in long-term strategic master planning, where she studies used water systems and water plants, and plans for how they would best cater to Singapore’s population and economic growth. Melanie is proud to discover that Singapore is ahead of some developed countries when it comes to sustaining our scarce water resources.

Melanie has simple advice for juniors who are considering what to study or which scholarship to take up — they should research each scholarship provider to ensure that they would enjoy working in that organisation after they have graduated.

She is glad she chose the right organisation. “PUB gives its scholars a lot of flexibility. They allowed me to pursue the courses I liked instead of telling me to opt for subjects that may be more relevant to the organisation,” she says.

WATER WORKS
Melanie’s future colleague, Zhang Er, agrees. The final year National University of Singapore (NUS) undergraduate, was exposed to the PUB scholarship during one of the scholarship fairs and decided to give it a try.

Zhang Er is thankful that PUB awarded her the scholarship. Back then, I wasn’t sure what kind of job I wanted, but I knew that I had always been interested in science, especially chemistry, so it was only natural for me to pursue Chemical & Bio-molecular Engineering,” she says.

Like most people, Zhang Er’s knowledge of PUB prior to her scholarship was limited to the water that we get from our taps. Of course, she knows a lot more today. “There is much to water!” she gushes. “For example, a lot of processes are used to treat used water. The same goes to the purification of our drinking water, or to the management of our reservoirs
and water catchment areas.”

Zhang Er also served an internship with PUB and acquired hands-on experience. She spent three months in three different departments, and she enjoyed herself the most when she worked in a used water treatment plant. “I learnt new things everyday. The processes at the plant are very large-scaled and they are certainly many times larger than the experiments that I do at the laboratory!”

BEING INDEPENDENT
Not shy about trying new things, Zhang Er signed up for a semester at the Technical University of Denmark when she learned of the opportunity from the Overseas Student Exchange Programme in NUS.

The trip to Denmark certainly broadened her horizons. “I met many other European students who were on similar exchange programmes, and I soon became best buddies with four girls from Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland and Turkey,” says Zhang Er.

Her time in Denmark also gave her an opportunity to do some backpacking. Despite her small size, Zhang Er shouldered a 20kg backpack throughout Europe. She spent her holidays travelling in the UK, Sweden, Portugal, Spain and Greece.

“It was an exhausting but memorable experience. I even managed to try paragliding when I was in Switzerland. I would love to go back to see the Swiss Alps again,” Zhang Er says.

More importantly, Zhang Er learnt a lot about herself during the exchange programme. “I realised I could take care of myself and be independent,” she says.

Such confidence will be useful when she joins Melanie at PUB. Together with the rest of their colleagues, the two young women will play their parts in ensuring a safe and sustainable water supply for all Singaporeans.