Catalysts, Courts, and Chilli: My Singapore Experience
By: Theertha Vannemreddy, SEAS ’27
GRIP: Engineering Research in Singapore
Spending a summer in Singapore, I imagined long hours in the lab, challenging scientific problems, and maybe a few late-night reactions. I got all of that, and so much more. What I didn’t expect was how much I’d learn outside the lab: from the chaos of hawker centers to the serenity of Gardens by the Bay, and even from watching the world’s best badminton players up close. This trip has become a crash course not only in ammonia cracking, but in cultural curiosity, discomfort, and joy. Singapore is teaching me that growth happens when you’re willing to get a little lost.
My days are mostly spent in a research lab focused on ammonia cracking — a promising process for clean hydrogen production. My task? Develop and test catalysts that make this reaction more efficient. In practice, this means lots of measuring, mixing, heating, and troubleshooting, often in that order, occasionally all at once. It’s experimental science in its raw form: progress measured in micromoles and patience.
What’s rewarding is that the problems feel real. Every slight improvement in catalyst performance is a small but meaningful step toward sustainable energy. I’m learning not just how reactions behave, but how to think like a researcher. Some days, nothing works. Other days, everything works but you’re not sure why. And those are the best ones.
Singapore doesn’t let you stay stuck in your work bubble for long. One weekend, I found myself in the stands at the Singapore Badminton Open Finals, watching the best badminton legends in the world perform. Oddly enough, it reminded me of catalysis. Excellence, whether in sport or science, is repetition, refinement, and the belief that shaving one percent off inefficiency is worth everything.
After one long day, I found myself at the Gardens by the Bay. There, I walk under the glowing Supertrees or lose myself in the mist of the Cloud Forest, where waterfalls tumble inside glass domes. It’s a surreal blend of nature, design, and engineering— almost like the city’s way of reminding you what’s possible when sustainability and ambition meet. Being there gave me perspective. It helped me remember why energy innovation matters: because the future can be both green and beautiful, if we design it right.
Let’s talk about food. Because in Singapore, it’s practically a national sport. The hawker centers here are nothing like anything I’ve seen before. Michelin-worthy dishes emerging from humble stalls, surrounded by plastic chairs, clouds of wok-fried steam, and uncles yelling order numbers. I’ve made it a mission to try everything: laksa, satay, chicken rice, sometimes intentionally, sometimes through my inability to understand the menu. And then there’s the fruit. In this heat, a bite of cold watermelon feels like a spiritual experience, the kind you share with friends while silently thanking the tropical climate. But durian? That’s another story. It smells like a science experiment gone wrong, and despite the national pride surrounding it, I’m still working up the courage to take my first bite. Still, growth is all about stepping outside your comfort zone, and sometimes, that means staring down a spiky fruit that smells like it has its own zip code.
The best part of all this? I’m still here. I’m still running new catalyst tests, still riding the MRT to explore places I can’t pronounce, still searching for the perfect bowl of noodles. I’m learning how to ask questions and how to be comfortable not knowing the answers right away. Singapore is teaching me to trust the process, whether I’m navigating complex chemical reactions in the lab or ordering food from a menu written entirely in a language I don’t understand. Some experiences turn out to be a blast, others less so, but none of the fun would be possible without pushing myself outside my comfort zone. Sometimes that means choosing to explore the city at 11 p.m. instead of dozing after a long day. This place is teaching me to sweat a little, laugh a lot, and embrace uncertainty. Most importantly, it’s showing me that true discovery doesn’t always happen in a lab. Sometimes, it happens beneath the glowing Supertrees or while sharing a steaming bowl of chili crab with new friends.
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