Working with waste warriors

Year 4 Environmental Studies Major HO Song Thye has always been a nature lover. He took up the course as he felt the responsibility to spearhead environmental change and improve sustainability with the looming climate crisis.

He says, “I read modules such as environmental law, public health, economics and ecology – this provides me a holistic perspective of how different areas intersect with each other to address conservation issues.”

An internship at biotechnology start-up Insect Feed Technologies (IFT) allowed Song Thye to put to practice what he learnt in his course.

IFT farms black soldier flies, which can contribute to a circular economy as they prevent food waste from being sent to landfills and producing greenhouse gas during decomposition. The flies are also a cost-effective and sustainable source of protein for animal feed and plant fertiliser.

Song Thye’s role at IFT was to improve feed optimisation for the black soldier flies to improve operational efficiency. He also contributed to marketing and outreach events, and conducted sustainability workshops for the public. It was a challenging but enriching experience for him as he had to adapt quickly to the new environment, be highly flexible in his working style, as well as to work on his time management skills and be highly disciplined to adhere to deadlines. Working in group projects and executive committees in NUS FoS has allowed him to work effectively with people and communicate well, which translates to working well with his colleagues at IFT and contributing effectively to the team.

Song Thye also participated in the Youth Action Challenge Season 3, where his team’s market research into black soldier flies for product-market fit, scaleability and sustainability received the Outstanding Award and over $60,000 in grants.