Step Into the Future: Experience Singapore’s Climate in 2050
Published: 18 Nov 2025
In celebration of the NUS Medicine’s 120th Anniversary and organised under the NUSMedSci Alliance Brew outreach programme, the Heat Resilience & Performance Centre (HRPC) under NUS Medicine held an outreach event at Cedar Girls’ Secondary School on 17 October 2025, where students were invited to explore the science of heat and human heat resilience through three exciting experiences: the Experiential Climate Pod, the Heat Resilience Booth, and a presentation by Cedar alumna Dr Sharifah Badriyah, Research Fellow at HRPC.
Students entering the Experiential Climate Pod where they experience temperatures and humidity levels predicted for the future.
Future Forecast: It’s Getting Hot in Singapore!
To help the students understand and experience what Singapore’s future climate might feel like, the HRPC team unveiled the Experiential Climate Pod — a specially curated installation where future conditions were simulated using heaters and humidifiers. Inside the pod, students experienced temperatures up to 35 degrees Celsius, with humidity levels of about 55% as per the projections for the next few decades.
The immersive experience helped them understand how extreme weather affects the human body, influencing everything from comfort and concentration to physical performance and health. The interactive demonstration sparked curiosity about how Singaporeans might adapt in the years ahead to rising heat, which would impact our everyday lives.
The HRPC team showing how wearable sensors and monitoring tools help to protect users from heat stress.
Cool Tech for a Hotter World
The Heat Resilience Booth offered students a chance to witness science and technology in action. Here, the HRPC team showcased the latest wearable sensors and monitoring tools used to study how people respond to heat. Students were able to see in real time how some of these sensors work and better understand how such technologies are used to protect athletes, outdoor workers, and vulnerable groups from heat stress.
Through hands-on learning and interactive visuals, students discovered how scientific innovation helps prevent heat-related illnesses and supports safer, healthier communities.
Dr Sharifah Badriyah, Research Fellow at HRPC and Cedar alumna, introducing herself at the Cedar Girls’ Secondary School Learning Festival & STEM Showcase.
From Sports Dreams to Science Discoveries
The event also featured a presentation, “An Ex-Cedarian’s Mission to Empower Human Performance in a Hotter Climate”, by Research Fellow, Dr Sharifah Badriyah, who spoke about her journey from Cedar Girls’ Secondary School, to becoming a national athlete and now, a thermal and exercise physiologist. Fuelled by her passion for sports, her research focuses on how the human body adapts to heat and understanding how science can help us thrive safely and effectively even as the planet warms.
She spoke about her research role at NUS Medicine, and explained how her curiosity about understanding the limits of the human body led her to study human performance. Students were left inspired and excited to learn about the science behind heat, and saw how an interest in sports, health or science can lead to unexpected and meaningful career paths.
Through immersive experiences and inspiring conversations, the event helped students see that they are never too young to contribute in building a resilient, sustainable future. From stepping into the “climate of tomorrow”, to discovering how technology protects us and hearing how passion can become purpose, the students discovered how science and curiosity can drive real-world change.
