WMO Secretary-General Prof Celeste Saulo visits HRPC
Published: 06 Sep 2024
The Heat Resilience & Performance Centre (HRPC) at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) hosted Prof Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, on 3 September 2024 as part of her first official visit to Singapore.
Led by HRPC Director Assoc Prof Jason Lee and accompanied by NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Prof Liu Bin and Dean of NUS Medicine Prof Chong Yap Seng, Prof Saulo was given a tour of NUSMed’s heat resilience research capabilities and facility.
Prof Saulo was briefed on ongoing research efforts and regional initiatives, such as the establishment of the Southeast Asia Heat Health Hub (SEA HHH), before observing a demonstration of a continuous remote physiological monitoring system in the climatic chamber. In the chamber set to 40°C and 45% relative humidity, Prof Saulo experienced firsthand the projected mid-century weather conditions for Singapore and felt the exertional heat strain on the body while walking on the treadmill. The demonstration then showcased Virtual Reality experiences from recent studies on task performance and risk-taking behaviour under heat stress, where she had a VR experience of plank walking at height in a construction site.
The visit demonstrated the unique perspective human physiology brings to the climate conversation and highlighted the need for a deeper understanding of the complex impacts of heat on human health. “What you (NUS Medicine) are doing is critically important… The world will be exposed to high temperatures unfortunately, and… you are working hard to increase the resilience of human beings, to understand how to better live in our homeplace… You are not just moving science ahead, but you are really human-centred in your approach to science. This is how we help human beings to make better choices. Together with all other specialties that you have here, the approach is very interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary, bringing the Western and Eastern traditional knowledge. I am fascinated by your work and WMO really thanks you… I appreciate your efforts at the frontline of science—a science for servicing the people.” said Prof Saulo in her closing remarks.
