Engineering what matters: Driven to grow

• From troubleshooting marine systems to developing solutions for public safety, Galvin’s engineering career has been anchored in real-world problem-solving and a desire to contribute to society.
• As part of HTX’s Corrections and Narcotics Programme Management Centre (CNPMC), he develops smart technologies that automate manual workflows for select Home Team Departments (HTDs).
• He believes engineering is all about continuous learning and refining – something he lives out in life and in his role with HTX.

Imagine you’re aboard a ship, three weeks out on open waters. You’re enjoying the ocean’s calm – until an alarm slices through the silence. Seconds later, a massive explosion.

One of two propulsion thrusters on the ship has blown, and this has ruptured a pipe nearby. Lubrication oil is now draining quickly into the thruster compartment.

This was exactly what Galvin Ho experienced some nine years ago in his first job as an engineer who designed and conducted trials for marine systems on board new ships.

Amid the chaos, Galvin panicked not one bit. Instead, he found himself tracing the possible scenarios and solutions with a steely focus.

Why? Because he didn’t view this crisis as just an emergency – it was also a puzzle he was bent on solving.

Puzzles with purpose

Today, Galvin cracks puzzles in a whole different arena as a lead engineer with HTX’s CNPMC.

Part of a team that works closely with HTX’s Centres of Expertise to develop and implement sensemaking, automation, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions for the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), Singapore Prison Service (SPS) and Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG), he automates the agencies’ manual operations through the likes of digital systems and collaborative robots.

What excites him about the role? Figuring out how different technologies and complex workflows can be pulled together to tackle the Home Team’s operational problems intelligently.

Right now, he’s building an Automated Exhibit Management System (AEMS) for the CNB to automate case processing tasks, which can slash man hours and increase productivity.

Working at HTX, Galvin shared, is a one-of-a-kind, meaningful experience that can’t be replicated elsewhere. Not only does he get to work on future-forward technologies in an environment that drives innovation, he’s also doing so for good reason – the safety of fellow citizens.

The icing on the cake is being surrounded by smart and approachable colleagues, from whom Galvin says he learns new things each time they engage in discussion.

From shipbuilding to public safety

Galvin’s foray into the public service came courtesy of a yearning to “contribute to something beyond [his] own growth”, he recalled.

To fulfil this, he decided that he needed a job that would give him a sense of purpose and accountability, and he eventually found that in HTX because of the critical role the agency plays in enhancing public safety.

His most memorable experience with HTX to date? When he joined CNB officers in handling a drug offence case late into the night.

“Most people don’t get to see what happens after a drug offender is caught. I got to be in the thick of the action and witness how the case was processed,” he shared.

Another career highlight, he added, was working closely with SPS to develop the Prison Automated Screening System (PASS) – a first-of-its-kind solution that uses automation, robotics, sensors and deep learning technology to automatically collect urine samples and screen them for illicit drugs on prison grounds.

In one instance, Galvin had to chug bottles of water with his project teammates so that the team had urine samples they could use to test the system.

“I gave my whole self, including my body, to my work,” he joked.

All eyes on the goal

Galvin takes a sanguine approach to obstacles – an attitude he forged early in life.

“Around the age of 17, I decided I needed to do well in school and get a good job so I could break out of the circumstances I was in,” he revealed.

The circumstances in question? His family’s financial hardship.

In his growing years, he watched how his mother juggled multiple jobs to make ends meet. His family also lived in tight, rented quarters, which made it unconducive for studying.

To provide for his family, he relinquished his childhood dream of becoming a soccer player – despite years of sweat and dedication poured into the sport – and channelled that same determination into his studies.

Engineering was the clear-cut choice. He was drawn to mathematics and science subjects as they involved logic, systems and real-world problem-solving. More importantly, he enjoyed learning how things worked, and how they could work even better.

He ended up scoring goals in this quest for knowledge instead, earning a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and a Master’s in Information Systems.

And through the years, new challenges – or uncharted puzzles waiting to be solved – never failed to excite him. Looking back, he recalls how he’d always been quick to put his hand up for new experiences, like the adventures he went on with his polytechnic’s outdoor club, which saw him travel across the region to scale various mountains.

Becoming better

To Galvin, an engineering career has never just been about machines and systems – it’s about constantly learning and refining, to deliver results that work for intended users.

This is why he has undertaken a variety of courses through HTX, not just within his area of expertise, but in soft skills too, such as design thinking and cybersecurity.

This venturesome spirit spills into all that he does. In fact, he recently set himself a target of picking up one new life skill every year, and has since dabbled in golf, scuba diving and watch modification.

He approaches the learning of new crafts the same way he does with engineering problems – with curiosity, experimentation and persistence.

And his latest endeavour? Becoming a paw-rent to a toy poodle.

“I’ve been learning how to care for another living being, one with boundless energy,” he chuckled.

“It’s changed my life drastically, but it’s worth every bit of the challenge.”