Hello everyone! We’re Dr Nanette Raczka and research assistant Sonia Lee from the TEE Lab. Nanette is an ecologist whose research focuses include plant nutrient acquisition processes and plant-microbial interactions, and Sonia is a research assistant who has an interest in entomology. Background A little background into our project – a great challenge lies in quantifying the change in belowground root carbon between land use types such as restored forests and secondary fore

On 10 December 2025, The Tropical Ecology and Entomology (TEE) lab from the Asian School of Environment (ASE), College of Science, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) conducted a presentation and hands-on workshop at Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) focused on adapting the Forest Integrity Assessment (FIA) tool for peat swamp forest ecosystems. This event brought together researchers, students, and the staffs on g

During our second trip to Japan this year, the TEE Lab visited the collections at the National Museum of Nature and Science , which is situated in the Science City of Tsukuba. Hosted by Dr Showtaro Kakizoe, we spent two fulfilling days examining and imaging dung beetle specimens held in the museum's collections. Group photo with Dr Showtaro Kakizoe and Hiroshima University PhD student Aiman Aiman Luhkman. These important collections help us to verify species identifications a

The TEE Lab is welcomed our collaborators from Hiroshima University back to Singapore for the second time this year on 2-3 Nov 2025! Highlights included a GBIF data-sharing session by our Project Officer Marx Yim, a presentation by Aiman on his 10-day training in the lab, and of course, a feast of Indonesian food as a welcome dinner. A short but meaningful visit filled with learning, discussion, and collaboration. Looking forward to more in 2026!

From 28 Oct to 7 Nov 2025, the TEE Lab was excited to host PhD student Arief Aiman Lukhman from Hiroshima University for an intensive hands-on training in dung beetle sorting, identification,and molecular techniques. Guided by TEE Lab members Zann Teo and Dr Ong Xin Rui, and joined by our first-year PhD students Nethmi and Jasmine, Aiman dove into two weeks of dung beetle work, with everything from specimen processing 🔬 to PCR 🧬, and finally, curating a reference collection