Writing in University classes

There were many difficulties faced writing in my academic classes. Basically, in engineering course we are required to write reports and answer questions precisely. Firstly, the difficulty I faced was to have a good organization/flow of my points. Since the points were not organized, they were not well elaborated and thus caused me to write out of point. It has also resulted in having unsupportive/vague points. Secondly, the problem I faced was to have a report free from grammatical errors. I was not able to use a variety of vocabulary words and connective words for my reports.

This module has helped me to resolve the following difficulties I faced. Through writing assignment 1 and 2, I was taught how to write proper outlines and organize my points effectively before I start writing the reports/essays. Through the assignments I was able to write essays that were precise with supportive points. In writing assignment 2, I was able to write an argumentative essay with proper organization which is commonly required for engineering students. In this module, I also had the opportunity to practice additional grammar exercise which helped me to improve my grammar. We were also exposed to various articles which helped us to improve our vocabulary.

It is important that I continue to improve writing in my academic classes. Firstly, I would continue to practice more exercise from the recommended text. Secondly, I would continue to expose myself to various articles, books and reports so as to continue building up my vocabulary. Reading is a method of improving language. Lastly, I would continue to use what I have learnt in EG 1471 to write my future reports. In conclusion, this module has helped me to reduce the problems I faced in writing and I would continue to practice and improve further.

Grammar Mistakes

The three common mistakes that I make is the subject-verb agreement, the use of connecting words (transition) and fragments. Firstly we shall take a look at subject verb agreement. It is very important that we are able to identify the subject and verbs in the sentences after which we can check whether the subject agrees to the verb. It is also important that when the sentence consist two or more nouns/pronouns connected by and, we should us a plural verb. For example, Steven and his friends are at the supermarket. When a phrase comes between the subject and the verb the verb agrees with the subject and not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase. This is a common mistake that I make.

The second mistake that I make is the use of connecting words. Connectors are used between words, clauses, sentences and paragraphs. Therefore it is important for us to use connecting words in our essay to show contrast/similarity/results and many others. Some of the connecting words that are used for similarity are likewise, similarly and in the same way. Connecting words such as however, in contrast, conversely, on the contrary, on the other hand, otherwise, still, instead are used to show differences or contrast. These are some connectors that I do not use in my essays and they are very useful in writing argumentative essays.

Lastly, the common mistake that I make is fragments. Fragments are incomplete sentences that are usually detached from the main clause. Coordinators such as “but” and “because” can be used to correct these sentences. Punctuation may also be required for the newly combined sentence. For example the sentence “I need to get a new shirt. Because the one I have now is too old” shows a fragment error. This sentence can be re-written as “I need to get a new shirt because the one I have now is too old”. It is important that in academic writing, fragment errors are avoided.

Bibliography
University, O. a. (n.d.). Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling. Retrieved April 1, 2009, from Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/

Each Roundtable Summary

The topics that were discussed in the round-table discussion were about cloning, geo-engineering technology and genetic modified food.

The first roundtable discussion was about geo-engineering technology. In their roundtable discussion, they spoke about the carbon capture and storage processes. It is a process to manipulate the climate to reduce undesired climate change. They felt that it helps to mitigate climate change in a large scale using various forms of technologies. In their discussion they spoke about the release of sulfur particles into the stratosphere which causes the sunlight and heat to be reflected back to space. This is a method of geo-engineering that is currently being researched. Nevertheless they feel that the cost of the research and development is too high thus causing a resistance for such technology to take place.

The second roundtable discussion was about cloning. Cloning is a process of creating an organism that is an exact genetic copy of another. In their discussion they spoke about human cloning. They felt that such technology has benefits such that it creates a fertility treatment that allows parents who are both infertile to have children with at least some of their DNA or even provide genetically similar cells for medicine, tissues and organs for transplantation. Nevertheless some feel that these technology leads to ethical problems. For example they felt that cloning takes nature into our own hands. They feel that some things have to take place naturally.

Lastly the group discussed on genetic modified food. Genetic modified foods are made from plants and animals through genetic engineering. They felt that this technology will lower pesticide usage thus providing better profits for farms. In other words they feel that this would make the cost of food more economical. Nevertheless, this technology leads to several health effects such gene transfer, allergies and even diseases. More researches on genetic modified food are currently being carried out.

Group Roundtable Discussion

Our first round table discussion was to study why technologies have been resisted or partially adopted and why they should or should not be adopted. We decided to focus on the solar energy and CNG (Compressed natural gas) technology. Solar energy has been partially adopted in the recent years. Firstly people seemed to the lack of acknowledge on the usefulness of solar energy. They misunderstand about solar energy technology as a more expensive alternative energy source. They feel that the installation cost and maintenance is very expensive (Williams, 2007). Many people lack the concern about saving the environment against global warming. They also feel that solar energy does not work during night or cloudy days. Nevertheless research and development of solar energy has reduced its manufacturing cost by introducing various fabrication methods and even the use of different material. Energy storage would also help to store energy which can be used during night or cloudy days. It is important to find alternative energy source as fossil fuels will deteriorate in times to come.

CNG gas is also partially adopted in recent years. Firstly, there are only a few petrol kiosks available for the top up of gas. Moreover they are not located at the central regions. People would need to travel to places as far as Tuas/Jurong in Singapore. They feel that the tanks are quite bulky and heavy, about three times more so than normal LPG tanks (Mark, 2003). Most of these tanks are kept in the boot of the car, thus reducing its storage space. Nevertheless, more petrol kiosk is being implemented over the years. Cars are manufactured such that the tanks are built-in reducing the space used in the boots. CNG is the least expensive alternative fuel and they are tested to be the most effective fuel for reducing emissions that will contribute to global warming.

The second round table discussion was about the documenting of sources in EG 1471 course. As student in the university, we are required to write academic text such as questions to lab reports and it is important that student write in Anglo-English context. Thus, it is important that students document and cite the sources of information that is owned or author by another person. There are mainly two types of citation mainly the APA (American Psychological Association) and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers). The commonly used style is the APA style. There are in-cite citation where the citation is made at the end of the text. Next we have the end-text citation which is located at the end of the article also known as the references. There are some basic criteria for references. Firstly reference should be in alphabetical order and only surname which is also the last name is written. Secondly the title of the book is italizced. Thirdly for electronic versions of journal, a DOI which is a Digital Object Identifier has to be written in the references. Lastly the types of font, spacing and punctuations and abbreviation should be also followed accordingly. (Documenting Source, 2008-2009). Thus it is important to cite the references and also cite them according to the APA style.

Bibliography
(2008-2009). Documenting Source. EG 1471.
Mark. (2003, July 21). Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Retrieved February 23, 2009, from Compressed Natural Gas: http://www.altfuels.org/backgrnd/altftype/cng.html
Williams, W. (2007, 05 17). Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy for Your Home. Retrieved 03 14, 2009, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-Solar-Energy-for-Your-Home&id=569540

Lecture Summary

The first speaker for the lecture was Prof. Andrew Palmer. In his speech, he shared with us the actions to be taken in response to climate change. Some of the actions mentioned by him were to move from coal to gas/nuclear, release of particles in the atmosphere and carbon dioxide capture and storage as a response to combat climate change. Ocean storage option is done by capturing CO2 and storing them in a bag at the seabed. I found this very interesting as it is one of the most advanced methods of CO2 capture and something that would not be detrimental to the environment.

The second speaker was Dr.Benjamin K.Sovacool who shared with us the traditional analysis of technology (STS). He shared with us that everything is not only about technology but also social interest. For example, we have the renewable power such as solar panel, hydroelectric and turbines but they are all not successful. This is due to the market failure, information failure, the low return of investment and many more factors. The political and regulatory obstacle such as unfunded research and development, cultural and behavioral challenge such as public misunderstanding are some of the factors mentioned. He used the case study of Electric Vehicles to show the challenges that were faced. I find the view shared was very interesting as there are many good inventions around the world but not all are successful. As engineers we should look at the various challenges that we will face and understand that why things succeed or fail is not mainly due to technology.

The third speaker was Assoc Prof Rajsekar Bala who shared with us the assessment and mitigation of global warming. He showed the evidence of global warming such as the increase in greenhouse gases, the change in the rainfall and the recent warming due to human activities. These would lead to temperature change, extinctions, intense storms and even economic and social disruption. He shared some measure to eliminate global warming such increasing energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emission and involving the government to impose tax on carbon use. Nevertheless the problem is global, long lasting, a long term political issue and the impacts are not spread evenly. I found this point highlighted very important as everyone needs to understand that global warming is a global problem.

An Inconvenient Truth

In the documentary “A Inconvenient Truth” we can see that global warming is a serious problem that needs immediate attention. The former vice-president of the United States of America Mr. Al Gore showed that it is a problem that requires everyone to contribute in saving the world. Global warming is an effect of temperature rise around the Earth surface and is greatly contributed by human activities. Global warming has caused droughts due to high temperature. The melting of ice has caused the seawater level to increase. These high temperatures have also contributed to the increase in precipitation thus resulting in severe flooding. Beautiful coral reefs around the world are bleaching. These are some of the effects of global warming highlighted by Mr. Al Gore.

There is a need for our government to implement policies and measures to reduce the problem of global warming. Firstly Singapore adopted the “greening” the city policy. The government introduced measures to have carbon dioxide absorbing trees and shrubbery. These were planted along the neighborhoods, parks, industrial estates and in many parts of the island. Secondly we have the transport policies. Being a developed country, many people are educated and many are able to afford their own vehicle. To prevent the growth of motor vehicle, the government has good public transport system in place to reduce the ownership of cars. They introduced the Electronic Road Pricing system to prevent peak period congestion and COE to control vehicle ownership. Lastly we have the climate change policy where the government controls the greenhouse gas emissions. One of the measures taken by the government to implement the policy is to become more energy efficient. It implements the use of energy efficient lightings, refrigerator, air-conditioners and other products to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide from energy use. Industries were asked to adopt energy efficient technologies and equipments. The government provided grant for these industries to fund them in their investment of energy efficient technology.

With these policies and measures mentioned above our government would be able to help reduce the problem of global warming. It is a continuous effort of every individual to contribute and save the world from global warming.

The Expanding World of Engineers

The demand for engineers around the world has increased drastically. This has led the need to produce more engineers with systematic and critical thinking mind around the world to meet up with this demand. Our education system has been successful in creating engineers to meet with the global demand.

As mentioned by Prof Ramakrishnan the engineer’s training helps to systematically analyze information and apply a holistic approach in designing solution. The curriculum structure of our engineering tertiary education is a great contributing factor in engineers training. The modules or subject required by a student to take does not only cover engineering aspects but additional subjects are incorporated to train the students to systematically analyze complex sets of information. Subjects incorporated in the syllabus are not only engineering based but also related to the other sectors. This is what we call cross-faculty modules where students are required to take subject outside the engineering faculty. It broadens the knowledge required for an engineer. This allows a flexible and widened knowledge for engineers in overcoming engineering problem. Moreover the learning structure is now such that a percentage of the performance is based on practical or hands-on approach allowing students to have a better understanding on the systems. This helps them to incorporate themselves to the industry.

Technology is another significant contributing factor. With the advancement in technology around the world, engineers are also required to keep up with technology. Trainings carried out are more technology intensive such that all engineers are IT trained. This helps to process more information at a faster pace. With the increasing use of the IT such as WWW (World Wide Web) information are obtained and analyzed faster allowing engineers to have a holistic approach to design solutions.

In conclusion, proper training and knowledge as mentioned above are very important. This would allow an engineer to systematically analyze information and apply a holistic approach in designing solution as mentioned by Prof Ramakrishnan.