Portfolio 7

I have always been spending more time doing things that I like and neglect those I am not familiar with. I attribute my poor command of language more to this “vicious cycle” rather than my lack of aptitude for writing, partly because I believe I could have done more during my pre-university education. I was initially reluctant to take this writing module because I believed the time spent on it could be better used. However, after reflecting on how I struggled to write the Qualifying English Test essay, I felt it was time for me work on this weakness.

To be honest, before this writing module, I have never made a proper attempt to learn grammar because I thought that structured learning of grammar is useless. As long as the sentence sounds correct to me, it should be correct. Verb Tense, Parallelism, Articles, Pronoun Reference, fragments. As familiar as they may sound to me, I did not know what they mean at all, not until I take this module.

This module has taught me 2 things which I feel is particularly important for academic writing. Firstly, I have to learn to appreciate the different operators in grammar. Finding mistakes in text editing is more of a systematic process to me now. I can apply the same concepts when I check my essays for grammatical mistakes. Secondly, I have learnt how to cite sources and references using the APA format. Even though I am still quite unfamiliar with this format, I believe, eventually, I will get the hang of it when I use it more often in future.

Writing is a skill that requires a lot of practice; therefore, I do not think there is a lot of improvement in my writing after these two writing assignments. Nevertheless, I will continue to read and practice more. Only through this will I not forget the knowledge I have acquired from this module, I will also become more comfortable and proficient in writing essays.

Portfolio 6

There are quite a number of glaring grammatical mistakes I make in my academic writing; this explains why I am taking this module. In this entry, I shall identify and discuss 3 errors I commonly make.

One of the most common errors I make is fragments. I tend to add transitions with semi colons into my sentences unnecessarily. For example, in my writing assignment 2, I wrote “They (stem cells) can be used to study the human cell differentiation process; therefore, providing us an insight into the causes of genetic abnormalities and birth defects.” A transition with a semi colon is used to join 2 independent clauses together. In the above example, the second sentence is a dependent clause; therefore, adding a semi colon and a transition after the first sentence results in a fragment. The sentence should be written as “They (stem cells) can be used to study the human cell differentiation process, and therefore provide us an insight into the causes of genetic abnormalities and birth defects.”

Another mistake I make is with regards to pronoun reference. I tend to be unaware of the shifting in my pronoun. In my writing assignment 1, I wrote “They hold great potential to improve our lives. However, if it is misused, it can destroy our lives.” The corrected version should be“They hold great potential to improve our lives. However, if they are misused, they can destroy our lives.” In view of the above, I will remind myself to specifically look out for pronoun shifting in my future academic writings.

Lastly, I do not know the difference between a relative clause and a restrictive clause, or the significance of which versus that. I have been using them inter-changeably, until Ms Khoo pointed them out during the conferencing session. The following is an extract from my written assignment 2: “Since ESCR uses embryos which are less than 14 days old, the argument of ESCR being unethical is unsound and lacking.” Relative clause can only be applied in situations when the gist of the sentence still remains even after the removal of part of the sentence after the relative clause. In this specific example, the embryos used in ESCR must be less than 14 days old. If I remove the part of the sentence after which, the sentence does not make logical sense. Therefore, I should use a restrictive clause instead of a relative clause. The sentence should be written as “Since ESCR uses embryos that are less than 14 days old, the argument of ESCR being unethical is unsound and lacking.”

After making the attempt to identify and explain my common grammatical mistakes, I hope I will pay extra attention to them during my future writings.

Portfolio 4

For the upcoming writing assignment 2, my group decided to make an audacious attempt to tackle the largely debated stem cell research issue. In preparation for our round-table discussion, I read up a CSR congress report on stem cell research. The report does not contain the most updated information; nonetheless, it has provided me a brief introduction on what this debate is all about, who were the ones in favour or against stem cell research and their arguments supporting their respective stance. There is also a detailed write up on the former Bush administration’s policy on embryonic stem cell research and how advocates of embryonic stem cell research tried to push for changes then.

We started off our round-table discussion on the complex ethical issue facing stem cell research. One of the group members argued that stem cell research is considered morally wrong because it involves the killing of lives. During embryonic stem cell research, embryos are destroyed when the stem cells are extracted out. He maintained that since embryos contain the genetic makeup of human beings, they can be considered as human beings too. In refutation to that point, I argued that it is more meaningful to define the start of human life upon the formation of the nervous system, that is, when the embryo is 14 days old. Since embryonic stem cell research involves killing of embryos which are less than 14 days old, they cannot be considered as morally wrong. On a side note, we also realised that it will be better for us to simply focus on embryonic stem cell research because the other sub-division of stem cell research, adult stem cell research, is not so much of a contentious issue.

Another argument put forth against embryonic stem cell research is that embryonic stem cell research has yet to fulfil the promises it makes. Resources can be better used in other areas such as adult stem cell research where we have seen some of its applications in the medical field. However, our group came to a conclusion that we cannot condemn embryonic stem cell research just because it is less successful compared to adult stem cell research. While we acknowledge that the results of embryonic stem cell research is unpredictable and should not be overstated, we also realised that restricted policies and lack of federal funding contributed most to its slow growth. If we do not continue to develop embryonic stem cell research, we will not get the benefits if what may be if we encourage its development.



References
Johnson, J. A & Williams, E. (2004). CRS report for congress: stem cell research. Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/spp/civil/crs/RL31015.pdf

Portfolio Task 3

On 30^th January 2008, 3 distinguished guests each gave a talk regarding the environmental issues facing the world and how we can mitigate this problem. The first lecturer Prof. Andrew Palmer talked about global warming. He mentioned that in every second, we are emitting 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and what we should aim to achieve in present time is to stabilise carbon dioxide concentration at 500 parts per million. To work towards that aim, we can look at increasing fuel efficiency and conservation, and switching to alternative energy sources.

He also brought out an interesting technology that researchers and engineers are looking into: carbon capture and storage. Carbon dioxide can be stored under the ground, in depleted oil fields. Since we already have the infrastructure and technology, this solution looks feasible. He also mentioned storing carbon dioxide above the ocean beds which raised a few questions in my mind. Without doubt, high concentrations of carbon dioxide in the oceans will turn the water acidic, and there will be serious biological and ecological consequences. Not only that, carbonate ions in the water may interact with the air, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Hence this method may not be effective. Scientists and engineers have also come out with an idea of using a huge gigantic membrane to store carbon dioxide under water. However, calculations have shown that this method will not be very cost effective. A 10km length of membrane has the capacity to store only 2.2days of current global emission. Another problem that might arise is the possibility of leakage from the membrane. Platonic movements of the Earth, chemical and mechanical erosion of the membrane are considerations scientists and engineers ought to take before implementing this method.

The 2^nd guest speaker, Dr Sovacool, touched on using Science and Technology Studies (STS) to address the energy problem. Through case studies on renewable power source and the electric car, he argued that man’s inertia to change poised the greatest obstacle to overcome this problem. Hence he proposed using STS to evaluate societies’ response to new technologies aiming at mitigating the climate problem.

Last but not least, Prof. Bala briefly touched on the effects of global warming, of which some we are already facing today. Then, he proposed a few approaches that we can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He also emphasised the importance of governments breaking the inertia and taking the first step to reduce the threat of climate change. Personally, I do not find his lecture interesting as what he has mentioned is similar to the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”. On the other hand, I enjoyed the other 2 lectures as they have given me new insights into analysing and mitigating the climate problem.

Portfolio Task 2

How can policies of your government either contribute or help to reduce the problem of global warming

Global warming is a key problem faced by the world today. Carbon dioxide concentration in our atmosphere has reached levels we have never seen before. The Earth’s temperature rises accordingly because carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. In recent years, many parts of the world have experienced an increase in the number of natural disasters. For example, Japan clocked ten hurricanes in Year 2005, far exceeding its previous record of seven. Recent Hurricanes and typhoons became stronger due to this climate change, killing more people and causing massive destruction. In 2005, due to rising temperature of water bodies, Hurricane Katrina became so strong that it wiped out the whole of New Orleans. This problem of global warming is going to have an impact on everyone. Reducing this problem requires the collective effort from all nations. Hence, government policies play a huge role in tackling this problem.

The Singapore government has been taking proactive actions aiming at reducing greenhouse emissions. The National Environment Agency has launched various campaigns over the recent years to promote energy efficiency and conservation, and educating the public on energy saving practices. As most of our energy comes directly from the burning of fuels, reduction in energy consumption will result in lesser greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere. The main bulk of greenhouse gases emission comes from industries and automobiles. Shifting the focus of government policies to these two areas will reap favorable results. Green technology is very expansive; many industries are not willing to take on such practices as it is not financially viable. The government can give higher rebates and more incentives to companies and industries who invested in green technology so as to encourage them to take on a more vigorous approach towards reducing greenhouse gases emissions. Likewise, rebates and incentives such as lower road tax can be offered to owners of green cars. The government can also encourage construction of facilities such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refilling stations and workshops. Having more of such facilities bring much convenience to users, which in turn will encourage sales of these environmental friendly automobiles.

Apart from implementing domestic policies to reduce the problem of global warming, the government can take on a more proactive role to influence and encourage other countries to tackle the problem of global warming. Singapore has been an active member of the Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) ever since its formation in the last decade. Through using this regional portal, the Singapore government will be able to take up a leading role in collaborating with neighbouring countries on developing new technologies or implementing new guidelines. They could also provide technical advice and expertise to these countries to help them develop and implement green technologies. Every country should play their part in contributing to the clause. Policies made by the Singapore government should not focus just on domestic entities; it should also look at how it can be a regional or international player.

Ref: An Inconvenient Truth

Portfolio Task 1

Education plays a pivotal role in equipping the engineer with the ability to “systematically analyze complex information and apply a holistic approach in designing solutions.” In tertiary institutions such as the National University of Singapore, engineering undergraduates are taught the fundamental principles of calculus, physics and computing; so as to equip them with the basic knowledge to analyse engineering problems. Tutorials and examinations are designed to intrigue students to analyse problems and solve them systematically using the principles they have learnt. Furthermore, laboratory sessions are conducted to provide students hands-on experience. During each laboratory session, students are required to make detailed observations, analyse the results they obtained and suggest plausible solutions to the problems they faced.

We are now living in a globalised world, where education extends beyond the four walls of the classroom. Tertiary institutions ride along the globalisation wave and collaborated with institutions from different countries. Engineering students are encouraged to participate in the Student Exchange Program where they will spend a semester studying in a different country. This enables them to interact and exchange ideas with students and professors of the host institution, which in turn triggering the exploration of new methods into analysing and solving problems. Collaborations between tertiary institutions and industrial companies, both local and abroad, not only give engineering students an opportunity to experience working life, but also an opportunity to deal with real engineering problems. Students who have undergone this attachment program will be better equipped to meet the demands of the dynamic and sophisticated economy.

Practising engineers have undergone a vigorous tertiary education which focused on analytical and critical thinking. Such attributes are viewed with high importance for the growth of the economy at a whole. In recent years, an increasing number of engineers have deflected from the manufacturing and construction industries to the flourishing finance and banking sectors. Such that In the latest budget forum, Madam Halimah Yacob, Assistant Secretary General of National Trade Union Congress, pointed out that even though we are facing the worst ever recession since our independence, there is a silver lining for the manufacturing industry as it is an opportunity to recruit more engineers from the finance sector to drive the industry forward. There are never too many engineers for the economy.