(I) Plenary sessions [Day 1]
(A) My key learning points from each session:
1. Importance of Water - Dirty and Clean
The first plenary session taught me that the Singapore River had bad waters that caused diseases such as fever and that some pollutants that bother us are the smell of water, infectious diseases and also chronic health diseases. We also need to expand industry meeting urgent needs of the growing human population.
2. Revolution of Microelectronics and Technology
The second plenary session taught me that Singapore has good business opportunities for Technologies as it is at the heart of Asia. The first ever freely programmable computer was invented in the 1936 and it had only one transistor in its Integrated circuit. But now, the Integrated circuits in our computers consists of many transistors.
3. Biomedical Engineering and Technology
The third plenary session taught me that with the same volume, when we make things smaller, it will have more energy, which is why nano-technologies are better. The different impurities will also affect the colours of the jewelery, which are part of nano-technologies.
4. IT for Animation
The forth plenary session taught me that "The Lion King" was the first ever traditional film produced with the aid of computer and also the first 2D film produced, which cost US$45 million, which is more expensive than the first 3D film "Toy Story", which costs US$30 million. 2D films are much more expensive than 3D ones as they are more labour-intensive.
5. Disappearing glaciers, rising sea levels and why gravity is even more important than you think
The fifth plenary session taught me that Geodesists measure the shape and size of the Earth, its gravity and how these things change overtime. With space-based technique, they can now measure these things in great detail.
(B) Deepest Impression...
The plenary session that leaves the deepest impression on me is the third plenary session which is on Biomedical Engineering and Technology as it taught me on how nano-technology is applied in our daily lives, for example, our macbook uses many nano-technologies to make the computer so compact and small.
(II) My Personal Reflection [Day 3]
1. I chose this project because I found distillation quite interesting but at the same time, quite hard to understand as well, so I was hoping this project would help me understand it better.
2. My role in the group is basically the person who records down the results of our experiment, and makes the presentation slides and half of the presentation script. So I am something like the secretary of the group, I guess...
3. Some of the challenges we encounter when working in this project in the last 2 days is that some people may slack when we are busy doing work, so we would have to assign them some work to do if they do not volunteer to do the work.
4. Through this project, I discovered that working with people I did not really know at first could enable me to know more people and even become closer with them.
5. As an individual, I have learnt more about group work, which is the importance of splitting up our jobs. I have befitted in a way that I now know more about distillation and how a distillation column is in the industry.
6. Although I do not aspire to be an engineer at this point, but I will consider taking up an engineer course when it is time to go to a university and I will probably join NTU.
