Critical Reflection

"I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you've done and how you could be doing it better." - Elon Musk

This final entry into my blog reflects on the 12 weeks course I've had on effective communication and my takeaway from it.

My goal at the start of this course was to be able to speak up and portray myself more confidently. While I did successfully reduce my stutters and usage of filler words, there is always room for improvement.

"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said" - Peter Drucker.

One particular aspect that I would like to improve on is my non verbal communication. Body language, be it eye contact, gestures or facial expressions, all plays a vital role in communication. From the feedback I've received, I lack eye contact, meaningful gestures, and always carry myself with a serious demeanor. I plan to improve on it by implementing the various body language into my everyday conversation.

Teamwork makes the dream work, making to the presentation showcase was nothing short of a dream. I learnt that there is only so much an individual is able to do, and without teamwork, real success is unattainable. I would like to express my gratitude for my team as well as Ms Lim for her endless support and guidance throughout the whole duration of the course. Although the course may be coming to an end, the communication techniques learnt from this course will be imprinted in me for the rest of my life.

Final Technical Report

7. Evaluation

7.1 Safety Concerns

Plastic will be use for the holographic pyramid instead of the original glass material, and yellow rubber bumpers will be inserted around the sharp edges of the pyramid, posing as a warning of low headroom especially to taller commuters. This will reduce the impact in any case of an accident.

Figure 7.1 - Plastic Pyramid With Yellow Rubber Bumpers

7.2 Height Limitations

The holographic display of 0.8 metres in length, width, and height will be installed on the ceiling in the middle of the the bus with an average height of 3 metres and width of 2 metres.

Figure 7.2 - Illustration of Holographic Display Installed in Bus

Buses have relatively higher ceiling, therefore by installing this holographic display at the middle of the bus will,  a marginal space of 2.2 metres will be available for commuters to walk through without bumping onto the pyramid.

7.3 Costs

Manufacturing and implementation cost can be reduced after the beta-testing phase by bulk purchases and installations.

Advertisements can subsequently be introduced on the holographic display to offset the costs.

8. Methodology

8.1 Primary Research

An online survey for people from all walks of life in Singapore was created to identify the types of public transport, such as taxi, trains and buses, that they commute on a daily basis, as well as their experience on public transports especially during peak hours. Subsequently, responses from 30 respondents were received through this survey. Questions asked and its results are enclosed at appendix C and D respectively for your perusal.

8.2 Secondary Research

Online sources are cited to affirm our findings, such as the increasing ridership and the identified problem of commuter’s tendency to cram around the exit of the bus.

Analytical Reflection

On 2nd November 2017, my team and I presented about our idea of a Holographic System to the class. This blog post relates to the feedback that I have received from my presentation and my reflection on it.

Thinking back, I felt that I could have done much better in my presentation. While I did manage to get the point across, I did not do so in a smooth manner. The nervousness got the better of me and I struggled to get my words articulated out properly. This will leave a negative impression of me on the audience as it will seem that I am unprepared for the presentation.

I was told in the feedback that I looked serious while presenting as I did not smile much. I feel that this is an important flaw of mine that I need to work on more. Having a stern looking face isn’t necessary beneficial in any way when presenting, and I aim to avoid showing that in my presentation. It may seem to the audience that I am unfriendly and unapproachable, and this will have a bad impression of me and my presentation. To overcome this issue, I need to look more enthusiastic in my presentation and this can be done by varying my tone on top of smiling.

I was also told that I changed my stance frequently nearing the end of my presentation. While I did keep a mental note for myself to stand firm and have a proper stance at the start of my presentation, the nervousness got the better of me again and I subconsciously changed my stance.

After identifying my flaws above, I hope to learn from valuable experience gained from this mock presentation and improve on my presentation skills with the final presentation impending.

Technical Report Draft 1

Evaluation

Possible Challenges	Counter - Solution
Reasons for replacing current information and advertising boards to holographic displays	Advancing into a futuristic smart nation, and to also counter the problem of visual obstruction from certain angles
Reason for an accompanying mobile application	According to our surveys, most commuters will be on their phone most of the time, therefore, the application will prompt the user to look up to the holographic display if there is a message. This way, The message will overlap whatever the user is doing on the phone.
The ability to getting people to use the mobile application	With the benefits of free Wi-Fi given to the commuters, they would be required to input their necessary data into the mobile application, and thus granting access to use the Wi-Fi.
People that have no mobile phone or difficulties with using the mobile application / connecting to the Wi-Fi	For commuters who have no mobile phone, they are able to be entertained by the holographic projections of advertisements and when they want to alight, they can look out for the light to follow the other commuters who are alighting. As for the commuters who have difficulties using the mobile application or connecting to the Wi-Fi, in-app tutorials and holographic advertisements on how to connect to the system.
Will this idea result to having commuters paying a higher travel fare?	This will not be a major factor affecting the travel fare. Costs will be break even with advertising revenues.

Methods/Procedure

According to a government survey, majority of the Singaporeans take public transport on a regular basis. Therefore, we aim to resolve any prominent problems commuters face. However, public transport can be in many forms for example taxi, bus, train.  Hence, we created a survey for Singaporeans from all walks of life to identify the types of public transport they take. We found out that most of the Singaporeans take bus and train to their destination. We then further probe on the problems they face while taking the public transport.

After the survey is done, from the data we collected, we further improvised our idea to cater to the needs of the commuters.

Once we have finalized our idea, we will send our proposal to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as they are the target audience for our proposal.

Reader Response Final Draft

According to "Duo turn plastic waste into a concrete idea", (Goy, 2016) states that experts have discovered an ecological way of producing carbon nanotubes through the conversion of plastic waste. (Goy, 2016) further asserts that the carbon nanotubes can be used to amplify the strength of concrete as they are versatile, durable, light and great conductors of electricity. However, the usage of carbon nanotubes is rare due to its high cost and production of harmful gases during the process of recycling. Technology company BlueRen uses another mineral that is more ecological as the catalyst to transform plastic into carbon nanotubes.

Wong Chun Ling, co-founder of technology company BlueRen, believes that with their discovery, BlueRen edges closer to their objective of commercializing carbon nanotubes and alleviating Singapore’s plastic waste issue. BlueRen’s approach allows 1,000 tonnes of carbon nanotubes to be produced from every 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste, which results in a 10 percent yield. BlueRen was awarded the DBS Foundation Social Enterprise grant which will be used to produce a prototype.

While (Goy, 2016) did mention the point that carbon nanotubes have the capability of amplifying the strength of concrete, Goy failed to elaborate on the environmental impact producing carbon nanotubes may cause.

There are many products that contains carbon nanotubes, with sporting goods like tennis racket being an example. While it might look like there are little risk to consumer using products containing carbon nanotubes, toxicologists are worried that there might be a health risk for workers involved in the production of carbon nanotubes.

(Greenemeier, 2008) states that studies have shown breathing in carbon nanotubes could share the same health impact as breathing in asbestos. (Greenemeier, 2008) further reveals that carbon nanotube’s thin and long fibers are found to be identical to asbestos. (World Health Organisation, 2017) states that around 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at their workplace and about half of the deaths from occupational cancer are supposedly caused by asbestos. Asbestos fibers have been proven to cause mesothelioma, a deadly lung cancer. this had resulted in a ban of asbestos fibers in insulations of building.

With the fibers’ similarities in mind, it is believed that carbon nanotube could also cause mesothelioma. (Queen’s Medical Research Institute, 2016) proved the theory by exposing lab mice to needle-thin nanotubes. The result of the experiment shown that the inside lining of the mice body cavity became inflamed and formed lesions known as granulomas.

With BlueRen’s intention on amplifying the strength of concrete with carbon nanotubes, it is necessary to take into consideration the serious health implication that may arise with it. Workers exposed to carbon nanotubes may suffer similar effects to those exposed to asbestos. As such, it is paramount that carbon nanotubes do not follow the footsteps of asbestos.

To conclude, with carbon nanotubes being projected to grow in the global market due to its impressive properties, further research on the environmental hazard and safe practices of carbon nanotubes must be carried out until proven that it is safe for production.

References:

Priscilla Goy (2016, January 11). “Duo turn plastic waste into a concrete idea”

Retrieved from

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/duo-turn-plastic-waste-into-a-concrete-idea

Larry Greenemeier (2008, May 20). Scientific American, “Study says Carbon Nanotubes as Dangerous as Asbestos”
Retrieved from
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carbon-nanotube-danger/

The Univeristy of Edinburgh (2016, Apr 14). “Carbon nanotube health hazard”
Retrieved from
http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/all-news/carbon-nanotubes

Nanotech Project (2008, May 19), “Caron Nanotubes that look like Asbestos, Behave like Asbestos”
Retreived from
http://www.nanotechproject.org/news/archive/mwcnt/

BioMed Central (2016, Nov 26). “Are carbon nanotubes the next Asbestos?’
Retreived from
http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/on-health/2014/11/26/are-carbon-nanotubes-the-next-asbestos/

World Health Organisation (2017, Aug), “Asbestos: elimination of asbestos-related diseases”
Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs343/en/

Reader Response Draft 2

According to "Duo turn plastic waste into a concrete idea", (Goy 2016), states that experts have discovered an ecological way of producing carbon nanotubes through the conversion of plastic waste.  Along with the reduction of cement, plastic waste can be reused as the carbon materials can be used to amplify the strength of concrete. Carbon nanotubes are versatile as they do not weigh much and are durable. They are also great conductors of electricity. Despite its advantages, the usage of carbon nanotubes are rare due to its high cost and production of harmful gases during the process of recycling. Technology company BlueRen, uses another mineral that is more ecological as the catalyst to transform plastic into hydrocarbon gases which results in the formation of carbon nanotubes.

In the article by Goy, Wong Chun Ling, co-founder of technology company BlueRen, states that with their discovery, BlueRen edges closer to their objective of commercializing carbon nanotubes and alleviating Singapore’s plastic waste issue. BlueRen’s approach allows 1,000 tonnes of carbon nanotubes to be produced from every 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste, which results in a 10 percent yield. BlueRen was awarded the coveted grant by DBS Foundation Social Enterprise. The grant will be used to produce a prototype.

Thesis Statement: It is important to think of technologies like the recycling of plastic waste into carbon nanotubes, however, it is also important to take into consideration the environmental hazard it may come with.

While the article "Duo turn plastic waste into a concrete idea" did mention the point that carbon nanotubes have the capability of amplifying the strength of concrete, are versatile, durable and weigh less. The article failed to elaborate on the environmental impact producing carbon nanotubes might cause.

There are many products in the current market that uses carbon nanotubes, with sporting goods like tennis racket being an example. While it might look like there are little risk to consumer using products containing carbon nanotubes, toxicologists are worried that there might be a health risk for workers involved in the production of carbon nanotubes.

Studies have shown that breathing in carbon nanotubes could share the same health impact as breathing in asbestos. Carbon nanotube’s thin and long fibers are found to be identical to asbestos. According to an article published by World Health Organisation, around 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at their workplace and about half of the deaths from occupational cancer are supposedly caused by asbestos. Asbestos fibers have been proven to cause mesothelioma, a deadly lung cancer, this had resulted in a ban of asbestos fibers in insulations of building. 

With the fibers’ similarities in mind, it is believed that carbon nanotube could also cause mesothelioma. Reseachers from Queen’s Medical Research Institute supported the theory by exposing lab mice to needle-thin nanotubes. The result of the experiment showed that the inside lining of the mice body cavity became inflamed and formed lesions known as granulomas.

To conclude, with carbon nanotubes being projected to grow in the global market due to its impressive properties, further research on the environmental hazard and safe practices of carbon nanotubes must be carried out until proven that it is safe for production.

References:

Priscilla Goy (11 January 2016), The Straits Times, “Duo turn plastic waste into a concrete idea”

Retrieved from

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/duo-turn-plastic-waste-into-a-concrete-idea

Larry Greenemeier (20 May 2008), Scientific American, “Study says Carbon Nanotubes as Dangerous as Asbestos”
Retrieved from
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carbon-nanotube-danger/

 The Univeristy of Edinburgh (14 Apr 2016), “Carbon nanotube health hazard”
Retrieved from
http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/all-news/carbon-nanotubes

(19 May 2008), “Caron Nanotubes that look like Asbestos, Behave like Asbestos”
Retreived from
http://www.nanotechproject.org/news/archive/mwcnt/

(26 Nov 16), “Are carbon nanotubes the next Asbestos?’
Retreived from
http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/on-health/2014/11/26/are-carbon-nanotubes-the-next-asbestos/

World Health Organisation (Aug 2017), “Asbestos: elimination of asbestos-related diseases”
Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs343/en/

Summary + Thesis Statement

Experts have discovered an ecological way of producing carbon nanotubes through the conversion of plastic waste.  Along with the reduction of cement, plastic waste can be reused as the carbon materials can be used to amplify the strength of concrete. Carbon nanotubes are versatile as they do not weigh much and are durable. They are also great conductors of electricity. Despite its advantages, the usage of carbon nanotubes are rare due to its high cost and production of harmful gases during the process of recycling. Technology company BlueRen, uses another mineral that is more ecological as the catalyst to transform plastic into hydrocarbon gases which results in the formation of carbon nanotubes.

According to Goy(2016), Wong Chun Ling states that with their discovery, BlueRen edges closer to their objective of commercializing carbon nanotubes and alleviating Singapore’s plastic waste issue. BlueRen’s approach allows 1,000 tonnes of carbon nanotubes to be produced from every 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste, which results in a 10 percent yield. BlueRen was awarded the coveted grant by DBS Foundation Social Enterprise. The grant will be used to produce a prototype.

Priscilla Goy (11 January 2016),The Straits Times. “Duo turn plastic waste into a concrete idea”  

Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/duo-turn-plastic-waste-into-a-concrete-idea

Thesis Statement: It is important to think of technologies like the recycling of plastic waste into carbon nanotubes, however, it is also important to take into consideration the environmental hazard it may come with.

My Strength and Weakness in Communication

Chai Yong Jian
3 Emirates Road
Blk 420, #03-30

13 September 2016

Ms Lim Lay Hoon
Professor

Singapore Institute of Technology

10 Dover Drive

Singapore 138682

Dear Ms. Lim,

Subject: My Strength and Weakness in Communication 

I am writing you this letter to share with you more about my background, strength, weakness and the goal that I have in mind.

My name is Chai Yong Jian, and I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic with a Diploma in Clean Energy. I am currently pursuing a degree in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services) in Singapore Institute of Technology. 

I consider my strength in communications to be an active listener. I believe that someone who possesses good communication skills must not only be able to speak well, but also to listen well. During my time as a National Serviceman, I served in the Special Investigation Branch. I had to conduct interviews with a multitude of serviceman, from all walks of life. At times, I had to undertake cases involving self-harm and suicidal ideation of serviceman. I discovered that most serviceman involved in such cases just needed someone to talk to. Thus, I provided them my listening ear, considered their weight, and returned advices accordingly.

My weakness is my inability to express myself properly. Being an introvert, I tend to shy away from conversations unless circumstances requires me to do so. As a result, when faced with situations where I have to speak, I tend to get nervous, causing me to stutter and use filler words frequently. Although my experience in the Special Investigation Branch taught me how to better present myself, I still find myself greatly lacking in that aspect. My stuttering and usage of filler words, though reduced, are still present.

As such, my goal for the end of this module is to be able to speak up and portray myself more confidently. I have faith that the invaluable skills attained here will be able to fix my wrongs and improve my rights, and help me achieve my goals in life.

Yours sincerely,



Chai Yong Jian (Mr)
SIE2016/SEM6