Portfolio 6 - Clean Water Flowing At Pun Pun Organic Farm

According to Tim (2008), many countries such Thailand, have difficulties in accessing clean water due to the heavy use of toxic pesticides. In Pun Pun Farm, although there is a stream that runs through it, the stream is contaminated by other farms with carcinogenic cocktail of pesticide.

In order to survive, Pun Pun residents have no choice but to purchase clean water from outside. This solution is a burden to them in the financial aspect. Despite their poverty stricken condition, purchasing of clean landed them even poorer and their living condition can never be improved.

In February 2008, Pun Pun Farm received aid from Aqueous Solutions. Pun Pun Farm was chosen to try out the new water filtration system, which is able to provide clean water to the residents by removing toxic chemicals from the stream. This system is low-cost in providing clean water as the only ingredient needed is none other than charcoal.

However, the water achieved from the system needs to be tested for safety first before consumption. If the system is proven to provide clean water, it will be built throughout Thailand, sponsor by Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation. Having this inexpensive technology, the residents in Thailand, not just the Pun Pun residents will be able to access clean according to their needs without worries.

In brief, Pun Pun residents will still have to purchase clean water from outside till the technology is proven. However, at least their hope is turning into reality and when the technology is proven; they will be able to improve their living standards with the removal of financial burden from the purchasing of clean water.

Reference:
Clean water flowing at Pun Pun Farm (Tim Patterson, Director of Outreach) 19 April, 2008
[Online Document] Retrieved November 1, 2008, from
http://www.aqsolutions.org/?p=59

Portfolio 5 - Researcher of Mind Mapping Device

Being a researcher of the brain mapping device, it is often a worrying matter that the discovery of mine will result to unethical abuses. It is therefore significant for me to predict the areas of usage of this device and create preventions for it. The areas of potential unethical abuses for the brain mapping device include the testing of children, testing of employee and the storing of a patient’s brain scan data.

Firstly, it is an unethical abuse to use the brain mapping device on children. By deciding the child’s fate based on the brain scan data, it is unfair to the child himself or herself. A talent in a child does not mean an interest to him or her. Parents should let their children to develop their own interest and help them to build their dreams to success. Therefore, brain scan should not be used on children to determine their fate, which is unfair to them; any areas of skills can be trained.

Secondly, it is also unethical to use the device on employee. Using the case of Nancy (Ethics and mapping the brain, Lou Marano), she was fired due to the brain scan showing that she is familiar to assault rifles. Despite her qualifications and skills, because of the brain scan results, she was rejected. Although assault rifle is familiar to Nancy, it does not mean she will do any harm. Thus, employer should not use the brain scan device to determine their chosen employees.

Thirdly, storing patient’s brain scan data is unethical. If the brain scan is used to help for treatment of brain related diseases, then it is forgivable. If after the treatment is done, and the brain scan data of the patient is still stored, then it might be considered as intruding the privacy of the patient. A brain scan data consists of all the information of a person. Therefore, the device should not be used to store a patient’s brain scan data, but to erase them after using it to treat brain related diseases.

From the three areas of discussion, they show the areas of potential unethical abuses. By knowing the areas of abuses, I can then set up preventions to them. In brief, the device should not be abused and I can approach the government to set laws and regulations to allow places such as hospitals to use them only.

Portfolio 4 - What difficulties do you have writing in your engineering classes?

After entering into university, I find certain difficulties in writing and adapting in engineering classes. Taking “CS1101C” as the discussion module for difficulties faced in engineering class; the reasons for difficulties are no background knowledge of the subject, too much variation in programming and insufficient time for practise. Firstly, I find it hard to adapt to the module as I do not have any background knowledge on C programming. Although the lecture pace is neither fast nor slow, the level of understanding needs to be high in order to excel in the subject. Thus in order to improve, I always read up the lecture notes before hand to get a brief knowledge of the upcoming lecture and clarify any doubts with the tutor after the lecture. Secondly, the reason for the difficulties is that there is too much variation in programming. When doing a program using the system, a program can be created through different standard of codes. Therefore, I am often unsure what the mistakes in a hand written program are. In order to improve, I often try to understand the written program by solving it like a maths question to find out the possible errors. Also, I will try to think of as many ways as possible how a program can be created and clarify with tutor for any uncertainties. Thirdly, due to the insufficient free time as lessons are quite packed, I often do not have much time to practise programming. As such, I will try to practise during my weekends to improve on the subject. Furthermore, I will try to organise my own timetable and find time for practise. In brief, to excel in a subject, we have much to do such as well organised timeslot, self-study and frequent practise.

Portfolio 3 - Solar Power to Rule in 20 Years, Futurists Say

According to futurist and inventor, solar power will be the paramount source of energy in twenty years time for people’s need. Looking at the current situation, we need almost ten thousands times more sunlight to meet the energy needs of all people and technology is improving tremendously in capturing this solar energy annually. This favourable output is based on Kurzweil’s Law of Accelerating Returns. Currently almost ninety nine percent of the energy supplied around the world is from fossil fuels, which can cause rapid depletion of resources. However, engineers are working hard in creating nano-engineered based solar panels to capture solar energy more efficiently. Furthermore, they are also working in achieving the economical state for solar energy to be comparable with fossil fuels. With the aid of information technology advancement, solar energy technologies improve to a great extent due to the ability of precise measurement and linkage with the Law of Accelerating Returns. With reference from Kurzweil, the usage of solar energy by the world will hit hundred percent in twenty years time. Also, apart from information technology, there are other technologies such as solar concentrators to aid in the efficiency of capturing solar energy. The solar concentrators are able to store large amount of energy in a nano-engineered cell, which can later distribute throughout the world with ease for people’s need. Therefore, the challenge of capturing this solar energy is significant to engineers as solar energy will be the long-term supply energy in future.

Live Science, "Solar Power to Rule in 20 Years, Futurists Say," [Online document] 10 February 2008. http://www.livescience.com/environment/080219-kurzweil-solar.html.

Portfolio 2 - SVA

In essay writing, grammar is always the essence of a flawless assignment. Despite having valid points and outstanding vocabulary usage, minor grammatical mistakes can ruin an otherwise beautiful piece of essay. One of the most common grammar mistake made by me is the subject-verb-agreement. Subject-verb-agreement is to know whether the subject is singular or plural and recognising a singular or plural verb. There are several points to take note for self improvement in this area.

Firstly, sometimes the pronoun is the subject of a verb in the middle of the sentence. The pronoun becomes singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of them. Thus, we will have to use the corresponding verb for the noun.

Secondly, dealing with words that indicate portions of an item, we need to look at the noun in the phrase to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, a singular verb will be used and vice versa. In short, the verb that we use need to correspond to the noun instead of the portions stated.

Last but not least, in certain cases, the subject is separated from the verb in a sentence. In such cases, we have to ignore the expressions that separate the subject and the verb in order to determine a singular or plural verb is to be used. Thus, we have to remember the subject we have written at the beginning of the sentence to avoid such mistake.

In conclusion, we have to be careful when dealing with such grammatical mistakes. We have to take note on the subject or the noun that we are writing to implement the correct verb use. Such skills will take time to adopt through practices to achieve a good writing habit.

Practice for Portfolio 2(Grammar - SVA)

The Uses if Science - an Opinion

Science is important to most people living in the modern world for a number of reasons. One of the major reasons 1.are that science is important to world peace and understanding, to the understanding of technology, and to our understanding of the natural world. Science is also an interesting area of study. Some areas of science 2.is especially interesting because they deal with questions all men and women ask themselves. Scientists try to provide some explanations for what 3.happen to people.

Science is important to world peace in many ways. On one hand, scientists have helped to develop many of the modern tools of war. On the other hand, they have also helped to keep the peace through study and research which 4.have improved life for people everywhere. In our time, scientists have been able to help us understand the problem of supplying the world with enough energy. They have begun to develop a number of solutions to the energy problem, using energy from the sun and from the atom, for example, 5.are one. Scientists have also analyzed the world’s resources. We are going to have to share the resources we have, and we can begin to do this with the knowledge that 6.are provided to us by science.

Science is also important to everyone who 7.get affected by modern technology. Many of the things that 8.makes our lives easier and better are the result of advances in technology. Almost everything in the world 9.have been improved or changed in the last hundred years as a result of technology. While some people would ask whether all these changes are good, it is still true that technology 10.affect all of us. And, if the present patterns continue, technology will affect us even more in the future than it does now. In some cases, such as the technology for taking salt out of ocean water, technology may be essential to our lives on earth. In order to understand the modern world and developments in it in the next century, an understanding of science and technology 11.are necessary.

The study of science also provides us with an understanding of the natural world. Scientists are learning to predict such things as earthquakes. This may someday help to save hundreds of lives. Scientists are also continuing to study many other natural events such as storms of various kinds. Scientists are also studying people. They are trying to understand not only what makes people human, but also the things that affect people such as illness. They are studying various other aspects of human biology, also. The study of the natural world by scientists and by students of science help to make the world easier to understand. It has also saved many lives, and 12.improves life for many people all over the world.

Some of the things one 13.study in a science course are extremely interesting questions about people and their lives. Some of these questions are: what are men and women, essentially? What information 14.help us to understand all people better? What information explains where human beings 15.comes from and why they act the way they do? These are all questions that interest scientists and that, when answered, will surely have an effect on our lives.

One of the reasons science is hard to study is that there are so many questions without answers. Much of science 16.involve asking questions, and then studying and doing research to try to find the answers. Some questions have been studied by research scientists for many years and the answers are still not known. However, scientists are slowly but surely able to answer more and more questions about life, and these answers change our lives and also 17.explains them.

All of the many different kinds of science 18.is important and interesting. Scientists are asking and answering many interesting and important questions about people and their lives. A basic knowledge of science 19.enable you to understand both the questions and the answers. In the modern world, this ability 20.are essential for everyone.

Passage taken from: Alice Horning, 1988. The Uses of Science-an Opinion in Readings in Contemporary Culture. McGraw-Hill. (Central Lib. PE1128 Hor)

Answers and explanations:

1. is - One of the major reasons is that science is important

2. are - Some areas of science are especially interesting

3. happens - the what means general, which is singular

4. has - keep the peace through study and research which has improved life

5. is - for example (only one solution is stated)

6. is - with the knowledge that is provided

7. gets - important to everyone who gets affected

8. make - Many of the things make our life easier

9. has - Almost everything in the world has improved

10. affects - still true that technology affects all of us

11. is - an understanding of science and technology is necessary

12. improve -It has also saved many lives, and improves life

13. studies - Some of the things one studies in a science course

14. helps - What information helps us

15. come - What information explains where human beings come from

16. involves - Much of science involves (Much is uncountable, therefore use singular verb)

17. explain - these answers change our lives and explain them

18. are - many different kinds of science are important

19. enables - A basic knowledge of science enables you to understand

20. is - this ability is essential for everyone

Portfolio 1 - Grand Challenges for Engineering

Looking at the current situation of the world, the “even distribution of engineers’ inventions” as mentioned in article one will be paramount to the profession. Many third world countries still lack the technologies to counteract the ongoing threats due to insufficient funds and knowledge. Engineers should distribute their inventions around the world to achieve global stability which is the utmost essence for the long run in civilization.

The invention of the NEWater system in Singapore can be shared with countries such as Thailand that lack clean water for consumption. With regards to the recent earthquake in Si Chuan, Japan can assist by imparting its knowledge on the infrastructure of their buildings as they are able to withstand the tremors of earthquakes to a great extent. Also, as America is well-known for their medical inventions against various lethal viruses and diseases, such vaccines can be dispersed to countries such as Africa for them to achieve health stability.

Although the even distribution of such invention is important, it requires large amount of funds to carry out the process. Thus countries should assist one another to achieve global stability against incoming threats. Such investments will benefit the world as a whole in the long run.