(V) Reflections

Reflection: Day 1 (Jonathan)



  1. Plenary Sessions [Day 1]
  1. My key learning points from each session...
  1. Importance of Water- Dirty and Clean
I learnt that despite economic growth, there is an irony as much money is still spent on trying to get clean water and dirty water has impacts both societal and environmental. I also learnt that with technology will come good water as $9000 billion may be spent on trying to get clean water.
  1. Revolution of Microelectronics Technology
I learnt that electronics will be present in the future and currently, has may uses in entertainment and more. Integrated circuits will have many uses in Bio, Radio, Auto, Info, Nano, Water, Audio, Video and Energy which would create more opportunities for innovation as the government has spent more money on semi-conductors in electronics. THis would be important as Asia would be the focal point for trade in the future. This would probably create many more opportunities in both jobs and innovations.
  1. Biomedical Engineering & Technology
I learnt a very important concept- Smaller size for fixed volume= Larger surface area which would results in more “space” to include more things or more energy. I also learnt that there are 2 ways to create things “nanoly” bottom up and up down. I also learnt that nano-technology was in the past before I was even born and it has potential in the present and the future as it can create better and stronger things in cheaper and cheaper ways that is and will be better than many products that have been created. Just like storing the entire Library of Congress in a device the size of an ice cube or having a material that is stronger than steel by 10 times.
  1. IT for Animation
I learnt that in animation that there is mainly 3 types, 3D(Avatar), 2D(many anime) and Stop Motion(ADMT project). I also learnt that many things are required in 3D animation like Geometric modeling, Calculus and Physics which I had not expected to be applied in Animation. I also learnt that 1) Identifying and Analyzing a problem, then 2) Providing an effective solution requires passion and determination to solve the problem, just like long-term research. 
  1. Disappearing glaciers, rising sea levels, and why gravity is even more important than you think.
Even though this plenary session was the shortest, I believed that I benefited from it. One important point I learnt that Sea Level rise will vary and it is affected by many things like Glaciers which affect through 2 ways- Self-attraction (Gravitational Attraction) and loading. Which is basically like affecting one area and when the glacier melts, the reverse happens.  However, I doubt sea levels will rise much even though there was data given. I doubt it as it does not show all the sea levels data from every location in the world which would allow us to easily see the things that are happening in the world. Maybe, this is why there are still scientists who are still skeptical of the thing called climate change.

B.Deepest impression...
The plenary session that left the deepest impression on me was Biomedical Engineering & Technology by Prof Ma Jan, School of Materials Science & Engineering. This was so as I am interested in biotechnology and it’s effects. What I liked about it was that the Professor tried to be engaging and furthermore, nanotechnology applied has a large potential and it has reinforced the image I had after attending a sort of “open house” by IBN last year. What amazed me the most was that that it has so many uses in the Past, Present and Future. Even before I was born, Mother Nature had already applied Nano-technology in her creations. It was really enriching and engaging at the same time. Thus, it left the deepest impression in me out of all the plenary sessions.

Done by: Jonathan Soh (20) S-201


(II) My personal Reflection (Day 2/3)

1. I chose this project because I have an interest in biology and its workings.
2. My role in the group is sort of a "instructor" as I help others to complete some tasks like knowing how to use the micro-pipette for example.
3. Challenges I/we encountered when working on this project in the last 2 days was getting to see the specimens on the slides and we required the help of the student helper to overcome these challenges.
4. Through this project, I/we discover that I really had a interest for biology and technology through this course.
5. As an individual, I benefited through ways like learning how to use a large light microscope/fluorescence microscope which I had never tried before and also learned how to stain slides to view under microscopes.
6. My aspirations is to learn more in the field of biology as I have an interest in it and its workings and useful applications in the lives of mankind.





Plenary Sessions - Reflection ( Joshua Ma )

(A) My key learning points from each section...

1. Importance of Water - Dirty and Clean
The first key point is to not take our clean water for granted as in many other places, others do not have this liberty where they are at risk of getting cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery and diarrhoea. Another key point is learning about the augmenting of limited resources where there is use of technology to breach barriers, and where there are membranes for water reclamation and desalination.

2. Revolution of Microelectronics and Technology
The first key point is about the importance of R&D and that Singapore is focusing on it and also that Asia has become a focal point for electronic companies. Secondly, electronics is pervasive, enabling many other features besides just our entertainment. Lastly, there are the 9 types of integrated circuit - bio, radio, auto, info, nano, water = hydro = H2O, audio, video and finally, energy = mc^2 = mc^two.

3. Innovative breakthroughs in Nano-Science and Nano-Technology
Firstly, we learnt the definition of a larger surface area which is a smaller size for a fixed volume. Also, we learnt about a two different technologies with Nano-materials, namely, white light illumination and also UV illumination. Lastly, Nano-technology had already been created before men, by Mother Earth.

4. IT for Animation
Firstly, geometric modelling requires a few topics in maths including geometry for the points, lines, surfaces, and solids, calculus, for the limits, functions, derivatives and integrals and to help light up a scene, and lastly, the laws of physics where it helps with the dynamics of fire, water and fabric movement. Also, there are three main types of animation, namely, stop-motion, 3D and 2D, where all are tedious and 2D costs more than 3D.

5. Disappearing glaciers, rising sea levels, and why gravity is even more important than you think
Firstly, sea level rise varies in different areas as when glaciers are not melted at first, water is drawn to them due to self-attraction and therefore, when they melt, water will then increase more in tropical areas as sea-level rise will be highest farthest from the glacier when it melts. Secondly, there is also difficulty in measuring the melting of glaciers as it is only possible to measure a few glaciers from the ground.

(B) Deepest impression...

The plenary session that leaves the deepest impression on me is "Disappearing glaciers, rising sea levels, and why gravity is even more important than you think" as it shows me how it could really affect Singapore as a tropical country when glaciers melt and also, what I liked about it was being able to see the video about how Earth actually changed in mass over the span of seven years especially since it included the monsoon season showing how it affects Earth's mass at different areas of the Earth.

I chose this project as I felt biology was pretty fascinating to me compared to the other projects and this project seemed very useful as it has application in life.
My role in the group is being the one with all the resources - handbook, project manual etc and I take on more of a 'follower' role whereby when others tell me to do a specific task I will do it.
Challenges we encountered when working on this project in the last 2 days was that we were unable to find and get good pictures of the specimen at times when we changed the magnification, requiring the student leader's help.
Through this project I discovered that biology is really much more than I know it to be, having been exposed to the bio lab in SST only.
As an individual, I benefited through ways like having the experience of using facilities new to me, and studying cancer cells up close.
My aspiration is to find out more about biology and hopefully, being able to experience using new (to me) scientific equipment/facilities in the process.


Plenary Sessions - Reflection (Jing Jie)


  1. Plenary Sessions [Day 1]
  1. Key Learning Points
  1. Importance of Water - Dirty and Clean
In the world today, people are taking the availability of clean and fresh WATER for granted. One of the main key takeaway point is that clean water is scarce in the world. There are more pollutions nowadays, which leads to the increase of infectious diseases, chronic health risks and environmental degration. Hence, water is being compromised due to these pollutions and there are waterborne diseases. Singapore is aimed to be the Urban Catchments, where there are Eco-Cities around. With the new technology, there would be measurements taken to conquer it such as NEWater. As there are more than a billion people with no access to fresh water, this problem is severe.
  1. Revolution of Microelectronics Technology
I would like to highlight one of the most inspiring key learning point, which is the Integrated Circuit. The Integrated Circuit has sub-elements that forms it up, which is BRAINWAVE.
B- Bio
R- Radio
A- Auto
I- Info
N- Nano
W- Water(H20)
A- Audio
V- Video
E- Energy
This shows that the use of microelectronics technology is forthcoming and being put to use today.
  1. Biomedical Engineering & Technology
Electrons and Atoms
  1. IT for Animation by Prof Seah Hock Soon
IT stands for Information Technology and it can be used in many different aspects, in our daily life. However, in this talk, its focus is on Animation itself. Actually, things we learn in school and what we usually like are all linked to IT for Animation. To talk about a few examples, to point out one of the subjects in school, it would be Mathematics. Mathematics can utilise animation to help students learn better, by maybe showing different views of an object. Besides that, Animation is also used in things like movies and games which is something teens can relate to. Animations could also be done in 2D and 3D.
  1. Disappearing glaciers, rising sea levels, and why gravity is even more important than you think
Sea-level will not be the same everywhere, due to self-attraction and loading. 
The plenary session that leaves the deepest impression on me is
What I like about it is
  1. Personal Reflection on Project [Day 3]
I choose this project because I had a strong and keen interest in looking and observing the different kinds of cells and tissues and also in doing experiments with regards to hands-on activities. I have a passion in this aspect of Biology, which is making detailed observation of the cells itself in terms of its structure, behaviour and movements. Hence, when I first saw this project, I show a strong inclination towards it and chose it.
My role in this group is to play a part as a team member where we work in teams and participate actively. When doing the experiments, I was mainly the timekeeper which keep track of all the timings and also contributed vastly in the completion of experimental activities. When it comes to the documentation of the group’s work, I was mainly the one who try to involve discussions in the group. The blog was also created by me and I tried my best to split up the work fairly.
We as a group, when working on this project in the last two days, encountered a few challenges. Firstly, when working on the experiment, we had a hard time working with the microscope and we were not able to find the right focus so as to view the specimen clearly, even after a few attempts. Fortunately, with the help of the student leaders, we successfully overcame this challenge and was able to view the cells clearly and sharply. Secondly, I encountered 
Through this project, 
As an individual, I felt that I have grown in many different areas after the NTU-SST flagship programme. To begin with, I am now better equipped with the right hands-on skills and experimental concepts through the activities planned out for us. Although I made some minor errors in between, I learned from them which allowed me to grasp these skills better. Besides that, I also grew in my own personal knowledge as I was exposed to things I had no interaction with before. For example, we worked on liver tissues today, which was a new thing to me as I had never worked with it before, and allowed me to reach out to new boundaries.
My Aspirations 


Some pictures with our student helper and Dr Yu.