blog 6

 This post focuses on the three main grammatical errors that I frequently make while writing academic essays. After scrutinizing my assignments I have submitted so far in this module, I found out that the errors that I frequently repeat are related to parallelism, punctuation and transition.

The first recurring error is related to parallelism. The basic idea of parallelism is to maintain two or more words or clauses in the same sentence, giving them equal levels of importance. The parallel structure of the sentence can easily disappear just by mistyping a few words in a sentence. We can avoid this error by using correlative coordinators like ‘or’, ‘and’, ‘nor’ etc.

The next recurring error is related to punctuators. I always find punctuations as complications. From the tutorials, we learned that a comma is added to prevent “run-ons”. For example, “There is also a general notion that despite its environmental advantages green buildings are not beneficial from an economical perspective”, which is grammatically incorrect. The dependent clause has to be separated from the independent clause by a comma - “There is also a general notion that despite its environmental advantages, green buildings are not beneficial from an economical perspective.”

 Lastly, I have trouble with transitions. I generally tend to use inappropriate transitions, like ‘also’, which are not suitable for formal writing. Using transitions like ‘in addition’, ‘however’ and ‘furthermore’ instead of ‘also’, best suits academic writings.

I have realized that its not enough if I just identify my mistakes, I need to work on them to improve my writing skills and this can be achieved only by reading more articles, books, etc. 

blog 7

Dr.Samuel Johnson said, “Language is the dress of thought”. In addition to practical skills in science and maths, a good command over the language is indispensible to be an engineering professional par excellence. It may seem queer to many as to the significance of language in the field of scientific development. The human mind is so creative; its innovative ideas are countless. Getting these ideas across requires good writing skills.

The main challenge I have encountered is the tendency to deviate from the original idea. Coherence is therefore an important area I have been working on in the module EG1471.Coherence is achieved through paragraph unity and sentence cohesion. In order to address this problem, before submitting the final essay I worked on creating mind maps, outlining ideas and preparing rough drafts. The above enlisted steps have ensured that the final outcome is a logical, orderly and aesthetically arranged essay.

Another problem I have encountered with my academic writing is a tendency to be a bit too concise and not elaborate on ideas. Brain storming the internet for information has proved to be very useful in generating more ideas. Reading is another habit which I have cultivated in order to come up with interesting ideas.

The Module EG1471 has been useful in improving the standard of my academic writing and giving me the confidence to confront academic challenges in NUS in terms of Lab reports, Project theses, etc..The internet forum in particular has been of immense help as it has provided a platform to express ideas. The peer review has helped us to learn from other people’s mistakes and in turn correct our own errors. With practise, I am sure I’ll be able to overcome my difficulties.

Blog 4 & 5

Round table discussion

This post is a brief summary of the two articles that I read on Green Buildings and the roundtable conference that took place on the 5^th of March. The topic our group had chosen for roundtable discussion was to identify a technology or set of technologies which certain groups have either fully resisted or partially adopted and to discuss the pros and cons of implementing such technologies. With this background, members of the group came up with thoughts on Green buildings.

The main reason against adoption of green buildings is the initial cost invloved. The article “Do green buildings cost more?” focuses on the expenses involved in incorporating green features in a building. It gives statistical data that proves green buildings are not as expensive as we think it is. In fact, green buildings do have financial benefits in the long run; primarily attributed to low operational costs and the absence of maintenance costs during their lifetime. Profits as high at 10 times the initial investment can be obtained.

Some of our points supporting green buildings focused on the environmental advantages of adopting green buildings. Green buildings have less impact on the environment owing to efficient use of energy, water and other resource. Additionally, green buildings produce less green house gases, thereby reducing the effects of global warming. Green buildings also have less heat (thermal pollution) impact on the environment.

In conclusion, the roundtable conference helped us structure our argumentative essay.  Everyone got a chance to voice their opinions hence providing different perspectives to a problem, which helped us develop a basic idea of the essay.

Summary of lecture 3

This blog is a report on the series of lectures by Professor David Palmer, Dr. Benjamin Sovacool and Associate professor Bala on the 30^th of January.

Professor David Palmer gave a brief lecture on carbon capture and storage. He set off by giving a brief insight into the increasing levels of carbon dioxide and its possible remedies. He then illustrated the two types of carbon capture storage methods namely – oil field dumping and ocean storage. He went on to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both the techniques. He concluded by talking on the feasibility and the barriers involved in implementing carbon capture and storage.

The next speaker Dr. Benjamin Sovacool’s lecture was primarily on science and technology studies. He initiated his lecture by giving a brief introduction to STS and continued to talk about the traditional approach to new technology. He explained the hitches involved in traditional approach to technology. He went on to epitomize this with the help of two case studies on renewable energy and electric cars. He described the political, behavioral, economic, technological and cultural challenges concerned to renewable energy and electric cars. He concluded by emphasizing that STS is a unique and efficient approach to technology.

The last speaker Professor Bala based his talk on global warming and its alleviation. He explained the various effects of green house gases and highlighted ways to regulate the emission of green house gases particularly through Carbon capture and Sequestration. He concluded by briefing on what the government and every individual can do to help mitigate climate change.

I personally liked Dr. Sovalcool’s talk mainly because STS is a very different approach and involves social and cultural factors unlike the traditional approaches. The two case studies were very insightful and the cultural challenges for each of them were something I had never known before.

Role of our government and its policies in reducing global warming

 

Government and its policies play a crucial role in the contribution of a country in tackling the problem of global warming. Policies adopted by governments should focus on reducing energy consumption mainly oil consumption and emission of Green House Gasses. Kyoto is an international agreement that aims at reducing carbon emissions by industrialized nations. The United States having the largest per capita emission of GHG has refused to join this treaty. Unless all nations contribute and agree to try and do their part to reduce global warming, this problem can never be solved. Imposing taxes is another way to keep a check on energy consumption. Policies should also focus on afforestation, waste land development, promotion of renewable resources and abatement of air pollution.  

It is the developing countries whose low emissions have made it possible to sustain high pattern of energy consumptions by industrialized nations in the past, present and also in the future. For example, in India, traditional practices help reduce global warming – for instance, in rural areas which constitute three-fourths of the country’s population, people implement simple practices in their daily lives like drying clothes in the sun, washing utensils and clothes manually, less use of processed and frozen food, less machinery in lifestyle and using biomass as a fuel for cooking purposes contribute to the country’s low emission of green house gasses. The tradition of passing stuff through generations which include household items, clothing and furniture is a means of re-using, recycling and conservation of nature and its resources.

In summary, encouragement of cultural and healthy practices, policies by the government and institutions help reduce global warming. It’s not just the duty of the government to frame policies, to really succeed in this attempt to save our planet, every individual has to realize and help save the earth by not just following one of the above methods but trying to adapt as many practices they can in their daily lives.

The expanding world of engineers

For many centuries now engineers have been thought of as people who build high-rise buildings, shopping malls and monuments. Today, not only do they play a vital role in the growth of service sectors but also design, manage and help in the decision making process in banks, health-care systems, early warning systems and manufacturing systems.

One of the reasons for this sudden expansion of an engineer’s territory can be traced to the flexible training an engineer receives from tertiary institutions. An engineering education provides a new outlook to problem solving. During their course of study, they are trained to solve problems systematically. This is achieved by modularization i.e. breaking the problem into small cohesive units and solving them individually, hence thwarting any chance of inaccuracy. As Prof Seeram Ramakrishna, the Dean of Faculty of Engineering in NUS rightly says “an engineer’s training helps to systematically analyze complex information and apply a holistic (systematic) approach in designing solutions”.

With globalization, the scope of engineers has broadened. Globalization has added to the need to make quick decisions, to design and process information faster in a short period of time. This calls for a workforce that does not ‘fear’ technology but embraces it and thrives on it. The solution to this lies in the experience the engineer has gained in a particular field. Thanks to the tertiary institutions which provide a flexible, diversified and application oriented training, thus facilitating engineers to relate their skill to the real world issues.

Finally, I would like to conclude saying that an engineer's training helps to systematically analyze complex information and apply a holistic (systematic) approach in designing solutions. A creative mind trained suitably, can undoubtedly resolve the great challenges in the future – global warming, increasing need for clean water, energy, food and security keeping in mind the advantages of sustainable development.