Group Presentations 1

Brief Overview/ Introduction

The weeks of 11 and 12 were dedicated to my fellow classmates’ group presentations, so instead of the usual routine of Prof heading the session, we got to see the various websites that the group have created. It was rather exciting to see what the groups had come up with, and it proved to be an interactive and interesting experience.

Interesting Observations & Ideas:

Prashant’s group was the first to bring us through their website on Futuristic Buildings. Overall, I really liked their group’s presentation, as it was obvious that they really went in-depth into the topic of future buildings, and I especially liked the fact that they actually went to build a miniature of their building concept, it shows that they did put in a lot of effort into their project.

The group delved into the various infrastructural aspects of futuristic buildings, namely, susceptibility, sustainability, space, speed and design. I especially liked the group’s idea for ensuring the sustainability of their future building. Sustainable construction of future buildings is a very important part of future buildings, due to the crucial need to preserve the Earth’s precious resources. As the population continues to increase, there is a constant need for more and more buildings, and this makes the sustainability of buildings even more important. Pranshant’s group not only captured this need, they came up with what I felt was a sound and innovative method for the construction of their futuristic building.

Grace’s group was the second to present, and for their project, they delved into the different types of clean energy that are expected to come of age soon. I felt that their group chose a very pertinent and important topic. Given the limited state of the earth’s resources, like fossil fuels for example, and their shockingly rapid depletion, we, let alone our future generations, face the dire threat of having insufficient resources for future development and survival. Hence there is an undeniable need for clean, sustainable energy for both our own future development, and that of our future generations. Out of all the different possible sources of clean energy, I felt that solar energy and the use of solar panels would be the most efficient for resource-scarce, especially land, small, and densely populated Singapore.

Like the first group, it was obvious to me that this group had conducted a very thorough and in-depth research in the various aspects of clean energy. Their website contained all the results of their research, which are, the different types of clean energy and their respective histories, pros and cons, the implications of clean energy on the areas of health, environmental and economic, and even future considerations. I liked how the website even featured various case studies of countries that have been successful in implementing some of the various types of clean energy sources. All in all, the group did a good job in studying the topic of clean energy, however, I felt that they could probably concise the information in their website more, as some of the sections were a little too wordy and too small. Nevertheless, I trust that it was because they were pressed for time, due to the busy few weeks I trust everyone has been having. Another suggestion would be that perhaps they could have given their thoughts and opinions, about the possible future plan they think would be most suitable and viable for Singapore under the thoughts section of the website.

The last group, Wei Yang’s group, presented their website on nanotechnology. Again, their group seemed to have done a very thorough job in canvassing the areas of nanotechnology. I like how they included videos in their website, as it made their website more interesting.  I also liked how they had added navigation buttons here and there to facilitate easy and convenient user navigation.

Lastly, it was an interactive presentation by Wei Yang’s group on nanotechnology. I enjoyed how they formed a very balanced presentation on both the pros and cons of nanotechnology, especially with reference to the part on hydrophobic particles where they were extremely transparent about the potential carcinogenic properties of such particles if ingested. Beyond the unintended side effects of using nanotechnology, I liked how they showed the possible intentional abuse of such technology by making nanotechnology a weapon as well. What especially stood out, for me, was the section dedicated to nanotechnology in cancer treatments.

Cancer is fast becoming the number one assassin globally, and although the current possible medical treatments available, they have numerous unforgiving side-effects, like the case of chemotherapy. In addition, many cancer cases are still incapable of being treated, as such, there is a constant need for the invention and development of a better and more effective solution, and nanotechnology shows very promising capability of assuming that role. I felt that this group did well in mentioning the possible cons and dangers of nanotechnology too though, as it gave the audience a very balanced viewpoint. Indeed, the nature of human hearts differ from person to person, and with the massive capability of nanotechnology, many negative side-effects could come up, and this possibility would definitely have to be taken into consideration when considering whether or not to develop the technologies mentioned.

Session Rating: 8/10

All in all, I enjoyed viewing the different websites and their diverse information in today’s group presentations, and found the session very interesting and eye-opening.