Effective Communication

The article "Introducing the Seabin Project" (2018) highlights the harmful effect of plastic in the ocean and the benefits of seabin as a front-line approach to countering these pollutants by capturing surface debris near land before it escapes into the ocean. The article mentions that many sea-creatures are harmed due to the eight million tones of pollutant, mostly plastic, added to the ocean yearly. The article explains that the shore-powered seabin, equipped with oil absorbent pads, can mitigate the pollution as it functions by filtering the debris from water into a catch-bag and cleaning surface water of oil containments. However, the article mentions that the seabin needs to be placed strategically for maximised collection due to being unable to capture debris from a distance. The article claims that the seabin is still developing a "zero-carbon power option" using solar panels and a "recycled material catch-bag." Reference list: Emily Jateff (2018).

Dear Professor Brad, My name is Lek Jia Yu from your effective communication class. I'm writing this letter today to introduce myself and to share my goals for the module. I am currently a year one student at the Singapore Institute of Technology, pursuing a mechanical engineering degree. Before enrolling into this university, I graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering.  During my first two years of course study in the polytechnic, I constantly had self-doubts about my ability to succeed in this field, mainly due to being weak at applying mathematical and physics concepts into real-life situations. However, during my third year, the final year project made me discover my passion and interest in engineering design and problem-solving. This increased my confidence and motivation to further my studies in the engineering field.  My strength, in terms of communication, is having the ability to listen with an open mind. I enjoy listening to others'

 “I contend that we (engineers) are undervalued because of our widespread inability to explain what we do to the general public (and why it is so important). It is one of the hardest goals to accomplish, to be able to boil down difficult concepts into a short and easily understood presentation or elevator pitch.”  - Marybeth Miceli, President, Miceli Infrastructure Consulting, USA (2011) This quote is trying to say that turning complex ideas into simple concepts is a challenge faced by engineers. In my opinion, I feel that as an engineering student, we developed a habit to communicate using technical languages to convey our ideas. This habit comes from speaking to others who are knowledgeable in our field. Therefore, when it comes to explaining our ideas to the general public, we tend to struggle with having to turn these technical terms into laymen’s terms. This is similar when it comes to breaking down complex ideas too.