One of the hardest parts of writing in university classes is to actually come up with substantial arguments without needing to research the topic. More often than not the arguments that I come up myself are shallow and do not address the in-depth issues regarding the topic. To combat this, I actually have to keep up with current affairs and broaden the scope of my readings. Reading newspapers, not tabloids, is a good start for me. Also, I go online for international news and articles on current events happening around the world. This way, I can actually read propaganda free writing which will otherwise limit the pathways I can approach while considering issues. Writing is not something I often practise as well, especially since I’m in Engineering. This module made us maintain a blog for our assignments, and I think it’s probably a good idea to maintain one well after this module has ended. This way I can actually practise writing continuously and not lose touch.
Graduating marks a beginning of a new phase in our lives. Most will probably have found jobs by then and be busy climbing the corporate ladder, working for our dream house, car, and improving the quality of our lives. Yet these will amount to nothing if you do not have health or someone to share it with. Often when we are busy surviving in an intensely competitive environment we forget our health and go on with sheer willpower. While this is commendable, it ultimately leads nowhere. When our health starts failing us at like 30, we begin to see the futility of our efforts. Of course, this does not mean we should not work hard. We need to have goals in life to make living meaningful. My point is that we should enjoy the process of attaining our goals. Surrounding ourselves with friends and family, sharing our joy and sorrow with them is the simplest yet essential part of our lives. While we are living comfortable lives, society has not been kind to everyone. We should always contribute a little and help out the less fortunate. Donating a small percentage of our pay check might forfeit some of our luxuries, but it can fulfil the basic needs of many people. We can also help out at or spend time with the people at children or elderly homes during the weekends which will otherwise be spent watching reruns on the television. This seemingly simple tasks make the world a better place to live in for this less fortunate people.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Discussing Discussions(RoundTable)
1) Brain Scan Technology
The group supports the development brain scan technology and no restrictions should be imposed on research as it serves to understand the nature of humans. They claimed that benefits far outweigh the risks involved and the government should not place limitations and restrictions on the research as it may hamper the development and limit the possibilities that this technology can bring. They mentioned other benefits such as increased funding from biotech companies which boosts the economy. In addition, regulations cannot take effect outside the country and hence impractical. Arguments presented against their stand include the invasion of privacy, and also inaccuracy of this technology as it is still undergoing research and development.
I feel that the arguments presented are weak and do not address the more serious potential problems which brain scanning technology can lead to. They claim that implementing restrictions will only limit the possibilities of this technology. However, certain restrictions are vital as they protect the moral and ethical values that we hold dear. Imagine what ethical and moral catastrophes can happen if scientists are given the freedom to explore the prospects of human cloning. A question which I have is the possible use of this technology to promote discrimination. Will people be denied job opportunities or barred from insurance just because their brain scan profiles show possible criminal intent?
2) Understanding resistance to stem-cell research
Stem cell research, in particular cloning, has been a highly controversial issue for years. The group supports this technology and put forth several arguments which aided their stand. They briefly mentioned economic benefits, extracting embryonic cells to replace damaged organs, and allowing infertile couples to have their own child. They presented a case study of the UK, where cloning research is allowed but strictly monitored by the government. In addition, a license is required for research and all embryos are to be accounted for at the end of the project. Besides, the embryo is not considered a human as it does not have the capacity to think or feel, and the brain is only developed 6 weeks after fertilisation. Also, 50 to 60 percent of fertilised embryos are ejected naturally from the body; therefore wasting embryos in research is equivalent to these naturally aborted embryos.
However, there is no moral guidance involved, and lives are created to be destroyed to save another life, which is akin to murder. Also, embryos have the potential to become human beings; hence the notion that embryos are ‘not human enough’ is just preposterous. Furthermore, there is a high failure rate of extracting embryos, which supporters akin to in-vitro fertilisation.
The counter-arguments against the group’s stand in supporting stem cell research were not developed enough as almost all their counter-arguments were based on ethical points of views. They could have explored the social and medical consequences related to stem cell research, then rebutted them to strengthen their stand.
(Just something I will like to share: The UK’s stand on human stem cell research is extremely surprising, as they had strongly opposed genetically modified food where it was introduced)
The group supports the development brain scan technology and no restrictions should be imposed on research as it serves to understand the nature of humans. They claimed that benefits far outweigh the risks involved and the government should not place limitations and restrictions on the research as it may hamper the development and limit the possibilities that this technology can bring. They mentioned other benefits such as increased funding from biotech companies which boosts the economy. In addition, regulations cannot take effect outside the country and hence impractical. Arguments presented against their stand include the invasion of privacy, and also inaccuracy of this technology as it is still undergoing research and development.
I feel that the arguments presented are weak and do not address the more serious potential problems which brain scanning technology can lead to. They claim that implementing restrictions will only limit the possibilities of this technology. However, certain restrictions are vital as they protect the moral and ethical values that we hold dear. Imagine what ethical and moral catastrophes can happen if scientists are given the freedom to explore the prospects of human cloning. A question which I have is the possible use of this technology to promote discrimination. Will people be denied job opportunities or barred from insurance just because their brain scan profiles show possible criminal intent?
2) Understanding resistance to stem-cell research
Stem cell research, in particular cloning, has been a highly controversial issue for years. The group supports this technology and put forth several arguments which aided their stand. They briefly mentioned economic benefits, extracting embryonic cells to replace damaged organs, and allowing infertile couples to have their own child. They presented a case study of the UK, where cloning research is allowed but strictly monitored by the government. In addition, a license is required for research and all embryos are to be accounted for at the end of the project. Besides, the embryo is not considered a human as it does not have the capacity to think or feel, and the brain is only developed 6 weeks after fertilisation. Also, 50 to 60 percent of fertilised embryos are ejected naturally from the body; therefore wasting embryos in research is equivalent to these naturally aborted embryos.
However, there is no moral guidance involved, and lives are created to be destroyed to save another life, which is akin to murder. Also, embryos have the potential to become human beings; hence the notion that embryos are ‘not human enough’ is just preposterous. Furthermore, there is a high failure rate of extracting embryos, which supporters akin to in-vitro fertilisation.
The counter-arguments against the group’s stand in supporting stem cell research were not developed enough as almost all their counter-arguments were based on ethical points of views. They could have explored the social and medical consequences related to stem cell research, then rebutted them to strengthen their stand.
(Just something I will like to share: The UK’s stand on human stem cell research is extremely surprising, as they had strongly opposed genetically modified food where it was introduced)
Monday, March 16, 2009
Green Chemistry
My group's roundtable discussion is about Singapore's stand in promoting the adoption of green chemistry technologies which are necessary to achieve a sustainable society.
1) One article related to our topic is “promoting sustainability through green chemistry” by Mary M. Kirchhoff. The article mainly talks about the roles that academia, industry and government can play to promote green chemistry. Academia research provides basic knowledge of green chemistry, and products of research can be made into an industry. Moreover, academia equips students with the knowledge they need to advance green chemistry technologies. Industries implementing green chemistry process can lead to multiple benefits such as safer work environments, lower economic costs and reduced production of waste. Government plays a huge role as new technologies will most likely fail without the support of the government. Other than long term researches, government agencies can also work on sustainable technologies to address immediate concerns. Summing up, there needs to be a coordinated effort between academia, industry and government to maximise the efficiency of resources, effort and minimise the time taken for this new technology to gain a foothold among other pressing issues at hand.
2) Another article relevant to our topic is “Why We Need Green Chemistry” produced through a collaborative effort between several agencies at http://www.healthobservatory.org/. The article mainly talks about the benefits of green chemistry. It starts by saying while chemistry has improved our lives tremendously; there are many synthesis chemicals which are toxic or carcinogenic. These chemicals accumulated to deadly amounts as is travels up food chains and circulate around the globe, and green chemistry is the revolutionary technique of designing safe and environmentally friendly chemicals. They touched on the 12 principles governing green chemistry which basically covers the concepts of designing processes which maximise resource efficiency, using safe, environmental-benign substances whenever possible, designing energy efficient processes and minimising the waste products created through chemical reactions. Some benefits green chemistry brings are as such; less wastes, safer products, healthier workplace and communities, protection of human and environmental health, lower economic costs, fewer accidents and also maintaining a competitive advantage.
APA citations:
• Anastas, P. T., and J. C. Warner (1998) Green Chemistry:
Theory and Practice Eds. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK.
• Canadian Green Chemistry Network,
http://www.greenchemistry.ca/index.htm
• Carnegie Mellon Institute for Green Oxidation Chemistry,
http://www.chem.cmu.edu/groups/Collins/
• Green Chemistry and the Consumer Network,
http://www.chemsoc.org/networks/gcn/industry.htm#consumer
• Green Chemistry Institute
• http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC
=greenchemistryinstitute%5Cindex.html
• University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Green
Chemistry http://www.greenchemistry.uml.edu/
• University of Scranton Greening Across the Chemistry
Curriculum, http://academic.scranton.edu/faculty/CANNM1/
dreyfusmodules.html
• US EPA, Green Chemistry, http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/
index.html
• Worldwide Universities Network’s Green Chemistry Partnership,
http://www.wun.ac.uk/greenchem/index.htm
Evaluation:
Article 1 emphasises on the methods to implement green chemistry. This gives great insight on the issue as most articles are like Article 2, where they just focus on the benefits of green chemistry, but the main obstacle is actually convincing nations to undertake this venture. They are reliable as well for they come from reputable sources and their citations are legitimate. Reading these articles have convinced me for the need for green chemistry and Singapore should undergo this venture for the obvious potential benefits that it brings.
Definitions:
Green Chemistry: a chemical philosophy encouraging the design of products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances
Atom Economy: describes the conversion efficiency of a chemical process in terms of all atoms involved
Academia: the milieu or interests of a university, college, or academy
Catalyst: a reagent in a chemical process which speeds of slows down the process and is not consumed why the process.
1) One article related to our topic is “promoting sustainability through green chemistry” by Mary M. Kirchhoff. The article mainly talks about the roles that academia, industry and government can play to promote green chemistry. Academia research provides basic knowledge of green chemistry, and products of research can be made into an industry. Moreover, academia equips students with the knowledge they need to advance green chemistry technologies. Industries implementing green chemistry process can lead to multiple benefits such as safer work environments, lower economic costs and reduced production of waste. Government plays a huge role as new technologies will most likely fail without the support of the government. Other than long term researches, government agencies can also work on sustainable technologies to address immediate concerns. Summing up, there needs to be a coordinated effort between academia, industry and government to maximise the efficiency of resources, effort and minimise the time taken for this new technology to gain a foothold among other pressing issues at hand.
2) Another article relevant to our topic is “Why We Need Green Chemistry” produced through a collaborative effort between several agencies at http://www.healthobservatory.org/. The article mainly talks about the benefits of green chemistry. It starts by saying while chemistry has improved our lives tremendously; there are many synthesis chemicals which are toxic or carcinogenic. These chemicals accumulated to deadly amounts as is travels up food chains and circulate around the globe, and green chemistry is the revolutionary technique of designing safe and environmentally friendly chemicals. They touched on the 12 principles governing green chemistry which basically covers the concepts of designing processes which maximise resource efficiency, using safe, environmental-benign substances whenever possible, designing energy efficient processes and minimising the waste products created through chemical reactions. Some benefits green chemistry brings are as such; less wastes, safer products, healthier workplace and communities, protection of human and environmental health, lower economic costs, fewer accidents and also maintaining a competitive advantage.
APA citations:
• Anastas, P. T., and J. C. Warner (1998) Green Chemistry:
Theory and Practice Eds. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK.
• Canadian Green Chemistry Network,
http://www.greenchemistry.ca/index.htm
• Carnegie Mellon Institute for Green Oxidation Chemistry,
http://www.chem.cmu.edu/groups/Collins/
• Green Chemistry and the Consumer Network,
http://www.chemsoc.org/networks/gcn/industry.htm#consumer
• Green Chemistry Institute
• http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC
=greenchemistryinstitute%5Cindex.html
• University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Green
Chemistry http://www.greenchemistry.uml.edu/
• University of Scranton Greening Across the Chemistry
Curriculum, http://academic.scranton.edu/faculty/CANNM1/
dreyfusmodules.html
• US EPA, Green Chemistry, http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/
index.html
• Worldwide Universities Network’s Green Chemistry Partnership,
http://www.wun.ac.uk/greenchem/index.htm
Evaluation:
Article 1 emphasises on the methods to implement green chemistry. This gives great insight on the issue as most articles are like Article 2, where they just focus on the benefits of green chemistry, but the main obstacle is actually convincing nations to undertake this venture. They are reliable as well for they come from reputable sources and their citations are legitimate. Reading these articles have convinced me for the need for green chemistry and Singapore should undergo this venture for the obvious potential benefits that it brings.
Definitions:
Green Chemistry: a chemical philosophy encouraging the design of products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances
Atom Economy: describes the conversion efficiency of a chemical process in terms of all atoms involved
Academia: the milieu or interests of a university, college, or academy
Catalyst: a reagent in a chemical process which speeds of slows down the process and is not consumed why the process.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Friday Night Live
Lecture 1
The lecturer mainly talks about global warming effects, the solutions to global warming and the obstacles faced in applying these solutions. He explained that US adoption of the Kyoto Protocol will be valuable, but not decisive, stating that the US uses 20% of the world oil consumption, hence a 50% cut in oil use will mean a mere 10% cut in world oil consumption. Also on a less serious note, that the US failure to adopt the policy is a gift to politicians who are not serious about handling the real pressing issues at hand.
I am fascinated by the idea of storing carbon dioxide in the oceans. Carbon dioxide is denser water at depths 2750metres and greater, and hence carbon dioxide can actually be stored in carbon dioxide ‘lakes’ at the seabed. To prevent the carbon dioxide from increasing the acidity of the seawater, they can actually be pumped into a membrane at the ocean bed. However, one large membrane can only store 2.2days of the world’s carbon emissions, and it is not feasible to dump a huge membrane into the ocean every 2 days or so. He also mentioned about depositing sulphate particles into the atmosphere to reduce global temperatures. However, this is costly and few countries will be willing to do it.
Lecture 2
I must say, the second lecturer left an impression on me with his casual dressing. He mentioned some case studies regarding renewable power and electric vehicles. Electric vehicles, with all their advantages and ability to reduce emission of greenhouse gases, were unable to replace the gasoline cars on the road. He attributed the failure to poor marketing strategies, and the resistance of the population towards change, particularly technological improvements.
He then went on to possible solutions, such as identifying the different actors and interests involved in technology, so that activists can approach and deal with the correct person. He also stressed on the importance of integrating new technology as part of the social system, so that the population can willingly step out of their comfort zones and accept new technologies as part of their everyday lives.
I felt that the point of integrating new technology into our social system is particularly important. It is common knowledge that people will rather stay in their comfort zones then to risk it and try something new. What I would have preferred is that the lecturer will go more in depth regarding the methods and agents that can drive this change of breaking down people’s resistance to change, instead of just mentioning that this should be done.
Lecture 3
This lecture is similar to the video “An inconvenient truth”, where the lecturer gives statistics reports such as the 2007 IPCC Report and the rise in global surface temperature for the past thousands of years. We have experienced thirteen of the warmest years since 1990, and the Arctic temperature has doubled. This might lead to rising sea levels which can engulf entire countries which are situated close to the current sea level.
Factors affecting the global temperature include the oceans storage of carbon dioxide, cloud cover, aerosol pollutants and photosynthesis of plants. Again he mentioned increasing energy efficiency, relying on renewable energy resources and reducing greenhouse gases.
The lecturer mainly talks about global warming effects, the solutions to global warming and the obstacles faced in applying these solutions. He explained that US adoption of the Kyoto Protocol will be valuable, but not decisive, stating that the US uses 20% of the world oil consumption, hence a 50% cut in oil use will mean a mere 10% cut in world oil consumption. Also on a less serious note, that the US failure to adopt the policy is a gift to politicians who are not serious about handling the real pressing issues at hand.
I am fascinated by the idea of storing carbon dioxide in the oceans. Carbon dioxide is denser water at depths 2750metres and greater, and hence carbon dioxide can actually be stored in carbon dioxide ‘lakes’ at the seabed. To prevent the carbon dioxide from increasing the acidity of the seawater, they can actually be pumped into a membrane at the ocean bed. However, one large membrane can only store 2.2days of the world’s carbon emissions, and it is not feasible to dump a huge membrane into the ocean every 2 days or so. He also mentioned about depositing sulphate particles into the atmosphere to reduce global temperatures. However, this is costly and few countries will be willing to do it.
Lecture 2
I must say, the second lecturer left an impression on me with his casual dressing. He mentioned some case studies regarding renewable power and electric vehicles. Electric vehicles, with all their advantages and ability to reduce emission of greenhouse gases, were unable to replace the gasoline cars on the road. He attributed the failure to poor marketing strategies, and the resistance of the population towards change, particularly technological improvements.
He then went on to possible solutions, such as identifying the different actors and interests involved in technology, so that activists can approach and deal with the correct person. He also stressed on the importance of integrating new technology as part of the social system, so that the population can willingly step out of their comfort zones and accept new technologies as part of their everyday lives.
I felt that the point of integrating new technology into our social system is particularly important. It is common knowledge that people will rather stay in their comfort zones then to risk it and try something new. What I would have preferred is that the lecturer will go more in depth regarding the methods and agents that can drive this change of breaking down people’s resistance to change, instead of just mentioning that this should be done.
Lecture 3
This lecture is similar to the video “An inconvenient truth”, where the lecturer gives statistics reports such as the 2007 IPCC Report and the rise in global surface temperature for the past thousands of years. We have experienced thirteen of the warmest years since 1990, and the Arctic temperature has doubled. This might lead to rising sea levels which can engulf entire countries which are situated close to the current sea level.
Factors affecting the global temperature include the oceans storage of carbon dioxide, cloud cover, aerosol pollutants and photosynthesis of plants. Again he mentioned increasing energy efficiency, relying on renewable energy resources and reducing greenhouse gases.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
An Inconvenient Truth
Singapore, located near the equator, experiences a tropical climate and is not subjected to the four seasons of temperate regions. Geologically, we are sheltered by our neighbours from monsoon clouds, protected from the vast ocean waves, and situated in a relatively earthquake free zone. Due to this climate changes which are associated with global warming affect us to a milder extent as compared to the rest of the world.
While this is hardly an excuse to not take action, people tend to ignore unseen problems and focus more on the pressing problems of the present. In Singapore, our main problem is the shortage of water. There are policies which encourage the minimal use of our household utilities such as monetary fines imposed on households who exceed the recommended level set by the government. These policies, while not meant to reduce the problem of global warming, actually allow the power stations to generate less electricity and emit less greenhouse gases. There are also efforts to discourage the population from driving private cars such as increasing road taxes and the setting up of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries at busy areas where drivers of private vehicles need to pay when they drive through these gantries. The population is encourage to use public transport when they travel as they are more fuel efficient and hence emit less exhaust fumes into the atmosphere.
Most people will feel that the focus of environmental groups should be to create awareness, while the ones taking a harder stand will probably stage protests and such. Personally, I feel that these methods are difficult to apply in today's society. With so much immediate problems at hand, such as the global economic crisis, and terrorists disrupting the peace, there is hardly a ‘felt need’ to combat global warming. Perhaps environment groups should do their part and help combat against these threats, and the world can spare the effort to combat global warming.
While this is hardly an excuse to not take action, people tend to ignore unseen problems and focus more on the pressing problems of the present. In Singapore, our main problem is the shortage of water. There are policies which encourage the minimal use of our household utilities such as monetary fines imposed on households who exceed the recommended level set by the government. These policies, while not meant to reduce the problem of global warming, actually allow the power stations to generate less electricity and emit less greenhouse gases. There are also efforts to discourage the population from driving private cars such as increasing road taxes and the setting up of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries at busy areas where drivers of private vehicles need to pay when they drive through these gantries. The population is encourage to use public transport when they travel as they are more fuel efficient and hence emit less exhaust fumes into the atmosphere.
Most people will feel that the focus of environmental groups should be to create awareness, while the ones taking a harder stand will probably stage protests and such. Personally, I feel that these methods are difficult to apply in today's society. With so much immediate problems at hand, such as the global economic crisis, and terrorists disrupting the peace, there is hardly a ‘felt need’ to combat global warming. Perhaps environment groups should do their part and help combat against these threats, and the world can spare the effort to combat global warming.
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Engineering Approach to Problem Solving
The day the world ceases to need engineers will be a fine day indeed. From the ancient pyramids to the little laptops on our table, engineering has been involved in their creation. Thoughout history, engineers have been present to solve problems, to improve our way of life, to make our world a better place to live in. While past and present engineers may have challenges of different kinds to overcome, the methods of approach and solving techniques have not differ much over the years.
When faced with a problem, engineers should create an appropriate model for them to analyse the problem in a more definitive way. They will then research for possible solutions. Usually there are mutiple possible solutions to a problem and each will have its own merits and vices. They will then choose the one best suited to their needs among other factors such as production cost and availability of materials.
Engineers will then create a prototype based on the chosen solution and allow the prototype to undergo intensive testing to make sure the product is working as intended when subjected to real conditions and to flush out possible flaws in the product design. This is an important step as failure will result in flawed products and might lead to catastrophic consequences such as collapsing bridges and software crashes. After removing the flaws and adding improvements to the design, the engineers will come up with the final product which is ready for the population's use- a product which is safe and efficient.
However, this engineering approach to problem solving is not limited to product design. The training that engineers go through equips them with a sharp, versatile and creative mind allowing them to analyse situations and make critical decisions on the spot when required of them. This is perhaps the main reason why engineers are also 'recruited by large corporations in banking, finance, logistics and commerce'. To conclude, engineers are an integral part of our society and it will be hard to do without these problem solvers in our lives.
When faced with a problem, engineers should create an appropriate model for them to analyse the problem in a more definitive way. They will then research for possible solutions. Usually there are mutiple possible solutions to a problem and each will have its own merits and vices. They will then choose the one best suited to their needs among other factors such as production cost and availability of materials.
Engineers will then create a prototype based on the chosen solution and allow the prototype to undergo intensive testing to make sure the product is working as intended when subjected to real conditions and to flush out possible flaws in the product design. This is an important step as failure will result in flawed products and might lead to catastrophic consequences such as collapsing bridges and software crashes. After removing the flaws and adding improvements to the design, the engineers will come up with the final product which is ready for the population's use- a product which is safe and efficient.
However, this engineering approach to problem solving is not limited to product design. The training that engineers go through equips them with a sharp, versatile and creative mind allowing them to analyse situations and make critical decisions on the spot when required of them. This is perhaps the main reason why engineers are also 'recruited by large corporations in banking, finance, logistics and commerce'. To conclude, engineers are an integral part of our society and it will be hard to do without these problem solvers in our lives.
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