Personal Statement

Mubin Noor has a Diploma in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Ngee Ann Polytechnic and is currently pursuing a degree in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering at Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). Relating to his course of study in sustainable infrastructure in transportation in Singapore, he feels that the traffic efficiency in Singapore can be improved and hopes his involvement in this proposal by suggesting alternative transportation to the younger generation can open up some serious discussion in tackling the vehicle population in Singapore.

Executive Summary

This proposal discusses the concerns regarding traffic congestion arising from the high car ownership in Singapore resulting in traffic congestion. As such, the team would like to suggest a new approach to allow greater maneuverability in traffic especially in the CBD area through a ‘car-sharing’ approach. Primary and secondary data obtained from different sources has established a need for the improvement or developing of a new approach in order to reduce the number of cars on the road. This approach would serve to provide alternative transportation for people for occasional and leisure purposes and thus reducing car ownership. The proposed solution contains three parts, the conversion of unused taxis to the car-sharing vehicles, implementation of the approach and benefits of these cars. These ideas will work in tandem to complement existing policies to encourage alternative mode of transportation, reduce car ownership and effectively make our roads less congested and stressful.

Letter of Transmittal

Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land)

Singapore Institute of Technology

10 Dover Drive

Singapore 138683

20 October 2015

Chew Men Leong

Chief Executive

Land Transport Authority

1 Hampshire Road

Singapore 219428

Dear Mr Chew,

Re: Proposal for Implementation of New Policy

Enclosed for your kind consideration is the following proposal for the implementation of a new policy plan in Singapore. We are pleased to present you the following proposal with the intention of reducing the number of cars on the roads and encouraging the new generation not to purchase a vehicle of their own.

The report is comprised of the problems of which every driver faces on a daily basis and also the motivation behind the proposed solutions as well as a comprehensive summary of all related research.

We would like to thank you for taking the time to read through our proposal and hope that you will take our suggestion into consideration to make Singapore a greener and  a more pleasant place to live in.

Yours Sincerely,

Kathleen,

Hong Yi,

Muhammad Sahil,

Mubin Noor

Reader response final draft

In the article "Why the climate fight needs engineers", Shah (2015) suggests the need for engineering leaders with technical skills to help tackle climate change in the Asia-Pacific region particularly in Singapore. Also, he agrees with Khew, Deputy President of IES (Institution of Engineers Singapore), who believes the urgent demand for "sustainable engineering solutions" will help achieve an eco-friendly economy with opportunities given to engineers to find sustainable solutions and creating a resilient infrastructure system.

Engineers are indeed needed to help combat climate change. They are the at the frontline of innovation and equipping them with much needed knowledge on sustainability and instilling leadership skills in them to take on directives can help tackle climate change. Engineers should use their expertise to find sustainable solutions as the world looks into sustainable energy in the future. Even though I agree with the author about the roles of engineers generally in fighting climate change, I feel that their roles could have been further explained by the author on the context of social and economic well-being against climate change.

According to Parkinson (2003), one area that engineers can contribute is advancing or leading the support for social change. What I mean is that engineers can help develop or fine-tune existing technologies which can bring about social awareness on climate change to convey a message to the public to use eco-friendly technologies. For example, engineers have successfully engineered electric-powered vehicles which do not use fossil fuels and are also in the midst of introducing them on the road in the future. This encourages drivers and the general public to switch to eco-friendly vehicles such as electric cars thereby educating the public in reducing carbon emissions on the road. The recent advancement in solar technology also made it possible in it being used as an alternative to generate electricity in homes as well. This will encourage people to switch to using or installing green technology in homes in the future.

Furthermore, by tweaking existing systems, engineers can implement cost-effective measures. In one example, Nusca (2010) mentions how engineers in the US Pacific Northwest had successfully improved efficiency of dams in warm climates through a devised management system whereby water losses in the summer are reduced by 25% and the risk of flooding is also reduced as reservoirs are filled reliably. The system enables them to ‘’determine when to empty the reservoirs’’ for flood control in the winter and “refill them in spring’’ for storage. They did not have to buy expensive add-ons to their system but just having engineers to improve on them proved to be cost-effective for these companies and industries.

In conclusion, engineers are needed to help tackle climate change but I feel that their roles could have been further explained by the author on the social and economic front. Engineers also need to take into account changing patterns in society and the environment so that they can come up with new ideas when addressing climate change. The engineering sector has contributed significantly to the economy and will certainly be needed to help create an eco-friendly economy in the future through sustainable solutions as governments seek to gain an edge against climate change.

(530 words)

References

Nusca, A. (2010, January 28). With new technique, engineers prepare Pacific Northwest dams for climate change. ZDNet. Retrieved October 8, 2015, from http://www.zdnet.com/article/with-new-technique-engineers-prepare-pacific-northwest-dams-for-climate-change/

 Parkinson, S. (2003, September 12). Tackling Climate Change - the role of the engineer. Scientists for Global Responsibility. Retrieved October 8, 2015, from http://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/tackling-climate-change-role-engineer

Shah, V. (2015, June 8). Eco-Business. Why the climate fight needs engineers. Retrieved October 17, 2015, from http:// www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/

critical reflection on roles of peer and tutor feedback

The role of peer and tutor feedback is important in any evaluation such as a presentation or report. The purpose of this feedback is to scrutinize any weaknesses and strengths of the subject and ultimately improving the quality of content in the future.

I started doing these kind of evaluation when I was in polytechnic. It was new to me and I began to understand the purpose of it especially in presentations. Since there were a lot of presentations done at diploma level, there was a need for peer evaluation from almost every module that I took. Frankly, at first I thought that it was unnecessary as I felt that these feedback was not going to be ‘utilized’ by the students as there were not so much emphasis on its importance. Now that I am in university level, the need for peer feedback as well as from our tutors are all the more important as our reports are getting more complex and detailed. Writing a feedback is easy but to be honest in your feedback can be quite difficult as you do not want to be too negative and thus hurting the other person’s feelings.

One good example was the reader response that I did. I received critical feedback from my professor and analyzed that feedback in detail. I did not went through this kind of process back in polytechnic and having a professor evaluating my piece was very interesting. With the feedback, I knew what my weaknesses and strengths were and I improved on each of the draft for my piece. This ranged from grammar to the formatting of the essay. I need to analyze these kinds of comments and this will definitely improve my writing skills for future job prospects. For presentation wise, the feedback I received from both peers and tutor has significantly improved my understanding and requirements for a good presentation. I learnt that we should try to engage the audience through story-telling as people like to listen to stories. I also understood my mistakes for my oral presentation and will try not to repeat the same mistakes. 

I believe that having multiple feedbacks can help improve my writing skills exponentially. This can be useful and can be translated to other modules where there are bound to be group reports. Having the group sit down and giving feedback to one another about the writing styles as well as grammar and content can greatly improve my understanding of the subject and able to zoom in into greater detail the room of improvement. This could make my report more interesting without having to squeeze unnecessary input for the sake of numbers.

Edited on (03/12/2015)

the most influential person in my life

Most people will say that their mother is the most influential person in their lives. Well, I’m going with my father. Of course, my mother is a housewife and being a housewife is very tiring. You need to do chores everyday non-stop and I can see it from my mother’s face all the time. It’s really hard work and my mother somehow has a lot of willpower to carry that kind of workload every day and I really respect her work ethic.

Having said that, I also respect my father. Interestingly, my father is the opposite of my mother. He was a man of few words and a strict disciplinarian. He was also a smart guy and I can relate many things that he did that showed his intelligence but I’m just going to leave it at that. Actually, I learnt a lot more from my father than my mother as he is a male member of the family and easier to relate to as I am also a male family member.

My father believed that you should be honest with yourself and know what is right and wrong especially in making decisions. I learnt to be prudent in my judgement from him so that things can run smoothly. Also, he taught me to never make things hard for people just as you don’t want people to make things hard for you. He was an intimidating person and even most of my siblings and relatives were shy to talk to him unless they knew him for a long time for example, his own siblings. Even though he had all this characteristics, at times he showed his sense of humour.

Like all human beings, he had a bad side. Being a strict disciplinarian, he could at times be too stubborn and preferred to do things his way but his determination was apparent. I don’t believe that you should be too strict all the time but to let loose sometimes depending on the situation. I learnt to instil his positive character into my life and hope to influence others as well.

oral presentation reflection

A good and effective presentation is basically being able to compose yourself and make the audience feel engaged to your presentation. This is done even before a presentation which is the preparation. You need to get your content simple and informative as much as possible. Once you start presenting, you need to make sure that you get the first 2 to 3 minutes engaged with the audience. This can be done by story-telling or some trivial facts to fascinate the audience. You need to be clear and your voice projected well for everyone to  hear you.

I felt rather nervous for my presentation. I managed to calm myself down during my presentation but I felt that I did not deliver a good presentation. From the peer feedback, I agree with the comments given such as moving too much and not being loud enough. Honestly, I tried to project my voice as loud as possible but it seems that my voice is just naturally soft. I also felt that I could make eye contact more often than looking at the slides. I felt that maybe my nerves got the better of me that day and could not deliver the way I wanted but I managed to compose myself and did not make it too obvious to the audience. However, I felt that I gave a good explanation of the Car-Sharing procedure by giving a scenario so that the audience can understand from my point of view.

All in all, our group took a lot of time to meet and came out with the presentation together. Everyone contributed to every aspect of the content and we suggested or scrutinized each other so that we could deliver a smooth presentation during the preparation phase. Luckily, with this module, I am able to recall those times I presented during my polytechnic days and improve my communication skills in the future.

Edited on (3/12/15)

My proudest moment thus far

My proudest moment so far would be getting my driving license. It may seem normal to most people that getting a license is no big deal but I got it as a driver in the SAF. You see, passing the TP in the SAF is no easy feat. We had to drive an old manual 3-tonner around Kaki Bukit area which is notorious for its traffic.

When I first posted as a driver for the SAF, I felt terrible. I pledged for my entire life that I will never drive a car as I don’t like what I see on the road every day. Errant drivers and road rage are the main reasons for me not to drive in Singapore but since I was in it, might as well take it.

I started off as the worst among the 4 pupils under my instructor. My buddy was my platoon mate so that was very calming as I have someone who I knew better. He told me that he too wasn’t good at driving but he needed my support as much as I needed his. I told myself that if I were to give up, I would have let him down really bad. So, I endured the whole duration of the driving course for him and also because if we were to fail, we would have to come back for remedial training and that was the most irritating part of the course since I live far from the camp. I told myself that I have to pass on my first try as I have no choice if I don’t one to come for remedial training every weekend.

I took every training seriously. Even though there were a few mistakes, I learnt from them to improve myself. As time passed, I noticed my sharp improvement from the day that I first drove in the circuit. A week prior to my test, I felt an overwhelming confidence that I can pass my test that even my instructor praised me and noted my stark improvement from day one. He expected me to pass on the first try as he believed that I could. My buddy was also amazed at how I had improved since day one and wished me the best of luck for my test.

On the morning of the test, I was nervous but confident. Luckily, I was pitted with the most lenient tester in that camp. That even boosted my confidence and I carried on with the test. It was peak hour morning and traffic was quite bad but manageable. After half an hour, I returned, parked my vehicle and the tester asked me some questions before telling me to drive safely.

As I head back to the meeting point, the test conductor saw me and he shouted out, “Congratulations, you passed!” My eyes widened as he had confirmed my hunch. I knew I passed but not a good passed though. His words sank deep into my head and I shook his hands in excitement. I never thought that I would pass the test as I was at one time the worst performer. My buddy was jubilant for me and my instructor was also very happy for my accomplishment. They knew my struggles before and to see me pass was heart-warming. I will never forget that day for my whole life.

My views on the migrant crisis in Europe

Recently, we saw everywhere on the news and television about the mass migration of people entering Europe. The effects of the civil war in countries such as Syria and Iraq particularly resulted in their people seeking asylum in European countries hoping to get a better life. This was after a heart-braking picture of a little boy drifted ashore on the coast of Turkey prompting urgent response worldwide particularly in Europe.

I feel that the migration issue has to be tackled from the core and that is the civil unrest in the affected countries at first. The problem of the Middle East right now is having too many groups fighting each other. We’ve seen many airstrikes by the US and its allies but why does the current situation in Syria and Iraq still persists? The US and its allies continues to provide arms for the Free Syrian Army rebels who are fighting against the Syrian government but I feel that does not solve the current issue quickly. By the day, there seems to be more and more splinter group operating in the area and the best way to tackle this is by having troops on the ground and I mean REAL soldiers. Turkey and Saudi Arabia can send their own troops to fight the Syrian government rather than handing money and weapons to these fighters who are not guaranteed to sustain in the long run.

As for Europe, it is good to see some countries like Germany and the UK inviting these asylum seekers a place to settle down. No doubt that these migrants will have a better life than their homeland. However, I understand that having too many foreigners can be a problem. Dilution of local culture can happen and many Europeans in particular are proud of their heritage and history. Not long after, countries like Hungary have sealed off their borders to prevent more influx of migrants. As much as I support the European countries allowing these migrants to settle in their lands, I feel the migrants can be there temporarily rather than permanent. This way, Europe will still keep its identity and once the situation gets better in the Middle East, the migrants can return home bringing along useful skills that they can use to build their country back up.

However, whether the situation in the Middle East improves in the near future remains to be seen. Otherwise, the migrants are going to have a new problem to deal with In their new home….

Reader response Draft 3

In the article "Why the climate fight needs engineers", Shah (2015) suggests the need for engineering leaders with technical skills to help tackle climate change in the Asia-Pacific. Also, he agrees with Khew, Deputy President of IES (Institution of Engineers Singapore), who believes the urgent demand for "sustainable engineering solutions" will help achieve an eco-friendly economy with opportunities given to engineers to find sustainable solutions and creating a resilient infrastructure system.

I agree with the author that engineers are needed to help combat climate change. Engineers are the frontline of innovation and equipping them with much needed knowledge on sustainability and instilling leadership skills in them to take on directives can help tackle climate change. Engineers should use their expertise to find sustainable solutions as the world looks into sustainable energy in the future. However, I feel the roles of engineers can be further examined by the author on the context of social and economic well-being such as creating social awareness through technology and improving existing systems which can therefore be economically cost-effective.

According to Parkinson (2003), one area that engineers can focus on is the need for support for social change [1]. Engineers can help develop or fine-tune existing technologies which can bring about social awareness on climate change to convey a message to the public to use eco-friendly technologies. For example, encouraging users to switch to eco-friendly vehicles such as electric cars can educate the public on reducing carbon emissions on the road. Fortunately, engineers have successfully engineered electric-powered vehicles which do not use fossil fuels and are also in the midst of introducing them on the road in the future. Solar technology is also being used as alternatives to generate electricity in homes as well.

Furthermore, by tweaking existing systems, engineers can implement cost-effective measures. In one example, Nusca (2010) mentions how engineers in the US Pacific Northwest had successfully improved efficiency of dams in warm climates through a devised management system whereby water losses in the summer are reduced by 25% and the risk of flooding is also reduced as reservoirs are filled reliably. The system enables them to ‘’determine when to empty the reservoirs’’ for flood control in the winter and “refill them in spring’’ for storage [2]. They did not have to buy expensive add-ons to their system but just by having engineers to improve on them proved to be cost-effective.

In conclusion, engineers are needed to help tackle climate change but I feel that their roles can be further examined by the author on the social and economic front. Engineers also need to take into account changing patterns in society and the environment so that they can come up with new ideas when addressing climate change. Nonetheless, the engineering sector has contributed significantly to the economy and will certainly be needed to help create an eco-friendly economy in the future through sustainable solutions as governments seek to gain an edge against climate change.

(490 words)

Summary Draft 3

In the article "Why the climate fight needs engineers", Shah (2015) suggests the need for engineering leaders with technical skills to help tackle climate change in the Asia-Pacific. Also, he agrees with Khew, Deputy President of IES (Institution of Engineers Singapore), who believes the urgent demand for "sustainable engineering solutions" will help achieve an eco-friendly economy with opportunities given to engineers to find sustainable solutions and creating a resilient infrastructure system.

(71 words)

Reader response Draft 2 (Edited)

In the article "Why the climate fight needs engineers", Shah (2015) suggests the need for engineering leaders with technical skills to help combat climate change in the region as cities struggles with rapid urbanisation thus becoming susceptible to climate change. Also, he agrees with Khew, Deputy President of IES, who believes the urgent demand for "sustainable engineering solutions" will help achieve an eco-friendly economy with the opportunities given to engineers to find sustainable solutions and creating a resilient infrastructure system.


I agree with the author that engineers are needed to help combat climate change. Engineers are the frontline of innovation and equipping them with much needed knowledge on sustainability and instilling leadership skills onto them to take on directives can help tackle climate change. Engineers should use their expertise to find sustainable solutions as the world looks into sustainable energy in the future. However, I feel the author can explain further in his article on how engineers can contribute their expertise socially and economically such as creating social awareness using technology and improving existing systems which can therefore be economically cost-effective.

 Firstly, Parkinson (2003) states that one area that engineers can focus on is the need for support of social change. For example, engineers can invent technologies which can bring about social awareness on climate change and twerking existing system to convey a message to the public to use eco-friendly technologies. For example, using public transport can educate the public on reducing carbon emissions on the road but public transports have to lead in terms of being eco-friendly. Engineers studied this and came up with electric-powered vehicles which does not use fossil fuels and are on the midst of introducing electric cars on the road in the future as well. 

 Secondly, the author can explain how engineers can implement cost-effective measures by twerking existing systems. In one example, Nusca (2010) mentions how engineers in the US Pacific Northwest had successfully improved efficiency of dams in warm climate through a devised management system whereby water losses in the summer are reduced by 25% and the risk of flooding is reduced as reservoirs are filled reliably. The system enables them to “determine when to empty the reservoir for flood control in the winter” and “refill them in spring for storage”. They did not had to buy expensive add-ons to their system but just by having engineers to improve on them can be cost-effective.

 In conclusion, engineers are needed to tackle climate change but I feel that their roles can be specifically explained by the author on the social and economic front. Engineers also need to take into account changing patterns in society when addressing climate change as it can turn out to be costly if not prudent in their assessment. Nonetheless, the engineering sector have contributed significantly to the economy and will certainly be needed to help create an eco-friendly economy in the future through sustainable solutions as it seeks to gain an edge against climate change.

 (495 words)

Reference
By Vaidehi Shah (8 June 2015) Eco-business, Why the climate fight needs engineers. Retrieved from http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/
By Dr Stuart Parkinson (12 ^September 2003) Scientists for global responsibility, tackling climate change – the role of the engineer. Retrieved from http://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/tackling-climate-change-role-engineer
By Andrew Nusca (Jan 28, 2010) With new technique, engineers prepare Pacific Northwest dams for climate change. Retrieved from  http://www.zdnet.com/article/with-new-technique-engineers-prepare-pacific-northwest-dams-for-climate-change/

Summary Draft 2


In the article "Why the climate fight needs engineers", Shah (2015) suggests the need for engineering leaders with technical skills to help combat climate change in the region as cities struggles with rapid urbanisation thus becoming susceptible to climate change. Also, he agrees with Khew, Deputy President of IES, who believes the urgent demand for "sustainable engineering solutions" will help achieve an eco-friendly economy with the opportunities given to engineers to find sustainable solutions and creating a resilient infrastructure system.


Edited (17/10/15)

The Importance of English for Me


English has been inculcated in Singaporeans since young and play a pivotal role in our society. I started learning English since young and even though my parents aren’t English speakers, I still value the importance of English for my future especially in future job prospects. In secondary school, we learn English through composition and functional writing but for me, I found writing summaries as the most important element in appreciating the English language.

Summary writing requires one to understand the passage and condense their understanding of the passage in a short paragraph. Topics can range from stories to historical piece. Whatever the topics are, we can learn them through summarising them. In order to do so, your English needs to be good.

Considering I am pursuing an engineering major, I found English to be of great importance in defining scientific or mathematical terms for instances, mass and vectors. These are important as engineers need to know their definition. For example, mass is not weight as weight is based on gravitational pull on the object or the example of velocity where in definition is the negative or positive displacement of a moving object in comparison to speed.

English can also help me in the future when working in groups. As said before, many engineering terms are in English and when cooperating with potentially different nationalities, it is important to speak good English so that projects can be done correctly and quickly. Lastly, the last thing we want is people misinterpreting each other especially in finishing a deadline project.

(Edited on 17/09/15)