Summary Draft 1 - Introduction on Topic : Plastic-eating Enzyme Could Eliminate Billions of Tons of Landfill Waste

 

A group of engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin discovered a modified enzyme called FAST-PETase and tested it over 51 different types of plastic containers. It allows plastics recycling process at the molecular level by breaking down the consumed plastic molecule into small parts to reform then reuse again in just short hours to days. (Nature, Apr 2022).

The project mainly focuses on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a significant polymer found in most consumer packaging which makes up 12% of all global waste and doesn’t degrade over centuries. Through the research and machine learning model, the demonstration results reveal a huge improvement after 15 years of research on enzymes for plastic recycling. FAST-PETase ables to degrade the consumed plastics at low ambient temperature which exciting the research teams aiming for cleaning up landfills and greening high waste-producing industries at soon and near future.

Compared to traditional ways to cut down on plastics waste such as burning, landfill, or alternative industrial processes which are generally not environmentally friendly yet at a high cost, the biological solutions proven take less energy, more affordable and efficient at large industrial scale use.

Week 2 - Self Formal Introductory Letter

 Dear Professor Blackstone,

My name is Lim Wan Chung. I am writing this letter to introduce myself. Unlikely most of my course mate whose beginning their interest in engineering field since their school days or some even was already embarked by their growing background since childhood days. I only getting slow and more interest into engineering field after I start to work. The interest and love into Civil Engineering was accumulated only along the days.

I loves Mathematics since I am still a child. The first reason lead me choosing the Civil Engineering course in my Diploma study which completed in Malaysia just simply because I found that only Civil Engineering course structures having the most subjects involving in Mathematics and calculation. 

I had been worked in Singapore for years after graduated from my Diploma In Civil Engineering as a draftman, project coordinator, assistant engineer, site supervisor etc. During my working days, I had continued my studying and managed to complete the Mass Communication in Advanced Diploma with MDIS, also getting my Degree Cert in Construction Project Management with Heriot-Watt University.

The career path being changed after the graduation mentioned above. I had started to work on freelance and project basis with few associate consultant and construction firm as their Project Manager/ Consultant. The further studying while still working making me the clearer picture on who am I, and what do I wish to achieve further in my career life.  I hope I can see the more 'impossible' building will being built in their possible ways with the more advances in engineering/technology field around the world. 

Personality, I am a sporty man. I had been exploring all kind of sports eg. hiking, running, cycling, diving etc. I love hiking the most and used to hike at least once in a year before Covid time. To make up my hiking trip, i had trained my fitness and stamina with routine and regular jogging, as well as monthly off road cycling. It accompanied with few completion in Half and Full Marathon through out the years.  I felt proud with the achievement in hiking to Everest Base Camp, Mount Kota Kinabalu, Indonesia's Mount Rinjani,  and quite a few lots mountains in Malaysia too. During hiking time, every single walk and step make up the final achievement to reach up the hill top. I found it's quite similar in building's history. Peoples start to build a single storey's building more than a decade's back. But today the highest building in the world named as Burj Khalifa which located at Dubai is built at about 828m high consist of 162 floors. 

Perhaps the most advantage for me to enroll with this course is my related working background and experience in the industry. However, I do wish that this will not become a kerb stopping me from keep learning and improving myself. I really feel enjoying coming back to school again and studying together with all the lovely and kindness peers and professors. There are so much fun things to learn and re-learn again!

With not having English as my mother tongue language,  I am having difficulties to express my writing in a formal and influent English. Though how I wish if all things can be expressed in point format may make my study life much more easier. Especially I find out there are a lot of reading, thinking, expression required in this module. It's a challenge to me but I hope to encounter this shortage during my further studying days.

Lastly but not least, I am glad to have this module in this trimester. 

Thank you for being our module Professor. 

Yours Sincerely, 

Wan Chung

TASK 3 - THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR ENGINEERS

"Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective

leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a

sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across

clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter."

Gilbert Amelio, former President and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp

Rightfully, I can't agree with this quote the more. 

How to maximize the work team's strength and work effectively?

Besides knowing well about all your team member's different strength and skills, communication skills play the most important role as a delivery agent in a team work.  Always, there are different peoples either from different countries, races, background, or gender or etc... 

As a leader, to deliver the right and clear command to all your different team members become so much crucial. He/she has to ensure that each team members able to perform the task given. This is stand on the basis if the team member able to get the right instruction and being shared with the right knowledge and ideas through out the process to complete their task. 

Example, If I am a leader, I wish to have someone helping me to calculate the total area of a land. But during the communication process, I only share with that member about information eg. how far away this land from the nearest MRT station, how much our company spend intend to buy this piece of land, the soil condition of this land is pretty poor on a soft marine clay layer,  etc....  

Do you think he/she able to calculate the total area of the land after the communication session?

"then having a message doesn't even matter", as quoted by Gilbert Amelio.

The right approach can really save much more efforts yet lead to the better results. Or else, it will become the opposite way.

Right communication, 

right people, 

right work.