Critical Reflection

Module learning

After attending 12 weeks of learning in this critical thinking module, I have learned skills that will eventually help me in the future when work study program (WSP) starts. This module really helped me in a way that improves my communication skills that I have always been lacking and I am truly thankful for Professor Brad's teaching during class. Now that this module is coming to an end, I believe the skills that I have obtained will really change me to become a more vocal and confident person. On the other hand, Professor Brad's introduction to using blogs intrigued me on the first day of school as I have never came across any teachers or professors using this method for teaching. Also through the blogs, I was able to receive comments and feedback by my peers and professor to improve my writing that will in turn, benefit me after doing my final year project in university. During my polytechnic days, I am still not skilled in writing reports, thus, I am going to take this chance to redeem myself in university and draft out a more structured and well-written one using the teachings I had received in this critical thinking module. Lastly, this module had taught me what critical thinking is and how to apply it whenever it is needed. Professor Brad had used ways to introduce critical thinking to us such as writing up a summary, coming up with a proper argument and solution and also a reader response. I had learnt to use them to analyze factual evidence to a problem which I can apply in my daily life. Additionally, APA format is one thing I will keep in mind whenever a research or fact by a credible source is used. I will be able to use it even after I enter the workforce after university. 

Project learning

At around week six, a group of four was formed to propose a new design idea to a stakeholder to improve the functions and features of a existing product. At the initial stage was the discussion of a product that my team feels a modification is needed to enhance the functions and features. Next comes the oral presentation and lastly the oral presentation. I felt very nervous about the oral presentation as I was not a vocal person since young and stage fright was the other factor. However through Professor Brad's teachings and tips, I was able to pull through despite not doing well for the presentation. I had a sense of satisfaction as I felt that I did better than expected even though my results were not great. My teammates also encouraged me to help pull through the past 6 weeks of stress and I am glad to have them as my teammates. After the oral presentation, a technical report had to be submitted to showcase what my team had researched on about the product, as well as what the modification is and the enhanced functions. The technical report is then evaluated by my peers in class with comments and this will in fact, greatly aid me in my WSP and final year project report. 

In conclusion, this critical thinking module has made me come out a improved version of myself and I want to improve further. The feedback and consultations had gave me the improvements I need. Lastly, I hope that the learnings and skills I gained from this module will stay and help me out for a very long time. Thank you Professor Brad. 

Summary/Reader Response Draft 3

Lockett (2022) wrote an article on “How an accidental discovery made this year could change the world” introducing the discovery of a type of battery that could replace the current lithium-ion batteries. This new discovery by Drexel’s team resolves all the flaws of the lithium-ion batteries and also enhanced the previously founded lithium-sulfur batteries. While attempting to slow down the chemical reaction to develop polysulfides, Drexel’s team was shocked to discover one particular chemical phase of sulfur called “monoclinic gamma-phase sulfur” was able to prevent degradation of battery. This chemical phase worked so well that the battery was able to undergo 4000 cycles without decreasing the efficiency of the battery capacity, leading it to last at least twice as long as a lithium-ion battery. In turn, this means that the newly discovered lithium-sulfur batteries are able to generate more electric vehicles which contributes to saving the environment by reducing carbon footprint. Also, it increases the activity of short haul flights, cargo ships, passenger ferries and others that require the use of lithium powered batteries. With the abundance of materials to create more lithium-sulfur batteries available on Earth, a stronger supply chain is ensured, and the ecological impact of mining is significantly reduced. With Drexel’s team new discovery of the new chemical phase that can prevent degradation of battery life, the lithium-ion battery will be replaced by the new lithium-sulfur batteries which will further enhance the efficiency of electricity use, helping the world to reduce carbon footprint and move towards a more eco-friendly society.

Drexel's team new discovery of the new chemical phase of sulfur is a huge step forward to improving the flaws and weaknesses of the lithium-ion batteries. This new chemical phase of sulfur can only be observed in the labs at high temperature, but it was discovered in room temperature during this new discovery therefore, they were in shock (Lockett, 2022). Despite lithium-ion batteries being used since the early '90s, they still have major issues over the years of usage. Firstly, lithium-ion batteries have a lifecycle problem. "The minimum lifespan most manufacturers expect from lithium-ion batteries is around 5 years or at least 2000 charging cycles", if well maintained, it could last for a maximum of 3000 cycles (Lerma, 2019). On the other hand, Drexel's team new discovery of the new chemical phase called monoclinic gamma-phase sulfur resulted in the lithium- sulfur battery stabilizing across 4000 charge to discharge cycles after testing this chemical phase just for one year. In addition, the prototype battery has a capacity which triples the normal capacity of a lithium-ion battery, and the capacity remains pristine (Modern Sciences Team, 2022). In fact, the lithium-sulfur batteries are 3 times as dense as lithium-ion batteries in terms of the energy output and both could charge as rapid (Lockett, 2022). 

The next example is the raw elements to create lithium-ion batteries are mainly cobalt and nickel. Recently, the number of electric vehicles on the road are gradually increasingly and the batteries used are mostly lithium-ion cathode. But cobalt is a material that is considered as a scarce resource over the recent years as there the demand for cobalt has been spiking yet the supply is low. It requires human cost to mine for it, even child laborers are called upon to mine for it, and cobalt is an expensive metal supply chain (Patel, July 2020). While cobalt is a scarce resource, sulfur on the other hand is an element that is easily obtainable as it is the world's tenth most abundant element by mass in the universe and fifth most on Earth (Wikipedia, nd). This shows that sulfur is a cheaper alternative over cobalt as it is a by-product of the oil industry, and it is also proven to be more sustainable (Merrifield, June 2020). Thus, sulfur is a much better option as it eases the problem of using human cost for mining of materials and also reduces the cost of electric vehicles as sulfur is not costly. 

Although the accidental discovery by Drexel's team is remarkable, the research is still incomplete. The scientists are still unsure of how the process came about. Extensive research will still be needed to resolve the questions on the reliability of the battery that can be used in electrical vehicles as well as computers (Lockett, 2022). In turn, more modes of transportation such as cargo vessels and passengers' ferries that requires batteries to provide electricity are able to last longer without changing the batteries and also, using this batteries are safer for the environment and the people around (Lockett, April 2022). Lastly, with the use of this new batteries, it can help to reduce the carbon footprint in the air caused by the battery and keep up with the movement of going into a eco-friendly society.  

In conclusion, this new discovery by Drexel's team will greatly affect the world on a wide scale as with the advanced technology, everything will be powered by electricity. This new technology can further improve the foundation and enable it to be more sustainable while focusing on reducing carbon footprint and moving towards a more eco-friendly world. 

   

References:

Lerma, A. (March 2019). Lithium-ion vs lead acid battery life

https://www.fluxpower.com/blog/lithium-ion-vs.-lead-acid-battery-life#:~:text=The%20minimum%20lifespan%20most%20manufacturers,as%20long%20as%203%2C000%20cycles.&text=lead%20acid%20batteries%2C%20as%20well,span%20in%20terms%20of%20cycles.

Patel, P. (July 2020). Lithium-ion batteries go cobalt free

https://cen.acs.org/energy/energy-storage-/Lithium-ion-batteries-cobalt-free/98/i29

"Gamma sulfur" may hold the key to future lithium-sulfur batteries. (March 2022).

https://modernsciences.org/gamma-sulfur-may-hold-the-key-to-future-lithium-sulfur-batteries/#:~:text=Technically%2C%20this%20rare%20form%20of,temperature%20environments%20in%20laboratory%20settings.

Merrifield, R. (June 2020). Cheaper, lighter and more energy-dense: The promise of lithium-sulphur batteries

https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/horizon-magazine/cheaper-lighter-and-more-energy-dense-promise-lithium-sulphur-batteries

Sulfur. (ND).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur#:~:text=Sulfur%20(or%20sulphur%20in%20British,crystalline%20solid%20at%20room%20temperature.

Lockett, W. (April 2022). How an accidental discovery made this year could change the world

https://bigthink.com/the-future/lithium-sulfur-batteries/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fs=e&s=cl&fbclid=IwAR1JQ-VrPK4Nt6YauDpwVZrmkeHE1jR0zfHdUdqe1wC5xr4XEabacCNVJLE#Echobox=1658939001-1

Critical Thinking: The Soul of Communication

According to the excerpt, it was shocking that merely an employee misunderstanding and poor communication can cause such a detrimental impact to a company. 

In the world now, there are many people who completed their studies however, some may not be able to communicate effectively with their superiors or colleagues at work. I find that learning how to communicate will be the most important skill to obtain in school as it will be the core to making connections with people in the future. 

Critical thinking is definitely a key factor in communication. Critical thinking is when one attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair minded way. Having good critical thinking will make one strive to think out of the box constantly and have the thought of self-improvement every single time. Therefore, I deem it as a key factor in effective communication. 

In conclusion, effective communication is important in a work setting as it will improve the work efficiency between the boss and workers. Additionally, it decrease the chances for any mistakes which will adversely affect the company.

Letter of introduction

 Dear Prof Brad,

I am taking this chance to introduce myself. My name is Marcus Chong. I am currently in year 1 studying mechanical engineering in SIT. 

Before my national service, I graduated with a diploma in electronics in Temasek Polytechnic in the year 2020. I did my polytechnic internship with the company SATS, and it was a good experience as I was able to communicate with pilots of different nationalities. After polytechnic, I moved on to national service and I was in the Air Force. My main job there was to maintain the fighter jets’ weapons. I had chosen mechanical engineering after polytechnic is because I find mechanical engineering to be more vast in nature and I am able to explore the different engineering industry. 

According to my friends, I am an introvert but when I’m comfortable I can be very loud. I would consider this as my weakness as it affects my communication skills. Despite going through national service, I still find myself not able to communicate effectively with strangers. Therefore, I hope through this critical thinking and communication skills module, I will be able to improve this weakness of mine. 

After graduating from polytechnic and national service, I find that I have the ability to grasp mathematical concepts well and able to use that to enhanced my learning capabilities. I will use this capability to learn how to work on my presentation skills as well as communication skills.

My main goal at the end of this module is to be able to present to an audience, be it large or small, without having stage fright as it will be essential when I am out in the workforce after university. In the writing aspect, I hope to be able to write a technical report professionally of any kind. 

In all, I still have many opportunities to learn in life, however, communication is my number one priority right now. I look forward to your upcoming classes to hone my effective communication skills.

Regards,

Marcus Chong

Task 3

“While all engineers should have good communication skills, global engineers

face additional challenges, making effective communication an imperative.”

Debra Kraft, Careers Content Writer, Demand Media (2016)

Paraphrase:

"According to Debra Kraft, engineers should practice good communication skills in order to succeed. However, worldwide engineers with different cultures and languages, experience a language barrier hence making effective communication even more necessary."