My Final Reflection

Looking back at all the previous posts I have posted on this blog, I am surprised to note how much communication skills I have developed from this module, ES2007s: Professional Communication. As I referred back to the previous posts, I began to see how these communication skills have altered some aspects of my life. To start: Close to three months ago, I was still struggling with the problem of having a proper conversation with my mother but now, I can maintain a proper conversation with her effortlessly.

It is really amazing to see how this module was steered to equip us with the essential written and verbal communication skills. Verbal and written communication skills were introduced to us through the different channels: weekly blogging, class discussion, written assignments which included resume and cover letter writing and group projects which included peer teaching and proposal to the NUSEU. As an engineering student who has not attended any communication classes before, I noticed that the way in which this module was conducted was entirely different from my usual engineering modules. The weekly class discussion for this module permitted a two way information exchange. On the other hand, my usual engineering modules only allowed information to flow in one direction. The professors were the information senders while the students were the receivers of the information. In addition, through the weekly blogging activity, we were given the opportunity to reflect on the knowledge acquired while the written assignments and project work allowed us to apply and practise the knowledge and skills learnt.

As the module progessed, I began to see that the skills which I have acquired from this module are transferrable and they have led to some improvements in some aspects of my work and everyday life. Firstly, my work was better understood by my peers after I started applying the 7Cs in my written work. Secondly, I managed to resolve some of the interpersonal conflicts or reduce the magnitude of the conflict through practising the interpersonal conflict resolving skills. For instance, previously I was struggling to maintain good working relationships with other users in the laboratory but now, not only can I communicate with them with ease, they will offer their help voluntarily when I require assistance in my project. Thirdly, I enjoy better interpersonal relationships with my friends and family and the number of conflicts are significantly reduced.

Now that I am equipped with more communication skills, I have greater confidence in securing future employment and having better working at my future workplace and most importantly, having better personal relationships in life. Lastly, if I need to name the most important thing which I took from this module, it will be effective verbal and written communication skills!

Reflection on Oral Presentation

A few hours ago, I was still standing in front of the class, doing my last presentation for this semester and now, I am sitting in front of the screen, with many thoughts running through my mind as I begin to pen my thoughts for the oral presentation. The presentation this morning was very important to me as it was a test to my presentation skills. Close to three months ago, I entered class with minimal presentation skills. After spending three months with the rest of the ES2007s, I have picked up many desirable presentation traits by observing the presentations by other classmates and I believe that my presentation skills have improved. The engaging smiles from Rebecca, Ruth and Geok Ting, Zikai and Jiwei's ability to persuade and engage the audience and many other desirable traits from the rest of the classmates.

Preparing for the presentation
The main criticism I faced for the previous peer teaching presentation was my exceeding fast pace of speech. I tried to make improvements by pausing at times to slow down my speech. In addition, I also realised that I have been using the wrong approach to presentation and that is I always memorise my script. This not only make my speech very fast-paced as I will try to rush through the speech for fear of forgetting the exact speech, my speech also appear very unnatural and monotonous as I tend to recite. However, after I rehearsed with Zikai and Jiwei for our presentation, I realised that the key to their natural presentation was that they only memorise the key points in their presentation. By doing so, not only will they be able to vary their tone which make their presentation much more interesting, they will not be caught off-handed should they forget their speeches. I also have the tendency to be expressionless during presentation. Hence, I adopted the same strategy by memorising only the key points for my speech. After observing presentations by other groups in the class, I saw how effective a great smile can engage the audience. Hence, I rehearsed my speech with a full length mirror placed in front of me in order ensure that I have the right expression and body language.

The actual presentation
After rehearsing rigorously the day before, my confidence level for this morning's presentation was definitely much higher as compared to the previous time. However, no amount of preparation would suffice as the actual presentation setting was still very different from all the rehearsal settings. Firstly, there was an audience and I found it exceedingly difficult to do three things concurrently: sustain the smile on my face while trying to deliver my speech and maintaining eye contact with the audience. In addition, the expressions wore by the audience during the presentation also affected me by a great deal. Some of them appeared expressionless and I found it hard to stay focus on my presentation as I began to wonder if my speech was too boring. Secondly, unexpected events never fail to occur. No matter how prepared I am, there was no way I can never anticipate the kind of questions the audience can pose to me. For this morning's presentation, I tried to answer all the questions posed to me based on understanding of our group's proposal but I realised that there was no way I can satisfy all the audience. In addition, I also realised that I have the tendency to be aggressive in my tone when answering questions.

However, despite all the problems faced, I can see a slight improvement in my presentation skills. I think the method of memorising only the key points in the presentation is effective and my speech was much more natural as compared to the previous presentation.

Post presentation
With the end of our group's presentation marked the end of all the presentations for our class. Brad had all of us sat down with each group suggesting one possible area for improvement in our presentation. Becoming familiar with the content of the presentation, being mental-prepared for the unexpected and making connecting statements to the previous presenters are some of the suggestions made by my classmates. The de-briefing session not only helped me to consolidate all the new presentation skills learnt, it also made me become more aware of the areas which I am lacking in.

My presentation skills are far from perfection and there are many more areas for me to work on. The main problem I faced is still the pace of my speech and according to Brad, it may be due to the fact that I tend to talk very fast even under normal circumstances. I hope that the readers for this post can suggest to me some possible ways to slow down my speech as this problem has been troubling me for a long time.

Finally, I would like to thank Jiwei and Zikai as I have learnt a great deal from them especially good presentation skills and also for their patience as I know I can be really difficult to work with. Thank you guys!

Someday, I hope to be able to stand confidently in front of a huge crowd and maybe like Super Obama?

Reflection on Proposal

It has been a long time since I last updated this blog. I just checked the ES2007s schedule and realised that the next blog post will only be due in 2 weeks' time and the topic will be on "Reflection on Oral Presentation". Hence, I thought it will be a good idea for me to a topic on "Reflection on Proposal".

Brad had all of us gathered in small groups last thursday to share our thoughts on our group proposal. It was really a great idea as I had the opportunity to learn from the experiences of others like the problems they faced and how they go about resolving them. I never had a chance to do so for any of the projects which I did previously. All the post project discussions were entirely on the information which should be included (for engineering modules) and how the slides should be done (for business modules). However, none of the discussion was on handling interpersonal relationships while working on the projects. At the end of the sharing session, I realised that all my classmates in my group have somehow improved their effective communication skills from the way they resolved the various problems they faced while working on the project as a result of different working styles, working habits and personality differences. That night, I thought really hard over what have I gained from working on this proposal. To my horror, I realised that I am reverting back to my old ways like being insensitive to the feelings of the others and using very sharp comments especially after the comment Brad gave on the tone I adopted for my group's proposal cover letter.

While working on this proposal, I see all the problems which I always face while doing project work re-surfacing such as difference in writing style, expectation and working attitude. The most frequent problem I face is writing style. I believe the main editor always face this problem: How much to edit? Every piece of work is an effort and sometimes, I find it impossible to retain more than 50% of a piece of work. This often happens when the writer is not concise or the information is not relevant. However, the main problem is that most of the time, I do not know how to let the writer know why I remove certain parts from his/her work. It is really frustrating to sit in front of the computer for hours trying to incorporate everything from a piece or rather, make everything relevant in the main project when I can make my life easier by simply removing the entire part or rephrase the part to make it more relevant to the project. I always find myself trapped in this situation not knowing what to do. Hence, I hope that someone will enlighten me what I can do to minimise the damage to the other party and get myself out of this nasty situation which always bother me when I do project work.

Fostering Intercultural Communication: Collectivist versus Individualist cultures

Ten months ago, I took the longest flight I ever experienced in my life to Canada, which is located on the other side of the world, for my exchange programme . It is a country with the North American culture which contrasts heavily with the Asian culture I grow up in. To be more specific with the nature of these two cultures, the Asians have the collectivist culture while the North Americans have the individualist cultures.

The differences between these two cultures are readily evident from their way of life. Allow me to use a scenario to illustrate my point. A few months ago, I went on a shopping trip with my friend in one of the Zara stores in Vancouver. Coincidentally, the store was having sales and was packed with people. I joined in the crowd and picked a few items off the shelves before joining the queue in front of the cashier. After twenty minutes, I began to realize the queue was not making any progress and in fact, a very long queue was formed behind me. Curiosity got the better of me and I tilted my head to the side to get a better understanding of the situation. It was only then I realised the root of the problem. There was only one cashier serving at the counter. Despite the long queue behind the counter, the cashier continued to interact with all the customers paying for their items at the counter. Some of the Canadians in the queue have begun to show signs of displeasure on their faces but there were no outright expressing of unhappiness. Having stayed in Canada for a few months, I knew it was their typical way of customer service. It is very common to see the cashier greeting the customer and asking them question like, “how’s everything going for you?” Though I was slightly frustrated with the situation, I continued to behave in same manner as the rest of the customers in the queue and that was to wait for my turn to arrive patiently.

Recently, I encountered the same situation in one of the Zara stores in Singapore. The store manager opened another counter immediately in response to the long queue. There was no greeting from the cashier or any other form of interaction between the cashier and the customers apart from the normal responses like, “here is your change” and “thank you”. However, I observed a peculiar behavior in myself. I began to lament to my sister about the inefficiency of the store in clearing the queue when I was barely ten minutes in the queue.

It was the same store and similar situation but the stores were located on different geographical locations. It is this difference in geographical location which defines the culture. These two shopping experiences highlighted to me the importance of maintaining a delicate balance in the areas of knowledge, empathy and self-confidence when we are in a country with an entirely different culture. It is imperative for us to learn about other cultures, feelings and needs of people and finally, to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of oneself. Apart from the importance of maintaining a delicate balance in the three areas, these two shopping experiences also demonstrated to me the adaptability of people to an entirely different culture.

I believe that given the space-shrinking technology and globalization, such cultural differences will soon diminish. In fact, I believe that someday the fusion of the different cultures may occur. Wouldn’t it be great to have a cashier who greets you cheerfully at the counter, asking you about your day and is efficient in clearing the queue?

My Personal Statement (edited)

In Singapore, chemical engineering is always associated with the petroleum refinery industry as Singapore is one of the largest petroleum refinery hubs in the world. However, my exchange programme to the University of Calgary, Canada, has totally changed my perception of the roles which a chemical engineer can play in the various industries. At the university, I did two contrasting technical modules: Principles of Biochemical Engineering and Petroleum Refining and Upgrading. By doing the two modules concurrently, I was able to contrast the application of the chemical engineering concepts in the two entirely different areas. From the biochemical engineering module, I realized that chemical engineering is not just restricted to petroleum refining and I began to find interest in the biochemical aspects of chemical engineering.

Upon my return from my exchange programme, I applied for a self-initiated final year project with a specialisation in biomolecular engineering, on the topic of “Algae Powered Bioenergy”. The objective of the project was to optimize the growth of the algal cells. Through the project, I was able to see the different aspects of chemical engineering; the chemical aspect from the process of medium preparation from the chemicals, the biological aspect from cell handling and finally, the engineering aspect from designing the cultivating system. The process to completion of the project was tedious as I did not have any background in microbiology and I was working on the project without the supervision of any postgraduate students. At the end of the project, I designed the protocol for the handling and growth characterization of the algal species, Chlorella Vulgaris. I also established a standard curve to relate dry algal biomass to the optical densities of the cells, which has facilitated the research works of other researchers in the field. I believed that it was due to the skills which I have acquired from my life experiences, which enabled me to complete the project.

There is a general belief that engineers are a group of people with poor communication skills. In order to refute the claim, I participated actively in various activities as well as engaged myself in temporary jobs and I was able to develop my written and verbal communication skills. Not contented with my communication skills, I decided to undertake a professional communication module in my university to improve my communication skills. From the module, I learnt about the importance of effective verbal and written communication skills as they were essential for tasks to be performed efficiently.

I firmly believe in the Adidas motto, “Impossible is nothing”. I believe that nothing is impossible as long as I have great perseverance and have been actively taking part in activities which challenge my physical abilities. To date, I have completed two major marathons, namely the Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon and the Sundown Marathon. My marathon experiences demonstrated to me that no matter how hard the process is, as long as I have the will and the power, I will be able to overcome all obstacles and achieve my goals.

I believe my life experiences so far has equipped me with the necessary skills and knowledge to take on greater challenges. I am prepared to further my knowledge in the biochemical aspects in chemical engineering. I hope that upon the completion of the study, I will be ready to take on the job as a chemical engineer in the biochemical related field. I find this profession a perfect match to my interest, belief and lifestyle expectations and see it as a lifelong profession.

My Personal Statement

In Singapore, Chemical Engineering is always associated with the petroleum refinery industry as Singapore is one of the largest petroleum refinery hubs in the world. However, my exchange programme to the University of Calgary, Canada, has totally changed my perception of the roles which a Chemical Engineer can play in the various industries. At the university, I did two contrasting technical modules: Principles of Biochemical Engineering and Petroleum Refining and Upgrading. By doing the two modules concurrently, I was able to contrast the application of the chemical engineering concepts in the two entirely different areas. From the Biochemical Engineering module, I realized that Chemical Engineering is not just restricted to petroleum refining and I began to find interest in the biochemical aspects of Chemical Engineering.

Upon my return from my exchange programme, I applied for a self-initiated final year project with a specialisation in Biomolecular Engineering, on the topic of “Algae Powered Bioenergy”. The objective of the project was to optimize the growth of the algal cells. Through the project, I was able to see the different aspects of chemical engineering; the chemical aspect from the process of medium preparation from the chemicals, the biological aspect from cell handling and finally, the engineering aspect from designing the cultivating system. The process to completion of the project was tedious as I did not have any background in microbiology and I was working on the project without the supervision of any postgraduate students. At the end of the project, I designed the protocol for the handling and growth characterization of the algal species, Chlorella Vulgaris. I also established a standard curve to relate dry algal biomass to the optical densities of the cells, which has facilitated the research works of other researchers in the field. I believed that it was due to the skills which I have acquired from my life experiences, which enabled me to complete the project.

Through my involvement in participation in the various activities and my temporary job experience, I developed my written and verbal communication skills as I have to disseminate information accurately to the members and participants. My communication skills were further enhanced when I undertook a professional communication module in my university. From the module, I learnt about the importance of effective verbal and written communication skills as they were essential for tasks to be performed efficiently. In addition, as I had to undertake multiple roles in various club projects simultaneously, I also learnt to multi-task and be more organized.

Apart from participating in the club activities, I also enjoyed running long distances. I have since completed two major marathons, namely the Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon and the Sundown Marathon. My marathon experiences not only taught me great perseverance, they also taught me how to overcome physical challenges to achieve my goals.

I believe my life experiences so far has equipped me with the necessary skills and knowledge to take on greater challenges and I am prepared to further my knowledge in the biochemical aspects in Chemical Engineering. I hope that upon the completion of the study, I will be ready to take on the job as a Chemical Engineer in the biochemical related field. I find this profession a perfect match to my interest, values and lifestyle expectations and see it as a lifelong profession.

My Application Letter

Job title: Chemical Engineer - Bioreactor
Company: Aerotek Scientific

Job responsibilities:
-Design of cell culture medium
-Design and execution of small-scale bioreactor experiments (in batch, fed-batch, and continuous mode)
-Process characterisation (e.g. mass balance, energy balance, etc.)
-Laboratory management including laboratory maintenance and operation

Key requirements:
-Expected to interact closely with other process development, engineering and operation staff to ensure successful design and implementation
-Excellence in data analysis, presentation and generation of technical reports
-Organised, self-motivated, and able to work independently and as part of a team
-Excellent written and verbal communication

Blk 679C
Jurong West Central 1
#13-10
Singapore 643679

September 3, 2009

Jennifer Capaibo
Human Resource Manager
Aerotek Scientific
2275 Rio Bonito Way, Suite 160
San Diego, CA 92108

Dear Ms Capaibo,

Re: Job Application for Chemical Engineer for Bioreactor

I refer to your advertisement as posted on 25th August 2009 on the Monster.com search engine for the post of chemical engineer for bioreactor. In your advertisement, you called for a candidate who has a strong background in cell culturing and excellent written and verbal communication skills. I believe I have the relevant background and skills required for the job and have enclosed my resume in response to this job posting.

My experience in cell culturing was acquired from my involvement in a self-initiated final year project. The aim of the project was to optimize the growth of algal cells and I succeeded in increasing the cell growth by a few folds within a short period of one month through altering the growth conditions of the cells. In addition, I designed a laboratory set-up to culture cells and established a standard curve to relate dry algal biomass to the optical densities of the cells, which has facilitated the research works of other researchers in the field. Through the project, I have acquired extensive knowledge on cell and medium handling.

My temporary job experience and my participation in various activities have developed my written and verbal communication skills effectively. My temporary job had enabled me to acquire effective communication and active listening skills as the information had to be disseminated accurately. My communication skills are further enhanced and my writing skills are developed through my participation in different club activities as I was required not only to speak clearly and fluently but also, write clearly and concisely in order not to cause confusion amongst the participants. In addition, my multi-tasking skills are developed as I undertook multiple roles in various club projects simultaneously. I believe that the skills which I have gained from the different activities are transferrable to this job and would enable me to perform my tasks more efficiently.

In view of Aerotek Scientific's achievement as one of the fastest scientific and clinical research service provider, I find the post of chemical engineer of bioreactor exciting and challenging. I believe that my experience and skills fit your requirements perfectly. I hope you will review my application favorably and I look forward to hearing from you. Should you require any clarification with regard to my application, please do not hesitate to contact me at +65 96181366 or quekxiuling@gmail.com.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours Sincerely,
_____________
Quek Xiu Ling

Enclosure: Resume