(I) Plenary Sessions [Day 1]
(A) My key learning points from each session....1. Importance of Water - Dirty and Clean
Water is a very important resource to living things and we definitely cannot take it for granted. If we take it for granted and accidentally compromise our water source, we will not only have a social set back in the country but also in the economy as the economy too depends on the water supply we have. Some major numbers that could show how serious the situation is would be that 1.1 billion people have no proper water resource, 2.4 billion people have no sanitary facilities, 3.4 billion people have died from water-bound diseases and 2 billion people are at risk of water related diseases.
2. Revolution of Microelectronics Technology
Asia is becoming the local point for electronic companies, causing the supply chain to move into the region. Therefore, Singapore that is well in the heart of Asia will be a area of high opportunities. Electronics is pervasive. Electronics enable. The Integrated Circuit (IC) composes of several areas, also nicknamed BRAINWAVE. These areas are Bio, Radio, Auto, Info, Nano, Water -> Hydro -> H2O, Audio, Video and Energy = m.c2 = m.c two.
When Electronics converges with other areas, example Biology, at nanoscale, it becomes BioNanoElectronics. With all this, there is the evolution of electronics. 1 example would be the old BoomBox evolving into the Walkman than the Discman and now the MP3.
3. Biomedical Engineering & Technology
Examples of Nano-Tech will be the usage to kill bacteria, remove body odour, clean water, change the tint of the contact lens and change or improve your looks. Smaller size for a fixed amount of volume would equals to larger surface area and equals to more energy and more work.
4. IT for Animation by Prof Seah Hock Soon
Animation, made by 24 or 25 frames or more in a second in consecutive motion. What it is made with would be like stop motion or 2D animation.
We first start off with the script than the storyboard following which your character design to sound and frame drawing. after frame drawing will be the paint and of course shooting and production and what we will get would be the final print. Different subjects is used in Animation such as trigonometry, calculus (for the special effects). 2D production is more avoided as it is costly and requires skilled artists and its labour intensive, definitely not for those with a budget pressure.
5. Disappearing glaciers, rising sea levels, and why gravity is even more important than you think
Geolosist measure shape and size of earth, the gravity field and how things change over time. Make use of space-based technology and techniques to measure in great detail.
Sea level rise will not be the same everywhere due to spacial variations. Reasons for these variations are plenty. Therefore, different places would have different sea-level rise so average data is not accurate. We need to know the melting speed of the glacier because sea level rise will be highest farthest from the melting glaciers therefore we need to prepare for it.
(B) Deepest Impression...
The plenary session that leaves the deepest impression on me is the one on the disappearing glaciers, rising sea levels, and why gravity is even more important than you think.
What I like about it is that it is something that will affect us directly in the near future. This gives us preparation and knowledge on what would happen if this disaster would ever take place.
