Individual Reflections - Heng Min Cur Nicole

 Pre-camp 

What interests me in this topic is that I know that factories do play a big part in this world, whether good or bad. They are the places that manufacture our daily necessities to other kinds of stuff. They would definitely release their toxin wastes into the rivers near them, but the process of it makes me wonder how they even make sure that their way of treating before releasing is safe. So I would want to find out more.

From this project I want to learn how to distill water on my own so that I do not have to throw away dirty water when it is not usable and I can save water at home, my school, and the environment I live in.

I am wondering about what kinds of things and processes do the water go through before it becomes clean water and the types of materials used in the process as well.

By the end of the project I want to understand the ways of distilling water and to be able to handle the equipment provided for us in the hands-on experiments, as well as to get a rough idea on how easy or hard it is to distill water so that maybe I can create smaller steps to distill my own water.

Day 1 

1. What are your key learning points?

> “Titles to be advised” Prof. Kenny Seah (Director, Earth Observatory of Singapore)

• Applications of finding out data about occurrence of tsunami happenings
• To help predict when earthquakes would occur
• Find frequency of earthquake happenings
• To save more lives
• How tsunamis are created

> “IT for Animation” Prof. Sean Hock Soon

• Difference between 2D and 3D
• Mathematics in Movies
• Exciting Science and Technology
• Fascinating Animation
• Motion capture
• 2D animation process

> “Innovative breakthrough in Nano-Science and Technology” Prof. MA. Jan

• Nano-Technology ad its benefits
• Biotechnology
• Electronics
• Nano-particles
• Nano-ceramics

1. What new questions do you have about the topics?

1st plenary:

- Is it possible to find out the pattern of tsunamis dated 1 million years back?

• Are there other ways of finding data, other then the mention above.

2nd plenary:

- What is the process of making a 3D animation movie?

• Why is the making of 3D animation movies less expansive than 2D animation movies?
• What are the benefits that we can receive from making 3D movies?

3rd plenary:

• Can we really see atoms?
• What are the disadvantages of Nano-Technology? 
  
  
  
  
  1. Discuss how the project has deepened your understanding and broadened your awareness of the selected discipline.
  We only learnt about the simple distillation in school about evaporation and condensation. It was based on the same basic concepts of what was given in NTU, except that we had more steps to take and with more equipment usage was present. This thus helps me know that distillation is not as simple as it is and there are more factors that are needed to be taken into consideration.
  2. What do you now understand about this discipline that you are unaware of at the beginning? 
  I was not aware of the many names that are mentioned in the booklet about the different types of equipment. Now i not only understand what they are called, I also know their functions and purposes, how big or small they are in size they play an important role to the whole column that distillates the liquid inside. And we also know about the different conditions that might blow up the column. But the whole point was to find the factors of how not to spoil the column.
  3. Describe how you can connect what you have learned from doing this project to what you are learning in school? 
  We have learnt about the concept of simple distillation and we could apply this concept while using the column for at least we have our basic foundation and we were able to understand on the processes that took place in the column. Now I know about hoe differing boiling points affects the process of distillation can be used to achieve a better distillation process.
  
  
  4. Describe how you can apply what you have learned from doing this project.
  I can apply what I have learnt when in case we are to be in the wilderness and have a bunch of metal and beakers I could distillate my own water to survive, or I can use it when I am working in the same field next time.
  5. At the end of the project, some new questions I have included ...
  Is this the apparatus that they use in factories to distillate possible liquid?
  If not then what do they use instead?
  
  6.My Aspirations... 
  I hope that I can really make use of the new knowledge that I have gained through this camp and to expose myself to more new things.