Thursday 3 December 2015

BELD: Proposal for Improvement of Train Breakdown Travel Contingency Plans (Letter of Transmittal)

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land)
Singapore Institute of Technology
10 Dover Drive
Singapore 138683

20 October 2015

CHEW Men Leong
Chief Executive
Land Transport Authority
1 Hampshire Road
Singapore 219428

Dear Mr Chew,
Re: Proposal for Improvement of Train breakdown Contingency plans
Enclosed for your kind consideration is the following proposal for the improvement of train breakdown contingency plans in Singapore. This report has been prepared with the intention of establishing a system to address the affected commuters’ needs during a train breakdown.

The report consists of the rationale behind the proposed solutions, along with a detailed summary of all related primary and secondary research. As public commuters ourselves, we have provided information on the flaws of the current contingency plans and an analysis on how the relevant agencies might improve on them.

We would like to express our gratitude to you for taking the time to read through our proposal. Your consideration to our suggestions in making public commute a more pleasant journey is greatly appreciated.

Yours Sincerely,

Darrell Lin (Team Representative)

BELD: Proposal for Improvement of Train Breakdown Travel Contingency Plans (Executive Summary)

According to LTA, more than 2.5 million people use the MRT daily in Singapore to get to their destinations. Over the past few years, train breakdowns have increased significantly. Our group has come to an agreement that from the commuters’ perspective, train breakdowns are highly probable due to the increasing population growth in Singapore which leads to a higher usage of the public transport. Our group is keen in looking into the current travel contingency plans that the various agencies have implemented, to improve on them so as to give commuters a better commuting experience. The current travel contingency plans have room for improvement. Our team conducted a survey, targeted at commuters of different age groups, to find out if they are satisfied with the current travel contingency plans. The survey results has shown that commuters are displeased with the travel contingency plans in place. It has also shown that commuters are unaware of the current travel contingency plans. The thrust of this proposal is to suggest the implementation of new bus routes that follow the train routes and also implementing bicycles rentals at MRT stations. These solutions aim to aid in crowd control, provide alternative transport means, and get commuters to their destinations in the event of a train breakdown.

Wednesday 2 December 2015

BELD: Proposal for Improvement of Train Breakdown Travel Contingency Plans (Personal Statement)


Eunice Siow
Having to travel to school or around on a day to day basis, I am very dependent on public transport, especially trains. Although I have not experienced a train breakdown, I can imagine how frustrating it must be for the commuters who have experienced it, causing them to be late for work, school or even ruin their appointments. Through this project, I hope to not only improve the current travel contingency plans in case of a breakdown, but also to suggest new ideas that can be implemented.

Sunday 29 November 2015

Someone Who Has Influenced My Life.

The first person that came to my mind when I had to write about this topic is my father. I know it sounds cliché but he is the greatest man I have ever known in my life. My dad, although strict, is also very patient and loving. He nags a lot, but he also gives good advises and word of encouragements.

My father has always been there for me. He would even do simple things like accompanying me to the doctor when I was sick because I did not want to go alone. Even when I was facing difficulties in my studies during my polytechnic phase. I was enrolled into a school and course, both not of my choices. Even though I tried to appeal to change my course and school, my appeal applications were rejected. After my father encouraged me to continue with the given course, I accepted the course and studied for a year. In my second year, I dropped out. I could not continue studying something I had zero interest in. My father was initially unhappy about it but he still supported my decision.

I applied for my choice of course and school the following year when the application was opened. Again, I was rejected. I thought of just taking up a private diploma but my father told me to seek help from the members of parliament (MP) in our area. My father brought me to one of the ‘Meet The People Session’ to request for the MP to help me appeal into the school of my choice. True enough, I received a call from Ngee Ann Polytechnic offering me a course. I accepted the course and did my best in school.

Growing up, my father always told me stories of the hardship he had gone through when he was young. Coming from a poor family, my grandparents could not afford to pay for my father’s and his siblings’ education. My father did not complete his secondary education and as one of the oldest in the family, he had to take up odd jobs to provide for the family and his younger siblings’ education. He took up night classes to receive better certifications in order to get better paid jobs. He always mentioned how tough it was to get to where he is right now and how important education was to get a well-paid job.

I look up to my father and I admire his perseverance to break through the poverty life and to provide for the family so that all of us can lead a more comfortable life. Whenever I feel like giving up, I would think of the stories he told me, the hardships he had gone through and press on with whatever I am doing. I can never be more grateful to my father for always giving his best to the family.

Thank you dad.

Reader's Response (FINAL): Pharmaceutical Disposal

In the article "Pharmaceutical Disposal", Iburch (2015) mentions that 'pharmaceutical contamination' is a rising concern throughout the United States. Medicinal products infiltrate sewerage by many means. One of them being commonly practiced is by people 'flushing unwanted or unused medications'. Even though there are 'sewage treatment' systems, they are not made to get rid of 'these contaminants', which is a growing issue. The presence of drugs have been found in water sources and ‘drinking water supplies’ after being tested. ‘Pharmaceutical drug contamination’ has been found to affect ‘fish and aquatic life’ but has yet to be found to affect humans. ‘Take-back events and permanent drop-off locations’ are available in New York and Connecticut for people to safely dispose their medications.

While I agree with the author that pharmaceutical disposal plays a big part in contaminating water sources, there are also other major factors to consider. Medication consumed by animals or humans does not entirely get absorbed by the body, and the medications that do not get absorbed by the body are excreted through urine and faeces. Other pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) like perfume, cosmetic, soap and skin products that are used on clothing or skin can also enter water sources after being washed off. All these PPCPs get flushed or washed down into water sources. (Hirsch, 2013)

The author mentions that ‘fish and aquatic life’ are affected but he fails to mention that animals that prey on fishes and other aquatic life may get affected as well. Shah (2010) reports that vultures who ate animals that consumed pharmaceuticals were exposed and affected which shows that exposure to pharmaceuticals can cause a chain effect to happen. Iburch includes that humans have yet to be affected. However, it is a growing issue. Future health problems may start to surface after consuming drinking water that contains pharmaceuticals.

In the article, Iburch concludes that a critical part of solving the issue is to ‘stop flushing drugs’. He also mentions that there are ‘take-back events and permanent drop-off locations’ available in New York and Connecticut. Though the issue is happening throughout the nation, the author did not mention other alternatives of disposing medications if the drop off locations are not accessible to other people. There are other means of disposing unused or expired medications. An article from Harvard Health Publications (2011) provides other ways to dispose medications like mixing medications with ‘sawdust, cat litter, coffee grounds’ etc. before disposing to prevent the misuse of medications and to minimize the chances that stray animals might consume them. People can also reduce the quantity that they purchase so that disposal of expired or unused medications can be minimized. The public needs to be educated on how to handle their medications safely and also the importance of it.

In conclusion, the Iburch webpage gave a brief introduction to the contamination of water sources through flushing of drugs, the effects of it and also the action taken, although there are other major factors to consider like PPCPs and how other animals can be affected through a chain effect. The author could also give more information to educate the public on other methods of disposing medication.



References:

Burch, LW. (2015, March 4). Pharmaceutical Disposal. Retrieved

Hirsch K. (2013, September 16). Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products. Retrieved

Shah S. (2010, April 15). As Pharmaceutical Use Soars, Drugs Taint Water and
Wildlife. Retrieved from:

Harvard Medical School (2011, June 1). Drugs in the Water. Retrieved from:

National Capital Poison Center. (N.D.). Protect the Water Supply. Retrieved from:

Utah State University. (N.D.). Pharmaceuticals. Retrieved from:

Critical Reflection: The Role of Peer and Tutor Feedback

Communication is an essential tool which has been used since the start of our education and will also be used in the working society. From writing short essays about my hobbies to writing reports in universities, and from doing a basic self-introduction in front of the class to doing formal presentations in front of professors and classmates for projects, writing and speaking have been a part of my life since I was enrolled into kindergarten. Effective Communication is a beneficial module that I am taking currently in SIT that helps to improve on writing and presenting.

Through this module, I have to post my writings and assignments on this blog. After the dateline of the post, a peer and tutor feedback is required. Groups are assigned and my group mates have to write comments on my posts on how my writing can be improved, be it in terms of sentence structure or proper grammar usage. I, too, have to comment on my group mates' posts.

Initially, I had no idea how to give appropriate feedback. I remember praising my group mate's writing in the feedback that I have given him. I felt that I could not give proper feedback as I am not very good in my writing. I could give a wrong feedback while trying to correct my group mate's writing. It takes me some time to think about what feedback to give my group mates. Through my tutor and group mates' feedback to me, I slowly learnt how to give appropriate feedback to my group mates.

Receiving feedback from my peers and tutor definitely helped in my writing. The feedback helps me see the common mistakes that I make when I write and teaches me the correct way to write. I feel that this is a good system where peers can help each other in learning and also see how my peers view a topic from a different perspective. My tutor has also given me very detailed and clear feedback on both my writing and presenting skills.

After taking up this module, I realised that I have been reading and checking through my reports for constant verb tense usage before submission - one of the things that I have learnt from this module. This module has shown that it is beneficial. I may not have shown tremendous improvement, but I have definitely shown improvement in my writing.

Sunday 8 November 2015

Oral Presentation Reflection

On 5th November 2015, my group and I had our oral presentation. We had to present our proposed solutions that we came up with. The last time I did an oral presentation was in February when I had to do my final presentation after my internship ended. I dislike doing presentation as it makes me feel so nervous that my voice shakes and I stutter when I speak in front of a crowd.

For all my previous presentations, I have been very reliant on the scripts that I had prepared. Since my group's presentation slides only had pictures and we were not encouraged to use any scripts or cue cards, I got very stressed up trying to remember all the content that I had to say for the presentation. I practiced my lines at home many times and paced myself so that I would not rush through the points.

During the presentation, I walked up to the front of the room with a smile and started presenting. I was extremely nervous and my voice was shaking. Halfway through my presentation, I forgot what I wanted to say and I started looking up at the ceiling thinking of how to continue with my presentation. At last, I remember what I had to say and continued with it. I think that I projected my voice loud enough for everyone to hear. However, I feel that I spoke to quickly to rush finish my presentation because I was nervous. Also, I tried making eye contact with the audience, but my eyes were looking all over the place, unable to look directly at an individual.

I think that the basic keys to giving a presentation are 1) to have confidence, 2) able to project voice, 3) clear articulation and 4) making eye contact with the audience. I still have a lot to improve on with regards to giving an oral presentation.