Summary Draft 1

The article was published on the website of the University of Hertfordshire titled "Innovative Face Mask Breaks Inclusivity Barriers'' depicts the invention of 'Helloface', a 3-ply structure that is a novel transparent replacement for Type IIR EN14683 medical face masks that are made by Dean Ezekiel and that the product aims to keep big particles from getting to patients while also being able to see their face. 

Inspired by his partially deaf wife, who uses lipreading to help her understand conversations as she would otherwise have difficulty communicating. With this idea, Dean came up with a solution that would address communication issues for the healthcare industry and other fields where facial recognition is essential, which is the creation of 'Helloface' face masks. As such, with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Dean established a new business to manufacture his transparent facemasks. 

Dean's vision for the 'Helloface' mask was able to receive assistance from the University of Hertfordshire, with funding from Research England, allowing him to act fast and seize the new business potential. He profited from the assistance of academic specialists as a start-up company to validate his designs, provide suggestions for improvements, and safeguard his intellectual property (IP).  With the help given, Dean was able to sustain the operation of 'Helloface' during the pandemic, even though along the way, it has generated many challenges and uncertainties for the business.

References

University of Hertfordshire. (n.d.). Helloface Innovative Face Mask | Enterprise Zone | Uni of Herts. University of Hertfordshire. Retrieved from https://www.herts.ac.uk/enterprise-zone/news-and-case-studies/case-studies/business-incubation/innovative-face-mask-breaks-inclusivity-barriers

Descriptive Reflection: Self-introduction letter

 Dear Professor Blackstone, 

The purpose of writing this letter is to make an introduction of myself, Marvin Sim. I am an undergraduate pursuing a degree in mechanical design and manufacturing engineering in SIT as well as a student attending your module, Critical Thinking and Communicating.

Before seeking a degree in SIT, I was a graduate from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a diploma in mechanical engineering. The interest of pursuing a future in engineering nurtured when I was a prepubescent kid, I was fascinated by how an individual is able to build, for example, a remote car from scratch and make it perform the way they wanted. This led me to develop a knack in assembling and disassembling old appliances at home and eventually my interest grew larger as I came in contact with hands-on projects in polytechnic whereby I was able to use equipment like 3D printers and CNC machines.

I believe one of my communication strengths and weaknesses is that I am an active listener whereby I will pay attention to what others are saying and show my respect to the person by exhibiting interest in the topic they are conveying. However, I tend to not do well in showing confidence for public speaking and giving out presentations as I get nervous doing so. An example would be I would pay attention to people giving out their presentation but in contrast I would start to have a loss of words if I was giving the presentation alone.

The two goals I have for the module would be to firstly, to improve my ability of public speaking where I can exhibit confidence and presence that would interest my audience whenever I make a presentation. The second goal would be to develop and learn the types of communication skills that can be used in different settings, both casually and professionally.

Finally, I feel that what makes me different from others is that I like to experience failures. I am convinced that by learning from mistakes through multiple failures would be able to encourage me to seek out more ways to avoid failures.

To conclude, I am eager to attend your classes as I believe by the time I have completed this module, I would have attained my goals and developed into a better communicator with great guidance from your lessons.

Best Regards,

Marvin Sim

The importance of communication skills

 Task 3: The Importance of communication skills for engineers

“Communication skills are an essential component in the education of
engineering students to facilitate not just students’ education but also to prepare
them for their future careers.”
- Marc Riemer, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University (2007)

As communication skills are used daily among people when they interact, it is vital that engineering students are equipped with not just technical skills but the ability to communicate well. This is because it allows them to be more confident in delivering speeches in which they would have the ability to translate technical concepts into simple language in an engaging, confident manner to their classmates or future clients and bosses. Furthermore, it would cultivate the students to take upon leadership roles where it is one of the key parts for them as they progress in their careers. Examples would be knowing how to manage a team, coordinating with colleagues and teaching engineering skills to technical and non-technical individuals.