Article summary: Porous Asphalt Is King of the Road

 In the article “Porous Asphalt is King of the Road”, Pave Green (n.d.) believes that porous asphalt is “King of the Road”, as it improves safety, reduces erosion, and mitigates water pollution while giving back to the earth making it “road royalty”. Porous asphalt roads prove to be a sustainable method in reducing pollution due to its natural filtration ability. One of the best applications is found in stormwater management. It can be used on superhighways where it enhances the safety of the road users, especially during winter climates. There is a reduction in the need for deicing and anti-icing practices that contain harmful agents that can be detrimental to the environment and quality of water. It is significantly more cost-effective and environmentally friendly as compared to its conventional counterpart.

PaveGreen. (n.d.) Porous Asphalt Is King of the Road. Retrieved 29 September 2020. From http://www.pavegreen.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58:king-of-the-road&catid=35:porous-asphalt&Itemid=110

Assignment 1: Formal Letter

Subject: Self-introduction email

Dear Professor Blackstone,

My name is Valencia Tan and I am currently a year 1 student studying sustainable infrastructure engineering (SIE) in the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). Unlike the majority of my schoolmates, I do not have an engineering background. Instead, I was learning about hotel and leisure facilities management in Singapore Polytechnic in the early stages of my tertiary education.

Many asked what made me pursue a different course in life, which is a question I frequently ask myself too.  I believe that interest sparked during the last semester of the polytechnic, where I had to take a module about building services. It made me understood how facilities management played a key role in fuelling a user’s experience and it is not only about the frontline services.

My daily life is heavily influenced by the arts as I enjoy painting in my free time as well as a little bit of photography—nothing too serious, just a snap here and there. Photography played a part in my decision to further develop a deeper understanding of building infrastructures as well. I am unknowingly drawn to taking pictures of buildings and infrastructures rather than portraits, as seen from most of the photos that make up my album.

One of my greatest strengths is that I am adaptive in my style of communication. I can read the settings well and change accordingly. This means that I participate and listen attentively when needed. For example, I actively participate in group discussions and class activities. One weakness is that I am not able to articulate my thoughts as well as how I want it to be.  I often find it difficult to replace my thoughts with the right words and convey it through speaking or writing, which is what I would like to improve on under your guidance. Another goal is to not lose touch with my language and creative skills as there will be lesser leisure time when school starts to pick up its pace.

I am sure that I would enjoy the rest of the module just as how I am enjoying myself so far. I am looking forward to learning more from you too!

Warmest regards,

Tan Jing Wen Valencia

Revised: 30 October 2020

Task 3: The Importance of communication skills for engineers

Gilbert Amelio, President, and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp once said, "Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter.".

I agree with this saying wholeheartedly. Good communication skills are essential to deliver and understand information quickly and clearly. This involves verbal as well as written communication skills. A leader must encompass the ability to guide and influence others, which is why communication skill is an extremely critical trait. In the event where there is a break down in communication, misunderstanding arises. This causes loss of trust in the leader and the dynamics of the group to be affected, thus leading to a decrease in productivity.