Nicholas's Blog

Dear Professor Blackstone, This letter serves as a self introduction to provide you with a better understanding of who I am. My name is Nicholas and I am from your  Critical Thinking and Communication class (S20 [2024/25 T1]). I have a Diploma in Clean Energy Management from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. I developed an interest for engineering since young. As a kid, I always scored well in my math and science subjects, while scoring badly for subjects that involved being creative. Hence, my teachers always told me that I was "engineering material". Therefore, I guess the thought that I am "engineering material" has been ingrained in me since young. Another catalyst for my interest in engineering is my love for cars. I like to read and learn about anything and everything about cars, from how their engines work, to the history of the automotive industry. Therefore, I have always wanted to become an engineer to work in the automotive industry. Regarding my communication skills

   I have paired up with Dong Xuan to both offer our own perspectives on the following quote by Merybeth Miceli, President of Miceli Infrastructure Consulting, USA in 2011.      “I contend that we (engineers) are undervalued because of our widespread inability to explain what we do to the general public (and why it is so important). It is one of the hardest goals to accomplish, to be able to boil down difficult concepts into a short and easily understood presentation or elevator pitch”.      The way I read and understand the quote is that engineers as a whole tend to be unable to communicate in a manner that the general public can understand as most of the communication relies on the existing knowledge of those conversing. Without such forehand knowledge, one might not offer critical thinking to the conversation at hand.      An example from aerospace, a field of particular interest to me, is the concept of lift and the role of aerodynamic devices such as flaps and slats. The calculati