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Summary Article - Draft 2

According to Cox (2018), there is a possibility that smart road technology can be utilized as a crash-sensing ‘touchpad’ on highways. In the five-year trial, along U.S. Highway 285, the road will be laid with “factory-made concrete slabs featuring wi-fi connectivity and embedded fiber optic cables that act as pressure sensors.” These will detect, notify and dispatch help for vehicular issues through the internet. Smart roads will shorten the duration as they inform real-time warnings about traffic and road hazards; significantly increasing the quality of motorists’ safety. Hence, this information becomes the pillar of transportation.  However, the article states that Schwartz from the civil and environmental engineering department at the University of Maryland had expressed his doubts regarding the consistency of the technology concerning technical disruptions and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, Colorado seems hopeful that this technology may aid in certain issues despite the rel...

Summary Article - Draft 1

According to Cox (2018), there is a possibility that smart road technology can be utilized as a “crash-sensing ‘touchpads’” on highways. In its five-year trial along U.S. Highway 285, the road was laid with “factory-made concrete slabs featuring wi-fi connectivity and embedded fiber optic cables that act as pressure sensors”. These will detect, notify and dispatch help for vehicular issues through the internet. This will quickly shorten the duration as it informs real-time warnings about traffic and road hazards.  In addition, this technology can significantly increase the quality of motorists’ safety. Hence, this information becomes the pillar of transportation. However, Professor Charles from the civil and environmental engineering department at the University of Maryland has expressed his doubts regarding the trustability of the technology in regard to system disruptions and cost-effectiveness.  Nevertheless, Colorado seems hopeful that this technology may aid in certain ...

Task 7: Formal Letter (Self-Introduction)

Dear Professor Brad I am Nur Syahirah Binte Shafie, a student in your Effective Communication module. I am writing to introduce more about myself. I graduated from Temasek Polytechnic with a Diploma in Green Building and Sustainability. I became interested in architectural engineering while going through the Green Building Modeling and Simulation module in polytechnic. Hence, I decided to pursue a Degree in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services). Based on my personal experiences, I am an active listener and an example can be derived from my work experience in an infrastructure department. I was tasked to do product research on countertop guards by my supervisor who did not specify specific details. I found the various designs of the product and had to clarify with him to narrow down my searches. Meanwhile, I struggle to be spontaneous in my communication. For example, during my final year project presentation in polytechnic, I blanked out in answering an impromptu ...

Task 5.2 - “Critical Thinking: The Soul of Communication”

How do you see communication and critical thinking impacting your future role as a leader in the workplace? In my viewpoint, based on the excerpt, communication and critical thinking are of major importance in a workplace. By having both skills, leaders, as well as team members, will be able to find a solution and improve the quality of their work. Thus, preventing any small mistake from being made. Leaders who have good communication skills are able to build more trust and increase employee engagement. They have effective listening skills which prompt the employees to innovate and express creative ideas. Also, communication promotes proactive behavior in which employees are able to efficiently accomplish their tasks and set higher goals for themselves. Employees who can engage in critical thinking are better at solving problems and make the best decisions. They have the ability to think logically and analyze the context of the problem. Additionally, they make decisions by exercising e...

Task 3: The Importance of communication skills for engineers (Quote)

“While all engineers should have good communication skills, global engineers face additional challenges, making effective communication an imperative.” Debra Kraft, Careers Content Writer, Demand Media (2016) I think that effective communication is imperative to global engineers as they will often find themselves facing language barriers/accents during their presentation of ideas that could be shared internationally. Additional challenges that they might have to face could arise from the different cultures as well as the working environment they are placed in. Hence, effective communication skills are indispensable for global engineers.