Portfolio 5

Brain mapping allows scientist to understand the complexities surrounding our brains. Brain mapping is the key to finding a cure for many of our mental illnesses. Brain imaging on patients suffering from mental illness would allow scientist to understand the roots causes of their illness. For example, brain imaging has shown that schizophrenic patients lose matter in the temporal and prefrontal cortex over time. This finding may lead to scientist in working towards an effective cure to prevent specific brain matter from faltering. In addition, brain mapping also lead to the possibility of “mind reading”, which is particularly helpful to law enforcement agencies. The ability to read the mind of a potential perpetrator allows law enforcers to take pre-emptive measures to deter acts of crime. The potential of brain mapping is tremendous as it could lead to a safe and secured society, where crime is unheard of. Imagine a suspect in the future gets caught immediately because his brain shows a potential law breaker. However, brain mapping technology may be opened to abuse and it raises several ethical questions. If I was a researcher in brain mapping, I would recommend to the authorities to introduce legislation that restricts access to this technology. In addition, I would also recommend the setting up of a regulatory body to ensure that the technology is applied to specific causes that requires special attention, such as mental illnesses like depression. I would also recommend to the authorities that nations who buy over the rights to this technology, sign into an agreement that holds them responsible if there is unethical abuse of brain mapping.

Portfolio 4

In my recent essay, I discovered that I have weak grammar skills that are usually related with tenses. In addition, I also found that I tend to be long-winded in articulating my thoughts in the essay.
Grammar skills take time to improve and reading helps to improve on our grammar skills. However, it is also important to place emphasis on how we communicate with our peers. I have come to realise that I do not pay much attention to the tenses when speaking to my peers. In addition, my conversation is usually consists of a wrong sentence structure. For example, when I had a problem answering a question, I would had asked my friend in the following manner, “This question very hard. Can teach how to do?” An appropriate use of the language would be; “I find this question quite difficult. Can you teach me?” Hence, when we used the correct form of words in our conversation, we could avoid mistakes in writing our essay.
I also tend to be long-winded when it comes to writing an essay. I guessed this is due to several reasons. Firstly, the lack of direction in my essay that compels me to use more words to express an opinion. Secondly, I assumed that by using more words, you express your ideas clearly to your reader. However, this is often not the case. Being long-winded tends to confuse your readers and in addition, you tend to use the wrong form of grammar in your sentence. I also learn that you need to exactly know what kind ideas or opinions you want to present to your reader in a sentence. Hence, we can avoid irrelevant words or structure that we used in our sentence.
To conclude, we can avoid grammar mistakes in our essay by reading and using proper forms of English in our daily conversation. It is also important to ensure that your essay should not be long winded as it contributes to more grammar mistakes and it confuses your readers.

Portfolio 3: Summary of "Restore and improve urban infrastructure"

Infrastructure is the fundamental system that supports a society, ranging from the sewer systems to the transport networks and the power grids. Engineers face the challenge to provide the needs of basic infrastructure more broadly and economically. Funding has been insufficient to improve on the current state of infrastructure that is aging and failing. Urban areas are mostly affected by this issue as more infrastructures are stressed by the growing populations. Sustainability, with addition to environmental and energy-use considerations, are key aspects in implementing solutions to these problems. For buried infrastructures, there is a need to implement methods for proper mapping and labeling. This is to assist in improving the infrastructure and deter it from damage. Transportation is another major infrastructure as streets and highways are the fundamental networks of transportation. The challenge is to implement an integrated system of different transportation networks as seamless and efficient as possible. It is also important to provide better access to transportation for the elderly and disabled. A similar approach can be adopted in combining energy, water, and waste into “neighborhood” systems in urban areas. This sustainable approach could relieve pressure to meet all society’s needs. When designing an infrastructure, engineers should also consider the aesthetic value of the infrastructure that can contribute to a livelier environment. There are many opportunities to showcase an aesthetically pleasing design while achieving multiple goals. For example, a better drainage and cleaner water not only enhance the appearance of a landscape but also offer recreational spaces for people. Hence, the challenge is not only to devise new solutions but also to showcase its value and worthiness to society at large.

Reference
National Academy of Engineering. (n.d). Restore and improve urban infrastructure. Retrieved August 31, 2008, from http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9136.aspx

Writing Assignment 1: Why people resist new technology

People resist new technology because technology represents change in their way of life. New technology unsettles those who are familiar in their established routine. This is true as adapting to a new course of action requires time and knowledge. Furthermore, some people are skeptical that new technology would serve them better than existing technology. Frustration sets in when people have to be equipped with a new range of skills each time there are changes in technology. Today, for example, it is common to send documents or letters, which were once enclosed in an envelope, via e-mail. However, some people detest e-mails as the habit of writing is hard to break; furthermore, it requires time and patience to adjust to typing. These changes in technology are met with resistance as the degree of adjustment may vary with each individual. Some people may even get turned off by one frustrating experience dealing with new technology and end up distancing themselves from any form of technology. They see technology with skepticism as it merely complicates a routine that they are comfortable with. Despite the advantages of paying the bills by transferring funds from the bank, for instance, making payments in hard cash is still the preferred choice, judging by the long queue in many establishments. It is difficult for people to embrace change when people around them are comfortable with the status quo. To sum up, people are skeptical of such change when the old methods have served just as well, if not better than the new practices.

Major mistake in grammar

I had made a lot of mistakes with pronoun reference in my first writing assignment. Mistakes in pronoun references are due to the assumption made that the reader understood the implied references. Pronouns usually refer to the other words, called their antecedent. A pronoun’s antecedent may be a noun or another pronoun. Hence, in both cases, it must be clear what the antecedent is. For example, in a mistake made in my recent assignment, “These changes are met with resistance as it may vary with each individual”. The antecedent in the preceding sentence, in this case, is changes. However, the reference is not clear and requires elaboration. Thus, it should be written as the following; “These changes in technology are met with resistance as the degree of adjustment to these changes may vary with each individual”. In addition, a pronoun should have only one possible antecedent. In addition, that antecedent should be clear and unmistakable. For example, the following sentence has more than one antecedent; “You should take the computer out of the car and fix it”. Anyone who read this sentence would not know which item was to be fixed. The pronoun it has two possible noun antecedents because it can refer to the computer or the car. Hence, to fix the sentence, a noun is substitute for the pronoun. For example, the sentence can be rewritten as such; “You should take the computer out of the car and fix the computer”. Finally, another issue to be highlighted is using a pronoun without giving any antecedent at all. For example, “Although Jack was rich, he did not make use of it to give to her poor sister”. The pronoun it cannot refer to rich as rich is not a noun. Hence, the correct version should be; “Although Jack had a lot of money, he did not make use of it to give to her poor sister”. In this sentence, the pronoun it has a clear noun antecedent; money. To conclude, a pronoun should have only one antecedent and one should never use a pronoun without an antecedent.

Energy : The next challenge

Engineering has always been a forefront in our desires for solution. For centuries, the practical aspects of engineering are applied to design structures, tools and systems for a desired outcome. The relevance of engineering is gaining momentum as the world’s population dramatically increases. This has put a strain on our finite resources to meet our demands for economic growth. The world population is expected to swell by 2.6 billion over the next 45 years, from 6.5 billion to 9.1 billion in 2050¹. In tandem with this huge increase, the world’s energy consumption is projected to increase by 50 percent from 2005 to 2030² .

There has been mounting evidences that the process of deriving energy contributes to global warming and climate change. Coal has been the most widely used source for energy and is one of the major contributors to the emission of carbon dioxide. In addition, evidences have pointed out that carbon dioxide disrupts the climate and contributes to global warming. However, the consumption of coal is expected to increase annually. Hence, the challenge for engineers is to find means to diversify the sources of fuel and to implement solutions that encourage energy efficiency. As there are various branches in engineering, engineers can contributed significantly in designs that address the concerns of high energy consumption. Hybrid vehicles were designed to tap the advantages of running with gasoline and electricity. As a result, these vehicles are widely known for giving better mileage and having low emission. Technological advances have also shifted the focus to waste as a useful product. In addressing the need for low carbon emission fuel, there are incineration plants to convert ordinary household garbage to electricity. The time is ripe for engineers to reap the benefits from renewable resources. There are huge potential in solar power as feasible energy alternative. Although there are problems in storage of energy, the result in the progress of harnessing solar energy has been encouraging. In fact, it is one of the fastest growing renewable energy source in the world.

It is imperative that these challenges are tackled as the world simply cannot sustain the growing rate of energy consumption. These challenges are best met from the minds of an engineer, whose training thrives on creative problem solving. The demand of an engineering education for critical thinking skills in designing solutions augurs well for meeting these challenges.

1. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/pop918.doc.htm 2004 Revision of the official United Nations population estimates and projections

2. http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/06/30/eia-predicts-energy-50-increase-in-world-energy-consumption-by-2030/ EIA predicts 50% increase in World Energy Consumption by 2030, Timothy B. Hurst