Design summary draft 1

Design summary draft 1 - Why stars look spiky in images from the James Webb Space Telescope

Mary Beth Griggs, in “Why stars look spiky in images from the James Webb Space Telescope,” explains the technology behind the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and how it compares to its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope with regards to the number of diffraction spikes. The article was published in the American technology news website known as The Verge on the 16^th of July 2022.

The article begins by giving a very brief explanation on the working principal of a telescope. It then discusses the differences between the Hubble Telescope and the JWST. The reason why the JWST is becoming popular is because of its improved design and technology.

There are several mentioned examples in the article explaining the engineering and technology used by the JWST. Some of which are, the JWST uses hexagonal mirrors primarily instead of a single round mirror used in the Hubble Telescope results in an image with six diffractions. The JWST uses an NIRCam (near-infrared light) that shows more prominent diffraction spikes because stars are very bright at those wavelengths. The engineering behind the struts is also important because the amount and placement of struts decide the pattern of the spike.

Formal Letter (Descriptive Reflection)

Dear Prof Brad and classmates,

My name is Shameer and I am writing this letter to introduce myself to everyone. I am a first-year student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering at the Singapore Institute of Technology and I am fortunate to be in this critical thinking and communication class. A little background about myself, I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic in May of this year, obtaining a diploma in mechanical engineering. Prior to being a diploma student, I studied electronics engineering in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). From an early age, I have always been fascinated by how everyday things work, such as machinery and specifically automobiles. This led me to pursue studying in the engineering sector.

When it comes to communication, I consider myself to be an active listener. Being an active listener means that one must pay full attention on what the presenter is saying and to ask questions to clarify any doubts. During my polytechnic internship, I had to attend a project proposal meeting with my supervisor. During the meeting, the presenter did not elaborate on some points and I had to wait until the end to ask questions. My supervisor then commented that I was being respectful by not interrupting the speaker during the presentation and that I asked rational questions. However, a weakness in communication that I wish to improve is my own speaking and presentation skills. I tend to be diffident in front of an audience, with the usual mind going blank and being nervous as an excuse.

In this module, I hope to work on my weakness and to better understand the core of communication skills. Being able to present in front of an audience is a crucial skill to have everywhere. Moreover, I feel that learning to communicate effectively will improve my interpersonal skills in the real world.

Finally, a trait that sets me apart from my peers is that I enjoy taking on new challenges to explore more opportunities.

Thank you for reading my letter and I hope to work with everyone together.

Sincerely,

Shameer Khan 

Edited: 13 Sep 2022

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

 

Back then, I always thought that learning about communication and critical thinking was pointless. Not until recently, especially after reading the article and experiencing complications in the workplace due to miscommunications, I found that communication skills are necessary if you do not want to be on the wrong end of the stick.

Having proper communication in the workplace is vital to maintain good relations with colleagues and to also minimize miscommunications. In the article, miscommunication and lack of proper communication skills training caused massive losses to various businesses.

Beyond any doubt, we would not want to be responsible for losing millions just because we lack communication skills. So, it is crucial that we pick up communication and critical thinking skills before we are appointed as a leader in the workplace. That said, it is not just a ‘Touch and Go’ topic and only picking up the basics of communication skills. Trainings need to emphasize on the core of communication and how to fully utilize the critical thinking and communication skill.

If all these are fulfilled, then we can eliminate ambiguity in communications.

PARAPHRASED QUOTE BY MARC REIMER

"Communication skills are an essential component in the education of engineering student to facilitate not just students' education but also to prepare them for their future careers." 

-Marc Reimer, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University (2007)

Paraphrased:

"For engineering students, communication skills are essential to facilitate not only their education, but also their career preparation."