Wenjun's Space

Dear Professor Blackstone, My name is Wenjun, and I am a first-year mechanical engineering student enrolled in your communication and critical thinking class. I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic in 2022 with a diploma in aeronautical engineering. Since childhood, I have had a passion for maths, physics, and aeroplanes, which naturally led me to pursue aeronautical engineering. During my final year, I interned at a semiconductor company, where I worked on the assembly line. I used tools such as torque wrenches and screwdrivers to assemble equipment according to schematic drawings for wafer fabrication plants. I also designed a tool holder to organise the workstation, intending to make it easier for assembly workers to locate their tools. Unfortunately, the company found my design inoperable. This experience made me realise I needed further education to improve my engineering skills, prompting me to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. One of my communication strengths is active

“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.” Marybeth Miceli, President, Miceli Infrastructure Consulting, USA (2011) This quote highlights the importance of communication for engineers when trying to bring across ideas to others from non-engineering backgrounds.  I resonate with this quote, especially the part where "to boil down difficult concepts". As engineers, most of our subject matter involves complex theories and terminologies and this usually requires some form of background knowledge to understand . Thus, presenting our findings to people with prior knowledge is a challenging task. This can be as simple as elaborating when asked "What are you currently working on?" in a social context to p