Portfolio 4

English language is widely used around the world as a universal language of communication. It is used as the language for teaching in many countries, as well as for closing business deals in the form of contracts. Hence, the competency in English language is very important for an engineering student, both in academic life and prospective career.

An engineering student’s academic life involves writing numerous reports for his project work and lab session. Therefore, the competency in English language is very important for the student to express his views and ideas in written forms. It is also essential for him to do a good presentation for his project work. A report with poor language, but good content, would still be marked down. Likewise, a poor presenter would make the whole presentation sound bad. Hence it is important for an engineering student to have good English language competency, in order for him to stand out.

Next, it is a fact that many business contracts are in English. Also, English language serves as the basis of communication for businessmen of different race and nationality. Therefore, it is essential for an Engineering student to be competent in English language. If you were unable to write a good resume or speak well in a job interview, you will most likely not get the job. The employers are looking for someone who is both academically inclined, and with good English presentation skills, so that he would be able to communicate well with clients. Hence, the competency in English language is very important for an Engineering student’s career prospect.

In conclusion, English language competency is important for an Engineering student to score well academically, as well as in impressing his potential employer. Without it, his career prospect would not be good.

Portfolio 3

During our roundtable, we brought up several reasons why skeptics oppose the use of nuclear power. They are mainly safety issues linked to past nuclear incidents. However i find their worries unnecessary as these issues have already been reviewed and taken care of, with the improvement in nuclear technology. Nuclear power is a very efficient power source; therefore, it should be adopted.

Firstly, the modern nuclear generators no longer function in the same way as those in the past. For example, the nuclear generators in Chernobyl, which caused huge explosions in April 1986, had worked on a positive void coefficient. However, the law now states that nuclear generators now have to work on a negative void coefficient, which prevents similar incident to that in Chernobyl from reoccuring. Therefore, the skeptics should not have to be afraid of the disaster reoccuring. Furthermore, many other safety mechanisms have been put in place to ensure the safe functioning of a nuclear reactor.

Next, skeptics should consider the benefits that nuclear reactors can bring. Nuclear energy is relatively cheap despite the high cost of building the generator. The tremendous amount of energy that can be produced from a small amount of nuclear fuel makes nuclear power a very efficient power source. Furthermore, nuclear power is not a source of carbon dioxide; hence, it will not add to the worsening of global warming. Also, the use of nuclear power is essential as we are not sure how much longer can our source of fossil fuel last. There has to be an alternative source of power to fossil fuel generated power.

In conclusion, i think skeptics should open up their mind to accept the numerous benefits of nuclear power. The current level of technology is capable of ensuring the safe functioning of the nuclear reactors. Nuclear power being a very efficient power source, which also helps reduce carbon dioxide production, should be adopted.