Biodata (Blog Post #6)

I am currently a third year undergraduate at National University of Singapore, majoring in Applied Mathematics. I had joined the Science Volunteer Corp, Science Club in 2007 and was appointed as the logistics head. Negotiating skill and ability in problem solving had allowed success in the planning and organizing of a fund-raising event, “Alive’08”. As an easy-going and cheerful person, I was able to get along and worked very well with the other members of the committee. I had worked in the Singapore Department of Statistics and was quite interested in it. I’m quite observant and sensitive to numbers and so was able to contribute in their publication while working as their statistical assistant.

Reflecting on the Research Project Experience (Blog Post #5)

It is definitely an interesting and enriching experience working with Jia Hwa, Chen Xin and Edwin. We started doing the project with us not knowing each other at all. It may be a little bit different working with people whom we are not familiar with as we are usually more able to understand the thoughts and feelings of the people we know better and easier. Therefore, communication is especially important. Communication was a bit difficult for me at first but had become easier as we get to know each other.

Other than that, communication was rather effective in my group which I think is needed for any group project. We shared ideas and expressed any opinions that we have. Active listening and being open-minded play important roles for effective communication to take place. It’s crucial to practice active listening so that we will know what is going on and discussed. This will prevent misunderstanding in things we have to do. We also clarify whenever in doubts. This will make things clearer and make sure that everyone is on the right track. Different people may have different ideas which may even be a better one. Therefore it’s important for one to listen and be open to new ideas instead of being stubborn and only stick to what he/she thinks.

Due to the tight schedule that we have, we split the work to increase efficiency. As part of teamwork, being responsible for the work assigned and keeping to datelines is essential. We all did our parts and tried to send it to the others by the certain date we set. It prevents other members from having to do extra work or any unhappiness that may arise.

This is the first time I’m doing such a proper and “formal” project. I’ve learnt that there are actually so many parts in report writing and that we have to focus on the research question and objectives to avoid going out of point. Also, we have to organize writings and make it flow so that it’s easier for readers to understand what the report is about.

We had problems with time. The four of us are from different discipline and have different commitments. The difference in timetable makes it very difficult for us to find time for discussion. We even tried to do our discussion through MSN but it was not very effective. In addition, the project clashes with our mid-term exam. Time management is then important. While everyone is busy mugging for their exam, we also have to find time for the project.