1) What are the innovations you have experienced with since childhood?
I think that innovation exists all around us, and can be observed as we grow older. I still remember the invention of the PlayStation Portable and then the PlayStation 3, an innovation upon the existing invention of the PlayStation, these revolutionalized game play as we know it, as it integrated not just better quality graphics, but also more capabilities and accessibility with web access and music player functions. Such really struck me as exciting innovations which i really admire.
Learning Experience
Today, our trip to the 3M research and manufacturing facility was truly a mind-opener to all of us, as it broadened our scopes on innovation and deepened our udnerstanding of the company. Before the trip, after my prior research on the company, i realised the company had a broad spectrum of products and services offered, but it was truly till we attended the talk and interected with the staff did we turly understand the magnitude and bredth of operations at 3M.The day started off with a talk about the operations of 3M, and from there i already learnt much about the company, not only in their acheivements as a world class company with great potential and economic strength, but also of 3M's values. I learnt much that 3M was not focused simply on economic prospects, but also placed much emphasis on empowerment of employees and welfare of consumers and the environment. I realised that 3M spent over a billion of its 27 billion dollar income on R&D, and allowed employees to do further research to contribute to the company, by creating a condusive environment for research and discussion, such as the Kaizen room. This really awed me and left a long lasting good impression of 3M in my mind.
2) Which are the 2 3M products that interest you most and why? What is the science/math behind? (Pls provide relevant links / articles / videos that can help augment explanation and further understanding for readers)
3) What are some interesting project ideas / areas of research or even hands-on experiments that you think can be explored in future learning of sciences & math in the school?
Along the way i was also awed by 2 of 3Ms products. Firstly was that of the flexible circuits, which really showed the vast technological innovations pproduced by 3M. The flexible circuit gelled with my knowledge of basic circuitry learnt in school, and gave me a deeper understanding on how circuit boards are made, and such an innovaiton really had much potential, one of which i felt could be that of 3M's concept fo a flexible multimedia pad, which would require a flexible circuit to acheive the flexibility and assessibility.
The next innovation that wowed me was that of 3M's new projection technology, which allowed thinner and more effective projection surfaces for effecient mass viewing of media from an external source. This jolted my knowledge of photonics learnt in secondary school, and also sparked off ideas in which such projection surfaces can be used to better portable devices and even innovations such as improving glasses where people can watch movies, making them lighter and more portable.
2) Qioptiq
The trip to Qioptiq was truly a mindblower, as it really showed us the intricacies behind some of the instruments used in medicine and defense. My perception of endocscopes and binoculars in the past was truly neanderthalic, in a sense where i thought it was merely made up of lenses and peices of metal, but through the entire factory tour, i saw how much work and technology went into crafting such lenses and how so much physics theory was incorporated into making endocscopes and digital X-ray machines. I truly appreciated the art and science behind lense making and acheived a deeper understanding of the photonics industry. Also, deviating from merely products and technology, we also had a very inspirational talk by Mr Ronian Siow, who shared with us his life story, and evoked reflection on the effectiveness of tests and about our ambitions.
Digital X-Ray imaging
This product involving lenses from Qioptiq did pique my interest, since i have an interest in medical sciences, and it was a fresh take on original X-ray imaging which involved film and radioactive rays. This not only gave much potential on saving resources, but viewing the complex internal make-up of the lens, and how much work went into designing the prisms and calculating a method for clear imaging was very interesting and amazing.
Coating of Lens against UV
The anti-UV and anti-reflection coat on lenses was a very interesting product for me. Coming from a family that owned spectacle shops, it always amazed me how coats could be put on lenses without tinting the glass, and learning the physics behind how these lenses help to guard against internal reflection of light, to perfect effects for camera lens and spectacles.
This spurs on new project ideas for me in terms of using the same coating technology for window panes, such that places like glass houses can have maximum light entry. And on the tehcnique of reflection via prisms, i too have ideas on possibly making a flexible periscope for better angled views for submarines.
3)GSK
The trip to GSK did open my eyes about manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry, and showed how there is alot of scientific theory and intricacies behind the simple pill and spray. We often see on television pills moving along a conveyor belt, and we think that making pills simply means putting powder into a gel capsule, but today i learnt the true work behind making the pills--the synthesis of the active ingredients in pills. It really amazed me how so little active ingredients went into the actual drug component, but how much work went into synthesizing the active ingredient. It truly showed me how so many fields of science and machinery went into purifying and reacting reagents to acheive the powder drug we need. I guess the greatest takeaway from the factory tour was that the proccess of synthesizing drugs is really a complex yet intriguing one and really justifies the patents and high price we pay for them. We also had a talk about sustainable growth and manufacturing in GSK, showing us elaborate and committed plans to curb carbon emmissions and resources used and recycle effluents from chemical reactions. This not only earned my admiration but also showed us the possibility that society and industries can progress and improve consumer life not just from the perspective of drugs but also in helping save the environment.
A product which i really admire was that of seretide inhaler. Being asthmatic myself sereride and ventolin were common friends of mine, and it often imagined the proccess of creating such drugs simply placing powder in cannisters, but knowing how so much work went into innovating the product for easy use and effecient delivery. It is truly a wonder how such a product could break the 1 billion set mark and have such a great impact on the asthma community.
Through the course of the trip i did think of a few project ideas in terms of drug delivery, for instance to aid in children taking drugs whereby the taste of fluids or the spray form of a drug may not be taken well ,drugs could be developed in gel form which have no taste nore smell, and can be stored easier and possibly have a longer shelf life. Also, i have thought of the pump having a tube that extends near to the throat such that less medicine is wasted by being deposited on the buccal cavity and medicine absorbtion is more effecient.
4)Makino
Going to Makino, we really learnt alot and clarified much of the doubts we had about Makino. I started off with a fuzzy impression of Makino's operations, only that they specialise in making large machines, but was unsure of their exact operations. After going to the plant and seeing how and what machines they make i got a better understanding of their company and a greater appreciation for the machining industry. I found out that Makino helps companies build special machines, specialising in milling and moulding machines. The amount of precision and intricacies that went into producing quality and lasting machines really wowed me. For instance, we witnessed how a worker tested the planks of metal to be parallel, and the precision required was to 5 microns, which stood testament to their requirement for quality. It was amazing to watch the machines move from mere parts to an actual colosal machine, and i think we all benefitted alot and had a better understanding of the manufacturing industry as a whole.
The company was made up of many nationalities and people from diverse age range and qualifications. It was heartening to see that the distribution of worker age was relatively constant across each age range, as i had the impression that companies usually focused on younger talent and would have small elderly populations. Through the factory tour and the talk, we also found out how Makino produced not only industrial machines, but machines also to satisfy consumer needs like making moulding machines for water bottles, and machines for education in training too.
Knowing how Makino made machines for that produced commercial products in terms of making moulds for the manufacturing of water bottles made it more relateable and easier to understand the services provided with Makino, and also evoked reflection on the work put in to make everyday objects like water bottles, beyond simply assembling them but about the molding proccess as well.
Having heard of the proccess of designing and inventing new machines, which included simulations and trial runs too taught me much abt the R&D field in the industry, and also gave me a better understanding of the innovation procces. If given a chance i hope to be able to design a machine which can piece together smaller machines or appliances like microwave oven unmanned, or help to make more precise machines via better computing.
Along the way i was also awed by 2 of 3Ms products. Firstly was that of the flexible circuits, which really showed the vast technological innovations pproduced by 3M. The flexible circuit gelled with my knowledge of basic circuitry learnt in school, and gave me a deeper understanding on how circuit boards are made, and such an innovaiton really had much potential, one of which i felt could be that of 3M's concept fo a flexible multimedia pad, which would require a flexible circuit to acheive the flexibility and assessibility.
The next innovation that wowed me was that of 3M's new projection technology, which allowed thinner and more effective projection surfaces for effecient mass viewing of media from an external source. This jolted my knowledge of photonics learnt in secondary school, and also sparked off ideas in which such projection surfaces can be used to better portable devices and even innovations such as improving glasses where people can watch movies, making them lighter and more portable.
2) Qioptiq
The trip to Qioptiq was truly a mindblower, as it really showed us the intricacies behind some of the instruments used in medicine and defense. My perception of endocscopes and binoculars in the past was truly neanderthalic, in a sense where i thought it was merely made up of lenses and peices of metal, but through the entire factory tour, i saw how much work and technology went into crafting such lenses and how so much physics theory was incorporated into making endocscopes and digital X-ray machines. I truly appreciated the art and science behind lense making and acheived a deeper understanding of the photonics industry. Also, deviating from merely products and technology, we also had a very inspirational talk by Mr Ronian Siow, who shared with us his life story, and evoked reflection on the effectiveness of tests and about our ambitions.
Digital X-Ray imaging
This product involving lenses from Qioptiq did pique my interest, since i have an interest in medical sciences, and it was a fresh take on original X-ray imaging which involved film and radioactive rays. This not only gave much potential on saving resources, but viewing the complex internal make-up of the lens, and how much work went into designing the prisms and calculating a method for clear imaging was very interesting and amazing.
Coating of Lens against UV
The anti-UV and anti-reflection coat on lenses was a very interesting product for me. Coming from a family that owned spectacle shops, it always amazed me how coats could be put on lenses without tinting the glass, and learning the physics behind how these lenses help to guard against internal reflection of light, to perfect effects for camera lens and spectacles.
This spurs on new project ideas for me in terms of using the same coating technology for window panes, such that places like glass houses can have maximum light entry. And on the tehcnique of reflection via prisms, i too have ideas on possibly making a flexible periscope for better angled views for submarines.
3)GSK
The trip to GSK did open my eyes about manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry, and showed how there is alot of scientific theory and intricacies behind the simple pill and spray. We often see on television pills moving along a conveyor belt, and we think that making pills simply means putting powder into a gel capsule, but today i learnt the true work behind making the pills--the synthesis of the active ingredients in pills. It really amazed me how so little active ingredients went into the actual drug component, but how much work went into synthesizing the active ingredient. It truly showed me how so many fields of science and machinery went into purifying and reacting reagents to acheive the powder drug we need. I guess the greatest takeaway from the factory tour was that the proccess of synthesizing drugs is really a complex yet intriguing one and really justifies the patents and high price we pay for them. We also had a talk about sustainable growth and manufacturing in GSK, showing us elaborate and committed plans to curb carbon emmissions and resources used and recycle effluents from chemical reactions. This not only earned my admiration but also showed us the possibility that society and industries can progress and improve consumer life not just from the perspective of drugs but also in helping save the environment.
A product which i really admire was that of seretide inhaler. Being asthmatic myself sereride and ventolin were common friends of mine, and it often imagined the proccess of creating such drugs simply placing powder in cannisters, but knowing how so much work went into innovating the product for easy use and effecient delivery. It is truly a wonder how such a product could break the 1 billion set mark and have such a great impact on the asthma community.
Through the course of the trip i did think of a few project ideas in terms of drug delivery, for instance to aid in children taking drugs whereby the taste of fluids or the spray form of a drug may not be taken well ,drugs could be developed in gel form which have no taste nore smell, and can be stored easier and possibly have a longer shelf life. Also, i have thought of the pump having a tube that extends near to the throat such that less medicine is wasted by being deposited on the buccal cavity and medicine absorbtion is more effecient.
4)Makino
Going to Makino, we really learnt alot and clarified much of the doubts we had about Makino. I started off with a fuzzy impression of Makino's operations, only that they specialise in making large machines, but was unsure of their exact operations. After going to the plant and seeing how and what machines they make i got a better understanding of their company and a greater appreciation for the machining industry. I found out that Makino helps companies build special machines, specialising in milling and moulding machines. The amount of precision and intricacies that went into producing quality and lasting machines really wowed me. For instance, we witnessed how a worker tested the planks of metal to be parallel, and the precision required was to 5 microns, which stood testament to their requirement for quality. It was amazing to watch the machines move from mere parts to an actual colosal machine, and i think we all benefitted alot and had a better understanding of the manufacturing industry as a whole.
The company was made up of many nationalities and people from diverse age range and qualifications. It was heartening to see that the distribution of worker age was relatively constant across each age range, as i had the impression that companies usually focused on younger talent and would have small elderly populations. Through the factory tour and the talk, we also found out how Makino produced not only industrial machines, but machines also to satisfy consumer needs like making moulding machines for water bottles, and machines for education in training too.
Knowing how Makino made machines for that produced commercial products in terms of making moulds for the manufacturing of water bottles made it more relateable and easier to understand the services provided with Makino, and also evoked reflection on the work put in to make everyday objects like water bottles, beyond simply assembling them but about the molding proccess as well.
Having heard of the proccess of designing and inventing new machines, which included simulations and trial runs too taught me much abt the R&D field in the industry, and also gave me a better understanding of the innovation procces. If given a chance i hope to be able to design a machine which can piece together smaller machines or appliances like microwave oven unmanned, or help to make more precise machines via better computing.
