Article Summary Draft #2

In the article, “Porous Asphalt Is King of the Road,” on the website Pave Green (n.d), it was stated that porous asphalt is beneficial in terms of environment, safety and the cost. Porous asphalt earned its recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency and has been used all around United States. It was indicated that porous asphalt roads exclude small aggregates to allow water to pass through, acting like a filtration system. Thus, this reduces flooding and erosion. Superhighways also use porous asphalt as the absence of splash from heavy rainstorm has reduced accident rates significantly. The article mentioned that porous pavement allows snow to liquefy quicker which saves the cost of anti-icing agents, making it cost-effective and eco-friendly. Despite the high cost, it makes up for the costs saved from water pipes and inlets.

Article Summary, Draft #1

In the article, “Porous Asphalt Is King of the Road,” on the website Pave Green (n.d), it is stated that for more than 30 years porous asphalt has been making positive impacts on the environment. Porous asphalt earned its recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency and has been used all around United States. It was indicated that porous asphalt roads exclude small aggregates to allow water to pass through, acting like a filtration system. Thus, this reduces flooding and erosion. Superhighways also uses porous asphalt as the absence of splash from heavy rainstorm has reduced accident rates significantly. The article mentioned that porous pavement allows snow to liquefy quicker which saves the cost of anti-icing agents, making it cost-effective and eco-friendly. Despite the high cost, it makes up for the costs saved from water pipes and inlets. Although it is not flawless, it is the best practice by far.

Introduction

Dear Professor Blackstone,

I am writing formally to introduce myself as a student in your class. I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic in year 2015 with a diploma in Civil Engineering With Business and currently in civil engineering too. One of the reasons why I joined this course is to be a part of everyone’s daily lives. The buildings that people live in and the roads they travel are some of the works of civil engineers. I know for sure that every moment will be different as I tackle interesting problems at work.

Before entering the army, I worked for three months as an accreditation manager for Sea Games 2015. It was my first experience communicating with people from different countries and ethics background. I learnt that even though there was a language barrier, listening with empathy and looking out for non-verbal cues helped me to understand them better. While in army for 22 months, I was a clerk in a HQ camp. This gave me the chance to improve and train my communication skills as I often talked with NSman on the phone to help them with their problems. This taught me to how to be polite and respect the recipients.

I require more practice to overcome my lack of clarity in communication. I have difficulties articulating my thoughts into words and understanding the meaning of words. This causes me to lose confidence when communicating and as often scared to present in front of a huge crowd.

Two goals I have for this module are improving my presenting and writing skills to build up my confidences and help me in my future endeavors.

Thank you for taking time to read this post and I hope you have learnt something about me.

Best Regards,
Colin

Revised:
29 Jan 2018
1 Feb 2018

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