Day 5

Last day with Davy's team :( . Started off the office before having another visit to the ADM building, this time to other workshops that involves wood prototypes ( much stronger and rigid than 3D printed prototypes.)

The workshop look alot like DnT workshops from secondary school, but with the addition of high-tech equipment!

Fancy wood shaver( to make wood plans smooth)

Wood  cutting with lasers!

Then we went to another workshop that had a lot of students belongings there, it serves as a students "office" where they think of their ideas  and prototypes. After that they will make their prototypes in the workshops shown.

Here are some of the students work!

 Some cool wood foundation

Cool car

looks like a structure of a molecule.

After ADM, we had a tour around NIE. NIE was really big and the gyms within had some fancy equipment, turns out that place used to house athletes from the youth Olympics! (explains the expensive and new equipment).

To wrap up, it was really fun and enjoyable when with Davy and his colleagues, I've learnt alot and had a wonderful time!

-Rj

Day 5: Doing experinment at biomaterial lab. ^-^

Today, no more pneumatic launcher. So had to meet Jinkai in the e-Space today.

We met Jinkai again, and he brought us to his office. He then reviewed his experiment procedures for the day, to make sure there were no mistakes, before putting it in a folder and bringing us to the cell lab.

The cell lab

At the begining, Jinkai introduced the steps he planned to take, for his precursor experiment.

• First,check the growth of cells which were treated with certain drugs which made them unhealthy,  and count the number of cells which stay alive in the cell culture.
• Second, change the medium for the cells so that they could grow normally during the weekends. (Each medium has a life span of 3-4 days)
• Lastly, use the cell counter to count the number of cells remaining at the culture multiwell plate in which a medicine were added to kill unhealthy cells.

Before using the dye (turns dead cells a deep navy blue), Jinkai transfered cells with medium using pipette into a cell cube and then used centrifuge to seperate the cells and the medium.

Then he changed the medium with new one and took out part of the liquid for dilution. This was to ensure it would be easier to count the cells.

He diluted the solution twice in succession, before showing us a haemocytometer. It's an apparatus used to aid in the counting of cells, by use of dividing lines that make it easy for counting.

Haemocytometer

He then added the dye to the cell culture, before starting to count the number of cells in a certain area displayed on the haemocytometer. He then extrapolated to find the original number of cells in the tube that was put in the centrifuge.

Then, off to lunch, after a trek around campus.

 I have a suspicion we keep going to far off canteens so that the mentors (who are ALL guys so far), get more time to 'admire the view'. Not that I mind, of course. Heh.

After lunch, did more work in the lab.

Freezing the cell culture for use in the distant future. THIS BE FORESIGHT.

Jinkai reviewed our work on the blog and the innovation challenge so far.

We are seriously underprepared, but will give it our best shot, as our mentors have worked hard, to teach us about material science.

Peace out.

Day 4

The day started off with some work in the office, but after lunch , Davy's colleague took me to the School of Art, Design and Media building ( or ADM) for a tour. First off the building looks amazing! It has a very unique shape and structure, curtaining holding up the expectation as a arts building. 

Frankie took me into the building to visit the workshop were they make prototypes of  project items,  however it was locked ( the person in charge went for lunch), so we sat outside and had a chat. 

He enlightened me a lot about university stuff and also life as a student in the university which was really informative and help! He definitely increased my understanding of the university.

After the person in charge returned,  we took a tour in the workshop to find lots and lots of high-tech eeuipments like 3D capture cameras( to download the shape of the items into a computer programme) and 3D printers like these

The workshop had numerous 3D printers in different shapes and sizes and also had different functions in terms of the process of making the product.

Tiny version

Big version

 Here are some products made by students and staff! ( you can see a bat sign at the back ^.^)

Made by 3D printers

And not to forget, the  special camera and a special tailoring machine

After the tour, we headed out, He had to stay for work and I visited the ADM library before returning to the office. Overall, Day 4 was a lot of fun and learning as I get to see how objects were made from the famous 3D printers and also had alot more insight on university life!

-Rj

Day 4 (still at the pneumatic launcher lab)

Today, started out by trekking from the shuttle drop off point to the pneumatic launcher labs. Its accessible using public transport, the bus stop being right next to the labs. BUT, I just love free transport.

And the walk's good, too. Crisp air, and its cool in the morning. Not many people, and there is scenery enough to enjoy the walk.

So when we got there, got down to business, and started setting up targets.

 Had to clean up and prepare targets in advance for next week, as the adhesive had to set and stuff. Its hard to clean up the adhesive, at any rate. The adhesive can't get to any of the holes in the target, as we need them clean if we are to bolt the target into place in the target chamber.

Seems there is drinking on the job round here. Grown men, drunk, operating a massive pneumatic chamber? Not a good sign. Just joking. They weren't drunk, though we were eyeing the alcohol. We are fallible, okay? No judging.

Yeap. Nice big round bottle of temptation. 

Started setting up the pneumatic chamber. There is some laser equipment to detect the speed of the projectile before it hits the target, in the antechamber of the target chamber. X-ray equipment too, as well as a high speed camera, to allow them to analyse the impact, and how the armour plate absorbed the impact etc. 

High speed camera, along with POWERFUL lamps to get clear shots. 

Began preparations. Sucking up air in the chamber, and sealing it airtight. 

Thats me pulling on one of two big sealant valves of the target chamber. 

Fired the shot from the safety of the control room. 

The control room, with the mates clustered around the computers controlling the whole process.

And this is our resident drill sergeant conducting firing. 

Lunch followed soon after, in the same canteen, reached by shuttle bus. The professor in charge sees us there, and greets us. The rapport between teacher and students is admirable, to say the least. Would like to be in such a class in the future. (though I already am, in JC or high school)

After that came the research. Had some specialised equipment to measure some specifics, and analyse the strength, density and other hidden properties of the different targets, as they were not made of metal only, but ceramic and other composites.

The entire machine. 

A close up, with the target below. Betwixt the microscopes, is a diamond mounted into another appendage that hits the target with a predetermined force. 

Drill sergeant operating the machine. In the right foreground, is the impact caused by the diamond. Sarge is measuring the depth and width of the impact etc. 

Then we pulled out the target from the chamber. Or what was left of it. The round punched through, right to the backing. (Backing is a another hunk of metal put before the target)

The hole is bout a finger deep, for perspective. 

So we left after that, as our time there had ended. Was sad to leave, cos I had tons of fun with the guys, and they were close. We'll see what we get to do next week.

Peace out

Day 3 (this was the day I realised my calling to be a plumber) (loads of shady stuff)

Wei Liang, our other mentor, told us to meet at the e-Space today, as it was the meeting point till then; from where he would bring us to his experimental labs. The reason being that it was far from the main MSE building, and we didn't exactly know our way around a giant university campus.

So we began walking. And we walked. And walked. Walked more. Still more. And finally, after going down a hill, up another one, under some buildings, through winding turns, we did a journey Bilbo Baggins would be proud of, on foot, to boot.

Wei Liang's lab was a grey (yeah they seem to like grey round here) squat, low building, that was at the bottom of yet another hill. Kind of isolated from the other buildings, and few students around. Must've been due to the sensitive information and research that lab was doing.


Saying no names, that lab was affiliated to a local defence conglomerate, so yeah this post's been censored.

But its still worth your reading time. Way more, actually. Information being worth more than gold these days and all.

Wei Liang introduced us to the rest of his colleagues, and we introduced ourselves to each other. Easygoing bunch, and easy to like.

They work on research regarding amour systems, on behalf of the local defence industry. So they basically have this giant machine that hurls projectiles along at blazing speeds, at sorry targets, that get ANNIHILATED.

This is the entire machine. Big is an understatement, and massive would do it an injustice.

Poor Mr Target. 

One of the types of projectiles. 

They do this not for fun (though it damn well is), but for research. So like they'll take the target and analyse it, to see which materials work better as armour composites, do they work better under pressure etc.

Then, we fired a shot. Target took it okay, and the once it cooled, we removed it to take a look. Tried to rearrange pieces like it was a jigsaw puzzle, before we decided to break bread together.

Took a comfortable bus ride to another sector, where there was a canteen. We waited (really long) until everyone had their food, before tucking in. Joked all the way back, mostly at each others expense. Exams for the undergrads just ended, so canteen was full of the perps. Went back to the lab, where we rested and talked.

Then, the most important part of research (as one of them put it) came along. Cleaning. Yup. As a guy, I was drafted to help in this ignominious task. (Actually it was pretty fun, as we joked, but we got the job done.)

So we cleaned the barrel of the machine, with brushes attached to a flexible pipe. Yea, like a plumber, one could say, plying his trade in the pipes.

So here's me with the pipe and the brush attached. It goes into the main barrel. I look like a guy with some wrong thoughts LOL.

Here is how it goes in. And there's y'all imagining things. Seriously, people.

Here's me extending the cleaning hose by attaching another component. The guy behind me seriously belongs on the parade ground, with a drill sergeant's rank slapped on his arm.

So the cleaning got done soon, and then we ended off with some refreshments, before firing another shot, from the safety of the control room. Sound is deafening.

I found out that I wasn't even strong enough to pull a section of the chamber. Wei Liang could. I was mollified when he told me that when they started out, it took two men to pull it. They probably get all the gymming done in the lab then. 

Overall, the day was good. Really got me interested in the local defence industry, and asked around. Maybe will ask my mates how it is, during NS. 

See y'all soon.

Day 3 (25th Nov)

 Day 3 was an exciting one as I was finally able to see what Davy and his colleagues do as their research. Davy called on me to follow him and his colleagues to his car (he had a nice car )and he drove us to one of their labs around NIE.

 The lab was full of all sorts of testing equipment, from pressure plates to motion detectors, 3D motion cameras and high speed cameras. Too bad we were only there for awhile. The equipment there was used on athletes by observing how they move and stuff.

They also have some fancy equipment that can detect electrical currents from muscle movement and they said they could even make my arm move by sending in small harmless electrical currents. ( I needed parents consent to participate ).

After some exploring, we returned to the office and soon after, call it a day. Day 3 was very interesting as I was able to see the equipment they use and how they use it which is very important for those who want to pursue in being a researcher!

-RJ

Day 2

Mostly reviewed yesterday's work with Jinkai.

First, went to get a daily dose of our hot chocolate, in the side room of the computer lab.

Jinkai then brought us to his office (yeah PhD students get offices, with their partitions to boot) and introduced us to his colleagues, some of whom we had met yesterday.

He then went through the data he had collected from his experiments, and and ran it through his Excel software, to get averages and plot a general trend for his research.

Then he brought us to the basement, to the specialised lab, where there were specialised equipment for material analysis. This is a paranomic shot of the lab.

Yeap, lots of expensive equipment. At the entrance, had to wear some dosimeters to make sure that we were not overexposed to X-rays.

The machine we operated read the orientation of the crystals of the material Jinkai put in. It needs the material's atoms/molecules to be arranged in a crystal formation in order to do so. There was a bit of confusion at the start, and this is all of us trying to get a peek to see what happened.

We resolved the matter early on, and got down to business, with Jinkai powering through.

This is what the machine looks like, with the samples in the foreground.

After all this, we went to have lunch (food is always at the forefront of one's mind, ESPECIALLY if you live in the lion city).

Then, went to the lab to do some further research and work on the cell samples. Jinkai showed us the different types of cells; muscle cells etc. 

After this, we ended off the day with a trip back to his office.

Day 2 (24th Nov)

  Started off day 2 arriving late (cos NTU is like a maze and couldn't get a sense of direction >.<) but it was all good. I continued on reading up on the Parkinson's disease, a disease that causes motor skills impairment due to death of neurons  ( my bad, I didn't explain in my last post)

I didnt get to visit the labs as Davy wasn't free, plus he wanted me to make a presentation, summarizing what I have learnt. Initially, I thought it was gonna be easy, until Davy told me what I was missing out on. And turns out, I barely know how to provide a good presentation :( Mostly I was lacking on referencing my points ( Project work taught me nothing).

After that I went for lunch with Davy's 2 colleagues (Davy couldn't join us). We went for Fast Food this time and ate MacDonald's  and chatted for quite awhile, they are really nice people and I like friendly people :).

After that we returned to the office and continued to do my work until the end of the day. In the end Day 2 was a very good learning experience for me to being a researcher and also learnt alot of other stuff.

-RJ

Day 1: The biomaterial lab tour~

In the afternoon, we went with our mentor Jinkai to the biomaterial lab to know more about the research he is doing.

However, when we went to the lab room, another person was going to start his experiment and Jinkai decided to let him use the lab first.

We saw him doing his research for a while, then we went to Jinkai's place in the lab since the guy was using a toxic liquid which was smelt terrible (imagine skunk)  and none of us was wearing masks.

 Another reason why we left was that the lab was REAALLY small, about 5 feet by 10; and 4 people crammed into it wasn't great.

This is Jinkai's place in the lab :)

After the guy finished his experiment, he helped Jinkai to prepare new cells with specific medicines. As the cell culture was sensitive to light, we turned off the light in the lab and did the experiment in dark...

 Preparation for new cells.

Jinkai took out some cells from the incubator and change the cell culture medium added a few days ago. He explained that this will help the cells to grow in  good conditions and prevent them from changing to other unexpected, (unwanted)  things. Another reason was that the cell culture would get poisoned etc, as too many days in that medium would be harmful to the cell culture.

He also emphasised that it is easy to change the medium in this experiment because the cells (in this case) stay at  the bottom of the cell culture  rather than float on the medium, which would make it quite difficult to change the medium.

Several samples were prepared to as to lower the chances of anomalies. Because if one set is skewed then we could analyse it and hopefully find out what went wrong, etc so as to prevent it from happening again. 

 Changing the medium.

Eventually, got a look at the cell culture before popping it back into the incubator for it to grow. Maybe will take  a look at it soon?

This is the picture of cells under microscope.  ♪(^∇^*)

Day 1 (23rd Nov)

  After the introduction to school of  MSE and the safety test (which was a walk in the park), everyone headed off with their mentors. However, my mentor Davy had a meeting so I headed to E-space and slacked around for awhile and also enjoying their hot chocolate :D.

When Davy arrived, we went to visit his office and some of his colleagues who are really nice people, very friendly. After that we went for lunch at one of the canteens which was VERY crowded and the queues were crazy, however, the western food there is delicious so i guess it was worth the wait.

We returned to the office after lunch and Davy assigned me to a literature read up and explained what he and his colleagues were doing. He explained how researches are conducted step by step and assigned me to a literature read-up on Parkinson's disease. Turns out this topic was really interesting and I learnt a lot after reading the papers and online posts.

Day 1 was a great eye-opener for me towards understanding  research and I hope to learn more! 

-RJ

Day 1: Briefing (bleargh) and exploring.

Well. Today has been interesting, at least.

 Except for the safety briefing. Some guy was constantly emphasising on safety and general lab procedures, making sure we got the message.

 You get the picture. Boring but necessary.      

 The lot of us were divided into groups, and I did not know my partner. HALF the others are like Nanyang. Hope Anderson sends more next time round, then they won't be in my shoes. Trying to figure out how blogging works, as it seems to be a try it as you go along thing.

After the briefing, we explored the school. Were entirely lost, because the school building was like this GIANT grey labyrinthine building. This is us there.

To me, the school of Material Science looks like giant grey Lego blocks dropped one on top of the other. And the corridors would make for some great scenes for like horror movies. Bout half the building dedicated to the professors and their rooms, and the other half (the basements?) for the labs. Its a good place though. People seem to know each other, and the free flow hot drinks are a godsend. People at work on the computers in the lab all the time (exams coming), and for those who fancy a break there are magazines in the room as well. (Since its a school, most of the magazines are educational) Stuff like National Geographic and Times, to name a few.

Lunch was at a high end hawker centre sort of get up, through some halls where the professors and students stay. Everybody seems to be chill here, exept for the undergrads (their exams are like next week), which means that now is probably cramming time. Bout the only time they study, I fathom. But this is Asia, and Singapore, so I highly doubt the validity of that statement.

Will update all you people soon. Take care.

Peace out.