Today is
the second last day of the TWC course and is also the first dedicated week of
presentations. 3 groups presented today, including my group which went second. The
first group presented on futuristic buildings, our group presented on clean
energy and the last group presented on nanotechnology.
I found
the first group’s presentation greatly informative and interesting. The group
explored how buildings in the future are likely to develop in a trajectory of
emulating greater environmental consciousness in their designs, such as
buildings underwater, buildings built entirely out of organic solar cells which
can transform the building itself into a powerful energy generator, as well as
buildings constructed out of hempcrete which makes them less susceptible to the
elements. I found the idea of partially underwater structures which consists of
sealed and buoyant living spaces which may be detached from the main structure and
serve as safe havens for residents in the event of tsunamis/typhoons especially
intriguing. The group had even constructed a model of such a building structure
– complete with live fishes. Were such a concept to be practicably translated
to reality, it would be an invaluable contribution to countries which are
especially vulnerable to such natural disasters. Human casualty rates and the
extent of destruction in the event of tsunamis and typhoons would be greatly
reduced and the world would not need to witness similar tragic and helpless
scenes of a disaster aftermaths as that unfolding in the Philippines at present
(the region of Tacloban in the Philippines was completely devastated when a
typhoon made landfall on 8 November 2013).
My group’s
presentation was on clean energy. We covered how the use of energy by mankind
has evolved over history – from the use of firewood for heating and cooking, to
the advent of the steam engine and eventually the discovery of coal and other
hydrocarbons mined from deep in the earth, which we came to rely heavily on to drive
subsequent industrialization goals. Our group also identified the impetus for a
shift to clean and sustainable energies/technology today and explored a few
examples of such energies in detail – e.g. solar power, biomass and hydro-energy.
We then went on to examine case studies of countries which have dabbled in
clean energy technologies to a significant extent and we evaluated their successes
in reducing their carbon footprints. Finally, we covered the implications which
a concerted shift in energy policies towards clean technologies would bring
about and considered the issues that are likely to arise and which need to be
addressed in order that the full benefit of such of such a change is realised
all involved.
The last
group presented on nanotechnology and examined how such a small and seemingly
insignificant entity can in fact have expansive, value-adding applications. Examples
include the use of nanoparticles in the medical field for drug delivery and the
use of nanowires to monitor patient vitals. The latter would save the patient much
time and expense which he would otherwise have to invest in making physical
trips down to the doctor’s. The group then went on to explore the possible
economic, social, environmental and political implications of a widespread use
and innovation of nanotechnology in future. One point I found particularly
intriguing is the potential for nanotechnology to be harnessed in the recycling
of waste materials to regenerate food. The group notes how it may be possible
in future for a machine to be built which takes nanoparticles from waste
material and rearranges them to create new, edible food products. This could
potentially resolve the issue of world hunger by providing a novel source of food
and increasing global food supply. Overall, I found the group’s presentation
informative and energetic. The use of animation graphics on the website also made
the site a visual feast and pleasure to
explore.
I would
rate this lesson a 9/10.
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