Passtimes August Issue 2011
!"#$
Dear Reader,
E!tor’s Words
Hope you have been enjoying the summer holiday! Committees of Imperial College Public Awareness and Social Service Society (ICPASS) are indeed having a hectic summer. Alongside our internships, we have worked hard in organising the annual charity concert, The Candle of Vision - The Glimpse of a Dream and launching the latest PASSTIMES. Autumn Term will start in a month and new challenges are waiting ahead. “Howʼs life in College?” “I worry about finding work experience.” “I am puzzled.” In this issue we have put bits and pieces of experience together to form an informal factsheet on the College, Departments and Halls of Residence. It represents not just group memory but provides firsthand information to freshers of Imperial. For seekers keen on internships or employment, don’t miss out on our episode in both engineering and scientific research. Bankers, please be patient. Commerce-related experiences will be published in the coming issue. Watch out for another pioneer session “Exploring Home!” which will begin in our next issue. It will reveal one by one the brief historical background and future development of the 18 districts in Hong Kong. The credit for tremendous literature researching, site visiting and organising interviews with the Government officials and other external bodies goes to Mr Timothy Lau and the editorial board. Cheers to a group of very helpful writers, and also to Miss Clarence Cheng for her another fascinating page layout. Finally thank you to my family, coursemates and friends for their full support, all the time. Are you ready to share our passion and finish the puzzle? Best regards, Monique Ho Chief Editor (2011-2012)
Disclaimer: the content published on PASSTIMES is created by individual authors, and do not represent the views of the ICPASS or its committee members. Neither the ICPASS nor its committee members are liable to any opinion expressed by contributors. !"#$%& '()*+,-./012& 3456789:;<=>?@AB CD@;CAEFGHIJKL12&M4C-N6OHPQR"S
Editorʼs Team: Annis Wong Brendan Lo Clarence Cheng! Charles Poon
Janice Kwok Timothy Lau Victor Sham
!"
Content ICPASS: Who Are We?! !
!
!
3
Highlights of Our Events!!
!
!
5
An Unofficial Guide to Imperial: - Departments! ! ! ! - Halls of Residence! ! !
! !
7 11
Tell Me About Robogals! !
!
!
14
Work Experience - Engineering!
!
!
!
!
17
- Bioscience!!
!
!
!
!
18
Best Regards, You - 以羊論事! !
!
!
!
!
19
- 芝麻開門! !
!
!
!
!
21
3
PASSTIMES August Issue
!"#$%% Who Are We? We are just like everyone else. Everyone cares about their home regardless of the geographical distance, so do we! We are eager to make it a better place to live in. We are keen on merging goodies learnt from our experiences in different countries and contributing them to the communities we were brought up in. Imperial College Public Awareness and Social Service Society, a.k.a. ICPASS, gathers a group of enthusiastic students, sharing ideas on public affairs and community work alongside academic burden, emphasising on whole-person development. The ultimate goal is to show all members of the College our passion, and hopefully to spread the positive tone to everyone on campus.
top (left to right): Timothy Lau, Jonathan Chow, Brendan Lau, Renzo Yau bottom (left to right): Stephanie Ma, Clarence Cheng, Monique Ho
4
PASSTIMES August Issue
Exhibition and Forum about Political System
Elderly Visit in HK Tram Party
Parliament Trip
Cambridge Quiz
PASSTIMES 1st Issue APASS Debating Forum - Championship
New Committee Panel Election Save the Rising Sun (for Japan Earthquake)
Election of ICPASS Delegates for APASS
PASSTIMES
July 2010
Sept 2010
Oct 2010 Nov 2010
Jan 2011
Mar 2011 June 2011 Aug 2011
OUR MOVE
Annual Concert
June 2010 Project Enlightenment
Freshers’ Fair Recruitment and Interview of Project Committee Members
Elderly visit in HK
Dec 2010
Interview with Audrey Eu (with Warwick) Interview with Yip Wing Sze
Feb 2011
Annual LSE HKPASS Debating Forum
Apr 2011
Joint PASSTIMES with Warwick
July 2011
Charity Walkathon
Sept 2011
IC Chinese Society Reception Day The Candle of VIsion: Anuual Charity Concert ‘11
5
PASSTIMES August Issue
Highlights
2010/11 Imperial College Public Awareness and Social Service Society
asstimes January 2011
PASSTIMES is the flagship project of ICPASS. It is a variety magazine composed of studentsʼ written articles in categories of economics, cultural, political and leisure. Apart from raising studentsʼ awareness of Hong Kong current affairs and community struggles, PASSTIMES also covers topics about life at Imperial and around London in order to provide students with balanced information. To view the content of current/ coming-up issue of PASSTIMES online, please visit the following website: http://issuu.com/icpass.
倫 敦 帝 國 學 院 學 生 報
公 共 事 務 及 社 會 服 務 學 會
Project Enlightenment is a two-week volunteering scheme, which provided an opportunity for Imperial students to teach English in the less privileged and rural area of China in mid July 2010. We have successfully expanded our scheme to one primary and one secondary school in Guangzhou and we received very good feedback from the schools and students.
Interviews with Public Figures ICPASS was honoured to have invited several speakers, including Mr Alan Leong (right), to enlighten our students about different issues concerning our hometown Hong Kong in the past few years. It was indeed an invaluable experience to be able to listen to these speakers. Our students have shown their enthusiasm by actively raising questions for discussion.
6
2011/12
PASSTIMES August Issue
New Committee! President - Jonathan Chow (Mechanical Engineering, Year 2) Vice President (PA) - Timothy Lau (Mechanical Engineering, Year 2) Vice President (SS) - Clarence Cheng (Mathematics, Year 2) Secretary - Renzo Yau (Biochemistry, Year 2) Treasurer - Brendan Lo (Biomedical Engineering, Year 2) Publication Chief Editor - Monique Ho (Biochemistry,Year 3) IT Officer - Stephanie Ma (Physics, Year 3)
“Save the Rising Sun” is a campaign to send our prayers to the victims of the Japan 9.0 earthquake in March 2011. We would also like to pay tribute to all the technicians, fire-fighters and the Japan Self- Defence Force, who are still fighting against the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant. In this 1-day campaign, we sold Krispy Kreme doughnuts for donations during lunch. Presentation of news and scientific research was delivered in the evening, giving more information to our students about this incident. To express our feelings about this tragedy, cards were provided to students for lines on the day and collected to make a booklet that was sent to Japan. We have successfully raised a total of £528.31 (~HK$6,600) for Japanese Red Cross.
Discussion Forum is a weekly event for the students of Imperial in order to provide a platform to discuss current affairs happening in Hong Kong and China. The topic varied from young models in Hong Kong to 5 constituencies referendum, from children of Hong Kong and helicopter parents to minimum wage. These discussion forums allow students to express their ideas and concerns for the hot issues. Also, through discussion, the students can deepen their knowledge in the topic, and achieving our aim of raising public awareness.
Want to become a member of ICPASS?
Want to know more about our up-coming events?
Visit our stall at
Freshers’ Fair (Tuesday, 4 Oct 2011)
7
PASSTIMES August Issue
"e
Unofficial Guide
To Impe$al Well done and congratulations to those of you who have been accepted by one of the best universities in the world! This section aims at giving freshers a taste of what Imperial is like - its departments and halls of residence.
Depa!ments
At Imperial, we work hard - and play even harder!
Mathematics Morris Po
Mechanical Engineering Tony Wu
Welcome to one of the toughest courses at Imperial College.
Mechanical Engineering is not an easy subject. The competitiveness and high expectations are emphasised in the introduction lecture; putting everyone on edge. However the actual lectures themselves and the course move at a comfortable pace (some may find it too slow). As a result many people have been lured into a false sense of security. The difficult of past papers shocked quite a few people during exam preparation. Aside from the period leading up to exams, the only other busy times are around coursework deadlines. Late nights are common (it depends on whether you are willing to give ʻthe extra 80% effort for 20% in marksʼ). For those who have good time management this wonʼt be a problem. Some people find the course easy where as others find it difficult. But regardless of your ability, the importance of tutorial sheets cannot be emphasised enough; their completion are crucial for success.
The Mathematics course is always full of misery and challenges, on both the real and complex planes. In the first term, you will encounter weekly tests. The following terms will introduce the horrible exams, progress tests and assignments. First year mathematicians constantly deal with stress and failure. Don't worry too much, as everyone beside you will struggle like you do. Lecturers here are undoubtedly mathematical maniacs, tending towards the crazy and eccentric. Fortunately, according to the department heads, first year lecturers are 'likely' to be the less outlandish ones, like Mestel and Corti. Despite the exam stress and fear of failure, there are still things worth looking forward to as an Imperial mathematician, for example the 13-hours of lectures per week make up the most relaxed timetable at Imperial, and the usual workload is low in comparison to other courses. Enjoy university life to the fullest, especially when there are no exams for a month or two.
8
PASSTIMES August Issue
Civil & Environmental Engineering Jacqueline Ho
Physics David Choy
Civil engineering is widely acknowledged as one of Imperialʼs strongest engineering disciplines. It hence comes as no surprise that the course is tough and demanding. You should expect at least 20 hours of lectures every week. You are first introduced to the importance of all-nighters in the second year. In small groups, you have to complete 3 two-day long projects – expect no more than 4 hours of sleep. The trip to the constructionarium is definitely the highlight of the course. This year the projects included a bridge and The Gherkin. The department altered the syllabus recently meaning that the number of past papers available is limited. In order to excel, it is important to complete tutorial sheets. As always, it is helpful to befriend people in older years for more tips and advices.
The department of Physics is one of the oldest departments at Imperial College. It originates from the physics classes first taught in the Royal College of Mines in 1850s. The Physics programme develops a broad competence and set of skills in both physics and mathematics, which lays a good foundation for employment in a wide range of mathematically-based careers. The course contains a significant number of lectures as well as laboratory and computing work, resulting in long contact hours (around 20 hours a week). Despite this, the Physics programme is enjoyable and intellectually challenging at the same time. Allnighters are not usual for Physicists here, unless you happen to be skiving off too many lectures!
Materials Karissa Chan
Electrical & Electronic Engineering Christopher Kwan
First of all, welcome to the Materials department at Imperial- the oldest and largest department studying Materials Science in the UK.
Electrical and Electronic Engineering, commonly referred to as EEE, is amongst the most challenging and fascinating courses at Imperial College. It is very demanding and requires you to be in college for up to 24 hours per week. All students in the first and second year follow more or less the same curriculum; it is in the third year when you are given the opportunity to select lecture modules from a wide selection of subjects such as circuits, power, digital and communications. Of course, you donʼt spend all the time on campus attending lectures, you will also take part in laboratory sessions, which are important for applying theoretical concepts to real life applications. Although as a typical EEE student you will not have many deadlines to meet and all-nighters to pull, you are expected to spend a lot of time on independent study in order to absorb the material introduced by the outstanding lecturers and knowledgeable professors. On top of all this, you will need to participate in research and design-and-build group projects; these not only test your engineering capabilities, but also assess your ability to work in a team. Nevertheless, your university life at one of Imperialʼs most wellknown departments will be very fulfilling and rewarding, and the degree you earn after the many years of hard work is highly valued by many renowned graduate schools and top employers.
A brief 101 to the Materials course at IC – Basic principle on Materials are covered in the course, including structure & properties, processing & manufacturing of materials. The course also covers the basic aspects of all four science subjects: mostly physics, but also chemistry, biology and mathematics. There is even a short course on business and accounting. Principles of materials taught in lectures are usually reinforced with hands-on experiments. This is of course, a very good way to learn, but also results in weekly lab reports. Donʼt be freaked out though. Despite the vast number of write-ups, the time table is relatively chilled (~20 hours per week). The main challenge for the course is the fact that you are studying a diverse spectrum of topics. However, given that you manage your time well, you shouldnʼt have to pull any all nighters. I would not recommend the idea of last minute cramming though, even though it may have worked in high school. The best thing about the department is the closely knitted community. Everyone knows each other well and there is constant support from peers as well as from the professors. I sincerely hope that you enjoy your first year at IC and see you around!
9
PASSTIMES August Issue
Computing Benjamin Wong
Bioengineering Brendan Lo
Computing at Imperial is a constantly changing course. Every year, the lecturers design the course according to current industry trends and feedback received from students. There are also JMC (joint-maths and computing) students who study part of the course.
Biomedical Engineering is one of the newer engineering disciplines here at Imperial. The department itself only gained departmental status in 1998, so the course has not been around for a very long time. However, the modules do provide a solid background for specialising in the Mechanical or Electrical streams in the final year. (assuming you choose to do four years of the programme). This means long contact hours (up to 24 hours a week!) and a large amount of course materials to learn and become familiar with for the exams. However, this is manageable as the broad range of subjects ensures that you will never have to grow tired of constantly having to study the same subject for a long period of time. Fortunately, all-nighters are not too common as there are just a reasonable amount of deadlines to meet throughout the term, although this really depends on your own time management.
While some might expect the course to include materials like web site design, Photoshop and video editing, it actually does not teach you much about these practical skills. In fact, it places a huge emphasis on the ability to think logically. The lecturers present you with new problems in programming every week. Rather than teaching you to solve all the problems, it shows you the way to deal with something new. This is, in my opinion, a very good technique, as acquiring new skills is part of what it takes to work in the Computing industry. It is often preferable to choose the four-year MSc as there is more time for completing certain modules and you get to specialise in one of the options such as AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Mobile Systems. The course teaches a wide variety of subjects which include Maths, Logic, Reasoning, and of course, Programming. It offers a lot of flexibility, as, unlike most engineering subjects, you can complete your lab work - programming outside the lab. Deadlines are usually reasonable with good time management. The technique for studying the material depends on the type of module, but in general, I prefer to finish all the tutorial sheets given. You usually do not need to submit them, but it allows you to put what you learnt into practical use after a day of lectures. After studying for a year, I think Computing is more than writing softwares and designing systems. It teaches you to look at problems in different ways.
Biochemistry Josephine Chiu In the first year of Biochemistry, you get to learn about the complexity of the fundamental buildings blocks of life (amino acids, fatty acids, monosaccharides) and their metabolic pathways, and even handle E. coli. In the midst of all this fun, please remember that they are ALL examinable at the end of the year in four papers. Biochemistry is not a relaxing course given the relatively shorter teaching hours (~15 hours a week for first year, ~20 hours for second year) compared to engineering students, and the abit-disappointing quality of teaching. The less you learn from the lectures, the more you would have to study by YOURSELF, from 5inch-thick textbooks and online journals. Unlike A-Levels, you have MUCH detail to study so leaving them until the last term is unlikely to succeed. You are strongly encouraged to catch up on every single lecture and make your own notes EVERYDAY. Whether you see it as an advantage or not, our exams take place at the end of June. In other words, when your friends are sleeping 12 hours a day in HK or travelling around Europe, we are privileged enough to have the entire library. So good luck and enjoy your first year!
10
PASSTIMES August Issue
Chemistry Ivan Ho
Medicine Glory Lai
The very first thing one should note about Chemistry here at Imperial College is that itʼs quite lab-heavy. Anyone fancying a massive load of practical chemistry work will be in for a treat, while those who are less keen… itʼs never too late to develop a burning passion for labs! Besides, making crystals or bouncing putty balls does sometimes constitute to some quality, geeky fun. The first term of chemistry lectures would be devoted to “Foundation Chemistry”, the purpose of which is to bring everyone up to speed. After that, lectures would be divided into 3 main categories: Physical, Inorganic and Organic. In addition to the main chemistry course, it is also compulsory to pick an ancillary subject. Determine your choice of ancillary carefully as a poorly chosen ancillary might take a fair chunk out of your time that might otherwise be spent on studying chemistry. However, at the end of the day, it all comes down to good time management; fail to plan and you plan to fail. So plan well!
Medicine at Imperial follows an integrated course over six years and is spread across its eight campuses across London. The integrated approach is excellent as it provides different ways of learning and develops skills you will need. 1st and 2nd years will enjoy a mixture of lectures, tutorials, PBL (problem based learning) and anatomy. Anatomy sessions take place during the second and third term, once or twice a week. 4th year gives you the opportunity to study for the BSc degree, with a wide range of specialist areas to choose from. 3rd, 5th and 6th year consists of clinical attachments where you will be working in the NHS hospitals linked with Imperial College. Since there is a lot of material to cover during the year, time management is essential. Reviewing work regularly avoids the need to pull all-nighters during exam time. It is a demanding course but fellow students and older years are always there to offer help and support.
Aeronautics Ivan Kwok
Chemical Engineering Timothy Kong
Established in 1909, Department of Aeronautics is one of the oldest departments of Imperial College. Taught by experts in the field from all over the world, the course aims to equip each individual with the knowledge necessary to design an entire aircraft from scratch, from a single bolt to the electronic system. All the modules are compulsory for the first two years and there are some elective subjects, which are more specialist in nature for the third year, examples include Helicopter Dynamics and Aircraft System Engineering. Aeronautics is a demanding subject, it has long contact hours (~ 22 hours a week) and quite a lot of deadlines to meet (reports, progress tests and a massive application project each year!). It is challenging but really worthwhile especially if you are an aircraft enthusiast. All-nighters are quite common, so be prepared, plan your time well and enjoy!
We always say Chemical Engineers study “nearly everything”, indeed they do -- from process control to environmental assessment and to accounting & business strategies. Together with various courseworks on mechanical design, flowsheeting, and the robust (but ridiculous) computer programme MATLAB, we may work in excess of 35 hours a week. The most interesting part of the course seems to be the "final year research" where you choose among many leading-edge topics to explore; but there is also the most boring “Safety & Loss Prevention” module which requires the memorisation of A LOT of texts. I suggest you not to slack in the Autumn Term (no matter how easy you find the course to be), because once you lagged behind it would be difficult to catch up. Also donʼt believe that “2nd year is the hardest of all” -- this is a lie! “What about all-nighters?" Well, it depends on what kind of honour you want to get! But don't worry too much as the ChemEngSoc organises a lot of fun stuff throughout the year. All the best & have fun!!
11
PASSTIMES August Issue
Halls of Residence
Eastside
Southside & Eastside Timothy Lau
Pembridge Hall Jonathan Chow
Wilkinson, Gabor, Linstead, Selkirk, Tizard, Falmouth and Keogh. If you manage to get a space at either of these halls, call yourself lucky because you are in for a good year of living in halls. The rooms are all decent sized, and although expensive, they offer the best living environment offered to students at the college. The kitchens, apart from the ones in Keogh Hall, are all spacious and airy, offering a good place to socialise with hall mates and have “hot pot” with fellow students from Hong Kong. They are also cleaned every morning on weekdays so the only time they will actually be dirty is on Sunday evenings, to avoid this just simply avoid eating in halls on that night. Like Beit and Weeks hall, the Southside and Eastside halls are located on campus and so grant you the luxury of waking up ten minutes before your first morning lecture. This is a feature that students at inferior halls are sure to be very jealous of.
Pembridge Hall is located in Notting Hill Gate, an area with lots of restaurants, supermarkets, coffee shops and pubs around, you can basically find everything you need within 100 meters. The kebab shop and KFC next to NatWest are our favourite restaurants, one of the reasons being that they wonʼt close until 3:00am so you can always get something to eat after coming back from a club or the library. Some of the students walk to school everyday while some prefer cycling. The 30 minute walk to school ensures that you can pay attention in the morning lecture, but cycling is obviously the fastest way to school. Other students may choose to take the tube or bus which takes about 15-20 minutes to campus, depending on the traffic and the location of their department. Pembridge is a small and friendly hall. There are around 100 students living in Pembridge, with only 2 kitchens, you have to prepare your dinner either very early or late (or not have any) to avoid the crowd but obviously it is also the reason why you can meet lots of people in Pembridge!
12
PASSTIMES August Issue
Beit Hall
Beit Hall Monique Ho
Evelyn Gardens Grace Chan
Beit Hall is always described as the noisiest hall of residence due to its location right next to the Royal Albert Hall (a tourism hotspot) and inside Beit Quadrangle together with the FiveSixEight Bar and Metric the nightclub. I would not say the information stated on College website is strictly false, but the situation really does depend also on the exact location of your room and the other students that live on the same floor as you. As an ex-W4 Beiter, I enjoyed a peaceful year in an en suite single room facing the rooftop of the Holy Trinity Church.
Evelyn Gardens provides you a wonderful taste of living in traditional low-rise red brick buildings. It is situated in an excellent location where you can stay away from the heavy traffic near the college and gives yourself a serene learning environment. The nearest bus stop is only 1min away, shops like M&S and Sainsbury 2min, cinema 3 min. Holbein and Willis Jackson have the best facilities among all college halls. Latest movies are always available to be borrowed (for free!!) from the friendly wardens and you can enjoy watching them in the TV room (Plasma TV + Wii + PS3). There is also a pool room next door! Rooms are fully furnished and have high ceilings. Most of them are en-suite bedrooms so you do not have to queue! HWJ has kitchens on every floor and you only have to share your kitchen with only 10 fellow hallmates. There is a private garden only for Imperial students right outside the kitchen and an exceptionally spacious common room. These are perfect places for you to chill with your hallmates and to get to know each other pretty well. Donʼt forget to go to FREE brunch every Sunday morning!
Without the brand new furnishings and technological luxuries provided by Southside and Eastside, Beit offers a pleasant and warm cosy place for boarders. I have many fond memories of fun and exciting times with my hallmates. I'll never forget my times enjoying the events run by the warden team including the summer barbeque, Chinese New Year feast, Valentineʼs Day Auction, Queenʼs Tower visit, movie nights, football matches and many others. Beit also provides a wonderful geographical advantage being located on campus. You can definitely wake up at ten to nine, have a slice of toast and make it on time to your 9 o'clock lecture. Beitʼs kitchens are spacious and well equipped (apart from televisions like in South/Eastside). Beiters often prefer convenient “cooking” using microwaves. It is indeed a good place for tea gathering, chitchat as well as revision.
13
PASSTIMES August Issue
Wilson House
Wilson House, Faith Chung
Orient House, Frankie Ho
Not to be confused with the Eastside Wilkinson Hall, there is a huge difference between the two. What can I say? It is one of the less expensive halls at Imperial, consider it a bargain for living in central London.
Can your day be any worse when you receive your Orient House accommodation offer? After several sleepless nights, you are struggling with yourself whether you should allow yourself to stay in that last choice room, or try any possible way to find another room on campus. Towards the deadline, you are desperate, you are frustrated, but you have no option, you, finally, must accept the fact that you are fated to be an Orient-er in the forthcoming year.
As the description on the Imperial College website says, it is a converted Victorian house; furnishings and the like are old, as expected. However, most things are fairly clean until students start using it, but there are cleaners everyday for the communal areas and once a week for bedrooms. The Hall seniors organise events almost every week, from a range of activities such as clubbing to cheap tickets for theatre and sport events. There are several ways to commute to campus, walk, bus, tube, cycle or taxi. Tube is not really recommended, as the waiting time varies between 5-15 minutes, which makes the journey up to 30 minutes. Whereas walking though Hyde Park takes only 25 minutes, hence most people go for the walking option. A good thing about Wilson House is there is everything round the corner, 4 different supermarkets, post office, pharmacy, Argos, Tube station and much more! All within 2minute walking distance!
When you have first landed Orient House, it may appear be a paradise for you……or it may not. Well, such affection is entirely up to you. We wonʼt judge. In fact, everything you have to know about Orient House can be found on your welcome letter. It is fairly pointless to describe more on here. Certainly, at some point in the future, you will feel in the exact same way with every other Orient-er around. Indeed, your uni life cannot be ruined by where you live. It is however enhanced by how you live with it.
14
PASSTIMES August Issue
Tell Me Ab"t.....
Robogals is a student-run organisation that aims to engage schoolgirls in engineering topics from a young age. Karen Ng, President of Robogals London, is here to tell us more about Robogals and their projectrunning experience. Chief editor reports. K: Karen Ng What is the aim of running Robogals and how did it start up at Imperial? K: Robogals London is a student-led organisation at Imperial College. Our mission is to inspire young girls to take up Science, Engineering and Technology in higher education in a predominantly maledominated field. We want to show girls that such courses can be fun, interesting and very fulfilling and that all they have to do is try in order to find out for themselves. Robogals originated from Australia in 2008. Sonya Chan, then a second year Electrical and Electronic Engineer, pioneered the establishment of Robogals London with Aakanksha Chikara, a PhD student. It was the first chapter set up in the UK, and they learnt about Robogals from the founder, Marita Cheng, who was at Imperial College on an exchange program in 2008. Initially, things moved very slowly and it was difficult to establish a presence at Imperial College because of how new it was. Some problems with the union arose initially, but they soon passed and we managed to convince EEE to sponsor our initial 2 robots to start off the project. It was never easy, and still is not, but we have now successfully expanded across the UK into six other universities such as Oxford and Manchester; this expansion started with a successful inaugural UK Bootcamp held at Imperial College in April 2010. In March 2011, Robogals participated in one of the biggest annual events in
the UK – the Big Bang Fair London. It is a Science, Engineering and Technology fair for secondary schools across the nation; in partnership with IET London, a stand was set up to great success, garnering many new contacts and partnership opportunities. How does it work? K: To inspire the next generation of female engineers, Robogals London provides enriching robotic workshops for local schools. We usually hold workshops on two consecutive Wednesday afternoons; girls are divided into small groups to learn about and play with LEGO Mindstorm NXT 2.0 robots, as well as do simple programming. Lessons are taught in gradual modules, with increasing complexity. Our workshops are planned by our Lessons Manager, who also trains our volunteers – consisting of undergraduate and postgraduate students from Imperial College. Our volunteers conduct the lessons at Imperial College for visiting female students, making the process fun and enriching, teaching the girls that science and technology are approachable fields, and not a ʻmanʼs jobʼ as many people think. We want to inspire the girls, and so the volunteers take a supportive role, letting the girls learn on their own, solving their own problems.
15
PASSTIMES August Issue
What is the structure of Robogals and what is your Role in Robogals? K: At the moment, we have a team of eight committee members. Sonya Chan is the Director for chapters across UK. Monique Ho is our Regional Sponsorship Manager, and she seeks sponsorship for nationwide activities. Other core committee members include Tahmida Huq (Schools Manager) – who contacts and liaises with schools – and Stephanie Ma (Lessons Manager) – who plans the lessons and trains the volunteers. Volunteers are also very important in Robogals. Without them, we would not be able to hold workshops as efficiently or successfully as we do now. My role was Marketing Manger last year and I currently hold the position of President at Robogals London. As President, I oversee all our activities, as well as plan our work for upcoming terms. I also attend networking events and establish collaborations with different like-minded organisations. This year, we have established connections with STEMNET UK and IET London.
sponsored our eight LEGO Mindstorm NXT 2.0 robots. This year, we obtained funding from the Harlington Trust which allowed us to purchase 5 laptops. Outside college, we also draft sponsorship proposals for relevant companies. We have also secured funding from IET for next yearʼs activities. Is there any great and fun experience? K: Of course there are loads of fun experiences. In joining Robogals, I have managed to visit Southampton and Manchester during our annual conferences. I also gave a presentation at the University of Southampton; enjoying the nice weather and relaxing atmosphere on their campus at the same time. At SINE Conference in Manchester in February, I had a great time and made many new friends from all over the UK! Did you encounter any problems? What has kept you moving in those difficulties? K: Recruitment remains a problem. It has been difficult to recruit volunteers, especially male volunteers. So far, we have observed that most males are interested in robotics, but not as much in outreach. This problem has limited the size of classes we could take when we would ideally teach a lot more girls. We are now planning recruitment events for next year.
What is the cost of running Robogals? K: The starting cost of Robogals is higher than similar societies, as robots and laptops are needed to conduct workshops. Once initial resources have been bought, our running cost is relatively low as lessons are held at Imperial College without need for much more materials. Some of our peripheral costs involve printing flyers and lesson plans; and getting Robogals tee shirts. What is the next step of Robogals? Where do you get financial support from? How do you obtain sponsorship? K: During early development of Robogals London, major financial support came from college. The Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department and Envision – a project office at Imperial College -
K: We have received a lot of interest from local schools in our workshops for the coming term. We are also speaking to the Science Museum on potential collaboration, and perhaps a demonstration.
16
PASSTIMES August Issue
In the long term, we are considering the possibility of organising a robotic competition, open for local schools to take part. The idea is to hold workshops for these participating schools prior to the competition so they would have all the information and basic skills needed. In the competition, we are hoping the girls will use what they have learnt and their creativity to perform tasks to win prizes. It sounds really great and I am interested, how can I join you? K: That is easy! Just drop us an email at karen@robogals.org.uk . You could also join our mailing list to keep updated on all upcoming events. Our website provides all information about Robogals, so please visit us at http://london.robogals.org.uk/.
E!torâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s review Supported by Sport Imperial, Student Union, Careers Advisory Service and Outreach Office, the College set up the Imperial CV2012 Award scheme. The scheme aims to recognise students contributing volunteer services and offers in return career enhancement advisory. The selection of candidates is based on oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involvement in volunteering. You are always welcome to join the scheme. All you have to do is to record your participating hours in sports, community, union or school-based volunteering. Popular examples of volunteer services include Community Sports Leader Award (CSLA, teaching sports in local area), Pimlico (teaching in local schools) and College Club Officers (leading the team or organising events). Community work like Robogals also counts. Simultaneously you can attend a variety of career-focus workshops run by Careers Service. At the end of the scheme, there will be a short assessment and an interview to wrap up the services you have participated in. A selection board comprising a panel of employers and staff of College is responsible for making awards. A certificate will be issued by the College Pro-Rector for Education. The scheme has been launched for 2 years with excellent reputation. You will enjoy regular volunteering and at the same time enhance your CV. So, why not go for it? For more information, please go to http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/2012/ getinvolved or email CV2012@imperial.ac.uk.
17
PASSTIMES August Issue
Work Expe"ence
- Intern#ip in ! Summer
Kenneth, the second left, with his colleagues at NTU
My Adventure in ! Lion City...
!"#$
4th Year, Materials Engineering
Kenneth Ng Itʼs hot. Itʼs shiny. Itʼs Singapore! I participated in a summer research internship project organised by Imperial College London and Nanyang Technology University (NTU). Interested in the culture of Singapore as well as the life of a researcher, I applied for the internship through my department in 2010 and was luckily selected. At NTU, I worked with a group of PhD students doing research on the properties and characteristics of nanoparticles. My main job was to produce nanoparticle samples for testing. I made use of various chemicals and advanced equipments to generate the nanoparticles of interest. It was like being a chef, controlling ingredients and heat carefully. Products were often surprising
(unpleasantly so!), and I was fascinated by their distinct shapes. After a month of practice, I managed to produce decent samples which I was proud of. The process was challenging but satisfying and very enjoyable. There was a sharing session each week to report our findings. I was amazed by the passion of researchers and their quality work. I learned a lot from them in both technical and attitude aspects. Most importantly, this internship had solidified my interest of being a researcher in the future. Discovering and inventing has always been exciting for me, I would be delighted if it were to be part of my future career. This type of internship targets 3rd and 4th year students but it is worth applying even as a 2nd year student. You can receive further information from your tutor. The destination of placement is subject to availability and depends on your department. It is quite often that you will get paid; but travel expenses would be out of your own pocket.
Editorʼs SMART BOX
AT A GLANCE
If you fancy staying in the country for a few more weeks in the summer, UROP would be one of your good options.
UROP - Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme
Researchers usually have preference on choosing students of 2nd year or above because of their practical and project experiences. However, 1st-year-students should never give up. Make sure you show your initiative and passion to the professors. There are a number of internal and external bursary schemes available, yet they are VERY competitive. For example, every year the main College UROP bursaries only have 18 places for all students to compete for, across different departments. And often, researchers do their projects on budget. Therefore, please do not be disappointed to have a ʻbrokeʼ summer. All Imperial students at Bachelors or Maters level are eligible for UROP while applications from other UK/EU universities are also welcome. For details, please check at www.imperial.ac.uk/urop. All the best!
• established 30 years ago, aiming to give students an insight of real research within the College. It is indeed a nice choice to gain hands-on experience in your field of interest. How it works? • email lecturers/researchers of interest and request for opportunities. There are also positions advertised on UROP website. Application is always open. Duration • 4-8 weeks (negotiable with your supervisor), you can even extend it (say bye to your holiday)! Apply QUICK! • Itʼs always over-subscribed, therefore, the sooner you approach them, the more likely you receive positive responses.
18
PASSTIMES August Issue
3rd Year, Biomedical Sciences
Annis Wong Many of us came to Imperial with the dream “I want to become a researcher” in mind. Yet when I first began my 3-year course, little did I know the work of a real scientist in the laboratory, nor did I know any other alternative ways which I can contribute to medical healthcare. I, therefore, have made good use of my two summers to get a taste of being a scientist in two very different settings.
Industrial Last summer, I worked as a marketing intern in the Hong Kong office of Merck & Co., one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world. I have a personal interest in working in the industry, and I chose Merck because of its renowned reputation and research excellence. During the interview, it is essential to demonstrate a good understanding of the background of the company and its products currently available in the market. Marketing is a crucial component for pharmaceutical companies to keep pace with the constantly changing trend of needs of their customers and to provide insight into ways to finetune the focus of their research and development. A science/engineering student should be able to transfer their scientific knowledge and research techniques to commercial applications in industry. My daily routine jobs were reading and archiving daily news in the field, and preparing promotional materials for the Sales team. Other fun tasks include analysing sales trend of the market and advertising strategies of competitors, designing new advertising campaigns and managing existing ones, and finding evidence published from welldesigned clinical trials to support the scientific basis of our advertisements. Occasionally, interns may attend symposiums with their supervisors to promote products to patients and healthcare professionals. We also worked closely with the Regulatory team which approves the medical content in all promotional materials. My mentors were very caring and patient. All the interns were close with each other and we still hang out together. I am glad to have found a way outside the lab to improve the quality of lives. The skills and knowledge I acquired from searching
and reading papers on PubMed made my life in second year much easier when I was writing my dissertation on asthma and studying the Immunology module.
UROP This summer, I undertook a UROP placement in the Section of Respiratory Infections at the National Heart and Lung Institute (St. Maryʼs campus). I proactively approached my supervisor who shares the same interest as I do in asthma and viruses. I spent 8 weeks in the group of Infection in Airway Disease. I completely lacked hands-on research experience but my supervisor has kindly allowed me to try out different modern molecular techniques, for instance growing cell culture, Western blotting, Luciferase reporter assay and ELISA. I also had the opportunity to dissect and help harvesting tissues from mice. It is more exciting and rewarding when I could actually apply the theories I learnt during the Applied Molecular Biology module in real research rather than reading dry explanations on lecture notes. I learnt to deliver experimental findings concisely and to interpret and evaluate a scientific paper critically by attending Journal Club and department meetings weekly. On top of that, reading papers of related topic is vital in enriching my knowledge on t h e s c i e n t i fi c b a s i s a n d c u t t i n g - e d g e advancements of the research area that I would like to devote to. My supervisor suggested students who wish to pursue a career in clinical research or proceed to a PhD program should read around their subjects of interest and be self-motivated in obtaining lab experience. The key is to “experience and try it out!” Yet students must carefully examine the quality of teaching and research prior to engaging in any research groups. A good summer placement should equip students with personal and professional skills required to excel in their future studies and/or careers. All the best for those of you who are willing to contribute to life sciences regardless of the way you are involved in!
19
PASSTIMES August Issue
!"#$
Best Regards,Y" 以羊論事 Victor Sham 從節錄改
的網絡故事，
又會看到
甚麼？
為，每天都要
世間上有很多羊，其中一堆在東方， 一堆在西方。為了讓西方的羊群團結 起來，好好地發展，神仙要西方的羊 群選出一個領袖：「你們可選擇一隻 狼，或是在兩頭獅子中任選一頭，而 能隨時更換
手又不能被撤換，所以就開始胡作非
們。」西方的羊群選了
兩頭獅子，希望能以獅子能互相競 爭，爭取羊群選票，從而對羊群好一
死數十隻羊。
隻狼
早已不吃羊肉了，只喝羊的血，還下 了命令不准羊叫，否則立刻
死。雖
然狼也有為羊群尋找水源和牧草，而 且羊群本身也在一天天中壯大，但最 好的地方已經早就被獅子佔據，狼又 打不過獅子，東方的羊群看着西方的 羊群過着的好日子，心中哀嘆：「早 知道如此，本該要兩頭獅子罷。」
點。事隔數年，神仙來了東方，給東
西方的羊兒又如何
方的羊群作同一選擇。東方的羊兒見
互相比較誰對羊群更好，開始時每次
獅子比狼兇猛，所以便選了狼。
當選也會盡心盡力的為羊群服務，不
春去秋來，又過了一段日子，讓我們 看看兩堆羊群發展得怎樣？西方的羊 群有先行之利，在獅子的領導下搶得 水源和不少肥美的牧草，日子似乎過 得很滋潤。東方的羊兒就慘多了，那 隻狼本來也是盡心盡力的為羊群服 務，不過日子久了，因為沒有競爭對
？本來兩頭獅子
過日子久了，獅子發現就算 壞，羊群也得從
們再
們之間選一個，必
須換着獅子挑。即使一頭獅子再好， 羊群也不能一直挑選
個獅子，以免
另一隻餓死，將來只剩下一頭獅子。 就
樣，西方的獅子們也過起了胡作
非為的日子。還好經過多年來的累
20
PASSTIMES August Issue
積，西方的羊遠比東方的多，羊群還算
時至今日，故事還未被收筆，結局亦無
能養得起兩頭獅子。不過，獅子的食量
人知曉。儘管還有東方的羊兒認為西方
很大，而且有兩頭，對羊群來說也是個
好，不過不少的都認為社會在進步，明
重的負擔。獅子眼見自己的羊群發展
天會更好。相反，西方的羊兒卻怕東方
速度
來
慢（當然，飯量是不能少
的會最終搶去自己的水源和牧草。
的，自己節食等於另一隻能吃更多）， 東面的羊群卻
來
壯，於是打起了東
其實故事中的第一二和第三四段分別是 對同一條件的的不同演繹，第一二段的
面的主意。
中心思想是「競爭」能讓政黨做好人； 直接去搶的話東面羊群和狼會強烈反
第三四段則說明「競爭」根本無用武之
抗，自己也會受傷，
不來。因此，獅
地，同時指出無競爭的情況下，社會資
子請來不少羊奸向東面灌輸西方好西方
源的消耗可能較少。同一條件下基於不
妙西方呱呱叫的精神，引來了不少食物
同的掌政立場，會導致相反的結果。由
之餘，亦對西面羊群的影響減到最低。
此可見，政治沒有
狼的牆角被
，又有何對策？花大量精
說孰好孰壞，一切只在於政客需要。當
力去闢謠只是治標不治本，況且西面的
然，現實社會比寓言故事還要複雜，如
羊的確比東面的發展得好，東面的總會
民主社會影響革命發生的機會率、獨裁
因而
渡去西面。幸好只有一頭狼，吃
政府的行政效率等都未能在故事中表達
多少剩多少都是自己的，不用擔心為他
出來。我們不能憑三數個似是而非的故
人作嫁衣裳。狼一邊節食，同時對自己
事便一刀切的斷定好壞，希望大家能從
的羊群好點，一邊低頭默默發展，希望
中得到!發，凡事切忌妄下判斷。
對的對與錯，也難
有天能和西方分庭抗禮。
WANT TO SEE YOUR ARTICLES HERE? If you are passionate about expressing your thoughts by words, photos and/or drawings etc., please join us and become one of our reporters or editors. We accept all types of work on any topics! Please do not hesitate to contact our Chief Editor Monique via email (monique.ho@imperial.ac.uk) or call (07861432657) for further information. All comments are welcome :) We look forward to hearing from you soon!
21
PASSTIMES
《芝麻開門》"
August Issue
"
"
"
"
"
何鎧言
他 七月二十四日（日）晴
24/7/2011 Sunny
第三天搬進新的屋子了， 膳時 「你好
裏的衛生狀況都比以前好。預備
那個因暑期實習而搬進來的小朋友真有意思。
上你，那個在首天唯一打過面招的人。
當年我為了脫離糜爛荒唐的黑夜生活，避走到此龍蛇混雜之 地 個糊口。蝸居於 棟充斥着聯合國人士的樓房，跟那些
？」切着洋
操既不純正又不流利英語的同屋真的沒有甚麼談。與從前的
的我打破了怪氣的
默。
酒肉毒友割斷了聯絡，自此與世無爭。 結果，
普普通通的一句打開了長達兩小時的匣子。
沒想過，七年之後會有一個樸實的孩子走進一個不屬於
我倆得知彼此也從倫敦來，心裏蠻是高興。你說的事真多， 當年、今日：複雜的背景、工作、兄弟姐妹、孩子…… 沒想 過有何令你願意跟
一個陌生的小妹像老朋友般分享。
聽着聽着，感觸良多。從前以為考試、找工作、住所、打點 家務已!煩心，要仰天大喝一聲「慘 人寰」。 想過真真 正正「生活
人」的壓力還未"透？似是電視劇般的悲哀都
能在世界的一些角落找到，還總有更差的。
餘的能量都耗盡，還不會諒解遷就。
我是多期待醉死，永遠享受那甜美舒適的一覺，甚麼都不用 管了。」 我愕然，心裏一
，將凡間之惡都
在外
？
聊了良久，一邊笑
切洋
時哭過不停，一邊完整地把自己
的東西南北說了一遍。我仍摸不着頭腦，何以會對 份信心，在 面前秘密都守不來了。 酒對身體不好，但從未有說客
有
一
樣─
的手微微的抖動着，眼神卻強而震懾、凌厲又帶點憂
「喝酒太多總不會一時三刻之內死去，只會百病纏身十年八 載。吃虧的，恐怕是自己吧。孩子還小，不懂事才會亂%。 當他們長大成人、創了一番事業、成家立室，你以為自己終 於能享受一下清福、弄孫為樂，才發現被病魔征服了。 盡 六壬亦無法逆轉乾坤之際，一直期待着的美好時光就擦身而 過，成了極度奢侈品。後悔莫及便太遲了！」
，酸了。
不知從那裏拿出一股勇氣跟你說了個老掉
面
環繞着
傷：
生活了！一年無休地工作，下班後要應付孩子
們、清理家居，把我
純真熾熱的心所發出的光
切洋
「有害健康之嫌，不做也罷。」我直截了當。 「實在太厭
社群、地區，掠過我百無了賴的世界。我沒有探究 是如何 在惡劣之中立足，也許是 幸運？還是常臉掛笑容的 那顆
是的，共事的人都說 說着，我問道今 可有節目。 「會去夜店狂歡吧，醉得如泥後會睡得更好。」
的
的小道理。
認真地說，每一個字，都鑽進我的思緒，烙印着。
你用心地聽，片刻靜默。你沒有把我#一頓。 「哦！」你先破了死寂。「都拿去吧，我會留在
兒。」伸
手就交了一串鑰匙給我。「鄰居的網路都能用，方便學習、 回郵件。」
心湖出奇的平靜。 之後我在房間裏思索剛才的對話，想呀想，找了周公去。醒
往鄰舍途中，我 看了藏在匙扣小皮夾的照片。你的小孩 可愛極了。記得我爸都有放我兩姐妹的陳年童照在錢包裏。 我奈不住，悄悄的塞了紙條進去，盼望你一天$掛孩子時會 看到。
懾懾
無言以對。
過來就看到鑰匙在旁，想到那幾個令人又愛又恨的孩兒。 那紙條，我看過了。 還有很長的路要走，沒有健康怎麼走下去，看更多？ 是的。
的走進半掩門的房間，你呼嚕呼嚕地熟睡着。鑰匙就
叩過門，見着睡眼惺
放到牀上好了。
「我要戒酒！」
小時候以為只有「芝麻開門」是魔法的始源，今夜卻發現簡
無限感激。
的你都不忍再打擾，待明天才說吧：
單的一句問好才是釋放心靈枷鎖的永恆解咒。 睡吧！明早的第一件事是久違了的：「媽，你還好
？」
因為看到的，不只是明天。
The Candle of
Vision
−The Glimpse of a Dream
HKVC Robynn and Kendy
Dominic
黃偉納 Lusters
破曉
Holic !"#$%&'"&()&*+$,-..$/0#1*23456
78$9$$$$$$$$$$$'( $$$$$
Supported by:
:;0#&4"*&+$:<1"#$%=14*&+ >#4?$@4A
The Postmodernists
SUPPORT US PASSTIMES is published three times a year, in January, April and August, focusing on key areas of public affairs and community work. It offers insights to the Imperial community. We particularly emphasise the importance of bringing community phenomena to young scientists and engineers, giving them an opportunity to learn the real matters taking place around us. PASSTIMES represents a unique opportunity to reach the most dynamic and motivated Imperial College students through advertising or brand exposure via sponsorship. The journal is particularly well positioned for effective advertisement of student/ graduate events, internships and job positions. We also look forward to receiving individual contributions. If you share the same thought as PASS, please contact us at hkpasssoc@imperial.ac.uk for more information and tailor-made packages. For archive issues, please visit: http://www.issuu.com/icpass To know more about ICPASS, go to http://union.ic.ac.uk/scc/icpass/