Module 1: CN1111 (Chemical Engineering Principles)
Brief Overview of Module:
This module is the most basic and extremely important fundamental concept that you will learn and absolutely must never abandon throughout your 4 years in your existential journey of Chemical Engineering. If you do, then be prepared to go through multiple existential crisis! The concepts you will learn are mainly:
(i) Dimensional Analysis
Balancing the type of units on the equation to ensure that your formula in the correct terms. For example, you will be expected to convert from SI units to American System Units and vice versa and a whole plethora of other strange units. Don't be careless, it is very easy to make mistakes so do the unit conversion STEPWISE, do not attempt to convert it in a go unless you are very confident
(ii) Vapour Pressure
Initially one of the most puzzling things I've ever come across, if you are unsure, I strongly recommend you to go to Khanacademy or Coursera to help you solidify this concept. This concept will be used throughout your subsequent years in Chemical Engineering like Thermodynamics, Separation Process etc. So its better that you ground this now rather than half way through your 2nd or 3rd year. Raoult's Law and Henry's Law will haunt you from this day forth too, go watch the necessary videos to solidify their concept too. Always remember how these equations come about (Derivation of the equation) and their assumptions, internalize them!
(iii) Mass and Energy Balance
Sounds easy at first sight, but when you get the question, it can be frustrating to deal with all the unknowns in the multiple blocks that you need to balance out. This is somewhat like a Sudoku puzzle, so if you find your starting point, you have won half the battle. The professor will teach you a method called the "Degree of Freedom" to determine which is your starting block, but if you are someone who is lazy to do that like me, you can use intuition to identify the starting block easily (NOT RECOMMENDED unless you know what you are doing). You will also have to deal with this thing called the "Steam Table" and it will be your best friend for this whole section. Master it, know where to find the information from the various types of tables provided and practice, practice, practice! The professor loves to make you scramble around to look for the information from the steam table in both her tutorial and exam questions. Fortunately, if you know the methods of reading the steam table, it will be a breeze. Expect to linear interpolate a lot as well.
Mode of Grading:
30% Midterm (Dimensional Analysis, Vapour Pressure, Mass Balance, no steam table and energy balance)
70% Finals (Everything)
70% Finals (Everything)
***The mode of grading is now changed to (Updated as of AY15/16):
20% CA1 (Dimensional Analysis, Vapour Pressure, Raoult/Henry Law)
20% CA2 (Mass and Energy Balance)
60% Finals (Everything)
All are Open Book Examinations.
Lecturers:
The lecturers are different for Semester 1 and Semester 2.
Semester 1:
A/Prof Lu Xian Mao (Covers Concept i and ii)
Dr. Photinon (Covers Mass and Energy Balance)
Semseter 2:
Semseter 2:
A/Prof Liu Bin (Covers Concept i and ii)
Prof Zeng Hua Chun (Mass and Energy Balance)
Comments:
Since I only took the module in Semester 1, I can give a more accurate description on the lecturers. Semester 2's feedback is based on my peers and other seniors. Both semesters have NO webcasts!
Semester 1's Lecturers
A/Prof Lu is a rather dry lecturer, often he tends to mumble and with his accent it can be a little tough to grasp what he is saying at times. He also can be rather cynical when you consult him questions, but if you can get past that, he will still help answer your questions.
Dr. Photinon is a very lively and funny lecturer, she is very helpful and encouraging whenever you ask her questions and will do to the best of her ability to help you understand the concept or bridge any gaps you have. However, be warned that her questions can be rather tricky and difficult so you will need to be an expert "sudoku master" in mass and energy balance to solve her questions. Other than that, I really enjoyed this part of the lecture, she is also nice to give out chocolates and sweets during the lecture! :)
Semester 2's Lecturers (Based on Feedback):
A/Prof Liu Bin is somewhat like A/Prof Lu's counterpart for Semester 2. Very dry and reads off the slides usually. However, she is more friendly and approachable when you consult her so you might want to consider consulting her if you are very lost in the lecture.
Likewise, Prof Zeng is Dr.Photinon's counterpart, making lectures more lively and enjoyable. He is clear and concise in his explanation, approach him if you are unsure of anything.
Module 2: CM1501 (Organic Chemistry for Engineers)
Brief Overview of Module:
Ok, because the module has like the whole list of what is being taught I'm just going to spam it here. (The syllabus changed a bit compared to AY12/13, it was previous pure organic chemistry from A level and bit of additional stuff, but from what i see they added macromolecules and spectroscopy)
(1) Structure and Bonding
(2) Acids and Bases
(3) Introduction to Organic Molecules & Functional Groups
(4) Alkanes
(5) Stereochemistry
(6) Understanding Organic Reactions
(7) Alkyl Halides and Nucleophilic Substitution
(8) Alkyl Halides and Elimination Substitution
(9) Alcohols, Ethers and Epoxides
(10) Principles of Spectroscopy: IR, UV & NMR (NEW)
(11) Alkenes
(12) Alkynes
(13) Conjugation, Resonance and Dienes
(14) Benzene and Aromatic Compounds
(15) Carboxylic Acids and the Acidity of the O-H Bond
(16) Carboxylic acids and Their Derivatives
(17) Aldehydes and Ketones
(18) Amines
(19) Polymers (NEW)
Brief Overview of Module:
Ok, because the module has like the whole list of what is being taught I'm just going to spam it here. (The syllabus changed a bit compared to AY12/13, it was previous pure organic chemistry from A level and bit of additional stuff, but from what i see they added macromolecules and spectroscopy)
(1) Structure and Bonding
(2) Acids and Bases
(3) Introduction to Organic Molecules & Functional Groups
(4) Alkanes
(5) Stereochemistry
(6) Understanding Organic Reactions
(7) Alkyl Halides and Nucleophilic Substitution
(8) Alkyl Halides and Elimination Substitution
(9) Alcohols, Ethers and Epoxides
(10) Principles of Spectroscopy: IR, UV & NMR (NEW)
(11) Alkenes
(12) Alkynes
(13) Conjugation, Resonance and Dienes
(14) Benzene and Aromatic Compounds
(15) Carboxylic Acids and the Acidity of the O-H Bond
(16) Carboxylic acids and Their Derivatives
(17) Aldehydes and Ketones
(18) Amines
(19) Polymers (NEW)
Alright, basically TL:DR, A level H2 chemistry + some extra stuff. If you are good in A level H2 chemistry, this should be a breeze for you.
Mode of Grading:
30% Midterm
20% Lab
50% Finals
NOTE: The midterm and finals is closed book so you may want to memorize the mechanisms and stuff. I sort of used some form of logic to derive some mechanisms because memorizing all of it would definitely be too crazy for one person to handle (Especially when you are taking another 4 modules!). I basically grounded my knowledge on the 4 types of reactions that occurs - Electrophilic Addition/Substitution and Nucleophilic Addition/Substitution. Everything else more or less revolves around these 4 things. Otherwise, what you can do is you see how the electron "moves" in the reactions. I correlated how they "move" to human nature, so for example the electron will always take the easiest route (Basically laziness) or going through a short unstable intermediate to achieve a more stable state at the end of the reaction (Like suffer now enjoy later sorta thing). It's a bit hard to explain here honestly but try to establish links with human nature and see the magic of it!
For lab, the lab manual should be the same 2 experiments, first experiment only needs 1 session, second experiment needs 2 sessions. Then you submit the report and solve some short answers. Very doable, should be able to obtain senior's reports for the lab too.
***Update as of AY 15/16
The mode of assessment is:
20% Midterm
30% Lab
50% Finals
Small shift in weightage but roughly still as important. Closed Book
Lecturers:
Dr. Zeng Huaqiang
Ms Ong Yue Ying (Tutor)
***Update as of AY15/16
Ms Ong Yue Ying will lecture Points 1-9
A/Prof Lai will lecture Points 10 - 19
Tutors are supposedly post-grad students
Comments:
After seeing the changes I guess there's not much point in comments. However, for Ms Ong I'd say she is a decent lecturer and tutor, I consulted her once and found it quite useful. She's quite approachable so do clarify concepts with her. Other than that, try to be logical when studying for organic chemistry, if you can see the flow of the electrons, it will be quite doable. Otherwise always fall back to the 4 basic concepts for mechanisms. It was quite tough because if I remember correct, midterm was 60 questions 1hour 30mins and finals was 80 questions 2 hours. All MCQ, closed book so be prepared, it is very mentally exhausting.
Module 3: IT1005 (Introduction to Programming with MATLAB)
Brief Overview of Module:
This is a computational module, so I strongly recommend you do not "mug" this and instead try to practice and be creative! This module can be an early indicator whether you are suitable for a computational FYP or not (to some extent, not completely!). If you have some programming background, this should be much easier compared to HTML, Java, C+ etc. because most of the functions are pre-programmed, you just need to know how to call them and use them accordingly. The trap here is that the 2 examiners like to set very very very tough questions, one being more mathematical, the other more related to chemical processes. Therefore, it is recommended you have a strong mathematical background to grasp the stuff here as well.
Mainly what you will be learning from MATLAB is some basic functions, matrices, graphing techniques, ode45 solver, euler method, newton-raphson and some other differential equation stuff. So as you can see, its very mathematical based, so know your maths it can help with the flow of coding! And another point to note is BE VERY OPEN. There are many ways to code the same function/program/whatever, so be flexible!
Mode of Grading:
15% Assignments
20% CA1
25% CA2
40% Finals
***Update as of AY15/16
5% Class Participation (In tutorials)
15% Assignments
20% CA1
20% CA2
40% Finals
Not much change to be honest. All Open Book.
Lecturers:
A/Prof Steven Halim
A/Prof Saif Khan
***Update as of AY15/16
A/Prof Henry Chia has taken over A/Prof Steven Halim.
Comments:
Since A/Prof Steven Halim is gone, I do not know how "mathematical" the new lecturer is but he may continue A/Prof Steven Halim's legacy for all we know! For A/Prof Saif Khan, at first sight his questions may seem to be quite structured for ode45 and the other ode solvers, but in the finals, it will be significantly more harder and challenging. Hence, like I said, having the computational background and a strong mathematical background will help greatly for this module. A/Prof Saif Khan will tend to set questions related to an industrial setting, thus I encourage you to be open, be creative and think out of the box.
Module 4: MA1505 (Mathematics I)
Brief Overview of Module:
This module will deal with mainly:
(I) Differentiation and Integration
(II) Taylor Series, Maclaurin Series, Fourier Series
(III) Vectors
(IV) Line and Surface Integrals, Green and Stoke's Theory
(V) Double and Triple Integration
Mode of Grading:
20% Midterm (10 MCQ)
80% Finals (Structured Questions, about 7-8 questions I believe, 1 per topic, Closed Book 2 page cheatsheet)
If I am not mistaken, all Past Year Papers and their solutions will be given by the lecturer. Otherwise, PYP are available on NUSlibrary, the answers you can consult your tutor to check for you.
Lecturers:
A/Prof Graeme Wilkin
A/Prof Fred Leung
Dr. Yap Weng Yin
There are 4 lecture slots, so you get to choose one. Go for Dr. Yap's lecture because I feel that he gives the clearest explanation and the jokes he cracks... well you'll find it out... I won't say much about it (lol).
***NOTE for polytechnic students
***NOTE for polytechnic students
If I'm not wrong, your schedule will ask you all to do this module in Semester 2, which will only be lectured by Dr. Yap. Same topics and same mode of assessment.
Comments:
The first bit is mainly A level H2 Maths, so it should be rather doable. The second half is what kills most people and sadly, you will see quite a lot of these again in the later years of your engineering course. It's a nightmare trust me, you need good visualization for the second part as well as understand the mathematical rigor behind the formula. Otherwise, you will not be able to do the questions in the final exam.
Module 5: LSM1301 (General Biology)
Brief Overview of Module:
***NOTE: If you took A level H2 Biology, you CANNOT take this module because it is a preclusion! So those who took H2 Bio and want to take this as a UEM, I'm sorry the university doesn't allow it! :/
Topics covered:
1) Science of Biology
2) Chemistry of Life
3) Cell Structure and Function
4) Energy and Life
5) DNA and Heredity
6) Gene Expression
7) Biotechnology
8) Evolution
9) Biodiversity
10) Plant Form and Function
11) Animal Form and Function
12) Ecology
Mode of Grading:
NOTE: The mode of grading is different for Semester 1 and 2
40% CA
60% Finals
***Update as of AY15/16
For Semester 1:
60% CA
40% Finals
The CA comprises of the following: 6 Lab Sessions, Random In-Class quizzes (SO DON'T PON LECTURE! You can discuss with your friends I believe), Online Assignments (MCQ, quite easy and doable)
Finals is 60 MCQ, open book. I heard its now open-laptop so it becomes even more interesting...
For Semester 2:
40% CA (Lab, Midterms)
60% Finals (60 MCQ)
I didn't take this in Semester 2 so I don't really know much about the midterm.
Lecturers:
The lecturers are different for Semester 1 and Semester 2.
Semester 1:
Dr. Seow Teck Keong
Dr. Mary Rose Posa
Semester 2:
A/Prof Loh Chiang Shiong
Dr. Wu Jinlu
Comments:
Semester 1:
Dr. Seow is a very engaging and interesting professor. He makes the learning simple and concise, uses a lot of good analogies to teach, thus allowing the students to understand the content better, and even brings some samples for viewing in the lecture for the later part of his lectures. He teaches points 1 - 7. However, be warned that the questions he sets for the finals are very tricky. He likes to set answers that are "close to correct but not exactly correct" so you need to be sharp to pick out the actual answer. He tends to test rather out-of-the-box questions, so try to ground your fundamentals well.
Dr. Mary Rose Posa takes the remaining lectures. She is a decent lecturer but some of the content she teach can be very dry so bear with it. Her questions are more straightforward and doable. Both lecturers are very friendly and approachable, so do not hesitate to consult them.
For the lab, there are 6 sessions and for my AY12/13 they are as follows:
Lab 1: Microscopy
Lab 2: Living Cells
Lab 3: Respiration
Lab 4: DNA, RNA, Proteins
Lab 5: Plants and People
Lab 6: Visit to the Raffles Museum in Science (Quiz will be uploaded and you must do something like a "treasure hunt" to find out the answers, print the question sheet and bring it there to do) This "lab" session is own-time-own-target with a 3-week window if I remember correct, go with your friends, it makes the answer hunting way easier.
For all lab modules, you are expected to print the question paper and submit the answer sheet in a word doc format. You can try to squeeze out the answers for the lab questions from the TA. Usually they will hint you the answer and won't tell you directly but it should be easy enough to be done. Lab work is usually in a group, I think like 3 people? I went alone so I usually end up with 2 other random students but most are workable with so hope you get good partners! If I remember correct, Lab 4 is like a "lego" session where you build a DNA molecule with some lego-like toy so its pretty fun!
All in all, it was a very enjoyable module, not too heavy on workload and was fun for me. I do not know much about semester 2 but from what I hear from my seniors/peers/juniors, they say Semester 2 is sort of "worse off", this you may want to verify with other people who took the module in Semester 2. Check other module reviews/blogs for Semester 2's review before planning! But I highly recommend this module as a UEM because it is honestly very managable and most importantly enjoyable.
Semester 1:
Dr. Seow Teck Keong
Dr. Mary Rose Posa
Semester 2:
A/Prof Loh Chiang Shiong
Dr. Wu Jinlu
Comments:
Semester 1:
Dr. Seow is a very engaging and interesting professor. He makes the learning simple and concise, uses a lot of good analogies to teach, thus allowing the students to understand the content better, and even brings some samples for viewing in the lecture for the later part of his lectures. He teaches points 1 - 7. However, be warned that the questions he sets for the finals are very tricky. He likes to set answers that are "close to correct but not exactly correct" so you need to be sharp to pick out the actual answer. He tends to test rather out-of-the-box questions, so try to ground your fundamentals well.
Dr. Mary Rose Posa takes the remaining lectures. She is a decent lecturer but some of the content she teach can be very dry so bear with it. Her questions are more straightforward and doable. Both lecturers are very friendly and approachable, so do not hesitate to consult them.
For the lab, there are 6 sessions and for my AY12/13 they are as follows:
Lab 1: Microscopy
Lab 2: Living Cells
Lab 3: Respiration
Lab 4: DNA, RNA, Proteins
Lab 5: Plants and People
Lab 6: Visit to the Raffles Museum in Science (Quiz will be uploaded and you must do something like a "treasure hunt" to find out the answers, print the question sheet and bring it there to do) This "lab" session is own-time-own-target with a 3-week window if I remember correct, go with your friends, it makes the answer hunting way easier.
For all lab modules, you are expected to print the question paper and submit the answer sheet in a word doc format. You can try to squeeze out the answers for the lab questions from the TA. Usually they will hint you the answer and won't tell you directly but it should be easy enough to be done. Lab work is usually in a group, I think like 3 people? I went alone so I usually end up with 2 other random students but most are workable with so hope you get good partners! If I remember correct, Lab 4 is like a "lego" session where you build a DNA molecule with some lego-like toy so its pretty fun!
All in all, it was a very enjoyable module, not too heavy on workload and was fun for me. I do not know much about semester 2 but from what I hear from my seniors/peers/juniors, they say Semester 2 is sort of "worse off", this you may want to verify with other people who took the module in Semester 2. Check other module reviews/blogs for Semester 2's review before planning! But I highly recommend this module as a UEM because it is honestly very managable and most importantly enjoyable.
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