Today was the poster session where all the students from all over the world present their research on their posters. I was in the math atrium next to Matthew to present my poster to the judges.
Next, we had an excursion to the Art Museum of Chicago. We attended an "Art meets Science" programme and were taught about the commonality and differences between art and Science.
Lastly, we had dinner and a social session at the University of Chicago. The building was very old and the architecture was very intricate. Also after the campus tour, It impressed me that
Process
For the poster presentation, I was quite nervous before it because it was my first time presenting on this project comparing it to other projects which I presented at other competitions back in Singapore. And it was also quite intimidating to see other people's poster especially when my research seemed much more simple compared to theirs. Lastly the atmosphere of international students also scared me abit as I was used to presenting back in Singapore with people I am more familiar and comfortable with.
For the art institute, it was quite unexpected as I thought we were visiting the contemplation art museum only but we went to 3 exhibits including old paintings.
Lastly, at the University of Chicago, it was very interesting to see the differences between the universities in Singapore and Chicago. I usually visit NUS in Singapore and noticed major differences. The differences include the age of the buildings and the design style of the building. In NUS the place is much more modernised and the main campus is very open and modern, comparing it to the University of Chicago where the place is much older.
Generalising
During the poster presentation, I told myself that it was the same as normal presentations and tried to be as confident as I could. But after taking the initiative to approach people to know more about my project, I stopped being so worried and said everything naturally without referring to my script cards. I began to speak fluently and say all the descriptions and details of my project from memory after working on it for a long time. This taught me to take initiative and not let stress to cause me to be afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone. Even though other projects seemed so much better, I learnt to be confident and have ownership of my project, and sell my idea with confidence, yet be receptive to comments and ideas from experts. For example, one teacher from Japan told me to further improve by increasing distance and changing up the topography of the area I used to measure and get data. Back in Singapore, the competition was less stiff and I think this gave me the experience to be humble and inspired me to work even harder to attain awards on an international level.
For the art museum, it gave me a new perspective of art. As I take design studies, I already knew that design did involve science such as ergonomics but art was a different story. Similarities between art and science include perspective, where people may have different opinions on the same issue, and as scientists and artists we should be open to new ideas and opinions. The difference is symbolism, where art differs from reality, for example,
\ the abstract art piece represents something. An example is this art piece with only 3 stripes, but it represented a scene on a moving train. But for science, the reality is reality and data cannot be faked. However, I also learnt in STEM, art/aesthetic is also crucial as it appeals to humans and be able to benefit and improve human lives.
Apply
From what I learnt in the poster presentation, is about being confident of your idea and being receptive to comments. As I am participating in 2 more competitions, this is something I can apply back. One competition is international as well, and this experience has given me the confidence to speak more fluently in front of international students who are more intimidating to me. I can also improve on my poster as I had an NJC teacher give me comments to improve such as using larger diagrams and lesser words. I hope to improve my poster before going for any other competitions.
Art has given me a new perspective to things, that we should be open to ideas and work collaboratively for anything including scientific projects.
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