Day 1 @ MSE, 3rd June 2013

Today is our first day at Nanyang Technological University of Singapore (NTU), School of Material Science and Engineering (MSE)!

Initially,we were lost because the place was simply too big and ULU! Luckily, we came early to navigate our way and we reached 30 mins earlier than planned.

After meeting our supervisor Ms Ng, we had a introduction talk about the different research areas of MSE, such as nanomaterials, biomaterials and defence materials. It was interesting as technology can be widely applied in real life, such as biodegradable heart stent, polymer battery and SAF uniform.

After which we had a safety talk briefing us on safety rules in the laboratory.

This is one of the cool fire-proof cabinet which can automatically lock itself in a fire for one hour. This is used to protect the flammable reactants in case of FIRE!

After that, we met our mentor Leow Wan Ru, currently a PhD student at MSE.

We followed her through her research, a photocatalytic experiment. We were introduced to cool machines which are unavailable in our school  such as the GC System (not Graphic Calculator but Gas Chromatography!).  GC is a common type of chromatography used in analytical chemistry for separating, analyzing and identifying compounds.

GC System

GC can be used in microscale and hence only a very small amount of sample is needed for analysis.

Close up of the GC System

We also saw a sunlight mimicking machine which helps to control the reaction. There is also this cool orange goggles which helps to protect your eyes from the artificial sunlight. 



The capsule inside the bottle actually contains a magnet which helps to stir the mixture under a magnetic field.

While we were waiting for the reaction to complete (it takes FOUR hours!), we went to the canteen with our mentor to eat lunch. It was cheap, delicious and have a large serving portion!