Day 1 Reflections - Yi Lin

Plenary Session 1  - Importance of water - Dirty and Clean
From this talk, I have learnt that there is actually an increasing need to protect the water resources as economies develop. I have also learnt in this world, that about 1.1 billion have no drinking water resources, about 2.4 billion have no proper sanitation facility, about 3.4 million died from water based diseases and about 2 billion are facing the risk of having water based diseases. This emphasizes the importance of having clean water around the world.


Plenary Session 2 - Revolution of Microelectronics Technology
I have learnt that in 1947, transistors were invented and in 195, integrated circuits were invented, thus we have our slim handphones and ipod now. The "9Os" or the "BRAINWAVE": Bio, Radio, Auto, Info, Nano, Water = Hydro = H20, Audio, Video and Energy = m.c2. I have also learnt that the electronics are scaling down to nanoscale while biology and scaling up to nanoscale and this becomes the "bionanoelectronics". 


Plenary Session 3 - Innovative breakthroughs in Nano-Science and Nano-Technology 
Through this talk, I have learnt that 'smaller size for a fixed volume = larger surface area'. I also learnt that there are materials with ten times the strength of steel yet only a small fraction of the weight. One new term I've learnt are 'electrostatic'.


Plenary Session 4 - IT for Animation
I have learnt that animations uses geometry, linear algebra, calculus and physics. Several maths formulas are applied.


Plenary Session 5 - Disappearing glaciers, rising sea levels, and why gravity is even more important than you think
The speaker introduced herself as a geodesist who measures the shape and size of the Earth, the gravity field and how it changes over time. One important thing I've learnt is that the sea level rise will not be same all around the world.


The plenary session that leaves the deepest impression on me is the talk 'IT for Animation'. What I like about it is that there are many videos during the talk and it does not bore me.