Overview

Inspiration

I took part in the Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) at NTU, supervised by Assoc Prof Benjamin. I was tasked with figuring out a way to port an experience into a more consumer-friendly version — a one-year research project where I had room to steer the direction myself.

What I did

With the professor mostly unavailable, the project was largely self-directed. I decided my own course of action at each stage, then presented my progress back to him during each review. Beyond the conference presentation above, the final work was also showcased to people in the community centre, bringing the research to a wider audience.

What I’m proud of

• Thinking creatively to solve issues rather than waiting for direction
• Working consistently on the project across the full year
• Presenting my work to the professor and the public — and the community centre showcase being well received

What can be further improved

• Clearer, more meaningful communication with my supervisor — I was sometimes unsure how to proceed between updates
• Presenting a working demo — some of my presentations failed to run when I showed them, which I believe made it harder to evaluate
• The publishing process felt opaque (school vs. personal account, NTU being a black box) — I couldn’t get the work published, though I hope the professor eventually will