UROP

27-08-06

"I don't think I can pass you, I don't think you got any contribution to the research project."

"Maybe you send me an email to state that you wish to drop the UROP and I see could I help you to drop? Since it's not nice to have a subject "FAILED"."

        

28-08-06

"Ya the add drop period had over so it's impossible to drop now. So what you want to do now?"

"Within the 7 days after exams I think is very hard to come out with something..."

 

UROP - Undergraduate Research Project...

 

 I think I had made a mistake to choose this RFID project. It seems like my supervisor don't know what UROP is all about and how to guide me. (Only me, not other student perhaps, as I am the type that wish to gain better insight on what research is all about) Well, I got a head start in holiday, followed 2 full time IA students and tried to figure out what can I help.

 

My supervisor said you have to decide what you want to do in this big project and asked me to follow IA students. The two IA students were quite helpful and friendly but they also not sure what I can do for them. Totally lost. Ok, tried to understand the Assembly program use for tag communication (btw I hanv't learned that yet and he used few months to develop this pg...) but failed. I went to the lab few times and heard them explain why they design their circuit like this, saw them busy testing with their circuitry, and perhaps offered some help in minor stuff.

 

No desk, no material, no resources allocated to me. No extra circuit board to let me develop, no extra machine that can let me to test out. That's can be consider all excuses of course. You can take your initiative to utilize the board, oscilloscopes when they were off, you can try to come down more frequently...

 

Sigh, this is only my GE subject leh...Should I put that much of effort and initiatives in it? There is no huge motivation behind to drive me go crazy hardwork in this subject frankly. (URECA still got money compensation) In holiday when I were free I couldn't find any direction, needless to say what happened when school term started. A part time GE student vs full time IA student, how to compare? They spent 5 days per week from 9-5 to work on it and I only got few hours free perhaps each week, after set aside all my studies, activities, gathering, personal problem...If I took some part of their job over then I certainly will slow down their process and if I don't then I had nothing to do. And the supervisor is looking for contribution to grade me and not from what I had tried to learn and understand. Well, complete dismatch from what he is looking for a UROP student and what I am looking for UROP experience.

 

It's pointless for me to rush the final project as he's only looking for what I had "contributed" to their research project. He certainly will fail me if I just copy and paste work or process done by others. Within 7 days (if let's say 3 days for 20-page report?), what can I afford to "contribute"? Sad case. Perhaps I made a second mistake by not dropping it when the school term started. I had already gain enough insight of what this project/research is all about, is about asking a part-time GE student to put in effort as much as full time IA student.

 

Well, I shouldn't blame him. My own fault that be so lazy to put in effort in this UROP. I had only my own self to blame for choosing the wrong road. And I learned something indeed also.

 

But now I will have a FAILED GE indicated in my final transcript. Certainly it will makes my future road more tough and I will always need explain for that. Tough tough tough~