ENGL 301 was an extremely valuable experience that taught me both writing techniques, as well as ideas on how to approach work in a professional setting.

My Strengths and Weaknesses

As a writer, I had felt my greatest tool was the ability to quickly put into writing my thoughts and feelings. Rarely have I previously needed to take the time and truly reflect on what I wanted to express because I felt that I had done so adequately on the first try. After my experience in ENGL 301, I now know that this strength is also a weakness – because I was so used to critiquing writing based on my own expectations, I would never see the mistakes in my own writing. The peer review process within ENGL 301 has been extremely valuable in helping me realize my hubris, and moving towards being a better writer overall. Looking back, I can see my own writing was too harsh, at times too wordy, and overly personal. Thanks to ENGL 301, I’ve gained the tools I need for future success.

Valuable Tools I’ve Learned

1. Writing with a YOU Attitude and avoiding imperatives

Writing with a YOU attitude was incredibly valuable in finding ways to express myself in a constructive manner. Before, I had not realized how valuable verbs with the ‘ing’ were to helping avoid imperatives and commands that could be seen as condescending or criticizing the reader.

2. Peer revision and team improvement

Peer revision was a novel process that I will try to employ more in the future. Previously, I had just sent in work towards my supervisor and hoped that their feedback would be all I needed to improve. However, I now realize that my team members and fellow co-workers are also valuable sources of advice and improvement. While critique helps improve writing, it does not fundamentally change how I had viewed writing. Putting myself into the steps of my peers has helped me greatly in the writing process.

Why These Tools Matter

Within the business world and professional environment, while technical skills and experience are exceedingly valuable, one aspect of workers that may go unnoticed at times is the ability to communicate in an eloquent and respectful fashion. With the tools I’ve gained from ENGL 301, I will be able to interact with my co-workers in a more productive fashion. Communication is a valuable skill that I’ve previously taken for granted, and ENGL 301 has helped me rectify that.

After finishing my last assignment for Unit 4, I wrote up a reflection on my thoughts and experience for creating my web folio.

Website Design

Thinking about how I would change the design of my site to better suit being a Web Folio was an interesting process. I decided to pick a more simple design, that took into account the F-shaped reading pattern noted in Technical Communications by John Lannon. I wanted to keep my design simple and barebones, to reflect myself and my goals, and also to allow ease of access and navigation.

Writing Content

The web folio is a tool to show off my portfolio and my work experience. Thus, I wanted to structure the site similarly to a resume, but also introduce my interests and hobbies. I included my extra-curricular activities, to show off myself, in addition to already showing my professional interests in biochemistry and computer science

Revision of Previous Work

The web folio shows off the work done within ENGL 301 as a whole. I wanted to show my very best work, thus I took a long period of time to revise each assignment based on both instructor feedback, as well as the new things I had learned since enrolling in the course. Having the time to look back and realize the mistakes I had previously made really emphasized how much I had grown throughout my time within the course.

Brendan Chan

604-837-3082   brendan.mk.chan@gmail.com   5892 Ross St, Vancouver BC    V5W 3L4

OBJECTIVE

To use biochemical analytical tools as a research method for improving future and existing biotechnologies.

EDUCATION

·         High School Diploma, Killarney Secondary	Graduated June 17, 2016
·         BSc – Major in Biochemistry, University of British Columbia	Estimated completion in November 2021

WORK EXPERIENCE

Lepzi Biotechnology Ltd. – Research Assistant

January 2020 – August 2020

• Designed research experiments to assess current state of project
• Analyzed and formulated data to be used in calibration standards for products
• Wrote various reports and presentations to inform fellow team members and supervisors of work progress
• Determined methods of approach to solve various problems found within products

Viva Pharmaceuticals – Quality Assurance Technician

April 2019 – December 2019

• Ran various chemical tests such as HPLC analysis, GC-MS, UPLC analysis to assess product quality
• Conducted physical property tests on products such as LOD tests, pH tests, particle size measurements
• Wrote reports detailing possible changes required to raise product quality to GMP regulations
• Worked with local chemical disposal depots to ensure all chemical waste is appropriately managed

Nordstrom – Sales Assistant

April 2018 – September 2018

• Assisted Sales Associates with various recommendations for products
• Organized and managed inventory across various departments
• Served as a cashier for selling and refunding various purchases
• Worked with local businesses for business collaborations such as the complimentary shoe repair service

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Experience with analytical chemistry techniques such as GC-MS, UPLC, and HPLC to determine analyte concentration
• Experience with common organic chemistry lab skills such as ¹H and ¹³C NMR analysis, IR Spectroscopy, rotary evaporation, recrystallization, flash column chromatography
• Experience with common biochemical lab tools such as PCR, cell transformation, protein assays, gel electrophoresis

ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS

·         Killarney Secondary Honor Roll	2011 – 2016
·         Killarney Secondary Principal’s List	2014 – 2015
·         UBC Dean’s List	2016 – 2018

REFERENCES

• Available upon request

After finishing the final assignment of Unit 3, I wrote up some of my thoughts on the entire writing process for each section.

Formal Draft Primary Research

My primary data came from two different sources: an interview with a staff member at SYL, and an anonymous online survey. While writing and submitting the survey online was a fairly straightforward process, designing interview questions was something that was a bit challenging. As I was writing up interview questions, I realized that the questions had to be worded in a manner for which information could be understood by the layman, who had no previous knowledge of SYL. Additionally, the questions would have to be widespread enough to give context to further questions. Thankfully, my interviewee was helpful and understanding when I was busy thinking up questions mid-interview.

Formal Draft Secondary Research and Writing

Once I had gathered the primary data, I began looking for further information to help explain results gathered, as well as look for important bits of background information that could help give context to data gathered. Once I had all the research done, writing the report was a fairly straightforward process. The most difficult part of writing the report, was organizing all the data into a manner where one could clearly see the logical progression. Generating diagrams and figures was straightforward, thanks to the tools provided by Google Forms.

Peer Review Process

This unit’s peer review process was quite interesting. I reviewed Alanna’s formal report draft, and learned quite a bit of the topic. I found this peer review significantly more challenging than the previous assignments, due to that formal reports go significantly in-depth into topics that I may not necessarily understand. Looking into the references provided in the paper helped me gain additional background knowledge, which allowed me to review the proposal in a more helpful manner.

I have attached my Formal Report Draft to this link:

301 Brendan Chan Formal Report Draft

Following the completion of Assignment 2.3, I wrote up my thoughts about Unit 2 and the various assignment within the unit.

LinkedIn Research

Research on making an effective LinkedIn profile, and methods to make best use of LinkedIn was enlightening. Prior to this course, I have actually not used LinkedIn at all. I will ensure to amend this – LinkedIn has countless features that will no doubt prove invaluable to my professional career in the future. Endorsements and recommendations especially are extremely useful tools that I would like to make more use of moving forward.

Formal Report Proposal

Initially, the most difficult part of forming the proposal was thinking about what to write about. I was unsure at what to write about, as I did not feel experienced enough to make any major changes. However, once I figured out what I wanted to write about – improving advertisement strategies at my local martial arts school – the process was fairly straightforward. I had spoken previously with some fellow students about this lack of advertising. Writing the formal proposal and designing the outline of the report was simply giving form to all the issues and ideas that myself and my peers had noted in years previous. I feel that once I gather enough data from primary and secondary sources, forming a successful strategy should be a simple task.

Formal Report Proposal Peer Review

Writing the peer review this time around was significantly easier. The previous peer review served to be a good experience to learn from, and the process was straightforward. This time around, I ensured that my peer review was well-structured and formatted. Additionally, Alanna’s proposal was for implementing extra-curricular exercise activities for her and her team at work, something very closely related to my own formal proposal. This made offering critique and proofreading significantly easier than before.

Link to Alanna’s Peer Review: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-98a-2021sa/2021/06/19/peer-review-of-brendan-chans-formal-proposal/

Link to revised Formal Proposal: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-98a-2021sa/2021/06/14/brendan-chan-formal-proposal/

Link to Formal Report outline: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-98a-2021sa/2021/06/25/brendan-chan-formal-report-outline/

Following the completion of Assignment 1.3, I came up with some thoughts about the entire process – Writing, editing, and revising my article.

Writing

At first, when I began writing I believed that the task would be fairly straightforward – I have previously had to give presentations on the subject to my co-worker. However, I then realized that the definitions would not be targeted to fellow experts of the subject – instead, the audience would be towards an educated audience, but one unfamiliar with the subject matter. It made writing a bit more interesting, as I had to often pause and change my wording to help better explain information, as well as add details I often took for granted to be common knowledge in my field.

Peer Review

Peer revision was fairly interesting. I peer reviewed one of my fellow Technical Writing Team member’s assignment: Alanna Mckeigue’s three definitions for the term ‘Periodontium’. It was a unique opportunity to both learn about subject matter I had previously not known about, as well as give critique from a more uninformed position. Alanna had very detailed definitions for her term, and I quickly grasped the subject matter. Additionally, I took away some tips from her writing that I would myself use in my revision later on.

Revision

Revision was fairly straightforward – Alanna’s review was succinct and clear, and gave me information on where to improve. Additionally, I changed some aspects that I saw could use improvement from when I was reviewing Alanna’s article. Alanna’s perspective helped me change some aspects that I otherwise would not have seen – the process was extremely useful for improving my writing.

The following links are for the articles written in the process:

Alanna’s peer review: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-98a-2021sa/2021/06/04/alannas-peer-review-of-brendan-chans-definition-of-lateral-flow-assays/

Revised definition: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-98a-2021sa/2021/06/09/brendan-chan-revised-definition-of-lateral-flow-assay/

MEMORANDUM

To: Erika Paterson, Professor, University of British Columbia

From: Brendan Chan, Student, University of British Columbia

Date: May 25, 2021

Subject: 301 Application Letter

As per your request, I am writing to inform you of my application letter to join a Technical Writing Team addressed to my classmates. My letter has been posted to my blog, as well as attached to this email. My letter includes the following:

• A brief summary of my academic and professional work history
• Highlights of my personal writing skill-set
• My learning philosophy

Please let me know if you have any additional questions or comments,

301 Brendan Chan Application Letter

Brendan Chan

ENGL 301 98A

Erika Paterson

Vancouver, BC

 

Subject: ENGL301 Writing Team Applications

 

Dear ENGL301 Student,

I am writing this to inform you of my interest in becoming a member of your ENGL 301 Technical Writing team. I am currently a fourth year Biochemistry student attending the University of British Columbia, and have previously worked in various pharmaceutical companies as a scientist, working with both research and quality assurance. I believe my past experience in academic and professional settings make me a strong candidate to join your team.

My previous work has led me through working as a research associate, and a QA analyst. This has resulted in my development as a writer, requiring me to be able to efficiently and coherently propose potential experiments, analyze experimental results, as well as propose potential solutions or alternative approaches to various situations. Within a professional environment in a team of independent scientists, clarity and efficiency of communication is paramount to team success. Because of this, I have spent a large portion of my time continually improving and polishing my writing abilities.

I believe my biggest strength as a writer is my ability to clearly communicate the most important points of information. Additionally, my previous experience in a team-setting has given me large amounts of practice with proof-reading, and I often worked with my co-workers to improve our writing together. I would like to improve my ability to quickly gather my thoughts – I often spend long times brainstorming on what to write before actually writing. My personal learning philosophy is that all students are capable of greatness, and that working together to create strategies adapting around our strengths and weaknesses is the best way to succeed.

Thank you for taking the time to read my application – You can contact me further at my email bchan98@student.ubc.ca if you have any further questions. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Sincerely,

Brendan Chan

301 Brendan Chan Application Letter