Welcome to my Web Folio!

My name is Ethan Fung and I am currently an undergraduate science student at The University of British Columbia. To learn more about me please visit the biography section. This Web Folio will feature my best works in the technical writing class ENGL 301 and my professional interests. To ease navigation, links to various important assignments will be provided below.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my Web Folio. If there are any inquiries please email me at ethanfung5080@gmail.com.

Unit three was the most challenging unit so far. Crafting the formal report draft was time-consuming and took a lot of effort but, it felt worthwhile once finished. The easiest section to write was the introduction as I have written many introductions for other research reports in different classes. After writing the introduction I moved on to the data section, which took much longer to write. Collecting data through surveys was new and exciting, as I have never used surveys to obtain experimental results. Surprisingly, I obtained a decent sample size of around 25 participants. This was most likely due to the topic of the formal report: A plan to install air conditioning in the chemistry building, being a hot topic in my workplace. In fact, during data collection, many co-workers eagerly approached me to voice their support for my plan, which boosted my morale in writing this report. 

The problems outlined in the report are currently affecting my work right now. On July 26, 2022, the temperature reached 29 ℃ causing a massive heat wave within the chemistry building. My whole body was covered in sweat and I was constantly on my feet, moving around. Needless to say, I was extremely uncomfortable that day but I decided to tough it out and continue to work. On the other hand, one of the Ph.D. students in my lab said that he was getting a serious headache from the heat so he made the correct decision to leave early. This interrupted his experiment, so he had to redo it the next day. The threat of global warming is real and is happening now, as seen through my experience on July 26, 2022. This first-hand exposure to the problems caused by a lack of air conditioning has only encouraged me to further refine this formal report.

When writing the conclusion I summarized all the main results of my study and how they relate to the overarching problem. After the summary, I skipped writing a recommendation section since my only recommendation would be to install air conditioning. I thought this would be too short and wrote an expected outcomes section instead, describing the expected outcomes of installing air conditioning in the chemistry building. Later on, I found out that a recommendation section was required as outlined in the instructions but, it was already past the due date. This taught me to always read the instructions very carefully so I don’t miss anything. To summarize the experience of writing the formal report draft in three words: challenging and exciting. 

As usual, the peer review process was very helpful in the revision of my formal report. When looking at the peer review that Peter provided, most of his suggestions regard providing descriptions of technical words for non-technical readers. I disagree with this suggestion as the target audience for this formal report is Dr. Ken Macfarlane, who is the Director of Finance and Operations of UBC chemistry as well as a graduate of the Ph.D. program at UBC chemistry. Dr. Macfarlane would certainly know terms such as solvent, hexanes, pentanes, etc. so, there is no need to describe these terms further. Nevertheless, Peter provided a well-crafted report that I will use to help in the revision process. 

For this round of peer reviews, I was chosen to peer review Danae, who wrote a great formal report draft on employment problems concerning C Market Coffee. There were a small number of errors that I pointed out in my peer review concerning figure format and grammatical mistakes. Hopefully, the suggestions offered in the peer review will help in her revision. 

The term is almost over, time goes by so fast! I am ready to work hard to complete the rest of the course.      

Enclosure: Ethan’s formal report draft

Formal report draft ENGL 301 EF  

This unit was very interesting to say the least. LinkedIn was a platform that I have heard about but never really used or explored. It was satisfying to learn that there are plenty of online tools that can be used to build professional connections. Even though a LinkedIn profile was not made in the assignment, I will be creating one soon. Aside from the LinkedIn assignment, coming up with a new idea to write a research report on was exciting. Being a science student I have written quite a few research proposals however, they were mainly evaluated on the content of the report rather than the format. Now armed with knowledge on how to properly format different types of documents (reports, emails, memos, proposals, etc.) I will now be able to craft even better pieces of professional writing. 

My research report topic of installing air conditioning in the UBC chemistry building has been a topic of discussion among chemistry students for many years. In fact, I received inspiration for the idea from one of the Ph.D. students working in my lab. Originally the topic for this research report was going to be a whole remodeling of the chemistry building. However, that would have been too intensive and would have taken too much time. Instead, I narrowed my focus to just the temperature control problem in the chemistry building. Once I had my topic, writing the research proposal and outline came naturally. Overall, the experience was enjoyable and I am excited to tackle a problem relevant to my work. 

For this round of peer reviews, I reviewed Peter who wrote a research report proposal suggesting that UBC should return to online/hybrid classes. The proposal was difficult to read and had a large number of errors. In order to convey that in a non-attacking but firm manner, I removed any and all pronouns from the peer review. Doing this was tricky however in the end I was able to deliver my peer review in a professional fashion. This was also a good experience as not every piece of writing is happy and upbeat.

From Danae’s review of my work, I have learned to read instructions a little more carefully. Her review was very clear and direct which allowed for a quick and easy revision. Overall this unit has allowed me to build up my writing confidence even further and I am excited to continue to the next unit. 

Revised research report proposal:

Revised formal report proposal EF

Danae’s peer review:

DE Peer Review – Ethan’s Formal Report Proposal

Ethan Fung

June 12, 2022

Writing the first draft of the definition assignment

As an aspiring scientist, the definition assignment where I  defined the word “amino acid” was very helpful and enlightening. In scientific literature, terms, phrases, and lingo are not defined because the writer assumes the reader has a firm grasp of the subject. Thus, this assignment helped me learn techniques like negation or etymology which are not taught in scientific writing. Something that was challenging in this assignment was trying to describe the structure of an amino acid without using any technical terms. Unfortunately, I could not think of any other way to describe the structure of an amino acid and a few necessary technical terms were used. To compensate for this all technical terms were included in a glossary at the end. This assignment also allowed me to practice communicating complex ideas to non-technical readers. This may prove useful when talking to family or friends about my work. Furthermore, non-technical writing should be more widely practiced in science as being able to communicate science to the masses is very important in avoiding misconceptions. An example of scientific misconception was the vaccine hesitancy during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Scientists should learn about the three levels of descriptions and how to communicate complex terms effectively to non-technical readers just as I have in this assignment. 

Peer review

As for peer review, I found it enjoyable to read Matilda’s work and offer her some suggestions in terms of grammar, sentence structure, and word choice. Through her work, I was able to gain another perspective on how to tackle the assignment which I employed when working on my own revisions. In addition, when peer-reviewing high-level writing like Matilda’s, I was forced to dig deep for mistakes and errors. This helped to improve my ability in finding small, subtle errors in my own writing. The most difficult part of the peer review was learning how to apply constructive criticism when reviewing other people’s work. There is a balance between not discouraging the person you are reviewing and also providing blunt, direct suggestions. This created some difficult situations for me as the reviewer. 

Self-editing

When self-editing, I took the suggestions Juanita provided me and applied them to my description. I learned a lot from Juanita’s comments. For example, when listing a century like the 1800s there is no apostrophe. Another example includes learning that “an” should be used before vowels and “a” should be used before constants. These lessons will help me become a better writer in the future. I also took some of the writing elements that Matilda used in her description assignment and applied them to my revised definition. An example of this was to put a hyphen between non-technical readers. Both being a peer-reviewer and getting peer-reviewed helped me in my final description assignment edit. 

Conclusion

Overall, the definition assignment, peer review, and self-editing have taught me three things. 

1. How to explain complex details to non-technical readers. 
2. How to critically search for errors in peer review and provide constructive feedback.
3. How to apply suggestions and criticisms from peers to revise my work. 

This has been a great start to ENGL 301!

Revised definition:

Ethan Revised definition

Juanita’s peer review:

Peer Review for Ethan – Definitions Assignment (revised)

From: ethanfung5080@gmail.com

To: danaee6720@gmail.com

 

Dear Danae,

 

I have received your email and am very comfortable with you joining our team. I’m sure that the experience you have from being a 4th year English literature major will guide our team toward success. I look forward to working with you during this summer term. If you have any questions please contact me at ethanfung5080@gmail.com.

 

Sincerely,

Ethan Fung

English 301 Ethan Fung Application letter

 

 

From: ethanfung5080@gmail.com

To: steeple@student.ubc.ca

Subject: ENGL 301 Team Up

 

Dear Samantha,

 

I would like to invite you to be a part of my English 301 writing team. I have read your application letter and am impressed by your skills and experiences. From reading your biography it is apparent that we share common interests and I find the dedication and passion you have for dental hygienics admirable. I look for people who are hard-working and have experience writing in a professional setting, you meet that criteria. If you have any questions please contact me at ethanfung5080@gmail.com. I look forward to your response. 

 

Sincerely,

Ethan Fung

English 301 Ethan Fung Application letter  

From: ethanfung5080@gmail.com

To: peter971217@gmail.com

Subject: 301 team up

 

Dear Peter,

 

I have read your email regarding teaming up and I am glad that you think we would make a good team. I agree that our shared experiences with basketball and athletics can create a strong foundation between us as teammates. In addition, from reading your application letter it seems you are responsible and dedicated to your studies which are traits I look for in teammates. I will accept your invitation. If you have any questions please ask.

 

Sincerely,

Ethan Fung

English 301 Ethan Fung Application letter

MEMORANDUM 

 

To:  Erika Patterson, Instructor of English 301 

From: Ethan Fung, Student in English 301

Date: May 30, 2022 

Subject: Letter of Application is Posted

 

The English 301 application letter has been posted on my blog. Attached to this memo and to the application letter blog post is the application letter. 

 

Here is a summary of my application letter:

 

• My field of interest is pharmaceutical organic chemistry

 

• I have worked in two research labs and participated in one research competition

 

• I volunteer and work in athletics on the side

 

• I am punctual, trustworthy, accountable, and a leader 

 

• In terms of writing, I am best at organization, brainstorming, and editing 

 

• I struggle with sentence fluidity and I get distracted easily at times 

 

• My learning philosophy is that experience is the best way to learn and making mistakes is a part of the learning process 

 

• I will provide constructive criticism and not put people down

 

• I wish to join a team of writers that complement my strengths and weaknesses in order to grow as a team

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. 

Enclosure: application letter

 

English 301 Ethan Fung Application letter

May 30, 2022

Class of English 301

University of British Columbia

2329 West Mall

Vancouver, BC    V6T 1Z4

 

Dear Class of English 301,

 

 

My name is Ethan Fung, and I am an undergraduate science student at UBC undergoing a combined honours in biochemistry and chemistry degree. I write this letter of application to join a team of writers in English 301.

 

My professional interests lie in the field of pharmaceutical organic chemistry. To gain experience in the field I have participated in two research labs and one research competition. Currently, I hold the NSERC USRA research award and work as a research assistant in the chemistry lab of David Perrin. In the lab, I help synthesize candidate peptides for cancer therapy. In addition, I was a work learn student in the Calvin Yip biochemistry lab throughout the winter term of 2021 and during the winter term of 2020, I participated in the Indicium research competition where my team won first place. Throughout my experience in research, I have written many reports, papers, and proposals. This allowed me to pick up writing/editing skills that can help my English 301 writing team during this semester.

 

Outside of academia I work as a private basketball trainer and have volunteered at many athletic events as a scorekeeper or referee. Athletics and academia have allowed me to hone skills such as leadership, punctuality, accountability, and grit. All these skills can prove advantageous in a team setting. In terms of writing, I excel in organization, brainstorming, and editing. However, sometimes I lack the ability to communicate my thoughts in a clear and concise manner. Another one of my weaknesses is that I can get distracted easily at times.

 

I believe learning happens most effectively from experience. Mistakes are always a part of the learning process and I embrace them. Whenever I make a mistake, I immediately try to learn from it. This ingrains the lesson that I learned into my head, so I don’t make the same mistake twice. Since this is my learning philosophy, I will always strive to provide constructive criticism during peer review whenever I see a mistake. I wish to find a writing group that complements both my strengths and my weaknesses so that we can grow as a team.  Please message or email me if you think that we would make a good team.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ethan Fung

Student of English 301

 

Email: ethanfung5080@gmail.com

English 301 Ethan Fung Application letter