While exploring things directly related to Environmental Science is not something I would consider as a career choice, I do feel as if discovering the world around us and how human impact is altering it plays a crucial part in not just my life, but all our lives. This winter trimester has been a learning experience, for both me, my peers, and even my teacher, as we tackled different topics that most teachers would not be well-researched or alternative enough to discuss with a class. It truly has been an experience outside of the conventional science class, where the lectures aren't the most important part of the learning process, but the hands-on interactions we experience from conducting labs and eventually writing reflections about them in our blog posts. I started out this trimester with a sense of uncertainty towards writing all these different reflections, but I have come around to appreciate the radical teaching method of our devoted instructor, John Freer, and his insight into a way of learning we could not have achieved in most other classes.
As such, a few assignments I am most proud of working on during this trimester are worth mentioning here. One of these projects is the dialogue assignment related to the argument of CFLs vs. Incandescent light-bulbs. Even though I'm not the best at configuring the science side of things so that they make sense, I found myself really getting into this assignment because of it's creative freedom. I love writing character dialogues, and creating scenarios in my head just comes naturally to me. I tried to balance out the different opinions of the characters involved in the scenario with each other, thinking about how they would play off each other's character traits and personality quirks that would enable them to have the specific view on light-bulbs that they each had. I also tried extra hard to give the conversation a sense of atmosphere; meaning I put effort into the dialogue and make the voices sound like this could be a real conversation that could happen any day in a real life situation. Most of all, I made them sound intelligent; they had to have a clear understanding of their argument and they had to be able to back up their thoughts in a constructive way. I used the sources given to me by the teacher to write out logical arguments. This project was a fine way of balancing my creative side and my scientific side, and finding a way to combine them into areas where they could both thrive.
An assignment that I wish I could repeat was the movie that I made about Geothermal Energy with a partner. WeVideo was basically an uncooperative program, and in the end we basically decided to switch to using iMovie on my partner's computer. However, this meant that the one basically in control of the project was whoever was using the computer at the time, and more often than not, this was my partner two thirds of the time. As such, while I did contribute many ideas to the project's completion, I felt like at some points I was just hovering over someone else's shoulders, waiting for something to get done instead of contributing in a significant way. The reason that I find myself thinking that a more structured support system would have been more helpful was due to a general lack of constructive guidelines to what we were supposed to do, and if I were to do it differently, I would have tried to take better charge of some elements in the project's creation and turn them into segments that I could be proud of accomplishing in my own way, not the way someone else wanted it to go. I do have to mention that the scripted sections and the facts that were gathered were things that I worked on equally with my partner, so I felt some sense of accomplishment in that way.
An activity that I didn't particularly enjoy was the group assignment that focused on creating powerpoints directly related to CFLs vs Incandescent light bulbs. My reasoning for this train of thought was that of my lack of communication during the group conversations; this could be related to how we were placed into randomized groups that we weren't necessarily as comfortable working with as we would be with our own groups. I understand that it was done for the sake of variety, but I still felt like my sense of accomplishment was dulled by a feeling of uncertainty. I didn't have much to contribute to the conversation and the process of making the powerpoint project, and I realize that I may have been considering whether or not I could really be the best that I could be, especially when I wasn't comfortable expressing myself more throughout the course of the project.
I also feel the need to mention that the Bio-accumulation lab investigating algae shrimp data felt a tad too unnecessarily complicated. There was a lot of mathematical calculation involved that I didn't quite understand, and when it came to creating logical steps towards how we came up with our final solution, we had to scramble to achieve any kind of cohesive reasoning that got the point across.
However, the project that I enjoyed working on the most was probably creating the Environmental Toxicity Project with a partner, using political cartoons to express the public views on the controversial practice of hydrofracking. With this project, I could really sink my teeth into something I could understand, and that was intelligent satire. Comics can present itself as a convincing argument for a certain viewpoint that it's trying to express, when utilized properly. I also felt that I had a good enough chemistry with my partner this time around that we could play off each other, while at the same time collaborate in an efficient way to keep the project running smoothly until completion.
It was also fun to create the presentations for the Water Fair, thanks again to good chemistry from all members of my group, and also for a balanced time frame to complete the project that wasn't too strenuous or hectic. I could research something and be an actual help to my team; instead of awkwardly positioning myself in a corner of the presentation, I was considered as an actual member of the team. Our presentation on Desalination was a success on both a creative and scientific level.
In the end, I realize that nothing ever lasts forever, not even deadlines for blog post assignments, and even if I wanted to go back and change things to the way I wanted them to be in the first place, that wouldn't really make me feel any better about myself. As the trimester comes to a close, I find myself wondering where the next logical step in my work ethic and my attitude could be found. Nevertheless, I have fond memories of the winter trimester and all of the things I've learned while being a part of Jon Freer's Honors Environmental Science class.
An assignment that I wish I could repeat was the movie that I made about Geothermal Energy with a partner. WeVideo was basically an uncooperative program, and in the end we basically decided to switch to using iMovie on my partner's computer. However, this meant that the one basically in control of the project was whoever was using the computer at the time, and more often than not, this was my partner two thirds of the time. As such, while I did contribute many ideas to the project's completion, I felt like at some points I was just hovering over someone else's shoulders, waiting for something to get done instead of contributing in a significant way. The reason that I find myself thinking that a more structured support system would have been more helpful was due to a general lack of constructive guidelines to what we were supposed to do, and if I were to do it differently, I would have tried to take better charge of some elements in the project's creation and turn them into segments that I could be proud of accomplishing in my own way, not the way someone else wanted it to go. I do have to mention that the scripted sections and the facts that were gathered were things that I worked on equally with my partner, so I felt some sense of accomplishment in that way.
An activity that I didn't particularly enjoy was the group assignment that focused on creating powerpoints directly related to CFLs vs Incandescent light bulbs. My reasoning for this train of thought was that of my lack of communication during the group conversations; this could be related to how we were placed into randomized groups that we weren't necessarily as comfortable working with as we would be with our own groups. I understand that it was done for the sake of variety, but I still felt like my sense of accomplishment was dulled by a feeling of uncertainty. I didn't have much to contribute to the conversation and the process of making the powerpoint project, and I realize that I may have been considering whether or not I could really be the best that I could be, especially when I wasn't comfortable expressing myself more throughout the course of the project.
I also feel the need to mention that the Bio-accumulation lab investigating algae shrimp data felt a tad too unnecessarily complicated. There was a lot of mathematical calculation involved that I didn't quite understand, and when it came to creating logical steps towards how we came up with our final solution, we had to scramble to achieve any kind of cohesive reasoning that got the point across.
However, the project that I enjoyed working on the most was probably creating the Environmental Toxicity Project with a partner, using political cartoons to express the public views on the controversial practice of hydrofracking. With this project, I could really sink my teeth into something I could understand, and that was intelligent satire. Comics can present itself as a convincing argument for a certain viewpoint that it's trying to express, when utilized properly. I also felt that I had a good enough chemistry with my partner this time around that we could play off each other, while at the same time collaborate in an efficient way to keep the project running smoothly until completion.
It was also fun to create the presentations for the Water Fair, thanks again to good chemistry from all members of my group, and also for a balanced time frame to complete the project that wasn't too strenuous or hectic. I could research something and be an actual help to my team; instead of awkwardly positioning myself in a corner of the presentation, I was considered as an actual member of the team. Our presentation on Desalination was a success on both a creative and scientific level.
In the end, I realize that nothing ever lasts forever, not even deadlines for blog post assignments, and even if I wanted to go back and change things to the way I wanted them to be in the first place, that wouldn't really make me feel any better about myself. As the trimester comes to a close, I find myself wondering where the next logical step in my work ethic and my attitude could be found. Nevertheless, I have fond memories of the winter trimester and all of the things I've learned while being a part of Jon Freer's Honors Environmental Science class.
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