I entered my freshman year at the University of Maryland with trepidation and confusion – I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, but I had an interest in the sciences and wanted to know how it affects us as a community. During my stay in the Science and Global Change (SGC) scholars program, I have been able to learn about the past and present changes that occur on Earth and how humanity influences. Being in this program has not only provided me a chance to learn, but has also helped me branch out socially to my peers, forming connections that will endure even after my time as a Scholars student ends. Among the numerous SGC experiences that I’ve experienced over the past three semesters, the search for solutions project done this semester, the reaction paper topic write up in the second semester, and the carbon footprint project are among the most impactful to me as a student.
In the fall semester of 2014, my group and I completed a “Search for Solutions” team project. We chose to do our topic on “GMO’s for a changing climate. As human and natural causes result in a changing climate, we researched the potential benefits and drawbacks that GMO’s can bring to mankind. We found a plethora of information, and presented them on a non-biased platform to inform other students of the benefits and consequences of GMO’s, from the highs such as drought-resistance, salt tolerance, and the dangers of the unknown consequence on the human body cancer. Completing this project helped provide a sense of understanding of what I may experience in the future, as well as impacting me on just how much we can affect our surroundings.
During the spring semester of 2014, all students were required to write a reaction paper after attending a lecture pertaining to the subject of Science and Global change. To fulfill that requirement, I attended a lecture held by a man who I knew little of, but was much respected in the engineering and scientific field – Dr. Wayne Clough, who held many prestigious positions, including the president of Georgia Tech, Dean of Virginia Tech, and secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. During the memorable time I spent listening to his presentation, he spoke of the major challenges that he aims to bring to everyone whilst working at the Smithsonian – That is, valuing world cultures, promoting a diverse bio planet, and unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and of how he raised awareness of the issues: Through kid-friendly apps such as a leaf identifier that also doubles as a tracker for species, interactive exhibits for visitors to see the natural world, and videos designing to engage the mind through immersion. Leaving Dr. Cloughs presentation, I felt encouraged by the actions others are taking to spread and obtain knowledge about our surroundings, and it encourages me to keep thirsting for knowledge about our global society.
In my first semester in the Scholars program, we completed a carbon footprint take home project where our current individual contributions on greenhouse gas emissions were calculated, as well as predicting our emissions in the future. It’s amazing how much waste I found that I generated - I had initially always thought of myself as a green person, but upon viewing the results of my activities, I discovered that my environmental impact was larger than I thought it was. This project helped put into perspective how much our individual actions actually can impact emissions, and pushed me to better myself in lessening the impact on the global scale.
As part of the requirements for enrolling in SGC, we had to enroll in two supporting courses. Two of these courses were related to the topics of our SGC lectures: AOSC200: Weather and Climate and Chem135: General chemistry for Engineers. AOSC200 turned out to be a very intriguing class – It helped me learn how the atmosphere and weather patterns work and how human intervention can impact it. CHEM135 also assisted in my understanding of how the natural world works. Like AOSC200, it provided a supporting role in the lessons taught in colloquium. Without these classes, I would not be nearly as informed on Earth's many systems as I am now.
One major advantage of being in the scholars program is the two-year living-learning community. Living with people who are in the same program as well was very effective in getting us to open up to each other, brought together by a common interest in science and global change. Many of these people are in similar majors as I am in, namely STEM programs, and thus have taken many of the same classes as I have. This allowed me to study with people who share similar tastes and thus helped me learn better.
SGC has contributed a lot to my college experience, so it is only expected that I contribute back as well. Over the past three semesters, I have been an active participant in all projects and have supported the SGC at various events. In addition, many of my friends whom have applied to attend UMD have also taken a look at the Scholars program and SGC in particular, due to my recommendations about it.
The University of Maryland is a diverse community, but that was one of the reasons I chose to attend here. Even within SGC, there is a considerably diverse group of people with different backgrounds and experiences. In my time here, I have had the opportunity to interact with students, staff, and faculty who have come from a variety of different backgrounds. This diversity brought different ideas and perspectives to the table, which helped me see things from others viewpoints. By interacting with people of different backgrounds, it has allowed me to broaden my own viewpoints and beliefs.
On this vast campus there are many people here who hold varying beliefs and opinions. I have had some of my beliefs or opinions challenged on a variety of topics ranging from environmental to political. Although I have yet to change my beliefs, I have been exposed to the viewpoints and thought processes of people who hold a variety of different opinions, and that has broadened my horizons. One of the results of being constantly immersed with a variety of viewpoints is that I am now much more up to date on news, knowing the goings on around the world, both good and bad.
The Science and Global Change scholars program has been a roller coaster of learning and bonding, but it has affected my time here positively. My major as a civil engineer will involve environmental impacts quite a bit in the future, so it is good that I am now able to learn about the consequences that human activity can cause. I look forward to using the knowledge I gained as I progress through my career as an engineer to make good decisions.