Three semesters of the Earth, Life, and Time Scholars program are a very rewarding experience. In the task to learn about the "Science of Nature and the Nature of Science" I have undertaken many field trips, projects, readings, lectures and discussions. I have connected with a range of other people on topics I have learned about in ELT, and I have been fortunate enough to acquire constructive tools that will help me professionally. Earth, Life, and Time has been a very enjoyable and productive experience from the beginning.
First, I will discuss some of the important field trips that I took part in during my three semesters as an ELT scholar. On the first weekend of school, each ELT student is required to take part in the Metro Scavenger Hunt field trip. I don't know much about the other scholars programs, but I believe this is one of the best initiations that a scholars student can receive. It is rewarding in several ways. First of all, students become familiar with the D.C. metro system, connecting them to the great resource that is our nation's capitol. Once there, students have to find certain locations such as the Natural History museum and the National Archives. These are among some of the greatest resources that D.C. has to offer, and they are within reach of every student of the University of Maryland. It is unfortunate that not all students take advantage of such an enormous resource, but the ELT program highlights these benefits. After this field trip I enjoyed the annual ELT BBQ, which I will discuss later.
A second important field trip that I was apart of, taking place in the second semester, was to the Natural History museum. Although I had been in it before, even on my Metro Scavenger Hunt, I had not appreciated it to the degree that I can now. On this field trip, we analyzed the effectiveness of certain exhibits. The critical analysis of the way knowledge is proliferated has given me an improved perspective on how to proliferate my own. At the museum we were able to enjoy some of Dr. Holtz's expertise on the Tyrannosaurus rex, and other dinosaurs. Considering Dr. Holtz is one of the foremost experts on T. Rex, this was a rare treat.
The final field trip I would like to discuss was my field trip to the Marian Koshland Science Museum, which took place in my third semester. The Koshland is a private museum in Washington D.C., and it gave me a chance to understand some of the management practices that must go into a private museum, in order for it to compete with one that is government funded. Additionally, I learned about critical current issues (such as climate change and infectious diseases), in very interesting, interactive, and effective ways.
Next, I will discuss some of the projects that I had to complete in the last three semesters. In my first semester I learned how to make webpages for our HTML project. This is incredibly useful information that I can definitely use professionally, and I was able to learn the basics in ELT.
The second important project that I would like to discuss is the family history project from the second semester. This was a very interesting project because it gave every student a chance to see where his or her ancestors probably came from, going further back that what they actually knew for sure. For example, I had no idea that I could have Mongolian ancestors. It was a little liberating to eschew the notion of "race," considering the extensive mixing of "races" and cultures for millennia.
The final project that I will discuss took place in the third semester, and it accompanied the lecture entitled, "The End of the World as we know it." For this project we were able to analyze the importance of aspects of national and global infrastructures. It was important to see that there are many fragile aspects of modern living systems, and that a collapse of one of these pillars can bring down the whole roof.
In addition to field trips and projects, I was also required to complete many readings for the ELT colloquia. I believe one of the most important readings was "Don't Believe Everything You Think," by Thomas Kida. His book provides six basic mistakes that many humans make when thinking, and how we can avoid these mistakes. I will not list these mistakes, but recognizing them has made me a much better observer and skeptic in the complicated world of the 21
Another book that was certainly constructive for me was "The Third Chimpanzee", by Jared Diamond. This book discusses many interesting aspects of humanity, delving into subjects of anthropology, archeology, and certainly biology. He tracks our evolution and discusses why we act in certain ways. This book was definitely one of the best opportunities for me to truly observe where I have come from as a human being. It was almost a personal Big Bang.
"The Weather Makers" was another book that had an important effect on me. Written by Tim Flannery, it highlighted the dangers of global warming, and the anthropogenic affects on it. I am an Environmental Science major with a concentration in Global Environmental Change. In my third semester I wasn't taking too many courses that pertained directly to Environmental Science (other than Geology 100), and this book reinvigorated my passion for the subject. In fact, it helped me finally declare my concentration.
My experience in ELT has mostly been concentrated in the classroom, where I have witnessed numerous lectures from Drs. Merck and Holtz. One of my favorite lectures from my first semester was entitled, "Hollow-Earth Antarctic Space Nazis, Homeopathy, and Alien Abductions: Who Says that Pseudoscience is Harmless?" The reason I liked this lecture is that it fits a common theme in ELT that I will talk about later: science as "a shield against tyranny." In this lecture, Holtz warned that there a people with mental health problems that are being mislead with false information, and are not being treated. It is also possible to manipulate populations with fears that are spawned from pseudoscience. I am now better able to recognize pseudoscience, and filter out its negative effects.
Another favorite lecture of mine, which is probably one of the all-time favorite lectures for ELT students, is "Raw Animal Sexuality," which takes place in the second semester. The reason I enjoy this lecture so much is that it is one of the most interesting and obscure lectures. It reinforced some of the things we learned about sexual selection, but we were able to discuss purely bizarre sexual behaviors too. In fact, I tell all my friends that cockroaches can not distinguished between male and females, and sometimes puncture the chests of other males in an attempt to impregnate them. Also, I was recently able to inform an acquaintance that there are indeed lesbian lizards, and that humans are definitely not the only species in which homosexuality exists.
In addition to these two fine lectures, I greatly enjoyed "Science: A Shield Against Tyranny" in my third semester. The reason I enjoyed this lecture so much is that it is a summation of what ELT students should be learning all along. The scientific method is a tool that we can use to find truth, and avoid things such as propaganda and general misinformation in the media. It was a perfect penultimate lecture for these reasons.
In addition to the advantages of ELT itself, I have enjoyed some great knowledge from some supporting courses. In my first semester at the university I was enrolled in ENSP 101. This class was so highly informative and inspiring that it dramatically changed me from an undecided major to an ENSP major. I think Dr. Bruce James is one of the best teachers on this campus, and made many relevant connections to present and past issues, just like ELT. In fact, he teaches another class that I plan on taking entitled "Crops, Soils, and Civilizations." He touched on the topic of how the environment of the Mediterranean helped the Greeks develop an olive trade that increased their trading abilities and their power simultaneously. This was on of the most interesting aspects of the course that certainly related to earth, life, and time.
Another class that I took as a support for ELT was Art History and Archeology of Ancient South America. I enjoyed this class so much that it actually almost changed me to an archeology major! One of the most relevant associations I can make between ELT and this class is how the royalty of ancient South America were able to maintain power. The royalty claimed the power to communicate with deities who would bring fertile land, but they would have to supply their own blood, as well as bodies of their subjects, including children sometimes. Through my ELT lens I noticed that science could be a definite shield against tyranny. If the people could have spent more time learning about how to make their lands fertile, and didn't depend on their rulers, they would not have had to sacrifice so much. This is a very clear example of how science can definitely work as a shield against tyranny, and death. I love to talk to my colleagues about this aspect of science and this class gave me some very clear examples to give.
I fact, I have have discussions with colleagues (whether they are in ELT or not) about these classes and ELT especially. I can certainly attribute this to the nature of the living learning program, considering I am in close proximity to those that share similar ideologies. I am able to personally reinforce the ideas I have learned and I imagine that they do as well. I have also had challenging arguments about certain ideas, in which both parties have definitely benefited. I am a vegetarian, and in one class I did a project with two other vegetarians, and a hunter that sympathized with our beliefs, but offered some counterarguments. We were able to explain ourselves, and she explained her ideologies, which I actually came to support. One interesting aspect of the group was that each of the vegetarians contained different ideologies themselves. In addition to such philosophical discussions, I have also created some simple networks with friends that I can get information from. Some former ELT students have helped me with decisions about my major, classes, and living situations. Some of these relationships were even formed during the annual ELT BBQ.
This relationship with other students, and the faculty, has been reciprocal in a way as well. I have contributed to discussions with other students to reinforce their knowledge, and I have offered my prior knowledge in lectures to propel the learning experience. In have given advice to other students just as ELT alumni gave to me, and I am actually planning on participating in the softball game in the spring. These are some of the ways I believe I have contributed to the program.
As I stated, my relationship with the program has also been a reciprocal one. I have benefited greatly from it, and it has already begun to inform my future in the ways I have discussed above. I have become a better skeptic, and filter of falsehoods. I have also been able to make decisions about future classes and other important collegiate issues from my experiences with other ELT students, and from the knowledge I have received in lectures, field trips, projects, readings, and supporting classes. I worked this summer for the Maryland Department of the Environment for my practicum. This was a great start to my resume as I pursue an environmental career, and I have ELT to thank. I have gained so much from Drs. Merck and Holtz and their presentation of the ELT program. I have improved as a human being, as a young scientist, and as an informed citizen.