The past three semesters in Earth, Life and Time have expanded my scope of the scientific arena and its relationship to the surrounding natural world. In-class discussions and offsite excursions have assisted in enhancing my learning experience. Other classes that I have taken concurrently to Earth, Life, and Time have added to my understanding of the relationship between science and nature as well. The group dynamic created as a result of the activities conducted during colloquium provided an environment that allowed for a forum to discuss the issues have brought our world to where it is today. Earth, Life, and Time has provided me with the awareness that will positively affect my stances on various scientific topics that I may face in the future. There have been certain experiences during my time in ELT that have positively influenced my scientific career. During my second semester, I went on the field trip to the Koshland Science Museum in Washington D.C. The museum focuses on interactive exhibits to display many of the issues facing peoples’ lives today. Exhibits such as the “Lights at Night Experience” helped me visually understand population densities all over the world. It was interesting to see the disparity in energy use between already developed and developing countries. I also enjoyed the exhibit on infectious diseases. It explained many epidemics that plague the world today in a light that was both easy to understand and insightful.
There have been many lectures in class that have informed me regarding science and its place in nature. A lecture that was given earlier this year, “How farmer’s conquered the earth”, enlightened me on the human transition from a nomadic style of living to one of a farming community. I found it interesting on how the rise of a more communal society arose in the Fertile Crescent and slowly spread into Egypt and surrounding areas. I learned that although the initial switch to an agricultural society resulted in poor nutrient supply, humans began to domesticate animals to replenish their need for protein, which resulted in population growth. I greatly enjoyed the lectured titled “Beyond Natural Selection” as well. Occurring during my second semester of Earth, Life, and Time, the lecture introduced the theory of genetic drift and natural selection. The theories of evolution and its occurrence by certain mutations in the genome were clearly evoked though out the class period. Earth, Life, and Time brought to light many topics that I had not thought would be a part of curriculums in other classes.
There have been classes that I have taken during the first three semesters at the University of Maryland that have paralleled in the topics that we have learned in Earth, Life, and Time. Biological Science 207 also discussed the theories of evolution and genetic drift as I was studying the similar topic in colloquium. I also took History 110 in my third semester. This class detailed the migration of humans to the Fertile Crescent, or Mesopotamia during early times in the history of humanity. The class confirmed what I had learned during colloquium, describing the struggles and eventual success on what is now called the Agricultural Revolution. My learning was greatly enhanced in my other classes as a result of gaining some of the information in an intimate colloquial setting.
The communal experiences that I have had in Earth, Life, and Time have given me an opportunity to share my ideas with classmates during every classroom session. The advantage of having these group activities is that one can fully grasp the knowledge being set forth by participating actively with others. This allows for a practical setting to understand the material that is being taught during the class period. I have greatly enjoyed the feeling of learning by bouncing ideas of my classmates and discussing the topic that we were encountering on that particular day.
My contributions to Earth, Life, and Time have involved active participation with group members in an effort to better understand the subjects that we see on a weekly basis. I worked to help my fellow students in understanding the activities that we were conducting during the class period and actively sought to help anyone having problems with the material. This brought on many discussions of how the material affects us as students on a daily basis. I have been in many conversations where people seek to challenge topics such as global warming. Using the information I have been given during the lecture given on the topic, I was able to give an educated opinion on how global warming is really present in our age today. There are still those who seem to find reason to attack global warming as false and propaganda. However, I do feel that the information that we were given during colloquium is an accurate assessment of the state of our world at the present time.
The experiences that I have had in Earth, Life, and Time have been both gratifying and deeply engrossing. I have loved the direction and teaching style of both Dr. Holtz and Dr. Merck. The classroom atmosphere was casual and yet serious in conveying the material properly. I have enjoyed the many field trips that ELT has taken us on as well. I feel that the trips to the many museums have opened up a new avenue of learning for me. I really think that the vast museums in the greater Washington D.C. area provide a great deal of knowledge that is a pity to waste for a college student. As a cell biology and genetics major, I really do feel that Earth, Life, and Time has positively impacted my studies. I have learned things in my three semesters in the program that I have not encountered in my science classes. The lectures on pseudoscience have directed my attention towards articles and reports that may be misleading. I will be venturing into the world of research one day and encountering pseudoscience is inevitable. I now understand how to discern between real scientific research, utilizing the scientific method, is the proper research to use when searching for experimental information. As a pre-med student, I hope to use these skills on the path to my professional career. Earth, Life, and Time was a pleasurable experience and I would recommend this program to any biology student looking to understand the parallels between science and the nature around it.