The Earth, Life, and Time experience has been great. I have learned about so many things, and I have been able to hear so many lectures that I would have not have had an opportunity to learn about, had it now been for this program. Many of the lectures that professor Holtz and Merck gave were extremely interesting. Some of my favorite lectures were on the topic of the biodiversity crisis, different energy resources and their efficiency, and the rise and spread of agriculture. All of these lectures were things that I had heard briefly about in the past, in my classes or from other sources, but the lecture was able to go into much more depth in these topics. I would have not have had the opportunity to have learn this much concerning these topics had it not been for Earth, Life, and Time.
We did many group projects throughout my three-semesters in Earth, Life, and Time. One of my favorite projects that was completed in the spring of my freshmen year was the family. In this project we were required to trace the places where my ancestors lived during different parts of history. This project was very different from any other project we had done before; I was able to learn a lot about my own family, and also I learned about the heritage of many of my fellow Earth, Life, and Time scholars, as we discussed our findings in and out of the class.
One of my favorite parts of being in Earth, Life, and Time was being able to go on field trips with some of my fellow ELT scholars. We were able to see some things first hand that we had been learning about in lecture. The first field trip that I went on was to the Maryland Science Center in the fall of my freshmen year. The goal of this field trip was to see how science was being taught to children. The field trip was a lot of fun; we were able to go around an interactive museum and test out different displays. We were able to be critical of the displays, and judge if we thought the displays were effective in what they were attempting to teach children and the general population that visited the museum. This field trip was also personally fun for me since I was able to meet fellow Earth, Life, and Time scholars that were a year ahead of me; I was only one of two freshmen on this field trip. The sophomore Earth, Life, and Time scholars gave me their insight on the program, telling me what to look forward to in the next year and some of their experiences.
The second field trip that I went on was to the National Zoo, in my spring semester of freshmen year. This field trip was also a lot of fun, and I was able to experience the zoo in a way that I had never done before. While, I was at the zoo we were required to look at a certain number of exhibits and choose certain animals to look at specifically. The zoo was very interesting, and I was able to learn a lot about many different kinds of animals. When I went to the zoo as I child I would try to see the entire thing and not pay much attention to each individual species; however, with Earth, Life, and Time I was able to look at certain animals that interest me and learn about them in more detail than I had ever before. The third field trip that I went on was to the Koshland Science Museum, just last month, the fall semester of my sophomore year. This museum was extremely interesting, and I learned a lot from my trip there. The museum was split into three areas, and the final area was all about infectious diseases, which was my favorite part. The museum was designed for adults, and visitors were able to see the impact that humans have on science.
Along with taking the colloquium class, I also took biological sciences 106 and chemistry 131 as supporting course and also as recommended courses for pre- medical students. From colloquium, I used concepts that I heard learned in these courses to the real world. For example, my knowledge of meiosis and mitosis from biological sciences 106 came in handy during colloquium, as we discussed genetics and our family history. There were even concepts that I thought were confusing when I learned it in the science course, but the colloquium was able to clarify it for me, which I was very thankful for. Even though I made a decision not to live in Centreville Hall, with the rest of my program as an incoming freshman, I was still able to interact with many of my fellow Earth, Life, and Time peers. Often times I was in some of the same classes as other Earth, Life, and Time students; we were able to help each other study or use each others notes, if necessary to prepare for a project or exam.
When completing group assignments, in particular, I did not always see eye to eye with some of my fellow Earth, Life, and Time peers. However, this made the colloquium and the assignment more interesting, and I think it was great for me personally to see how other people thought on a particular issue that I saw differently. Most of the time I did not change my mind, on a particular issue, but it still made me think twice, and I also began to consider why I thought the way I did on the issue.
Being a part of Earth, Life, and Time has truly made me feel like I am a part of a community of great people. My experience in the program has been great, and Dr. Holtz and Dr. Merck have been great in guiding us along the way. For many people the transition from high school to college is very difficult, but I think being a part of this program made the transition much easier for me. Even if it was not in area of the colloquium directly, Dr. Merck and Dr. Holtz were able to guide us in resources and policies that were part of the University of Maryland. I plan to use information from my experience in Earth, Life, and Time in the future; I have gained an interest for archaeology and geology that I may not have had without the program. I am open to more things because of this program, and I am thankful for it.