SGC has not only taught me about the current future of the world but also important scientific philosophies so I can accurately asses the changing future of our world in the years to come. This will allow me to make informed decisions on how I want to change my lids to better support a resilient future.
In SGC I learned about the hypothetico-deductive method which is a way of validating a hypothesis. As an engineering major, I am faced with many problems I have to fix. The hypothetico-deductive method helped me find solutions to these problems in a scientific way. I determined the problem, made a hypothesis, and gathered data to test my hypothesis. A specific example was when I had to make a beam with the best strength-to-weight ratio in my Mechanics 2 class. Using math I made a hypothesis on what beam design, materials, and dimensions would increase the strength-to-weight ratio of the beam. After I made my hypothesized beam I tested it to determine the actual strength-to-weight ratio (gathering data). Finally, we concluded our design didn't account for a certain failure method, so we had to redo our hypothesis and start the hypothetico-deductive method from the beginning. SGC introduced me to this method and allowed me to understand it through trial and error in SGC. This allowed me to be an expert when I had to implement it in my field.
While SGC is not an engineering course it has further inspired me to become an engineer. In SGC we not only learn about the effects how climate change but, also what is happening in the world to slow/ prevent further climate change. Some examples of this are renewable energy (solar panels, wind farms), alternative energy storage, the smart grid, electric vehicles, etc... All of these inventions were created by engineers wanting to cause an impact on climate change. The even cooler part is the fact that these technologies continue to advance. Solar panels are becoming more efficient and cheap as more engineers design better and better models. In college, you learn how to be an engineer but aren't given many of the real-world applications of what you are learning. SGC has shown me the potential engineers have to change the world, and I want to be one more than ever before.
SGC has not been the only class to prepare me for a resilient future of global change. Engineering ethics allowed me to learn from past engineering mistakes, so I can make better-informed decisions in the future. For example, for a long time, we did't understand climate change and we pump massive amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. This is why global climate change is such a severe problem. In ethics, we looked at this and decided how ethical that ignorance was. Engineering ethics taught me to do everything in my ability to find potential impacts of new inventions to prevent ignorance from destroying our world. Additionally, Physics allowed me to understand how the world functions and works. This understanding can help me, as an engineer, to create inventions that will actually support a better future. For example, in Physics 3 I learned about light energy which can be used to improve solar panel efficiency or lower costs.
SGC offers a wealth of information and experience and is also a community that has allowed me to prosper. SGC is a living-learning community, meaning that during our first year at college, there was only SGC on the floor of my dorm. This meant that I connected with my roommates and neighbors at the beginning of the year through SGC activities. For example, before class started, we cleared out the aquatic gardens with fellow SGC students. This allowed me to bond and make some of my best friends in college. Now at the start I enjoyed and appreciated being in a living-learning community with built-in friends who were experiencing the same things. However, once the second semester came out I felt like a leaving learning community hindered my growth. I already knew everyone on our floor and most of their friends were from SGC. Since we were so tight-knit there were many opportunities to branch out. Even if you did make a new friend through the living-learning community, you would probably already know most of their friends. So at first SGC's living-learning community allowed me to make new friends and support the transition to college however, after that initial phase, it hindered my ability to make new friends and to experience people with other interests.
While I have contributed in active contribution in SGC, there were definitely more opportunities I didn't take advantage of. Many times in class I was assigned a topic to become the “expert on.” Then everyone in the class shared their finding, allowing for a larger learning potential in a shorter period. Additionally, having a student teach a subject, helps that person understand the topic better and gives a different presentation style than the professors. Another example of active contribution is SGC field trips. Most of these field trips were tailored to contribute to our community or contribute to the learning of other classmates. Before the first day of classes I actively contributed to the community by cleaning the aquatic gardens. The one contribution I didn't take advantage of was the scholar's program as a whole. They host many events that I didn't participate in.
Being in scholar has greatly changed my view of almost every aspect of science we see. Coming into scholars I didn't really know what to expect, and to be honest I only joined to have something to put on my resume. However, that view quickly changed as I learned what being a scholar and SGC student means. Coming into scholars I was a denyilist, not wanting to believe what was happening in the world around us. I thought, I can't change it so why should I care/ worry about the problems and events taking place? After being in SGC for three semesters I would hate my past self. Firstly, SGC has taught me that I do have the power to change things even if it might not be directly. By switching my habits to support the world I want to see, I am supporting that change and encouraging others to do the same. Secondly, I realized I didn't know anything about what actual science is. Most of my previous information was off of YouTube or the TV which is full of pseudo-science. SGC has taught me to question and look for evidence before blindly trusting claims. Before coming to SGC my head was full of pseudo-science but now I can see the clear picture. Finally, SGC both showed how serious the problems are facing but also the hope we have to solve these problems. Previously, I only saw the bleak future or the insignificance of the problem. Now I can accept the problem, but not stop there, and look for the solution people have already made toward this problem. Ultimately SGC has completely rewired the way I think so I can truly understand what is happening in the world.
Scholars have completely changed my outlook on the future. Even from a young age, I knew I would be studying and going into a technical field. And low and behold I am currently studying mechanical engineering. I have learned how to do technical things but not think and analyze things technically. SGC has given me this ability. You are taught to be skeptical and question everything until there is proof. SGC also taught me how to analyze proof and not fall for pseudo-science. This will especially help me in the workforce when I am trying to understand and solve a problem. Many times more information is needed on the problem which requires research. Scholars have taught me how to do that research in a non-biased and accurate way. Finally, scholars is an extremely collaborative class that has taught me how to work effectively as a team and the importance of collaboration. This will help me get through hard classes, as having a foundation of classmates to collaborate with can increase my understanding of the subjects.