My participation in the College Park Scholars: Science and Global Change program has been an enriching experience. Through this program, I have been able to gain a deeper understanding of the science of nature and the ways in which global change impacts our world. As a result, I feel more prepared to face the challenges of global change and to develop strategies for building resilience in the face of these challenges.
The College Park Scholars program has been a great platform for me to learn more about climate change and global warming. The colloquiums on the science behind climate change and global warming helped me understand the fundamental principles and theories behind these phenomena. I had the opportunity to participate in virtual excursions on climate change and global warming, where I learned about the latest research and developments in this area. The excursions ranged from informational webinars and virtual museum tours. These excursions and colloquiums expanded and bolstered my knowledge about global change. Additionally, I had the opportunity to meet with many of my fellow students within the program and get a glimpse into their views upon these issues. Through group projects and in-class discussions, I have been able to collaborate and learn from my peers, as well as share my own knowledge and experiences.
In the SGC program, I learned how to identify problems more easily in critical thinking. Before college and the SGC program, I was able to recognize errors in critical thinking, but after learning about logical fallacies and the science toolbox, I am now able to go deeper in diagnosing these errors. For example, in the summer of 2022, I took AOSC200 and AOSC201, which covered weather and climate issues, as well as extreme weather events like hurricanes and cyclones. One of the things that stood out to me was how many of my classmates had logical fallacies in their claims about the weather during our discussions with the professor during the lectures. For example, some students would make hasty generalizations about the causes of extreme weather events, without considering all of the relevant factors. Others would use slippery slope arguments, where they would make a claim about one event leading to another without providing any evidence to support their claim. These logical fallacies made it difficult to have productive discussions in class, as they often led to confusion and misunderstandings. Fortunately, our professor was very knowledgeable and was able to point out these fallacies and help us understand the correct scientific principles behind the weather and climate phenomena we were discussing. I found the class to be very educational, and it helped me gain a better understanding of the science behind weather and climate. Through these experiences I plan on making future labs and research opportunities worthwhile by correctly identifying logical fallacies.
I had a read a news article that discussed a new international agreement that was reached at a recent summit, where the participating nations committed to reducing their carbon emissions and transitioning to renewable energy sources (AKA the structure for the Paris Agreement). It outlined the details of the agreement, including the specific targets that each nation agreed to meet, as well as the timeline for implementing these changes. It also discussed the challenges and obstacles that the nations will face in achieving these goals, as well as the potential benefits of reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to renewable energy. The article emphasized the importance of international cooperation in addressing global warming and climate change and highlighted the role of the participating nations in leading the way towards a more sustainable future. It also discussed the potential implications of the agreement for the global community, and the need for continued action and collaboration in addressing these challenges. This article reminded me of one of my colloquium experiences where everyone had to pretend to be a part of some nation and either unite together or gather resources in order to battle the adverse effects of climate change and improve the circumstances. SGC improved my views on the importance of these international collaborations to fight against climate change.
This program has let me meet lots of people of varying majors and backgrounds and it helped get a better insight on their perspectives about science and global change. I met with one of my good friends Dora-Marie Groelsema through this program and together we navigated our ways through the different topics we were exposed to for the past three semesters. Dora-Marie and I have helped each other on different assignments, and we solidified our understanding of topics we did not know about through small discussions. It’s a lot of fun to learn and study when you are doing it with good friends.
I believe I have participated significantly over these three semesters. However, I also believe that there is room for improvement. I am not one to usually shy away from speaking in front of the class. However, many of the topics discussed in class left me in awe with how interesting things have become in the world of science and the future technology. I wish I could have contributed more to these in-class discussions, but opportunities escaped me either through my lack of knowledge or my fascination about learning about something new. Many of the in-class assignments this semester was very interactive, and I received many opportunities to contribute within class groups and topic conversations. I learned a lot from my peers greatly through those group activities.
SGC has helped me greatly in how I should be open to different perspectives upon the world. My wonderful peers who hold unique backgrounds and perspectives on topics have greatly contributed to my learning experience. If I did not understand the views of many people, I would have only held onto a very biased opinion of the world. Thus, the opinions of my peers mattered in changing my own views upon the world.
For the future, I plan on completing my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and move onto achieve a Master’s. I wish to obtain a job as a software engineering and employ the skills I have obtained from the SGC sector of the College Park Scholars.