In SGC, learning about the new approaches and possible solutions towards climate change has helped me in connecting my major with climate change, and understanding how both are connected. In my BSCI222 (Genetics, my major class/supporting course) class, the teacher discussed and mentioned how algae can be a possible solution for climate change through several areas. One example is how algae can be used to produce fuel, a good substitute to natural gases. On top of algae, genetically modifying organisms such as rice can also be beneficial to helping with world hunger (which is also an important issue we have covered in SGC). Through my genetics class and SGC, I am able to understand how important my major can be to climate change and how my major can be used to help solve aspects of climate change and even reduce climate change.
One news-related item I came across outside of SGC is how horseshoe crabs are being affected by climate change. The article states how horseshoe crabs have been over-harvest, are experiencing habitat-destruction, and on top of that climate change is also impacting them because horseshoe crabs are more sensitive to natural climate change. Not only are horseshoe crabs important in the food chain, but from what I learned about them in my BSCI207 (supporting course) class, their blood is used in vaccines and other medical practices. I also learned in my class how they have blue blood due to a different pigment, unlike humans who have heme which gives blood its red color, horseshoe crabs have hemocyanin. SGC has enhanced my understanding of the article through what we have learned about habitat destruction, losing a major source in the food chain, and how harmful over hunting can be (like the parrot that was over hunted in the United states). Habitat destruction will make the horseshoe crab more exposed to climate change and will displace it. Losing a major source in the food chain will affect other species as well that rely on the horseshoe crab as a food source (such as seagulls). Lastly, over-hunting horseshoe crabs will make it impossible to bring them back, and horseshoe crabs are needed for medical purposes as well as for the food chain and without them, we will lose other species and lack what we need from them (for medical practices). Link to article:Climate Change Affects Horseshoe Crab Numbers
Being in Scholars helped me to make a lot of friends, but unfortunately most of them had different majors than me and our classes never overlapped outside of our scholars class. However, one of my friends I made from scholars had the same math class, but with a different teacher. Last semester when we were taking the course, we worked and studied together which was really helpful in understanding the material and passing the course. Although most of my friends were in different classes then me, working with someone from my living-learning community helped a lot in my classes outside of scholars. Having friends through scholars also helped me by remembering certain assignments we had due because we would often remind each other about assignments.
I think I have contributed a lot too SGC in class and outside of class. In our class discussions, I always tried my best to contribute and work with others on our assignment due in class. For example, in the simulation (which was one of my favorite activities we did) my team and I all worked together to figure out where we wanted to spend our points, and what would be best for the country we were assigned. For this semester's group project, my group and I would meet outside of class when we were all available to discuss and work on the assignments we had due for the visions of the future project. For my excursions, I would try my best to attend the in-person excursions (my freshman year I couldn’t, but I did attend an in person Lecture for my excursion). I attended the futures excursion last semester and this semester I will be going on the New York trip. Lastly, for my practicum I got an internship working for the USDA APHIS in the Plant Germplasm Quarantine Program. While these were all things I did to contribute to SGC, I also learned a lot from them and made a lot of memories along the way.
Being in Scholars has helped expand my knowledge about global climate change a lot. When coming into SGC, I already believed in climate change and believed in its negative effects. Now, as I am leaving SGC, I feel a lot of the information I have learned over the past three semesters has helped me a lot in understanding climate change more as well as potential ways to slow it down such as using green energy sources instead of natural gases which give off CO2. While my original opinions and beliefs didn’t change from the information I learned, it did help me to strengthen my beliefs and understand more about climate change.
I believe my experience in scholars will help inform my future through the information we have learned (specifically what we have learned as solutions this semester) will help out in my future classes if I take another class about climate change. Also, learning about logical fallacies will help me to be more observant of what others say and how their information can be impacted by biases. Another aspect of SGC which will help me in my professional career is through the practicum I did. My practicum helped me by giving me valuable lab experience and learning a lot about RNA and DNA extractions which is important in any of my future endeavors especially since I want to go into research in the future. Even outside of schooling, SGC has helped me see how I individually can make my own changes and efforts to help in reducing climate change which I can use in the future or even now. Some examples are, using a variety of green energy sources such as solar or watching what is put outside (such as pesticides or fertilizers) to avoid damaging our water sources.