During these past three semesters at SGC, we learned a lot about the fundamental workings of science. By learning about the foundations of science, we became better prepared to tackle real-world problems and gained the tools to better educate ourselves in a world filled with misinformation. Thanks to SGC, we learned to think like scientists, and we became better equipped with the knowledge to respond to issues revolving around global change
Over the course of our time in SGC, we learned a lot about how misinformation goes around, and how to detect logical fallacies in arguments. After our lectures, I have begun to recognize the use of logical fallacies all around me, especially in the news and in advertisements. Just the other day, I saw a car commercial for an electric vehicle claiming that it was green because it had zero direct emissions. Before SGC, I would have probably believed their claim that they are making a real difference to stop climate change - but I did some research after, and saw that the nondirect emissions for this car were hardly different than the total emissions of regular cars. Upon doing research for another class - CHBE301 - I also came across an article from a gas company boasting a new kind of hydrogen - blue hydrogen - that was supposedly better for the environment because it has fewer net emissions. But the lack of numbers in the report made me question their claims, and upon further research, I found that the emissions for this new hydrogen were about the same as the emissions for grey hydrogen production - which is currently the main (and not very environmentally friendly) form of hydrogen production. SGC has taught me to research deeper into a topic when an important claim is presented to verify it, which has enhanced my understanding of what technologies truly reduce carbon emissions, and has set me up to be a better scientist.
I originally decided to take SGC because I was interested in learning more about climate change mitigation technologies and policies, and I wanted to learn about what fields of research would be best to go into as a Chemical Engineer to help reduce emissions. In that regard, this past semester has been the most interesting and relevant to me. I really enjoyed the lectures, talks, and projects that we had - especially those on carbon capture, decarbonizing society, and geoengineering. I was introduced to new ideas and technologies that I hadn’t known about before, like artificial leaves, ocean iron fertilization, and marine cloud brightening. I also like how we were not only taught about what technologies existed but also encouraged to think beyond the slides and apply this information to real-life settings. I enjoyed the engaging projects we were assigned where we were encouraged to think about how to piece these technologies together on a larger scale and assess whether or not they’d work out given financial and resource constraints. Having the space to exercise creativity and think about large-scale, real-life applications of science is something that we don’t get to do in most other science and math classes, so I was really glad that we had the space to discuss these things with our peers in SGC. These types of assignments were very refreshing - they helped remind me why I was pursuing my major in the first place and inspired me to continue working hard in my other classes to create a better future with better technologies.
Outside of the classroom, there were also several opportunities to get involved with and contribute to the larger Scholars community. Personally, I decided to take on the role of a peer mentor to help incoming SGC freshmen. As the first person in my family to attend an American undergraduate university, I understand how important it is to make others feel welcome and how useful advice can be, so it was very fulfilling working as a peer mentor and having the chance to introduce a new class to the program. Being there to help the new SGC freshmen was very rewarding, and I had a lot of fun meeting my mentees. I am also very grateful for the new friendships I got to make with the other peer mentors. Additionally, the practicum has encouraged me to contribute to the university by getting involved in research, so I decided to work for a molecular simulation lab here on campus.
Our class discussions and lectures have challenged some of my previous beliefs and opened new ways of thinking for me. From the dramatic nature of many news outlets, I came into scholars thinking that there was practically nothing we could do to stop climate change and that our ecosystems would be inevitably and quickly destroyed due to political inaction. While we did learn a lot about the potentially disastrous consequences of climate change, we also learned that there could be hope for the future if we worked hard now to change. Before, I had felt like the planet was headed towards only one path - one of climate disaster, but from SGC, I began to realize that there are many different paths the world could lead to depending on what steps we took now - and some of those futures were not so bad.
Overall, I think that SGC will have a strong impact on my future. I was introduced to so many new ideas about the nature of science and climate change, which has made me more confident in speaking and acting on climate-related issues. Because of scholars, I feel like I gained a greater awareness of the world around me, and I learned how to see things with a more open and logical perspective. All in all, I am grateful for the opportunity I had to learn from SGC, as it has inspired me to work harder to achieve my goals of becoming an Engineer and creating a more sustainable future.