My experience after three semesters as a Science & Global Change Scholar has taught me valuable information that can be applied to the world. Connections from practicum linked greatly with my major of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science. The section of the course based on climate change that is occurring has connected best to my major. Three lectures in particular from CPSG101 were very valuable; "Insolation and Atmospheres", "Oceans, Geography, Seasons, and Short-Term Cycles", and "Climate Change: How We Know It Happens & How We Know It's Us". Insolation of the atmosphere has been discussed thoroughly in both CPSG101 and AOSC200-Weather and Climate. The atmosphere of the Earth operates on an energy budget. Additional greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide are altering this budget. This is reflecting more longwave radiation down to the surface of the Earth, leading to an overall warming of the surface of the planet. Overall this is the cycle that causes climate change which is discussed thoroughly in both courses. One news article that caught my eye in relation to SGC was from The Weather Channel. I am a weather fanatic, and to see something we discussed in class was exciting. The article titled Global Warming Has Made Gulf Stream Slowest in 1,600 Years, and That Could Impact Our Weather described how climate change may slow and disrupt the crucial gulf stream. The lecture on oceans, seasons, and short term-cycles of studying the oceans discussed thermohaline circulation or the "Global Ocean Conveyor Circulation". This system that transports warm and cold water around the planet may be altered with the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. This dramatic increase in freshwater in the ocean is what may cause this alteration. In CPSG101 we learned the Gulf Stream current keeps Northern Europe at a high latitude from being a tundra similar to northern Canada. In AOSC200-Weather & Climate it was stated that melting ice and increased freshwater may cut off this current. This would lead to less warm water reaching Europe, and possibly a significant drop in temperatures. Many areas cannot handle such a change in climate within a relatively short period of time One of the main purposes of the course was to provide information on climate change and how we know it is happening and the real impact it will have on the planet and human population. The lecture on climate change and how we know it is occurring I thought was very important. In GEOG200- Geography of Environmental Systems a big topic revolves around chemical weather. This scholars lecture describes how humans burning organic material has released sulfur dioxide into this atmosphere. SO2 is then converted to sulfuric acid as the oxide mixes with water in the atmosphere. In turn this produces acid rain, which can have a strong chemical weathering impact on objects. If organic material continues to be burned, there will likely be more acid rain, and an increased rate of chemical weathering. My interactions living in Centreville Hall freshman year with fellow scholars, some in SGC, and some in other programs as well helped me learn and adjust quickly as a new university student. Taking similar courses as many fellow scholars, it was always easy to find someone with to study or discuss topics from class. The study rooms in Centreville Hall were always great places to do work, and usually you would find someone else in the room working on something similar. MATH140 (Calculus 1 for Engineers) and CHEM135(General Chemistry for Engineers) are two courses in particular I studied with many scholars. Without the collaboration of other scholars, I doubt I would have been as successful in either course. Personally, Scholars has been of huge contribution to my time here at the university, and I have contributed back to the community. I may not have been the most active or outgoing person, but that does not mean my contribution was small. Scholars helped me contribute to the university and the College Park area in a whole. Service Day freshman year sparked an interest in me and I realized I wanted to do more service. This lead me to join Alpha Phi Omega- a national coed service fraternity. This group participates in service activities from tutoring children in a Spanish community in Takoma Park to campus beautification to diner food recovery. My passion for service has only strengthened since attending the University of Maryland and being part of the Scholars community. Scholars helped me realize the amount of environmental damage humans are causing on Earth. Going into college I knew the planet was warming, and certainly the humans were at fault. I knew humans damaged biodiversity and pushed species to extinction. While I realized all these negative actions, I did not see the economic picture behind it all. I did not realize that this destruction is already costing humans greats amount of money. This was described well with the example of New York City’s drinking water and the billions of dollars spent to fix the system. Usually this source of drinking water would have been an ecosystem service- provided for free by the environment, but humans ruined that gift. Science and Global Change has done a great deal to inform me for my future. More than ever I feel I have the means and ambition to act upon the changing climate of our planet. My education in the major of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science has taught me a lot about the atmosphere and how its composition is changing. Science and Global Change expanded upon this issue, teaching the causes and possible solutions to climate change. A crucial part of the course was learning the scientific method. This will come of great use to me as a future atmospheric scientist, and I will know how to use this method in a correct manner. I will also know how to point out certain logical fallacies and biases I may not have noticed before thanks to the colloquium lectures on such material. SGC and College Park Scholars has been a rewarding experience at the University of Maryland. Source: Breslin, S. 12 April, 2018. Global Warming Has Made Gulf Stream Slowest in 1,600 Years, and That Could Impact Our Weather. The Weather Channel. Accessed 9 December, 2018.