The Review:
I have employed the hypothetico-deductive method of science in my physics lab section (PHYS261). In the lab, I was experimenting with physics concepts, including mechanics, vibrations, waves, heat, electricity, and magnetism. Going into each lab, I had a pretty good understanding of each concept experimented on, as we learned about the different concepts during lectures of the actual class (PHYS260). With that said, I made sure that I employed the hypothetico-deductive method of science so that I could see how the results of each experiment compared with my previous understanding of the material. I would use the scientific method to obtain results and see if they supported my understanding through experimentation and analysis.
The set of material in the SGC colloquium that has been most effective in connecting me to my major is the search for solutions group project. My group did the topic of space sunshades, which connects directly to my major since I am an aerospace engineering major. As a bonus, I am minoring in astronomy, so that also connects with space sunshades well. Specifically, the space sunshade is designed to be placed at the Lagrange 1 Point in space. This has directly connected me to my major because I learned about Lagrange points in my aerospace class and they were mentioned in my astrophysics class this semester. I thought it was really interesting to see those three courses of my schedule lining up in terms of the content of lectures.
Two items from classes that are SGC supporting courses that additionally support the thesis that SGC helps students plan for resilience in a future of global change are from my astrophysics class (ASTR120). In this class, we also learned about global climate change, delving deep into how the greenhouse effect works and offering potential solutions to climate change. With that information, along with all of the course content from SGC, I can confidently say that I am ready to plan for resilience in a future where global change is so prominent. Another thing we learned about are exoplanets, which are planets not in this solar system. With the discovery of new planets, we increase the chance that one we find will be habitable to humans. It's interesting to see how other planets compare to Earth and other solar system planets. So, with the idea of expanding the human race to other planets, discovery of new planets allows me to be open to different ideas and learn more about the mysteries of the universe.
My learning was definitely improved by interacting with fellow SGC Scholars. In particular, my experience was enhanced through meeting Cade Bergeron. I met Cade on social media in the summer coming into freshman year. We connected because we found out that we were both in SGC and planned to be roommates freshman year. However, because of the pandemic, unfortunately we were unable to be roommates. But, this did not stop us from forming a bond, as we became friends over the course of freshman year and are now living as roommates together and plan to do so next year as well. Having Cade as my roommate aided in learning SGC material because we are able to discuss course content together and work together on projects. Specifically, the search for solutions group project was done much more efficiently due to the fact that we are roommates, so it was quite easy to work on and collaborate to get the project done in a timely manner. In class group activities are also better because we are able to get great work done efficiently because of the chemistry we have developed so far. Having met Cade has definitely aided in learning and I'm so glad SGC was able to bring us together.
I believe that I have contributed to SGC to a great degree because I am actively involved in class, as well as outside of class. As for in class, I make sure to participate in the weekly question and answer session that Professor Merck has. I am active in small group activities and discussions, and I am usually the one to get the ball rolling on group work if the group is having a hard time getting started. As for outside of class, I participated in Scholars Serves, where I transcribed a TED Talk so that people with hearing loss could still be able to get the important information from the talk. Also, I was actively involved in service events planned by my fraternity, Theta Tau. For example, we took part in the International Coastal Cleanup at Kingman Island where we picked up trash and helped to clean up the environment.
Being in Scholars has brought me in contact with concepts that challenged previous beliefs or opinions that I had. For example, a belief that I had coming into Scholars was that I would always keep an open mind when hearing new information and I was generally pretty gullible when it came to deciding whether or not to believe if something was true or not. But, through this Scholars program, I have been able to utilize logical fallacies and Sagan's toolbox to assess situations and provided information to determine whether or not information that I am receiving is credible. Now, when I hear information in the news that might be controversial, I use the tactics I learned from Scholars to determine if the source and information seems credible or not.
My Scholars experience might inform my future because it has really given me a perspective on global climate change and the extreme urgency that is needed to try to combat it before it's really too late. I will come out of this Scholars program having learned so much about all the different parts of climate change with an idea on what can be done to help save Earth. A very important aspect of SGC that I expect to draw upon as a junior and senior is the critical thinking aspect of my mind that I have developed over the course of these past three semesters. This same skill can also be applied in post-undergraduate education and in my professional career. Having this sort of critical thinking is a very useful skill that can be so important in many different aspects of life beyond the scope of the classroom and SGC.