Due Date: December 13, 2021
I read about COP26 outside of the SGC colloquium. I learned about what they talked about such as reducing global emissions, helping developing countries to adopt cleaner energy sources, decreasing deforestation, and putting more money into renewable energy. This was very applicable to the third semester of SGC because it mentioned various climate change solutions. And while COP26 isn't trying to come up with one ultimate solution, it is using more feasible solutions together to try to cause a great effect. It was interesting to hear about the actual proposed solutions, especially in comparison to our mock UN conference, which was supposed to have a similar feel to it. SGC has definitely helped me increase my understanding of the policies and conferences that come along with climate change. For action to happen, there usually has to be conferences and several policies implemented. COP26 gave outlines to which area each country should focus on to help combat climate change. Learning about the problems of climate change from SGC allowed me to understand why the COP26 stated what they did.
I am a microbiology major at UMD and I have often found this class to be useful towards my major. When the colloquium is about researching, learning the scientific method, and learning the history of science and scientists, it is very useful. We had a colloquium about knowing whether scientific articles are reliable or not, which is very useful and applicable. This has helped me when researching for other classes, even extending to my gen eds. This definitely enhances my attitude towards my major since I read a lot about other scientists' discoveries or innovations. This makes me excited to possibly have a job in this field, since there is still so much to learn and innovate. Additionally, learning more about the proper scientific method and the history of scientists is applicable to my major. Since I am often found performing many labs, this section was useful to me. Learning about scientists and their findings also made me more excited about my major. It is interesting to look back at what people accomplished in the past, and to see their overall contributions to science. Oftentimes, I learn about scientists who discover specific ideas, but I cannot relate to them since it seems so abstract. This class made it seem more achievable, especially with my major.
Two courses that I am taking currently that fulfill the SGC requirements are BSCI222 and BSCI207.
Last year, I had the privilege to live in the Centreville learning community at UMD. During the pandemic, I recognize that this was definitely a privilege, as not everyone got to live on campus last year. I was placed on a floor with other SGCers, which definitely helped me connect to the class more-even if class was on zoom. My two neighbors helped me when I had general questions about being a freshman in college, questions about SGC, or questions about my classes. We were able to talk about these questions and really connect with each other. This was the most beneficial when we did projects last spring. My group were the two other girls from my floor and then one more girl. It was so nice that I lived across the hall from the two, to work on this project with. It was time effective and made doing the project a lot more engaging. It was also really convenient when going on our excursion to the zoo together. It was fun to round up everyone and travel to DC for the day with my floor. Evidently, this living learning community gave me friends and friendly faces within the colloquium. It helped me push myself studying in the common area, stay motivated in the middle of the pandemic, and provide comfort that I never thought a dormitory made in the 60's could.
My first semester, I was jumping to get opportunities to contribute more to SGC. While participating in colloquium seemed a little daunting sometimes, I decided to apply to be the Student Advisory Board representative for my freshman class. I was honored to be chosen for this position and was excited to help with SGC. This contribution has lasted me to this point and will continue until the end of my sophomore year. Last year, the sophomore SAB representative and I had zoom game nights which was fun. And this year, I am getting more involved in SAB to help create future events for SGC. Additionally, I also participated in projects, like the one last semester and this past semester which resulted in my hard work paying off. The group project this past semester was a little bit more challenging since it was my first in person presentation since senior year of high school, but I managed to make it through. I also helped organize going to the zoo last year as my first excursion and with my new peers from my floor. This year, I helped organize my friends to go to the NYC trip too. I helped by reminding them to sign up, so we could go together, which ended up being a lot of fun.
When I first started this scholars program, I was not sure what to expect. I thought I was an environmentally conscious person already and cared about the environment. However, I can definitely say I am more environmentally conscious now, and I really want to do something about it, rather than sitting back idly. SGC made me realize that the only way climate change could possibly get even slightly better, is that my generation has to take action. It would be great if the generation above me took action, but it is not as promising. The only way that climate change is going to get better is if my generation does something about it soon. My opinions have not changed greatly, but realizing that I can be the one to contribute against climate change is definitely a change. Overall, this scholars program brought me together with like minded people, many who shared the same beliefs and opinions as me.
SGC made me really interested in involving some aspect of my life with helping the environment and fighting against climate change. It made me realize how passionate about the environment I am, and I am hoping this will inform my future in a positive way. While it may not impact my career, it will definitely give me a cause to fight for and something to work towards on the side. Whether that is joining a club here at UMD or helping push a policy about climate change, I will take a step in the right direction to ensure I do everything I can to help combat climate change. Holtz and Merck really called to my class's attention when they showed us the statistics of the IPCC report. They exclaimed that we could be the ones to do something about the report. To change the report for the better. I hope to take some more environmental science or climate change classes here at UMD as I approach my junior and senior year. This experience has opened up an interest in me possibly minoring in something environmental science like.