Kevin Whiten's Three Semester Review

Being apart of the Science and Global Change program at UMD these past three semesters has taught me a lot about using the foundations of of scientific practice in order to explore the evidence, causes, and implications of past and present global change, as well as how scientific knowledge and communication can be used when making decisions for the future.

One way in which being a part of this program for the last three semesters has helped me is in understanding how developing technologies can be used to combat anthropogenic climate change. A news-related item which Ive encountered during these last three semesters has been the independent development of different nuclear fusion techniques by private companies. Nuclear fusion relates to climate change as it has the potential to revolutionize how we generate electricity in a way which is both clean and sustainable. Compared to other renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, nuclear fusion doesnt depend on any specific conditions in order to generate energy. Through the “Visions of the Future” project during my third semester as an SGC student, I was better able to understand the importance of having multiple renewable energy sources contributing to the generation of a citys electricity in the event that one energy source was to be rendered unusable. Cities of the future need resiliency in the face of climate change, and nuclear fusion has the potential to provide a stable source of clean and renewable energy so that we are able to eliminate the need for fossil fuels.

A topic in SGC during these last three semesters that has been the most effective in enhancing my attitude and approach towards my major of mechanical engineering was the lecture on climate justice, where three former SGC students each gave presentations on their current work and how it relates to climate justice. Before becoming a part of SGC, I had not yet made the connection between social inequality and climate change – and now it has become something that I find hard to ignore. One of the presenters spoke about the water system in Baltimore, and how rivers and streams that you were once able to fish out of only a few decades ago have become toxic for human consumption. This fact put the time scale of our impact on the environment into perspective for me, and I thought about what would be left of nature for our future generations. This was not the most concerning part of the presentation however, as she then explained that due to Baltimores outdated sewer system, the increased severity and frequency of storms in the Baltimore area have backed up sewage into lower-income homes. Due to the cost of cleaning a sewage backup, many families are unable to clean the sewage and are forced to live in unsanitary conditions. Growing up in a lower-income household, the fact that the poorest people are the most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing the least to it has resonated with me, and as a result has led me to want to focus on preventing the worst effects of climate change through what I have a role in creating in the future.

Through being a part of the living-learning community created by the scholars program, Ive been able to enhance my learning experience through interacting with fellow SGC members both inside and outside of the classroom. For example, through group discussion during colloquium Ive been exposed to a variety of different beliefs and opinions, which helped to expose me to new opinions which I hadnt heard before. Being able to interact with fellow scholars who are of the same age and have similar interests as me has been an important aspect of scholars for me, and It has led me to become more experienced and comfortable with having open conversations where my beliefs and opinions may be challenged.

In terms of my personal contribution to SGC, I believe that I have contributed through my participation during colloquium, activities, and field trips. One of the field trips that I felt I contributed the most was during service day at the start of my first semester as a scholar student, where I actively participated in removing invasive species of plants in a water garden. During service day, I got a chance to get in the water and experience both the threat of invasive species to our surrounding ecosystem as well as how we can work to protect our natural ecosystem from these invasive species. It was interesting to see how at the end of the day my impact on the water garden was visible with how much of the invasive plant species I removed around the area that I was working.

SGC has given me the opportunity to interact with people or concepts that have challenged previously held beliefs that I had. One belief that I had which has since been challenged as a result of becoming an SGC student is my belief going into my freshman year that well be able to innovate our way out of climate change with new technology. I learned more about this belief in GEOG330, where its called ecological modernization. While innovations in sustainable technology are certainly extremely helpful in combating climate change, there are many more factors which need to be addressed such as our culture of excess and wastefulness. Ecological modernization also gives people an excuse to continue to use fossil fuels, as the continued burning of fossil fuels is being justified by emerging technology which promises to take the greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere.

In conclusion, I believe that my scholars experience these last three semesters will no doubt inform my actions going into the future. My experience as a scholar has taught me to be a more critical thinker by understanding the importance of falsification to science and being able to find the logical fallacies within arguments. Scholars have also taught me how important it is for my generation to be the generation which brings the use of non-renewables to an end so that our future generations have the best chance at success. This has inspired me to want to pursue a career which brings a sustainable future closer to reality.

Last modified: 11 December 2022