Nicholas Kalbaugh's Three Semester Review

My experience as a member of the Science and Global Change Scholars community has aided in my understanding of global climate phenomenon as well as other topics, such as media literacy, while also guiding me through decisions on my future. Months back, I encountered an article on instragram speaking about the increase in precipitation in Yosemite National Park, specifically, an increase in snow. Upon looking into the comment section, I noticed countless individuals claiming that this proved climate change is a scam, as an increase in snow means the planet cannot possibly be warming. One individual went as far to discredit climate change by saying, “The climate changes every couple of months, it's called the seasons.” My experience in Science and Global Change allowed me to properly understand the situation, and correct people that were completely misinformed on the topic, as I knew that the increase in precipitation is actually a very obvious sign of climate change, as the increase in global temperature leads to an increase in evaporation in turn. I knew that just because the precipitation was snow did not mean the planet isn’t warming, as a location that is often cold will not simply lose the ability to snow overnight, even if it is gradually warming. In addition to my ability to understand and handle media items, SGC has also helped me figure out what I want my major to be. I entered the University of Maryland as a bioengineering major, and as of right now, I still am. However, SGC has made me realize I have a major interest in biofuels and fuel efficiency, which has led me to consider switching to chemical engineering. Before I commit to switching to chemical engineering, I will be shadowing at Sinai Hospital this winter, and should I be interested in what I take part in, I will stay in bioengineering and work to become a doctor. This shadowing opportunity is also made possible by SGC, as it is the topic of my practicum project. In short, SGC has led me to find two major interests I have, and has given me the tools to decide what I will do in the future.

As a part of the Science and Global Change curriculum, I took multiple classes that could be defined as “supporting classes,” which included natural science classes such as biology and chemistry, as well as math classes such as Calculus III. While what I had learned in scholars did not directly aid me in success in these classes, it did change my perspective and way of thinking in said classes. While learning about these topics, I was constantly thinking, “how can I use this to succeed in my future career,” with working with fuel or as a doctor in mind, both careers that scholars helped me realize I may want to pursue. SGC helped me realize I don’t want a meaningless corporate job just because it pays well, but that I want to really do something and have a fulfilling career in which I truly do something with the years of my life I spend working. In addition to what I have learned about myself through scholars and through in my supporting classes, my learning has also been enhanced by fellow SGC classmates, three of which have been very impactful, students by the names of Noah Hill, Rahul Pinnintt, and Arnav Kulkarni. Noah was a fantastic classmate, and due to his expertise in physics as a teacher’s assistant, he tutored me on several occasions to give me a better grasp on the subject. Rahul and Arnav were my partners on multiple Scholars projects, and we worked together to learn more about various topics, such as turning sewage into biofuel, which inevitably led to my interest in chemical engineering. In addition to select students impacting my experience, I also believe I have contributed to the Science and Global Change program myself. While I do not think my impact came through things like volunteering, or leadership positions, I do think it is apparent through my impact on students I interacted with in an academic setting. In group work I provided good input, and also did my best to motivate my group members to really understand our project. Furthermore, on multiple occasions, I helped fellow classmates with issues in html coding and aided them get a grasp on various topics for other supporting classes, such as physics and mechanics. I believe I impacted my peers in a positive way by aiding them in learning and helping them with topics they struggled on.

While scholars didn’t directly challenge my beliefs in the sense that it changed them, it definitely made me think more in depth about certain topics and forced me to learn more about them. While it seems obvious due to the fact our program has the words “Global Change,” in its name, SGC truly did challenge me to become educated on climate change and global events. While I entered SGC with some knowledge on climate change, I left with a vast amount of more knowledge on the subject, as well as the tools to help me educate people about it. SGC has given me the ability to spread knowledge about an issue I am now very passionate about, and I truly am grateful for that. Through challenging me, SGC has given me the gift of knowledge and the gift to spread that knowledge. SGC is bound to inform my future as well, through my next two years of undergrad, likely post grad education, and my future career. The class has shaped me to make good, well informed decisions, and choose a path that will be fulfilling and interesting, which will most definitely lead to me ending up in an incredible career and hopefully having an incredible future. While this essay may have been void of any emotion before, I can attest I will most definitely miss my scholars colloquium, and am very thankful for what I have learned, the experiences I have had, and the people I have been mentored by and worked alongside. While university life has been bumpier for me than it may appear to others, SGC has been one of the few things I have truly enjoyed, and it has been inspiring being taught by two individuals that are truly passionate about what they do. I hope one day, years in the future, to be happy with what I do, and make a difference through my work, and I thank Science and Global Change for teaching me that, and for helping me narrow down what exactly that work will be. It really has been a lovely three semesters.