Throughout my three semesters as a student participating in the Science and Global Change Scholars program, not only have I acquired a deeper understanding of climate change but I have obtained scientific knowledge which I used often in my day-to-day life as a student. From our weekly colloquium meeting, our class discussions, and our excursions, I have learned that science goes beyond just the scientific method. Back in high school, science was all about the scientific method, testing, obtaining results, and interpreting results. SGC on the other hand has taught me that though science is a critical aspect of our society, the are high rates of informational misinterpretation, false information, and even false data that could try and shield people from fully understanding the social or economic aspects of our society as it pertains to global warming. In specifics, SGC’s main goal is to spread awareness of the ongoing alarming global change situation and provide not only scientific societal solutions but also nationwide solutions. I have noticed not only have I been able to understand the talk of climate change more on news sources but I have also been able to tell when news sources try to shield the public away from the sad truth of global change. For example, when researching articles about climate change for class assignments on news sources, I can always infer back to our discussions on credible articles and sometimes realize news articles such as ESPN switch up the main goal of an articles to make it seem less alarming. Before SGC I would usually just believe almost everything on new sources because I believed they were credible. But now I know to read the reference list and refer back to original article to ensure I am obtaining the right information. Similarly, before SGC, whenever I heard numbers concerning climate change I would dismiss them not knowing of its importance. However, currently with my obtained knowledge from SGC, whenever the stats on climate change are brought up, I realize the detrimental and alarming truth behind the numbers. Additionally, knowing how to read research articles from SGC was of great use when I took BSCI223 during the summer semester. For this course, we were required to develop our hypothetical genome and a lot of research had to be carried out. I am glad to say SGC came to my aid when figuring out credible sources and the project excelled.
Additionally, not only has SGC been helpful to me when it comes to my educational understanding and achievements, but it was the main foundation that started my connection-building in college. During the start of college, the main people I interacted with and started building relationships with were students from SGC. Thinking back, I made most of the people I am close with today right from the first day of our SGC service day. This overall aided my learning at UMD because I had a community I could go back to in times of struggle or hardship. Generally, as a freshman in a new surrounding trying to make the best out of it, it does not only help but also feels good to know that the is always a community you can head back to. This overall relieves stress and thus makes learning much more enjoyable and achievable.
Similarly, although SGC has offered me so much in terms of my education and social network, I believe I have contributed to SGC as well. At the beginning of my first semester as a global science scholar, I participated in the service day. Participating in this service day allowed me to interact with the SGC community, carry out required duties, and support the community in promoting what it is known for. Additionally, I ensured I was not only present for the SGC colloquium but also participated in class activities to keep the studying environment in spirit. Similarly, I always ensured to participate in SGC field trips or events each semester as a way to keep the community strong and growing. I enjoyed the various trips we went on as well as the information lectures given by our professors during these trips. One trip I enjoyed was the New York field trip in which I was able to establish other communities and observe their day-to-day lifestyle which is different from that of Maryland.
SGC changed my total understanding of climate change. Previously all I knew was climate change was getting out of hand but I didn’t pay much attention to its effects on our environment or any general knowledge of how it could potentially impact our society. SGC however taught me that if climate change isn’t taken seriously as of right now, once it reaches a certain peak, it could not only be detrimental to our society and environment but also hinder aspects such as animal diversity. This is because climate change is a major factor that disrupts natural habitats and thus is leading to biodiversity loss. Understanding how broad global climate change can affect not only our social life, economic life, but our ecosystem as a whole changed my views.
As per my future, I believe SGC would impact the research I do as it pertains to using knowledge for class. As a student heading into the medical field, there have been some concerns as to how global climate change is affecting certain plants that are needed for medication and if these plants aren’t protected, the results could be fatal. So I believe in terms of research in the medical field that correlates with global climate change, SGC will serve as an insightful knowledge.