How has your experience as a Science & Global Change Scholar helped in understanding humanities resilience to global change compared to someone not in SGC?
Science and Global Change (SGC) has substantially impacted my preconceptions of science and has introduced me to many new concepts. Going into SGC my freshman year I had taken classes like AP Earth Science in Highschool and I had a fundamental view of climate change. However, with the benefit of hindsight, I can now say that was a very fundamental knowledge and that SGC has advanced that knowledge many steps farther. Throughout these three semesters we have talked about many different topics that concern all of science, not just climate change. In this paper, I will describe to you many of my preconceptions, how these preconceptions changed, and my overall thoughts on how SGC has impacted me in order to prove the real impacts SGC has had on me.
I will start with an example of a news-related item that I have encountered outside of SGC and explain how SGC influenced my understanding. Secondly, I will explain how SGC has affected my major and approach towards education. Thirdly, I will specify two items from classes that are SGC requirements that support my thesis. Fourthly, I will explain how interacting with scholar's students has changed my life. Fithly, I will explain what I have done for SGC. Sithly, I will explain some of the concepts that SGC has changed my opinion on. Seventhly, I will go through how my scholars experience might influence my future. I will then conclude with my final statements about SGC and its impact on me.
One news-related item that I have encountered outside of SGC colloquium dealing specifically with global climate change is an article in Nature called "2021 North American heat wave amplified by climate change-driven nonlinear interactions." The abstract section of this article explains how heat conditions in North America in the summer of 2021 exceeded previous heatwaves by margins many would have considered impossible. The article states that we need to better understand the physical drivers of the heatwave and relations to climate change in order to improve the projection and prediction of future extreme heat risk. The article says that these unprecedented heat conditions have affected millions of people, led to deaths in the thousands, and promoted wildfires negatively affecting air quality throughout the continent. The material throughout this article can be colluded and hard to read. Being a part of SGC has exposed me to articles like this before and scientific lingo. This has allowed me to better understand and comprehend the diction of the article. Also being exposed to SGC material has helped me understand what some of the concepts they are talking about mean.
SGC has had an impact on my major. To give some background, I came into college with a math background. I knew I wanted to do something in a math related field however I did not know what type of field I wanted to go into. Being in SGC I was exposed to a lot of math and statistics that was used to help predict climate and climate related events. This use of data transformation seemed interesting to me. Eventually, I did more research and found the field of actuarial science. While University of Maryland does not have an actuarial science program, we do have an actuarial math minor and related majors like BS in Economics, Data science, and Business Analytics. I decided to go with a BS in Economics just because it seemed the most interesting to me. SGC has also improved my attitude towards my major. Instead of doing something just for the money aspect, I am going into my major because it is a subject of interest for me. This is largely because being in SGC, and seeing the passion that the two professors have for their subject fields, has matured me into realizing the importance of my major choice and just how much it will affect my life and my potential for happiness.
One specific item from SGC requirement that is not a CPSG class that has better prepared me for future climate change is two classes I took to meet the SGC elective requirements GEOL100 and GEOL110. GEOL100 is an introduction to geology class and GEOL110 is a geology lab that corresponds with the material in the lecture. These two classes have further developed my understanding of many relationships in nature and improved my understanding of how humans can negatively impact the environment. SGC requiring students to take classes like this exposes students to material that they may not traditionally interact with in their majors. It is important to be more well-rounded and understand important aspects of society.
One other item that has better prepared me for future climate change is the CPSG200 group projects. Throughout the semester we were placed into groups where we head to research specific topics. These topics have better developed my understanding of important relationships in our environment and some of the real ways we can have a positive impact. Our last group project allowed us to dive into a topic that we really liked and gave us freedom to make our own decisions which I appreciated.
My learning was substantially impacted by scholars students. Living with people that have similar interests inspired me to be more productive and more studious. Placing a larger emphasis on school has improved my experience here at Maryland and allowed me more success. It has also brought me together with some of my best friends that I will potentially have for the rest of my life.
Some of the ways I have contributed to SGC are asking discussion questions, participating in group assignments, raising my hand and actively participating in class lectures, and spreading my love for SGC and related materials outside of class. I have recommended SGC and similar opportunities to people from my old highschool. I think SGC is a great opportunity that can positively impact your college experience.
Scholars has introduced me to many new concepts that I had never considered. While I have always had a researched opinion on climate change, SGC has given me much more confidence to talk about the topic. This better understanding of science has positively impacted my overall knowledge. My original beliefs and opinions have become much more deep and the importance of climate change has only become more important to me.
I think scholars might cause me to advocate more for climate change and related topics in the future. I will use these in both my future career and my social life. I will always go into a topic with a doubtful mind and make sure to commit my own research into it. Approaching topics from a scientific perspective is important to not spread misinformation and promote important conversations.
In conclusion, SGC has effectively challenged my preconceptions and introduced me to many new topics that have improved my understanding of our environment and related relationships. It has changed my approach to the acquisition of knowledge and developed friendships that will impact the rest of my life. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this program.