Spring Project Intro

I have decided to figure out how to solve a Rubix Cube for my 10 hour project. As a kid, I always thought solving a rubix cube was a very challenging thing to accomplish. When I would see people achieve solving a rubix cube, I thought they were insanely smart and could do anything. I wanted to be like them and figure out what I thought was so hard. As I grew older, I lost interest with solving it as I did not have much free time to learn something so challenging. Now that we have a 10 hour project and time to learn anything we want, I want to fulfill this goal of figuring out how to solve a rubix cube. 

There will be various steps I will go through to accomplish this task. The first one is buying a new, average sized rubix cube. Although I have some old ones, the colored stickers are ripped up and some are broken. I want to start fresh with a new one. I will probably go to Target or Kroger and see if ruby cubes are available there. Once I buy one I will start my ten hour project. I have decided to learn how to solve a rube cube by watching videos on youtube. I have come to realize that this is the best way for me to learn when I do not have an in person teacher for a certain subject. 

Videos have helped me in various subjects because they explain the content really well and slowly. Also, I can pause and go back at any time I want, which is helpful if I did not understand something. My plan is to find a long ruby cube solving video online where the person explains what to do step by step. As I watch the video and learn the steps, I will have the rubix cube in front of me doing the same step, and writing down the step in my notebook. I will watch the step in the video first, then pause it. I will do the same step on my own ruby cube and write down the step in my notebook. I will continue this until all the steps in the video are done, my rubix cube is solved, and I have written everything down on my notebook. 

Then, I will mix up the rubix cube again and resolve it following the steps I wrote down on my notebook so I have a good idea on how to do it without watching someone else do it at the same time. After that I will mix up the rubix cube again and then resolve it because I want to know how to do it without having steps to follow or any help. This will be a 10 hour project because I will be taking breaks between learning and following how to solve the rubix cube. I know it is good to take breaks while studying so I know it will be helpful if I take breaks between learning all of this because it will make me more focused and make me work more efficiently.

Diversity Post

I attended The Who am I? Who are You? Who are We? event that I found on the STEM EE Scholars Calendar. I felt good going into this event because I went with my friends and I feel like I come from a diverse background as well. I think my level of comfortableness going into this event stems from my own different identities such as being a female, being American, but also being Indian. It also stems from my familiarity with diversity and inclusion efforts. I am in a Women Gender and Sexuality Studies and we talk a lot about diversity in lecture and recitation in that class so I’m familiar with the terms that we went over in this event and the overall topic. I definitely learned about more pertaining to everyone in the world rather than just mainly females that I learn about in my WGSS class.

I learned some things about how students feel on this campus. Someone in the event talked about how he felt really bad because he felt as he had so much privilege. I feel like privilege is innate, such as being born male or white is a privilege. It is not someone’s fault he/she was born this way and he/she should not feel bad either. That individual should just make sure to take into account that he/she has that privilege and not disregard it because it does benefit him/her in some way. Diversity and Inclusion impacts STEM in many ways. For example, during this event we saw a picture/comic where women in STEM were not appreciated or not given the same benefits as men in women. This is actually true because a long time ago it was just men who were in the STEM fields while women stayed home taking care of kids. Many women nowadays have gotten into the STEM field but it is still not appreciated or on the same level of equality as men in the STEM field.

In my sociology class, we were talking about gender stratification and there was a graph of men and women in different fields/careers from 1970 to 2005. Engineering, which is a main factor of STEM as a whole was in the men section mainly and not many women had gotten into it as the years went by. Being in this scholars program, I have so many female friends that are engineering and I myself have changed to engineering as well so it was really interesting to see as a whole world engineering is still mainly dominated by men. I think there should always be more focus on diversity in this university. We have so many programs, however we really need to encourage students to get into these diversity involved programs to understand and realize the main pillars of diversity and inclusion to not offend or be ignorant to anyone. I think the presenter did a good job of going through the material and providing many examples as well. I felt like it could be a little more interactive in the groups, but overall I was very engaged because of the way the presenter presented the material. I think there are always people who are hesitant to accidentally offend someone because saying something could actually offend someone even if they did not mean it. It is always good to be cautious and think before you speak, especially in this area.

Campus Seminar Post

I went to the Nuclear Physics Seminar-Extracting Hadron’s Partonic Structure from Lattice QCD Calculations from 3:30-4:30pm in the Physics Research Building. I went with one of my friends because she was also interested in this seminar. I was not the only undergraduate student, especially since I went with one of my other friends and I recognized some other people there as well that were undergraduate students. I felt a little intimidated, not by the people, but by the research and information being explained because it was really complex stuff and I am not extremely familiar with Nuclear Physics topics. Although the content was difficult to understand, I still learned some things like the Hadronic matrix elements with the possible operators, the different hadron structures (2D confined motion, 2D spatial imaging, Number density, and how certain hadron structures can be calculated in lattice QCD.

A lot of this I just took notes on and did not understand much. It was interesting learning about this and how in depth physics can go in and how there are so many different categories because I took a physics course in high school last year, but it was very dissimilar to this and easier. Overall, however, I did not understand much. It makes sense though because this was a high level seminar and I am only used to the basics of physics. Also, I am not that big of a fan of physics, so this is probably why I did not enjoy the seminar as much. I am not sure if this seminar met the expectations of research in my major because my major is Health Sciences, so it is obviously more health directed. This is very different from physics, so I feel like if it was a seminar with something similar to my major, I would understand and like it more. I think there is merit to being active in the academic community as an undergraduate student because it can help you figure out your future better and whether or not you are actually interested in that certain area to the extent that you think you are.

I definitely think it would help with networking because starting early and getting involved with things in your academic interest can help you meet people and that can lead to shadowing or interning opportunities that would be very beneficial to expand your academic interest. It is not a waste of time at all because besides learning more about the area you are academically interested in, it can help you find hobbies and make friends, which is really helpful for college. Next time I go to a seminar I hope to go to one that is more related to my field of interest, which is Health. I think going to a seminar focused on biology and learning more on depth would really interest me because I would always love learning in depth in that area in high school. Also, I would love a seminar focused on details of Optometry because I hope to go on the Pre-Optometry track in the future. The pictures below a  are a picture of the room because I did not want to take one inside since there were people there and a poster outside of the PRB that talked about Ionization of Alkali Metals.

Campus Resource Post

I thought it was interesting and beneficial that we had to visit a non-academic campus resource. I knew from before that there are a countless number of resources on campus to help in many ways, but I didn’t know specifically their names and what they did. After looking at the long list of resources on campus, I decided to go to the Wilce Student Health Center, which is part of the Student Wellness Center. This center provides a variety of health care services to students whenever they need help. All students are allowed to use this place regardless of health insurance.

I selected to schedule an appointment with this resource by calling them and asking what their schedule is for getting a flu shot. They told me they have availability for me to come and that it’s walk in and when I get there I swipe my BuckID in the scanner. This was different from what I did at home because usually my mom or I would book an appointment for a flu shot and then have to go in and wait. When I got there, there was not that long of a wait and I got my flu shot really quickly as well. This is really beneficial for students because the Health Center obviously knows students are really busy, so getting them in and out quick while still getting good work done is great.

I hoped to experience me being a responsible, independent student because in the past my mom would always take me to get my flu shot. However, this time I went alone, and the Health Center made it easy to facilitate with no challenges at all. I feel like I did get this experience because it makes me happy that I am starting to do stuff on my own without any familial help. I think overall the student health center is really great because it provides so many resources for students so close. One area for improvement could be getting ready for the amount of people that come in for flu shots. My wait wasn’t long, but in the coming weeks I assume more people will get their shots, so getting prepared for that and organizing everything would help. I do not think OSU is missing a support service. I know OSU has many more areas to aid students, especially for health (mental and physical health), which a lot of students need. This makes me really glad that OSU can provide the help that students need in a quick manner. I’m glad I went to the Wilce Student Health Center because I discovered a new place on campus that can assist me and I got my flu shot taken care of.

Some resource centers I would like to visit in the future are the Career Center and the Office of International Affairs. I want to book an appointment with someone at the Career Center to talk about specific careers I could get with my major and even go to a Career Fair as well. I think the Office of International Affairs is really interesting so I would like to go there too.

Student Organization ePortfolio Post

I attended a meeting for OUAB (Ohio Union Activities Board); I just recently got in to the club, so it was a very exciting, but a nerve racking moment for me. Before college started, my sister and I were talking about what student organizations I should join (she went to OSU so she is familiar with various clubs), and she thought OUAB would be a good fit for me because I was really involved with planning events for the students in my high school. When college started, I looked more into joining it; there was an application process and interview process, which was stressful for me because it was my first type of interview like this for college.  The interview was intense, but the people were really nice and right after that I realized how much I wanted to be in this organization. I found out I got in one weekend, and the first meeting was the following week. I was really excited that the first meeting was so soon after getting in. 

The first meeting was overwhelming but fun and really reassuring. I went alone because none of my friends applied to OUAB. It was really fun because all the new members met before the actual meeting and the Vice President told us how the meetings would usually run. When we got to the meeting, they clapped us in and we all introduced ourselves. I talked to a bunch of people that I think are really cool and I am excited to get to know them better. It was very fast paced, which I liked because it wasn’t like we were just sitting around doing nothing. OUAB has specific committees, so we split apart into our committees, which was great because we got to know each other. This also had some overwhelming components because we had the Kinjaz performance coming up in a few days, so we had to talk about that a lot and then we brainstormed other ideas. It overwhelmed me because I realized how many events OUAB puts on and how much work goes into creating them; however, it got me excited for the events to come. 

I think there are many benefits of joining a student organization. It doesn’t matter if it is an academic, cultural, chill, athletic, or any other type of organization because there are benefits to any. The one benefit I think comes out of any organization is a sense of community. This university is so big with a countless number of people that join organizations. They come from all different backgrounds and it is nice to meet new people who come together for some similar purpose. It also makes the college transition when you have this type of support system. For example, for OUAB there is the large community with everyone and then the separate communities one each committee. Some other benefits are developing a new hobby, growing as an individual, developing skills, and making yourself busy. 

Student leaders are extremely important in different student organizations, and especially in OUAB. It is interesting to see how much they do to make these events actually happen at OSU and to create such a welcoming, positive atmosphere for all the new members. I could see myself being a leader in this org in the future because it is really easy to get involved by volunteering for the events and picking up leadership positions for each as well. This club meets every Tuesday for around 2 hours; it is a time commitment, however, I feel like my time management skills have gotten better with trying to balance school with extracurriculars and social life. I will try to finish all my work on Mondays or before the meeting so I can get sleep on Tuesday.

I am really glad I joined OUAB and saw it at the involvement fair. The involvement fair was overwhelming for me because it was confusing on trying to find what clubs would be good for me; however, having so many organizations is also good because that means there is almost something that anyone at OSU would like to join. I definitely encourage people to join orgs and especially OUAB next year because it has already had a huge impact on me. The pictures below are of the Kinjaz performance- the first event I volunteered for- which was amazing. 

 

Academic Support ePortfolio Post

I went to the MSLC in Cockins Hall 132 to get some help for STATS 1350. I was kind of nervous at first because I had never been to the MSLC before nor gotten help for my classes in college yet. I feel like people always think getting help means you are not smart, and there is a negative correlation with seeking help. This is what I thought until sophomore year of high school; however, sophomore year I really needed help with my classes and after I sought help from my teachers, it benefited me a lot. Ever since then I have not hesitated to get help even for the smallest things like clarification of a term to the largest things like a whole topic.
I think seeking help is very important for success in college. My older sister who has been through college and my upperclassmen friends have all told me that going to office hours or tutoring helps a lot in making sure you understand the content in class to the best of your ability. Self-learning or doing things all by yourself may seem good at first but at one point an obstacle is bound to happen that may limit your level of understanding and getting help would be very advantageous at that point.
I asked one question about margin of error and my tutor helped me a lot. She answered my question and then went in depth about the main idea of margin of error and showed me a couple examples as well. She also helped me with clarifying what the term lurking variable meant and how it was used with other statistics terminology. Since I learned the things I was struggling with, I can now help my other friends in my class if they are struggling with the same or similar things.
The tutor that helped me was very friendly and approachable, and I felt no hesitation to ask her my math questions. I am very thankful OSU has a great support system like this.
In the near future I may want to become a tutor for the subjects I feel like I have a good understanding of. For example, I feel like understand biology really well and I enjoy learning about it as well, so I could maybe become a tutor for people who need help with biology or the general sciences. When my friends are not comprehending a topic as well and if I understand it, I try to help them because in that way it benefits both of us. Teaching someone assists the person trying to understand the content and it reiterates it in the teachers mind as well. Additionally, I have gone by this rule for a while: If you can teach someone else the material, that means you have a deep understanding of the information.
After this valuable experience at MSLC, I am sure that I will go back very soon whenever I need assistance with anything in my classes. I will also try the other tutoring locations for my other subjects and I am sure I will receive help similar to the help I got at the MSLC.

 

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

  • Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
  • Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
  • Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
  • Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
  • Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]