Blog 3: Field Assessment

For building use Ohio State does an exemplary job of using all of the buildings campuses, however, the buildings on High Street are underutilized and harder to determine if they are in use. Also placing the Towers in the hills increases the aesthetic and allows the Towers to feel in sync with the surrounding area. On High Street especially, the setbacks are more pronounced compared to non-campus areas. The sidewalks on the boundaries of campus were significantly less user-friendly compared to the inner parts of campus and parts of High Street. In reference to street safety, one example we came across was the pedestrian overpass, which leads to the bike path, and by creating an overpass and removing pedestrians from the street it exponentially increases pedestrian and driver safety. For accesibility, The Shoe is a prime example of ensuring everyone has equal an equal ability to reach the love of football. After traversing the terrible sidewalk, the group discovered an awkwardly designed parking lot adjacent to the Towers, which could have had many more parking spaces or even not existed.

Building Use

 Sidewalks (People Path)

 Street Saftey (Propagated People Path)

Accessbility

Parking (Microscopic Automobile Daycare) 

 

 

 

 

Journal #3

In the future I would like to continue to intertwine Scholars with my collegiate career by continuing to participate in meetings and hopefully signing up for the next travel class, as Chicago was an amazing experience in Chicago. Additionally, I will continue to do the fun and diverse Scholars activities and continue my community service. In regard to becoming more involved in OSU, I would like to become more active in clubs and activities such as Hillel to spend time with some of my Jewish friends. In respect to exploring classes and majors, as I have become uncertain about my future, I would like to explore Political Science and Architecture. In addition to taking history and architecture classes, I would like to enroll in a Jewish Studies class in order to become more knowledgeable about my religion. Also, I feel a need to shadow several different occupations in order to help guide my search for a major as it would be beneficial experience to see, in person, what people actually do. In order to earn money next semester, I would like to work at the library: its a quiet place, there isn’t a terrible amount of work, I already spend a large amount of time there and it will be enjoyable to work in silence, which will allow me to reflect on my thoughts. Lastly, studying abroad in Europe is highly preferable, specifically either England or Spain as I want to immerse myself in European culture and I am well versed in English and Spanish. Also, if I studied abroad in either of those countries I can visit any other European country, since they are very close to one another as well as finally see many of my favorite soccer teams, from across the pond, live.  All the above statements thoroughly meet the requirements of G.O.AL.S. set out by the Honors & Scholars Curriculum.

For Global Awareness, Studying Abroad in Spain or England will meet this requirement, as hinted above by immersing myself in their culture. Original inquiry, I would like to do the STEP program that was discussed in Scholars this past week as it was extremely interesting, that we as the student can develop our own research opportunity and present it in a unique way. Though not directly addressed above, I would obliviously like to maintain a 3.3-3.7, however this is contingent on my classes and major that I choose. Scholars will allow me to actively pursue diverse types of service from petting rabbits to park clean up. And for leadership I would like to become a floor rep next year and become involved in student government. Hopefully, for my future at OSU I can use this journal as the starting point and outline to fully enjoy my time here.

Columbus-To-Do-List Part 2

I finished off my visits to parks by visiting Columbus Park of Roses and remembered that I visited Goodale Park earlier this year. At Goodale Park I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the large fountain with the turtles on top, as well as experiencing the large amount of green space and the variety of trees. I also liked the beautiful flowers, tennis courts and playground. In regards to the Park of Roses, I enjoyed seeing the intricate gardens and their variety of flora and fauna, as well as playing on the abundant soccer fields. Additionally, the walk from the library to the park on the Olentangy Bike Trail was beautiful and refreshing as well. Both, the Park of Roses, and Goodale Parks are must see parks for anyone in Columbus.

To finish off my experience, I visited The Columbus Park of Roses, and I recalled an earlier visit to Goodale Park. I thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Park of Roses; after volunteering, I explored to find surviving roses and used the soccer fields. Similarly, at Goodale, I enjoyed exploring the area and seeing the diversity in plant life, except for the Ginkgo trees whose fruit smell of vomit. Sadly, the Ginkgo smell dominated one side of the pond, making visiting that area unbearable. My favorite experience from this project is definitively visiting Topiary Park. Seeing the amazingly cut shrubbery, and learning that it was from a painting, and that now someone could experience it from all angles was awe-inspiring. I enjoyed the very flat land, which allowed us to sit almost on the edge of the pond and within feet of the intricate boats. When sitting by the water, I was overcome with a desire for a picnic or just reading a book and relaxing by the shore. As a result of traveling to and from the parks, I have learned more about the locations of certain buildings in Columbus, in addition to gaining knowledge about the bus system. As of now, I understand where the 2 will travel too up and down High St., as well as the differences between the 2L, 2 and the 1. I am now more familiar with the Short North, in its area, as well as the shops and restaurants within it. Lastly, I did not expect as much greenspace in the heart of the city as there was, which was very pleasant. In the future, I would prefer to continue searching for more unique parks, as well as visit places on several of the other lists, such as the ice cream shops, or sports and recreation places. For the future, when completing this list, I would recommend exploring the parks on Google Earth and not arbitrarily picking parks, not only to maximize time but to find a park that significantly interests the explorer. Without some prior research, through Google Earth and talking to friends, I would never have found my two favorite parks, Topiary and the Park of Roses. In addition, I would recommend building in an aspect of the park into to your visit, so a picnic at Topiary, date at the Park of Roses, Biking or Running the Scioto Mile. Additionally, wear weather prepared clothes as it is a park and people will be exposed to the elements. Also, people may want to visit the Columbus Commons Park first, because it isn’t amazing when it is empty, as its just a concert venue with a large patch of grass and a walkway. Overall, exploring Columbus through its variety of parks, with friends, was a joy filled experience, and I will wholeheartedly try to visit many of these parks again to de-stress, make new memories with friends, and I will integrate other aspects of this beautiful city into my visits as well.

Columbus-To-Do-List (Nature & Outdoor Recreation)

In regards to the Columbus-to-do-list, Austin, Matt, and myself chose the theme Nature and Outdoor Recreation, as we desired to experience the outdoors and experience a break from the city, even though ironically the parks were nestled deeper into the city. I am excitedly anticipating all the diverse ways the parks are designed and what unique sculpture, playgrounds and such are contained within them. Additionally, I want to explore these parks with my friends and create new memories. Lastly, from this assignment I would also like to find secluded places to relax and destress by myself or with others, escaping responsibility for a little while.

We visited a total of 3 sites: Columbus Commons Park, the Topiary Park, and lastly the Scioto Mile. The Topiary and Scioto Mile however, thoroughly impressed me. The Columbus Commons Park was decent, I enjoyed the path that cut through the middle and the red flowers on either side, but its main component was a large green space, which isn’t what I desired to discover. On another note, the Topiary Park was amazing, I loved the sculptured shrubs. I leaned that topiary is the art of cutting shrubs into objects and living sculpture. Also, it was cool to see that the scene in the park was from a painting which we had seen in Chicago a week earlier. Secondly, it was very quiet and secluded and it felt as if the shrubbery was inviting us to have a picnic with it, joining the scene. Finally, the Scioto Mile was awe-inspiring, we saw wedding pictures being taken, people riding around a one wheel board, families enjoying the view, people running. I was filled with joy to see the scenes unfolding before us, people embracing a beautiful day and incorporating the park into it. After seeing the Scioto Mile, I knew could return for my own, longer adventure.

First image is Columbus Commons Park, the next 2 are the Topiary Park, and finally the last two are the Scioto Mile

Journal 1

Though I have had only a minimal amount of experiences at OSU over these 2 weeks, my expectations have been shattered nonetheless. Welcome Week, has been an amazing experience, besides all the free stuff, to see the strong spirit during the cheers at Convocation, define what life is like as a Buckeye. The enthusiasm of the Strength and Conditioning Coach, weeks before the football team even plays their first game shows the prideful and amazing atmosphere on campus. Additionally, to see the hundreds of clubs and the thousands of people rushing around The Oval during the Involvement Fair discovering ways to get involved was shocking. In regards to my expectations and reality for classes, I feel as if classes are more relaxed than I expected. However, the relaxed feel is only a result of the responsibility placed on the student: reading, worksheets, and  homework. Also, I expected a larger amount of people in each of my classes as for the most part they are all less than 100 people. Similarly, adjusting to life away from home isn’t difficult, although, to be comfortable sleeping on a dorm mattress and bed was an adjustment. Probably the hardest part is in the morning, the dilemma between 5 more minutes of sleep, getting ready, and breakfast. Thankfully though, the gym and dining hall are each a 2 minute walk away so meals and working out always fit my schedule. Lastly, I would like to say that everyone on campus is kind and inviting and you can connect with anyone and make friends out of nowhere. Hopefully, my exploits at OSU continue to be great and my expectations continue to be surpassed!

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

[Your “About Me” is an introduction and should provide insight into who you are as a person and a learner.  This should include a picture of you that is appropriate in a professional/academic context. This information should be continually updated.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio.  Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]