Capstone Planning

For my capstone project, I plan to conclude the bulk of my background research by February 9. This will include reading the entirety of Dean Spade’s Normal Life, selections from The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff, and additional resources on data violence. I know that I am lacking knowledge about “big data” and certain administration processes of healthcare, but I hope to fill in these gaps so that I do not make glaring mistakes. Through the research process, I will be working on an informal annotated bibliography of sorts. I have been collecting articles for some time now and have done a fair amount of reading, so I would like to begin working on an outline for the paper ideally by February 9. The outline will include a thesis, headers for the main sections of the essay, and a breakdown of my argument into a “claim, evidence, reasoning” (CER) format.

After February 9, I will begin composing the essay. This next part is difficult to imagine the scope of time needed, but I hope to have a first draft completed by March first. After which, I will revise on my own, as well as reach out for peer revision and help from our writing resource centers on campus. I plan to have a final draft by March 22nd so that I may have time to complete other requirements of the Scholars Capstone, like the additional paper and presentation. I have never devoted myself to a piece of writing like this before. I remember reading Edgar Allen Poe’s Philosophy of Composition in high school and thinking that the way he described the writing process sounded so romantic: the labor it requires, the constant revisions, and the painstaking details. Yes, I was inspired by that text. Did I continue to vomit out essays hours before their deadlines? Also, yes. So, I am looking forward to seeing what I am capable of when I take the time to let a piece of work marinate throughout the entire process of composition.

Hopefully, I will return here with something that I am proud of. Best of luck to everyone else going through the Capstone process!

Image result for philosophy of composition

Capstone Introduction: Clinical Ethics, Queer Autonomy, and Administrative Violence.

Gender and sexual minorities (GSM) have long been misunderstood, neglected, and even abused by healthcare services: the not-so-long-ago tragedy of the AIDS epidemic, homosexuality’s former place in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) which ended in 1973, as well as the continued medicalization of transgender identities under the name of gender dysphoria in the most current DSM. In the past decade, great strides have been made by administrators, practitioners, researchers, and social workers to improve care for GSM individuals. To improve GSM care, many healthcare facilities have begun recording data related to LGBT variables. According to the Human Rights Campaign’s 2019 Health Equality Index (HEI), of the 680 participating healthcare facilities, 59% offer a method of capturing patient sexual orientation in electronic health records, and 53% use a two-question method of collecting data on gender identity (current gender identity and sex assigned at birth) (pp. 34). At first glance, the existence of these categories in a healthcare setting may appear to naturalize and depoliticize GSM identities. Socially, medicine can create and define what is true or real of the human condition (Argüello 2016). However, in this collection of data, I see a glaring threat to the autonomy of GSM patients.

For my capstone project, I wish to write an argumentative essay against the recording of patient’s sexual orientations under the premise that doing so infringes on the patient’s autonomy and leaves queer patients vulnerable to administrative violence in and out of a clinical setting, utilizing Dean Spade’s theory of administrative violence, Michel Foucault’s theories of power & human sciences, Shoshana Zuboff’s descriptive analysis of what she coined “surveillance capitalism,” as well as ideas from queer and feminist theory on the limitations of equal rights. This project will prepare me for graduate studies in either Bioethics or Health Policy and will hopefully serve well as a writing sample for future applications.

I look forward to this writing and researching process. Next week, I will return with an update on planning this paper.

Sources:

Argüello, T. M. (2016). Fetishizing the health sciences: Queer theory as an intervention. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services28(3), 231–244. doi:10.1080/10538720.2016.1191407

“Healthcare equality index 2019: Promoting equitable and inclusive care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender & queer patients and their families.” Human Rights Campaign Foundation. https://assets2.hrc.org/files/assets/resources/HEI-2019-FinalReport.pdf?_ga=2.134410481.1015896916.1579477026-1303186474.1579477026

 

Year in Review 2018-2019

Before coming to Ohio State, I had few expectations of what was to come. My senior year of high school became turbulent around the time of college applications. My choice to attend Ohio State was unsupported by critical thinking because of my preoccupation with my father’s health at the time. Luckily, I am confident now that I made the right choice. My older brother, Jake, will be in his fourth year at OSU this autumn, so I had decent exposure to campus as well as some student organizations. Originally, I planned on majoring in earth sciences with a focus in geological science. I wasn’t certain about where this degree would take me, but I knew that I had more time to figure that out because of necessary graduate school.  I was very excited about participating in field camp this May. Honestly, I would still love to go. I feared the requirement of both calculus 1 and 2 for my major. Despite my worries of new academic difficulty, I was excited to indulge fully into scientific studies. The prospect of specialization was very exciting to me. Overall, I expected to be challenged but was unsure of what the future would hold.

As I write this, I am now back home. The semester will officially end tomorrow, and I will become a second-year student. I am now in a different major on a different path. With some reflection, I realized that earth science, although a personal interest of mine, would lead me to either academia or the petroleum industry. Additionally, studying geological science at OSU would involve research interaction with large oil companies like Shell. This is amazing for students in that program, but I have moral conflict with that collaboration. Neuroscience appeals to me on multiple levels–intellectually as well as morally. Also, I love the many career paths associated with my degree.

Luckily, I had some exposure to the content of my courses during high school. This allowed me to adjust to the speed of university courses, while also allowing for development of study skills. I think that my largest growth this year was teaching myself how to learn. I was always a high-achieving “smart” student, but I was certainly not studious in high school. Reading cognitive science articles about learning was crucial to improving my study habits. I am also happy to announce that procrastination and I have decided to go separate ways after twelve years of partnership.

I struggled with stress and mental health throughout this first year, which I expected because of the recent loss of my father. I cannot say for sure if I am better off now mentally than I was at the beginning of the school year, but I am taking time this summer to address my issues so that I move forward in autumn. I am taking general education courses at a local community college this summer, so I will finally have time to repair from the events of the past year. I’m looking forward to beginning more of my major courses and would like to be prepared for these important classes.

 

Artifact 3

Yesterday was Easter, and I decided to go home the Saturday before. Many of my friends and peers decided against returning home to see family because finals week, unfortunately, follows this holiday weekend. Although I am not particularly religious myself, this specific Easter had strong meaning for my family, especially my mother. For some context, the first anniversary of my father’s passing, April 29, is approaching. This Easter was the last major holiday over the course of the year that we were to experience as the first without dad. Additionally, the members of my immediate family are all battling stress and depression as we creep closer toward the 29th. I felt that my return was necessary for my mother and grandfather’s well-beings as well as my own.

Our actual celebration of Easter was simple. To my relief, we didn’t attend mass. My mother, my brother, and I each prepared a dish for lunch. Having the freedom to cook in my own kitchen, in addition to the company of my family, made for an enjoyable afternoon. The weekend as a whole flew by. My brother and I returned to OSU’s campus by five in the afternoon; the time for studying had finally come.

I think what I appreciated the most about this weekend was my growth as an individual. I have always been a high-achieving student, and this disposition has often conflicted with my personal life. In the past, there have been family events that I missed because of schoolwork or academic stress. My dad’s passing was a harsh lesson in what really matters to me. Mere moments after his passing, I realized that I would need to miss class in the following school week for grieving and planning his funeral. Once we were in the car leaving Columbus, I began transcribing my apology for my oncoming absence to my teachers. While this behavior shows a level of responsibility, it concerns me that I was incapable of tending to my emotional needs at the time. I see this obsession with academic life reflected back at me through the behavior of many of my fellow scholars. These disproportionate priorities sadden me, and I hope that I may find a medium in which to support the social and emotional needs of students.

Current Event

supermassive black hole at M87

Without context, the above image may be interpreted as a vast number of things. An eclipse? An abnormal lens flare? Maybe even a blurry still from a gastroscopy procedure? However–and I’m sure this is likely common knowledge by the time of this post–this is the first photograph of a black hole. Well, the black hole itself is the black inner circle, while the swirling outer light is a disk of gas orbiting the hole. This photo is possible because of a network of a group of telescopes called the Event Horizon Telescope from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Beyond the magnificence of this image, it caused me to realize that I have never seen a black hole before–none of us have, until now. All of these years since the knowledge of their existence, yet I never stopped to consider that I have never seen one. As a neuroscientist, I have the privilege of being able to interact directly with my subject of study, so I had not previously considered how other fields of study, especially astrophysics, experience such limitations. Additionally, as a someone born before the turn of the century, I have been accustomed with knowledge of what lies beyond in the deep reaches of space. I cannot recall a moment of space discovery that has impacted me as as significantly as this one. This is somewhat the equivalent of the moon landing for Gen Z, although  I am not opposed to a Mars landing also happening in my lifetime.

This accomplishment is important because of its implications for the legitimacy of Einstein’s theory of relativity which “predicts how spacetime is warped by the extreme mass of a black hole.” With this additional evidence to support the theory of relativity and existence of black holes, many doors for future research and discovery are now open for astrophysicists. This event could be compared to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA in 1953. Somewhat analogous, these discoveries show how the application of the sense of sight to a field of science may begin an age for new discoveries.

While I am not the most well-versed in astrophysics, I think that this first image should be celebrated within the general scientific community as a reminder that there is so much still out in the universe to study. Subjects that were once thought to be out of reach are now observable. We live in a very exciting time to be a scientist, and I cannot wait to see what this new era will bring.

Article: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/black-hole-first-picture-event-horizon-telescope

Personal Development AU18

As cliché as it may sound, this semester has truly flown by. The fact that December begins this upcoming Saturday is honestly baffling. Even though I perceive this semester as having been very short, in retrospect, I have definitely experienced a lot that has caused me to grow academically, mentally, and professionally. I think perhaps the most formative experience had to be the interview paper for my STEM EE Scholars seminar. At the time the assignment was announcement was announced, I knew that I was going to change my major to neuroscience, but I was also heavily considering medical school over grad school. After interviewing each of my participants, my interest in research and academia increased exponentially.

 

As a young child, I had a very idealistic view of academia. Science seemed mystical to me, and those who had mastered it well enough to earn the title of “doctor” were correspondingly wizards in my eyes. Because of this, I knew from a young age that I had to become “Dr. Christman.” However, as I grew older, this desire was shaped by the pressure to pursue medicine—mostly because of a necessity I felt to acquire a well-understood, well-regarded, and well-paying job. I mean, how many fourteen-year-olds say that they want to become professors? I feel like my childhood wonder has been reawakened. And I have so many questions. Even more than that, I now feel comfortable approaching professors and grad students to ask about their experiences. All of this has led me to favor a career path towards research and later onto hopefully a doctorate program.

 

Coming to OSU, I was a geological sciences major with no idea of what I would do with my degree. My only thought was how great the job security was and that I sort of liked mineralogy as a kid. Now, I feel like I have direction with my studies, and I am excited for what the future may hold. If I had to summarize how I’ve changed, I would say that I feeler a stronger purpose with my life than I have ever had before, and that excites me.

Artifact 2

This artifact will be somewhat of a follow-up to my first post. As I mentioned in Artifact 1, I decided to change my major to neuroscience and was still awaiting the date for my declaration. Well, that day has come and passed. On October 17, I met with an assistant advisor to learn about the neuroscience program. Afterwards, I had the option to declare a pre-major into neuroscience (the program itself is “selective” and requirements need to be met before a real declaration); however, I went in that day fully knowing that I was declaring the pre-major.

In between my meeting with the assistant advisor and head advisor, I asked to speak with my assistant advisor Chloe Page about her experience as a graduate student. This was not something I would normally do, but I needed to interview a graduate student for a paper (which will be available on my ePortfolio). I was pleasantly surprised with this conversation, and I left her office feeling inspired. Afterwards, I completed the process of declaring my major.

Now, I know that so far this seems rather mundane, as if I was describing a visit to the doctor; however, this event lead to change in my perspective. From my conversations with Chloe, I learned more about the opportunities for undergraduate research at OSU, as well as the opportunities for research in the field of neuroscience. I was so inspired to pursue research because of her, and I have decided to no longer pursue a pre-medicine path. Rather, I will be taking coursework which I am curious about and will further a career in research. In addition, now that I don’t have to worry about completing additional pre-medicine courses, I have many credit hours free. So, I have begun to explore the idea of adding a double major or minor.

Image result for ohio state evolution and ecology

The first that came to mind was Evolution & Ecology. As a child, I dreamed of studying zoology and becoming a veterinarian, but that dream faded into my teens. Nevertheless, I have always loved and cared for animals. This love transferred into scientific interest while I began to take more advanced biology and anatomy classes. I think that this pairing of neuroscience and evolution & ecology will allow me to have the tools to perform research that interests me in the future, as well as have a fulfilling undergraduate experience. I am genuinely delighted at the thought of what I will be able to experience and accomplish in the future.

Beyond a double major, I have considered adding a minor in brain and cognitive philosophy. I initially became interested in philosophy during my junior year of high school after reading works form the Transcendentalism movement in my English class. Ever since that course, I completely dove into researching philosophy as a hobby. While I could never see myself fully pursuing it as a career, minoring in philosophy could be a great opportunity to take courses that are both personally interesting and complimentary to my neuroscience major.

Whereas, in my first Artifact, I focused on the past, this post has centered around the future. This is somewhat of a new outlook for me. In the past, I often did not form goals or even have a perspective on what I would be doing at the age of nineteen. I had trouble imagining my life beyond high school, as it did not seem real yet. I am proud to say that I do see a future for myself now, and it is beautiful. I cannot wait to meet it.

Image result for future painting

Photo Credits:

https://eeob.osu.edu/events/eeob-seminar-091318

Painting the Cyber Future by Victor Fota

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.]