IA Alumni Spotlight: Greg Zane

March 4th, 7:30pm-8pm

IA Alumni Spotlight: Greg Zane Reflection

The IA Alumni Spotlight: Greg Zane took place on March 4th at 7:30pm.
This event allowed for me to learn the background of Greg Zane and his involvements while on campus and once he left. It was interesting to learn more about what he does as an epidemiologist. He focused a lot of research on gongeria, which was really interesting. He focused a lot on research while he was at the University of Washington and his time abroad. He also talked about his work with the Covid pandemic. And through the research him and his team collected, they can apply it in future outbreaks. This was very eye opening to see how effective and important it is to continuously conduct research on pandemics.

This event relates to International Affairs because it relates a lot to global health and working with other countries for a common cause. His talks relating to the work they conducted with the Covid outbreak really shows that. It was also very interesting to hear his daily schedule and tasks not only as an epidemiologist, but also as an epidemiologist during a pandemic. He really helped me to see how beneficial and useful studying abroad is because it not only helps to learn about different cultures, but it gives you an opportunity to immerse yourself in your career. In the future I would love to learn more about the world of epidemiologists and the other research and work they do.

Ohio State Alumni Spotlight: Tristan Mooney

March 16th, 6pm-7pm

Ohio State Alumni Spotlight: Tristan Mooney Reflection

The Ohio State Alumni Spotlight: Tristan Mooney took place on March 14th at 6 pm.
This event allowed for me to learn about how different alumni used their majors and their years here at Ohio State and transferred that knowledge to their careers. After his time as an undergrad at Ohio State, Mooney went to Cornell for a program and after he started working at NASA. He became a NASA Stennis. This allowed him to work on instrumentation as well as gather information and data on the A1 and B2 best stands. He also shared what his typical schedule looked like which included seating up sensors and other electronic systems as well as taking a lot of measurements. I have always been very intrigued by NASA and their work, so this seminar allowed me to see the inner workings of what is done there.

This event relates to International Affairs because NASA is a global entity that impacts the views and the ideas of a lot of things within media. Understanding and learning about space and even our contribution to the globe and the solar system is very important. It was beneficial to hear how he was able to take his major and apply that to his career path. It showed me how what we are learning here at OSU is not going to be for nothing, it carries on to whatever we decide to do in our future endeavors. In the future I would love to learn more about NASA and ways that we as people can help support not only Earth, but also our solar system as well.

Current Event Night

March 14th, 7pm-8pm

Current Event Night Reflection

The Current Event Night took place on March 14th at 7 pm. This event allowed for learning and dialogue about the current events taking place in the world right now. Prior to this event I wasn’t as informed about all of the current news like the extreme homophobia happening in Ghana or about the Switzerland issue relating to prohibiting face coverings while in public. This was extremely informational and it allowed me to look more into not only these specific issues happening, but more global issues that are happening.

This event relates to International Affairs because these issues like the homophobia in Ghana, the banning of face coverings in Switzerland, the trial of Derek Chauvin, and the EU struggles all relate to the global issues that are happening around us. It was very beneficial to hear the dialogue and other people’s opinions about how they feel about what’s going on in the world. It helps to bring perspective on the life that we are privileged to have and it continues to allow us to think of ways that we can help the world become a better place. This event can help me think what I can be doing through nonprofits and other organizations that are helping with issues like these happening around the world.

IA Alumni Spotlight ft. Elena Akers

January 25, 2021, 8:00pm

Professional Development Event Reflection

The event I went to was the IA Alumni Spotlight featuring Elena Akers, on January 25, 2021 at 8:00pm. Prior to this event, I didn’t know what START was and I didn’t know that this type of organization existed. This was an extremely interesting organization to learn about because terrorism is something that all countries experience. I was extremely fascinated with how organizations collect different data on terrorists and how they use this data to their advantage.

This event relates to International Affairs because terrorism is something that plagues the world. This event also focused on how to apply and intern during this unprecedented time. It was very beneficial to learn and know how organizations are taking applicants and what they are looking for. As global citizens and members of this scholars program, we need to be able to go into the world and apply what we have learned, so this was a great place to learn how to start working outside of OSU. It was also great to hear what I can do on campus to help me get these positions in the future. One question I would ask her would be how do you prioritize which position will better help you with your future career goals. Some internships have great qualities, but when applying to multiple, what criteria do you use to rank them?

Applying to a PhD Program Event

October 12, 2020, 7:00pm-7:45pm

Academic/Professional Development Event Reflection

I went to the “Applying to a PhD Program” on zoom that was held on Oct 12 from 7pm to 7:45pm. This was an Academic and Professional Development event that explained how to apply to PhD Programs. Some great information that I got was that it is good to know what subfield I am interested in, when applying or starting a PhD Program. When applying it is also important to talk about any research experience that one has done or plans to do. She also gave her personal experience about her PhD journey and what it looks like to be a PhD student, which was helpful for me to see what I would have to do if I decided to take this journey.

This relates doesn’t relate to my personal coursework, which is why I wanted to learn about this. I wanted to expand my knowledge on different fields and programs I could potentially do in the future. I think this event helped me to better understand what PhD programs look like and what it is like to be a student taking these programs. This program intersected with my professional goals because now I want to look further into PhD programs and see what options I can take. All in all, this was a very informational event that helped me to think more about my future goals and career plans.

Peace Corps Information Session

September 17, 2020, 4:00pm-5:00pm

Academic/Professional Development Event Reflection

The event I went to was Peace Corps Information Session, on September 17th, 2020 from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. Before this session, I never really knew what the Peace Corps was, I remember having this presentation last year in the class, but I wanted to get a better understanding of what it was. This presentation helped me to understand that the Peace Corps focuses on “getting the rest of the world to understand Americans” and “Americans to understand the rest of the world.” The people live and work in the country for two years and they are basically integrated into that specific country and culture.

This event relates to International Affairs because it shows the importance of understanding other cultures and people. It shows how important cultural integration is when learning about other cultures and people. This event also proves how learning about different cultures can help in other professional endeavors in the future. This event helped me gain knowledge for personal and professional use. It helped me understand better what the Peace Corps is, and it allowed me to see that this is something that I am interested in and that I can potentially pursue in my personal or professional life. Further, this event relates to the Cultural Anthropology class that I took last semester. We focused on the importance of cultural integration and learning about others in order to make you a more rounded global citizen.
One question I would ask would be can you do the program anytime in your life, or does it have to be during your college or post college life?

Lauren Laurent Zoom

On April 19th, I watched the Lauren Laurent webinar on Zoom. She focused on how businesses, specifically Levy and Greater Columbus Convention Center, were impacted by COVID-19. She specifically dove into how different industries within hospitality and the business world are suffering. For example, event planners are dealing with having to lay off employees and trying to retain their customers. Trying to handle the situation in a calm way, was the biggest tip that she said has been causing less stress for different industries. She went into how different businesses are taking major hits because of this outbreak and how this is causing the economy to suffer. This relates to International Affairs because the economy is a major thing that needs to be running if we want to have trading and good relations with other countries. A question that I had for this presenter was do you think prioritizing the economy is effective, or going to make situations worse? The event impacted me because I think it made me realize the severity of the situation. I was only thinking domestically, not internationally. I didn’t realize how not being able to trade as much or the economy not being stable can truly affect the relations between countries. This definitely impacts my professional life because I want to become an entrepreneur and seeing how businesses are suffering really makes me think about how I need to take precautions for situations like this that can happen.

“Solve the Climate by 2030” Zoom Webinar

On March 27th, I watched the “Solve the Climate by 2030” webinar on Zoom. The main speaker, Dr. Bryan Mark, focused his part of the presentation on weather and climate. He dove into how important weather is, and how it has the ability to affect our economy. When natural disasters take place, they leave an expensive and devastating clean-up for our society. He also talked about how climate change is really happening, which can be seen through the changes in the seasons. Through this part of the presentation, I learned how the sun is the driving force for the weather and climate due to the energy it emits. This relates to International Affairs, because climate change has a big impact on us as a society and businesses. When there is a drought, farmers’ crops don’t grow as much, which ultimately affects the foods that we receive in stores. It hurts our economy, specifically with trade as well. After this webinar, I wonder how we as International Affairs students can help put a stop to this growing dilemma and problem. This webinar truly impacted me because it reemphasized how climate change is a big problem and it needs to be addressed. Sometimes as a society we tend to prioritize our own problems and forget about the big problems that we as a human race are going through. This event intersected with my personal goals to learn more about climate change and ways that I can help put a stop to it.

Disease X: An Anthropological History

Disease X: An Anthropological History
Academic—02/03/2020

On Monday February 3rd I went to Dr. Kelley Sams Anthropology & History of Medicine Lecture. This lecture took place at Scott Lab from 11:00 am-12:00 pm. She talked about where certain diseases or epidemics originated and where individuals contracted these diseases. She discussed how cultures contribute to the spread of these diseases. This is due to certain cultures practices like funeral rituals. While explaining all of this she wanted other people to change their perceptions about diseases and the countries they come from. This event was very impactful because I feel like understanding cultural rituals and how they effect the spread of diseases will help others to change their perceptions and judgments. It helped me to look at epidemics with a more insightful perspective because I am more aware and understanding of cultures and epidemics. This event relates to International Affairs because it helps to uncover rituals of cultures and how they contribute to epidemics. I definitely gained from this lecture academically and personally. This topic relates to some of the information I have learned in multiple classes when talking about culture and societal biases. Her and other Anthropologists have done multiple studies and researched about this topic. I would love to know more about this topic and how she came across all of this information.

Spring Student Involvement Fair

Spring Student Involvement Fair
Campus—11/23/2019

On Thursday January 16th I went to the 2020 Spring Student Involvement Fair. This took place at the Ohio Union from four to seven, in the evening. This campus event was hosted by the Office of Student Life. Going to this event was very impactful. In the beginning of the year when we had the first Student Involvement Fair, I was so overwhelmed. I only heard that there are thousands of clubs at Ohio State and this fair is where you go to find the ones you want to participate in. It was very daunting and scary to walk onto the Oval at the first involvement fair because I didn’t know what to expect. Having gone through the first involvement fair, I had a better understanding of what to expect, how to navigate the fair, how to read the map, and which sections to focus on. This event didn’t necessarily change my beliefs or perspectives, it allowed me to take in more information and be more connected on the campus. I definitely was able to gain from this event academically, professionally and personally. It also related to other course work that I have done because I was able to join clubs that suit my major. One question I had was how do the Office of Student Life execute such a large scale informational event so smoothly?