Sophmore G.O.A.L.S Reflection

Global Awareness: To develop my global awareness, I have taken several history and anthropology courses that focus on global events, such as World War I. In addition, I will be spending this summer in Germany through a scholarship from the DAAD RISE program. I believe that spending several months living outside of the United States will significantly increase my awareness and understanding of other cultures. While in Germany, I plan to travel and explore as much of Europe as I can to further increase my global awareness.

Original Inquiry: I have spend the past year doing research on nanomaterials for Dr. Johnston-Halperin. Last summer I got a scholarship from the physics department which enabled me to focus on research for the entire summer, which was an incredibly valuable experience. I plan to continue this work while I am enrolled at OSU and complete an undergraduate thesis. In addition, the RISE program which I mentioned earlier provides funding for students to pursue research in Germany. Therefore, I will also be spending this summer improving my research skills.

Academic Enrichment: For academic enrichment, I am pursuing a major in physics and considering adding a history minor if my scheduling permits it. Since I have a large number of college credits from two years of dual enrollment in high school, I am planning to take more advanced courses than required by the physics degree. This rigorous physics coursework should help to prepare me for getting a PhD in physics, which is my current future plan. In addition, I am focusing on upper level and honors courses to fulfill my GE requirements. This means that I should have completed around 80 hours of upper level course work by the time I finish my degree, clearly demonstrating academic enrichment.

Leadership Development: In Dr. Johnston-Halperin’s lab, I spent this semester training and supervising two new students. This meant that I was taking on a leadership role within the lab as I had to determine what parts of our project the new students needed to work on. I also had to assist them with any problems with lab procedures, make sure that they were doing high quality work, and ensure that they enjoyed the work. Since I would like to be a professor in the future, this experience with managing others within a lab was extremely valuable since it is likely something I will be doing in the future.

Service Engagement: For my freshman year and part of this year, I was involved in a student organization that worked to build a community garden in an area of Columbus with low food security. The aim of this group was to teach people about growing their own food and improve the community’s access to high quality, nutritious food. Next year, I am interested in joining a campus LGBT service club that works to help the Columbus LGBT community. In particular, this group volunteers at Equitas Health, an extremely LGBT friendly clinic. I would like to help Equitas, as their services have been invaluable to me in the process of my own gender transition.

Reflection on the G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness:

To work towards the goal of Global Awareness, I plan to choose course work that expands my knowledge of global issues and diversity. For many of my general education requirements, I have chosen courses that address international issues. I am planning to take courses in anthropology and international studies which will expand my knowledge of the world. Similarly, I plan to pursue a history minor to learn more about global history. The courses I have chosen for this minor focus on history from places outside of the United States. By learning about the history of other places, I will expand my global awareness.

Original Inquiry:

To work towards the goal of Original Inquiry, I plan to pursue undergraduate research. Since I am a physics major and I currently plan to attend graduate school, undergraduate research is incredibly important for my future. I am most interested in research in condensed matter physics, and I am currently attempting to find a position in a condensed matter lab. I also have a considerable amount of extra time for my senior year, which I plan to use to complete an undergraduate thesis. By performing undergraduate research and completing a thesis, I will be heavily involved in original inquiry.

Academic Enrichment:

For my academic program, I plan to pursue a major in physics and a minor in history. I chose to be a physics major because I want to become a scientist and do research as a career. I find physics to be one of the most interesting and versatile branches of science, which is why I chose it. Since I already have a large amount of college credit from two years of dual enrollment, I am planning to take graduate level physics courses which go beyond the requirements for a physics degree. I also plan to use the extra time I have to get a history minor, since history is another subject that I enjoy. In addition to upper level physics and history courses, I am also planning to take some materials science electives, since I am considering doing materials based research for graduate school. Based on my current academic plan, I should complete more that 60 hours of upper level course work, well beyond the minimum required amount, for my academic enrichment.

Leadership Development:

I am currently a member of the Ohio State Community Garden Club, a recently formed student organization. I plan to stay involved in this club for all of my time at Ohio State. In addition to being an involved and active member of the club, I am taking on leadership roles within the club. I am using my knowledge of woodworking to plan, acquire materials for, and lead the building of the structures needed by the club. Structures like raised beds and rainwater catchment are vital to the success of the club’s garden, and I am utilizing my skills and knowledge to lead the creation of these structures. In the future, I plan to run for an official club leadership position, and hopefully become a skilled leader.

Service Engagement:

The Community Garden Club that I already wrote about is dedicated to helping the Columbus community. We are leasing a vacant lot from the City of Columbus in a low-income area to start a community garden. Our lot is located next to a K-8 school, which has agreed to work with us to provide the students with hands on learning experience and free produce. Neighbors in the area have expressed excitement about the garden, and we hope to use the garden as a way to build community and educate people about health, self-sufficiency, and environmental protection. By being an active member of the community garden club, I will be able to help reduce food insecurity in Columbus through my volunteer work.

Discussion #4

Over the past few months, my ability to work with others in small groups has improved immensely. For Physics 2300, the homework is much more difficult than any of my previous physics classes. As a result, most of the students work on it together to make finishing the homework possible. I am a part of several study and homework groups for Physics 2300, and they have been invaluable for helping me get through the class. In previous physics classes, I was able to complete the homework on my own, but without working with other students, I would no be able to complete the homework for 2300. Working in these groups is always a balance between helping others and getting helped and I have become much better at achieving a good balance when working collaboratively. Talking to other students in the class and students who took the class in previous semesters has helped me to realize that without collaborating, almost no one is able to pass Physics 2300. I think that building these group work skills will help me in future classes and in research groups.

Through the rest of my undergraduate experience, in addition to refining my ability to work well with others I would like to improve my time management skills. I still struggle with procrastination, and while I have yet to stay up all night because of excessive procrastination, I have had some uncomfortably rushed assignments. I would like to get better at managing my time in order to avoid turning in rushed assignments which could negatively affect my grades.

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

Dorothy Pharis is a freshman physics and mathematics major at the Ohio State University. She has completed research in atmospheric physics with a focus on cloud dynamics under Dr. Thijs Heus at Cleveland State University. She plans to pursue a PhD in physics of materials science and hopes to work in research. In her free time, Dorothy enjoys knitting, hiking, and learning about history.

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.]

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. 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.]