Darwin’s Always Watching

I liked this photo because it looks like this statue of Darwin is looking directly at the camera. Particularly, I enjoyed the Natural History Museum because there was so much to check out while we were there. The displays within the museum were very interesting in general, but a lot of the information there was also a huge reminder of how evolution plays such a large part in much of Earth’s history. Especially with the sections of the building involving geology, human biology, and other organisms for example. Along these lines, I also enjoyed visiting Darwin’s home; it was surreal to walk the same trails he did. It was like being starstruck but he wasn’t there (obviously). Also the little cafe was very tasty so that was a huge plus.

Explore more History

While I think the Natural History Museum and Zoology Museum show a fair portion of history, it’s mainly scientific events/discoveries. I really enjoyed visiting Salisbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey just because there was a different side of history with these buildings. I’ve always been interested in medieval era history, so visiting these churches was crazy cool. The photo I chose here is the oldest tomb in Salisbury Cathedral from the 1200’s, and I was just astounded at how well the tomb had been kept. The architecture of both buildings was also amazing; I personally think gothic architecture is the most interesting so being able to see these churches in person was such a great opportunity.

Stick with Friends!!

I know not everyone is in this picture, but I couldn’t think of a better group to have been on this trip with. Everyone was so easy to connect with and make new memories with. Also, it was amazing to have everyone supporting my funds throughout the week. Losing my debit card was the worst, but this group helped me out big time, so thank you to everyone who came in clutch for the week. I’ve made memories that I’ll (hopefully) remember for a long time, and I hope you guys had as much fun as I did.

p.s. I want to especially thank the professors for coming on this whirlwind of a trip with us. You guys kept us safe and always had our backs. So thank you for everything you did for our group throughout the week. 🙂

Researching Dr. Bowen became a little difficult when I realized there was not much information about what she had done outside of her time at the university. Although I didn’t stray too far from her time here, I tried to dive a little deeper when researching her by looking up her time serving for the Vietnam War as well as her time in the military in general. There also wasn’t much information on her time in Harlem, New York so I tried to see if I could find any more specifics. Overall though, I enjoyed researching someone closely related to the university for this project because it makes the community feel a little bit closer in a way. Understanding a bit of the history here helps put things into perspective of where the innovations for the university have led us.

For the other presentations, I really enjoyed Gabby’s research topic. I have cats at home so it was interesting to learn about someone who became a major part of the history for many cats’ health and well-being. I also thought her audio was easy to listen to and understand so that helped out quite a bit with retaining the information as well. I also really liked Ivana’s presentation; it was short and to the point, while also including a good amount of valuable information on her topic. The ambulance sound effect was also appreciated. Lastly, I also thought the presentations with the interviews were interesting. It was really cool to hear a first hand view of the topics being presented as well as gain knowledge that maybe would not have been found on the internet.

Dr. Mathur’s beginning points about black holes seem so intimidating when compared to life on Earth; it gives perspective on how large the universe is, as well as how powerful some of the elements of the universe are. I like that he touched on each of the varying theories for black holes rather than just saying the theory we now know to be correct. Sharing each of the varying ideas helps visualize how scientists of the time were thinking about this new phenomenon and how they tried to conceptualize it.

One component of his talk that was unfamiliar to me was the concept of Hawking Radiation discovered in 1974. I had still been under the impression that once something passes the horizon of a black hole, it could never come out. It was surprising to learn this was not the case, and that black hole evaporation actually occurs over time. And while the process of this black hole evaporation is extremely slow, it would eventually disappear; based on Hawking’s reasoning. The particles evaporating from the black hole oftentimes are pulled back into the black hole because of the mass that is still left behind, and these particles are finally able to “escape” when they have generated enough energy; this is why this evaporation is such a slow process.

The well-known photo of a black hole can actually be misleading because the light that we observe in the photo is actually objects orbiting the black hole since we cannot see anything past the horizon. Some of the light we see is also the way light is bending over the black hole from the back as it rotates. The light becomes so bent that we can’t actually see what was there before.

Overall, I thought this was one of the most interesting talks in the course thus far. As much as I do enjoy history combined with biology, these types of lectures give the audience a new perspective on the sheer size of the universe surrounding our planet and how it could affect us at some point.

I really enjoyed Dr. Kinghorn’s talk today. I thought the most intriguing component of his talk was his experience with the researchers he spoke of; it definitely gave me a different perspective of the material since he knows the information first hand. This talk also showed how far society has come in the medical field today; as shown with the nightshade, it was commonly used within beauty regimens for women although we know now it is not good for you. Along these lines, heroin was also used as a commercial product yet we now know it is a highly addictive drug with brutal effects. I also thought it was interesting just how many plants are actually used for medicinal purposes. The 10,000 plants doesn’t seem like much compared to 300,00 total plants, until you put into perspective that each may have a different purpose all within medicine. The progression of a plant to pure organic chemicals was also fascinating to me; I enjoyed learning the process because it gives a wider scope into the production/cultivation of modern medicine. Overall, I thought this talk was really cool and I liked that it had to do with the medical field.

On another note, I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Kinghorn’s accent.

I felt like Dr. Alber’s talk was a proper cap on the movie we watched over the weekend. I enjoyed the more in-depth lecture of, not only Pasteur’s experiences but his life as a whole. Learning about his life outside of science can help us feel like we’re getting to know him; it makes him more personable. I also think he became more personable when we learned how his research was not for his benefit but instead to aide his country. Over the past week, my appreciation for and interest in Pasteur has increased significantly.

Within the class discussion, I also enjoyed it when Dr. Alber explained how determined Pasteur was for each of his experiments. It’s impressive to think about his fermentation experiments with 10^100 dilutions; it seems unfathomable to me. It’s as though Pasteur knew he was right and waited for the results of testing to prove that.

For this presentation, it was nice to have the visual of the assigned video beforehand because it allowed us to piece it together with the slideshow. I also enjoyed the class discussion throughout; it was engaging for the topic and we could dive deeper into the subject matter. On the content itself, I thought it was interesting how Priestley discovered something essential for life by simply tinkering with experiments at home. It can be difficult to understand that type of experimenting in modern science because of how much has already been discovered. Nowadays, it seems virtually impossible for a major discovery to be made in someone’s home laboratory.

This talk was of specific interest to me because women in science generally do not get a spotlight. Expanding knowledge about women who didn’t always get credit for their work, or women who had to fight to be heard is essential, in my opinion. I admire women in this field for standing up for what they believe in because it inevitably helps women in the coming generations. Specifically, I enjoyed how Margaret Cavendish would write the anonymous critiques aimed at those who disregarded her. I also liked that she would invite herself to meetings where women usually weren’t allowed. As much trouble as it may have been for her, she persisted. Along with other women within the presentation, Margaret Cavendish exhibits how most women only had access to needed resources through a husband, father, or brother; even this access was limited. Given the necessary equipment and education, it makes you wonder what women could have discovered before men.

I loved Dr. Gnidovec’s talk with the class; presentations like these become so much more enjoyable when the presenter is passionate about the subject matter. Dr. Gnidovec’s enthusiasm for what he does pulled me into the subject matter even more. I also was genuinely interested in the material itself. I think the whole period of geology being so popular is impressive, and something worth studying. From the presentation itself, I most enjoyed the mastodon and mammoth teeth. There are plenty of photos online, but seeing the size of these teeth in person truly showcases the power that would also come with it. Another interesting point to me was the discoveries of Mary Anning. I think her determination to finish these massive skeletons over many years is inspiring in a way because she could have easily given up.

I thought Dr. Anelli’s talk was very interesting. Currently in Bio 1114, we just reviewed the same topics, so it was a nice refresher as well as some new information added on. Specifically I enjoyed hearing about Darwin’s influences over the years and how important these other men became for this ideas. But shifting away from facts in general, I liked the way in which she gave her presentation. Giving a short break to fill out the worksheet helped with staying engaged. I was also more interested in the PowerPoint simply because she seemed very passionate about the topic; it makes you want to listen.

I really enjoyed Jan’s talk with the class. She was obviously very knowledgeable about the subject matter and it was interesting to learn about the university’s history. I specifically enjoyed the early history of the founding and running of Ohio State in the late 1800s. Personally, I think it’s fascinating how the first faculty members taught classes as well as maintained chores around the school’s property. The community effort to make sure the university was running emphasizes how dedicated the faculty members were to give students a valuable education. Overall, this was the component of the talk that I found most interesting, but I also enjoyed scrolling through the researcher’s pages and reading the short summaries of the work that has been done at the university over the last 150 years.