Apollo 13 is a classic movie that I had not had the opportunity to see before this Rose Scholars event. I really like older Tom Hanks movies like Castaway and Forrest Gump, and this movie did not disappoint. The movie was full of action and suspense, and I was rooting for the main characters to make it home safely the whole time. It was even more interesting because the movie was based on a true story. I was very entertained by the movie, but it is also interesting to think about how space travel is still relevant in today’s times. Back when the Apollo missions were happening and when men were first being sent to the moon, there was great national pride behind the government-funded projects. It is interesting to think about how the commercialization of space exploration with companies like SpaceX will affect the future of space travel. Is it still the government’s place to spend astronomical amounts of money on space exploration? Or is it better to leave it to privately-funded companies? I think space is an exciting and important field of study, and exploration of it should continue. However, I am not sure who should pay for the study. I think it is interesting that independent companies are venturing into the field, and I think it could result in faster discoveries. It will be interesting to see how the future of space travel develops.
Author Archives: mch284
Fun in Gourdlandia
Gourlandia was a unique experience and it was my favorite Rose Scholars event this semester. I really enjoy art in all forms, and I rarely have time between classes and homework. Gourlandia was art in an incredibly unique form and it was a lot of fun carving a new medium into a fun nightlight. It took some practice to be able to make a design on the rounded shape of the gourd, but the results were really cool. I actually attended this event last year as part of the program, and I was happy that the event was held again. My gourd came out much nicer this year and I was happy to be able to create more gourd art. This event opened my eyes to some unique forms of art and the passion that people in the Ithaca area have for their work. It was a very interesting event and it was a lot of fun. It inspired me to look into different forms of art and maybe I will be able to find a new project to work on over Christmas break. While I will not have any gourds to carve at home, the creativity of the project will serve as inspiration. Just like last year, I thoroughly enjoyed this Rose Scholars event.
Halloween Break
Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, and I always loved carving pumpkins as a kid. In the middle of prelims and a very stressful time in the semester, it was nice to take a break and return to a childhood tradition. My roommate is a senior this year and no longer part of the Rose Scholars program, but she attended this event with me and we had a great time carving pumpkins together again this year. It was a great way to celebrate the holiday and take a break from the stress of the semester. After taking a break, I was able to return to studying with a fresh mind, and I really needed the re-set of doing something fun and relaxing. My favorite Rose Scholars activities have always been the ones that allow me to take a break, and this was one of those events for me.
Developing Rose Scholars
This event was very different from the other Rose Scholars event I attended this semester. I appreciate how the Rose Scholars administrators are willing to listen to student feedback to create Rose Scholars Events. It was an interesting insight into how events are picked to try to fit a variety of categories for people of different interests. It also makes me excited for future Rose Scholars events, as the areas we talked about during the seminar sounded very interesting to me, especially the career development ones. Many of my classes don’t focus much on career development and practical work-force skills, so I appreciate that events in the house can offer opportunities for me to develop these important skills. It was exciting to be included in the process of developing new events and to have a say in the process.
Laughing at Ourselves
The Intro to Improv class was the only Rose Event that I could make this week, but I am very glad that I attended. The members of The Whistling Shrimp were hilarious and very friendly. They made me feel very comfortable, even though a lot of the activities we did felt very silly and awkward at first. It was a great way to loosen up and have some fun during a stressful week. I did not know very much about improv coming into this event, and it was interesting for me to experience something new. I also appreciated how the skills used in improv could translate to practical skills like public speaking, interpersonal communication, and confidence-building. Though I only attended the short seminar, I plan to use so of the tips and skills the members talked about for presentations and times where I have to speak in front of a large number of people.
The Great Debate on Genetic Engineering
Genetic engineering is a hot topic in the scientific community, especially recently. As a student in biology, I had a pretty solid background in a lot of the techniques discussed at the Table Talk. I am generally a supporter of genetic engineering when it comes to GMO (genetically modified organisms) is agriculture to produce larger crops and pest-resistant crops. These crops can help increase crop yield and can have implications for helping farmers in developing countries. However, some of the other topics we discussed are more controversial. The genetically engineered baby from China raises some huge ethical questions. I don’t think it is ethical to design a perfect baby and it could help perpetuate classism if it became a common practice. This theme has been demonstrated in Sci-Fi movies like Gattaca, where the wealthy controlled the genetic engineering and the poor could never compete with their perfect genes. However, the potential to prevent horrible genetic diseases before the baby is even born is ethical and an amazing advancement in medicine. It can be difficult to decide where the line should be drawn when discussing technology like this. With the advancements in science that are happening every day, it is essential that we start thinking about these questions because the day that we will need the answers is fast approaching. I really enjoyed this Table Talk and found it to be a very thought-provoking conversation about a topic I already had an interest in.
Learning Self-Defense
The self-defense seminar was incredibly useful and enlightening. I think the importance of self-defense, especially as a woman, needs more emphasis in today’s society. I think it is incredibly important to learn how to defend yourself so you can escape bad situations. As a pretty small female, I really appreciated the simple techniques that were taught in the seminar, and I can see them being very effective in practicing self-defense. There is something very empowering about feeling like you could defend yourself if needed, and I like feeling like I can take care of myself. I would enjoy taking a more extensive self-defense class in the future to build on what I learned in this seminar.
I also really appreciated the perspective of a self-defense teacher from Myanmar. She explained how different the culture was there and how much more dangerous it is for women. It puts things in perspective and reminds you that other countries have situations that are a lot worse than ours in the United States. I think the work that Kyaw Thein is doing is amazing, and I am so grateful that I got to learn from her.
Interesting…
I had never heard of this movie before the Rose Scholars event, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Even with no real expectations, this movie managed to surprise me. I thought it did a good job illustrating the issue of corporate greed and large companies taking things too far at the expense of its workers. I thought it showed an interesting perspective of the workers rising up against their awful bosses and trying to improve their lives. It also touched on some racial issues in the form of the “white voice” that the main character used to be successful. I think these are important social commentaries that deserve be explored through film and media.
While this film does show important social issue, my main takeaway was that it was weird. It had some comic relief, although the humor wasn’t my style. However, the movie took a really strange turn towards the end, and I was distracted from the message. The CGI “equisapiens” were very disturbing, and I felt there were other, more subtle ways to show corporate greed. Overall, I did not really enjoy the movie, but it was certainly memorable. In that way, I think it was a success, but I’ve seen movies that deal with similar issues in better ways. It was interesting, but I probably won’t watch it again.