Author Archives: Robin Wang

Tips for Dealing with Stress

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Last week at Rose Cafe, Sarah Rubenstein-Gillis and Andrea Gerding of Gannet Health Services came to talk about how we can reduce stress and promote a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Rubenstein-Gillis began by defining the experience of being stressed. For me, I immediately think about its mental effects and drain. However, they reminded me that prolonged stress can affect you both mentally and physically. Physical indicators include discomfort, shallow breaths, and loss/gain of appetite. With prelims currently ongoing and finals looming in the near future, this discussion could not have come at a better time. My goto in dealing with stress is to find a distraction/do something fun for a bit. To better cope with stress, Gerding suggests chunking your work, this way, you have a clear idea of your progress and tackle a manageable amount at a time. Keeping a planner/organizer is essential to staying organized and feeling connected with yourself and your goals for the day. Since I started keeping a calendar when I first began college, I definitely agree with this. It may feel like a short term nuisance, but it carries long-term benefits in organization and sense of well-being.

One of the most important things you can do for your health is to get enough sleep every night. I would say I get a good amount of sleep at night, probably around 7-8 hours consistently. I was mildly surprised when the research said that the optimal amount of sleep for college-aged students was over 9 hours. I have many friends who go by on as little as 4-5 hours at night, and I think sleep is the biggest factor people can improve here on campus. The body and brain renews and repairs itself at night. Rubenstein-Gillis also led us through a meditation session. Meditation has always been something I’ve been interested in trying. After just a 5-minute meditation session, I believe that I felt calmer and more connected with myself. I am interested in learning more about the benefits of meditation/checking out the resources on campus.

Soil and Climate Change

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Last week at Rose Cafe, Dawit Solomon, Senior Research Associate at the School of Integrative Plant Science, Soil, and Crop Sciences Section, came to discuss why soil matters. Soil serves many diverse functions, much more than meets the eye. For example, soil is essential not only for growing crops, but for providing fuel and promoting carbon balance. I thought it was fascinating how soil is intricately connected to climate change. Most people are aware that carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have increased dramatically since 1950. However, many people are probably not aware that 25% of carbon dioxide emissions come from the soil, and that the total amount of carbon in the soil is four times the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. A warmer planet is changing the carbon composition of the soil, both leading to increased carbon emissions in the atmosphere and soil degradation/poor fertility.

We rarely talk about the relationship between soil and climate change, but I learned that they are closely connected. Moreover, this discussion served to emphasize the severity of climate change, as soil erosion presents a great food security threat in poorer regions. For example, Ethiopia is currently experiencing extreme levels of soil degradation. Its land has been overused and exhausted, exacerbating risk of food depletion and malnutrition. The topics of climate change and the negative effects of a warming planet have been a consistent theme in Rose Cafes, and its urgency is only increasing.

Tennis to Lessons about Living

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Last Wednesday at Rose Cafe, Silviu Tanasoiu, the Savitt-Weiss Head Coach of Men’s Tennis, came to talk to us about motivation on and off the playing field. Coach Tanasoiu emphasizes that being a student-athlete is a privilege very little have, and that the key to success is being very intentional with time, juggling practice, academics, and traveling each week. I was surprised to hear that the US is one of the only countries where it is normal to pursue higher education while aspiring for professional tennis. More commonly, the idea of going to school while playing tennis is foreign, as an education is seen as a deterrent to time focusing on tennis.

Although Tanasoiu’s discussion was focused on the challenges facing men’s tennis players, I found that his points were very applicable lessons for life in general. Make adversity is your best friend- because no matter where one is in life, one will always face it, so it is better to be thankful and take it as an opportunity to grow. Don’t get caught up in outcomes, because they inevitably will disappoint you every once in a while. And always be grateful: it is easy to get caught up with small things/stresses of daily life, and forget about the people who sacrificed their love and time to help you. Overall, I found Coach Tanasoiu’s talk very inspiring, and his advice echoes many qualities that I strive for.

Challenges Facing DREAMers: Hidden and Explicit

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This week at Rose Cafe, GRF Esmeralda, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of English, lead a discussion about the undocumented youth movement called the DREAMers, who are pushing in support of the DREAM Act that would give young immigrants the legal right to stay in the US. The DREAM Act pertains a certain group of young immigrants who have entered the US as children, perhaps brought in as infants by their parents, though no fault of their own. They grew up watching the same TV shows and listening to the same music as we do, with formed identities in the US, Americans at heart. It is sad to think that some undocumented immigrants may not know that they are undocumented until they are rejected from jobs or college, the opportunities to become a contributing member of society.

DREAMers focus on education and opportunity as the main issue, and fights stereotypes surrounding undocumented immigrants. Comparing an sign to a team logo made by the DREAMers, the former enforced negative stereotypes of immigrants as illegals running away from law enforcement, with parents dragging along their children, whereas the latter depicts young adults with high school diplomas, aspiring and moving towards their futures. This illustrates some of the challenges undocumented immigrants face every day: not only the limited opportunities available but also the negative stereotypes and associations. I thought it was very illuminating in how the experiences of undocumented immigrants brings into light broader issues involving seemingly disparate groups of people- African Americans, Latinos, etc- and their shared experiences as minorities in the US. Although the common narrative is that we now live in a colorblind society, sadly, we are still far from racial and gender equality. Here, we have an opportunity to examine more closely the challenges facing disadvantaged groups in the United States, and redefine what American values stand for.

Why Don’t We All Drive a Prius?

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This Wednesday at Rose Cafe, Professor Blalock lead a discussion on why adopting new technologies, especially in rural Africa, is harder than it may seem to be. He posed an interesting question at the beginning of the discussion: almost everyone agrees that global warming is a problem, emissions by automobiles are contributing to the problem, and that Prius and Teslas can help reduce this impact. But only 3 people in the room drove a Prius or Tesla, so why aren’t we all driving one? (I actually do drive a Prius). Although Prius or Teslas would be ideal, a multitude of factors impede the adoption of efficient technology: financing, fit, opportunity, etc, and change is difficult. The problem of collective action is also a problem: why should any one person adopt a piece of technology that does not fit their needs when others are able to freely choose? And, unless everybody drove a Prius, there would be little change in the state of the environment.

Almost 50% of the world cook over three stone stoves. These stoves color the ceiling above tar black, and use of the stoves is estimated to be equivalent to smoking 4 packs of cigarettes a day! Use of this stove also requires a large amount of wood, contributing to deforestation. I was shocked to learn that 4x as many people die from using this stove (due to subsequent health problems) than from malaria, yet we do not treat cookstoves as a global crisis in the same manner we treat malaria. Despite this, when faced with 2 stoves, one that burned cleanly and the traditional three stone stove, most people from Rwanda’s villages did not choose the healthier, cleanly burning stove- and due to the same reasons why everybody in the US doesn’t own a Prius or Tesla. The unhealthier stove is more convienient, cheaper, and better suited to the needs of the people.

How then, can we encourage the adoption of efficient technology? To encourage the adoption of clean burning stoves, only when focus groups and free trials were offered (applying the same methods US dealers use to sell cars), were they able to convince 40% to adopt the clean burning stove. However, when Professor Blalock went back to Rwanda 5 years later, most had gone back to using the traditional stove. However, we can learn a lot about people and the adoption of new technology from this study. In summary, getting people to change their behavior and adopt new technology is tough, but aligning incentives is the key to behavior change.

Technology With An Interdisciplinary Approach

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Last Wednesday at Rose Cafe, Adam Shwartz of the Cornell Tech came to talk to us about the exciting developments going on at the new Cornell Tech campus in New York City, and why everybody can consider continuing their studies at Cornell Tech. Cornell Tech is a completely new campus, focused on the human aspects of technology and integrating the world of business and technology.

I am not a STEM major, nevertheless, I was interested in learning more about Cornell Tech’s mission. During Shwartz’s talk, I was inspired by Cornell Tech’s interdisciplinary approach, with students of business, health, engineering, and humanities all coming and working together on different projects. The fact that technology is becoming ever more important in our lives, in ways big and small, is undeniable.  I am especially interested in the future of technology in the realm of health care. For example, according to Schwartz, many people die not because they are never treated, but because they do not correctly follow their course of treatment. Technology can bridge this gap and save lives. In addition, I appreciate how Cornell Tech is committed to diversify and increasing the number of women obtaining graduate degrees in technology. Despite the national push, women are still underrepresented in STEM fields.

It’s amazing to think that just 10 years ago, there was no Facebook, smartphones didn’t exist, and Google was just a small private company. I cannot imagine how the world will change over the next few years, with constant evolution and advancement, and with an increased interdisciplinary push on the human aspects of technology. I am excited follow Cornell Tech’s impact on the world of business and technology in the coming years.

We Need A Knock-Knock Joke Once In A While

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Last Wednesday at Rose Cafe, Aaron Sachs, Associate Professor in the Department of History, came to lead a talk about humor surrounding climate change. Climate change is pretty depressing- which is exactly why we need a a few jokes once in a while. I enjoyed the way he led the discussion, showing clips reflecting popular perception of environmentalists, engaging everybody with humor and laughs.

Humor surrounding climate change is especially useful because environmentalists have been criticized as being out of touch, especially with issues pertinent to humans. TV shows and satire commonly portray environmentalists as so into their goal that nothing else matters. There currently isn’t a lot of comedic writing in climate change. In addition, environmentalists avoid humor because they do not feel that it is appropriate. However, this lack of comedy is leading others to make fun of them. But it doesn’t have to be this way- and humor can change the game. Humor can provide a mode of communication for serious issues such as these, and encourage the continued crucial dialogue we need.

Melancholy: More than just sadness

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Last Wednesday at Rose Cafe, Sara Schlemm, Graduate Resident Fellow at Rose House and Ph.D candidate in the Department of English, lead a discussion about the history of melancholy in literature and film. We opened the discussion by talking about the differences between sadness and melancholy, which tend to be mixed together in everyday uses. When I think about melancholy and sadness, I think of melancholy as being more of a prolonged sense of numbness, longer lasting then just sadness, which may be fleeting and short-lived. I found it interesting that the term “melancholia” literally translates to “black bile”, and it historically related to the balance of the 4 humors in the body. This illustrates that periods of melancholia are a natural occurrence, originating from the body itself.

We focused on analyzing Hamlet, who is in grief over the death of his father and the remarriage of his mother. Hamlet is such an complex individual that his outward appearance does provide a window into his inner feelings. According the Frued, unlike mourning, someone experiencing melancholia may also be self-reproaching and nihilistic. Mourning is usually a result of a loss, but melancholia is more complex because it is connected to both love and loss, and it may even prevent the natural process of mourning.

I agree that melancholia, like the progression of seasons, is natural to feel and experience, and that we are all bound to experience our own version of melancholia at some point of our lives. I found the idea that, if you really want to know somebody, find out what makes them sad, very interesting, because sadness can be more revealing than happiness in that it shows what we truly value and care about.

The Future of Ithaca

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Last Wednesday at Rose Cafe, Lisa Nicholas came to talk about trends in Ithaca’s economic development. As a Cornelian, I feel that it is important to stay informed about the challenges facing our community.

I was amazed to hear that recently, Tompkins country was the only county in upstate New York reporting a gain in population, and that Tompkins’ population trends have been steadily rising since 1950. However, the City of Ithaca’s population has stayed the same, and that was puzzling. The 0.5% vacancy rate and high rental costs explain why: it definitely explains Collegetown’s expensive apartments. I learned that because there is a shortage of housing, Ithaca will need to focus on compact development in order to sustain growth. In addition, within the next year, Ithaca will have a new Hilton and Marriott Hotel.

With development and growth also comes uncertainty and resistance: residents opposed a proposal for a large building meant for student housing on the grounds that it would overwhelm the Commons, and expressed concerns over what a new Marriott Hotel meant for the Commons as a community center for its residents. However, Ithaca’s rapid growth demands changes, and with careful planning, Ithaca can only grow to be an even more vibrant city.

This talk was very insightful for me because previously, I never imagined Ithaca to be a rapidly growing, developing city. Day in, day out, it feels like I am living in a Cornell bubble, and I realize that I want to spend more time exploring the commons and Ithaca city life. Ithaca is a beautiful city, and I want to enjoy it as much as I can as a student.

The Potential of Africa

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Last Wednesday at Rose Cafe, Professor van de Walle of the Department of Government spoke to us about African economic development. I knew little about Africa’s political and economic history to begin with, so I was very interested in learning more from an expert. The world is becoming increasingly interconnected and Africa’s economic and political state will affect every other country.

Due to Africa’s richness in natural resources, it was victim to colonization by European powers. However, after countries slowly started gaining independence, their rate of economic growth was still very slow, and Professor van der Walle attributes this lag to bad government and its immense corruption. Bribery and stealing entire budgets were common occurrences. Professor van de Walle suggested combating corruption by cutting off money aid to offending countries, and offered a set of criteria to determine whether a country should receive international aid.

I thought it was pretty amazing how Professor van de Walle spent a substantial amount of time in Africa directly observing and experiencing their government and corruption. During his talk, I was intrigued to hear how he applied his economics and government background to exploring the reasons behind Africa’s lag in economic growth. Now that increasing number of countries see the potential for growth in Africa, they are investing more in the country. However, the current political system and level of corruption directly affects a country’s willingness to invest. Professor van de Walle concludes that a democratic system of government has proven the most successful form of government in Africa. Only very few exceptions of thriving non-democratic countries exist. I enjoyed Professor van de Walle’s talk because it gave me many new insights on the political economy of Africa.