Author Archives: 2009txt

Important Soil

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On Wednesday evening, I went to hear a great lecture on soil science. The lecturer started off by asking as what we think soil is. He later explained that soil is a complex bio-material that contain all the elements we can think of. When we talk about soil, the earliest form of it is rock. As time goes, rock become soil and it differentiates by separating into various layers, which share different colors as well.

 

Then he goes on and ask: Why are we interested in soil? He explained that soil is crucial in climate change and food resource, also related to genetics and many very important fields. For how soil is related to climate change, he offers a more in-depth explanation. I didn’t fully get his explanation here so I went to check online. So the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil has been the main source of climate change. Interestingly, soil is one of the largest sources of carbon in the world. It helps fix the carbon dioxide in the air and absorb the carbon as plant decay.  Another aspect that shows the important of soil is in its great influence on agriculture. If soil erodes, agricultural production immediately drops. The researcher is interested in building a system where high soil quality can be achieved in a way to improve food quality and environment, but it sound to me that it take a lot careful planning and years to achieve such a goal in certain area.

 

He goes on talk about the work he is doing to improve soil. Of the many pictures he showed, I was fascinated by how much carbon can be stored in the soil while the whole eco-system can still run smoothly. From the pile of pictures of Amazon soil, he also showed us how to examine the age of soil and climate that happened. By looking closely at the soil, he can find out what is happening in the whole system and I found it truly fascinating.

 

He mentioned that there are a lot of people trying to manage soil. Yet there is a kind of soil in Iowa that nobody has managed to fix. This is the first time I learn about soil science and it has been truly eye-opening. Now when I go out and step on the grass, I feel serious because the earth under my feet is what that helps build the environment I live in today.

An Inspiring Talk

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On Wednesday night I attended the Rose Cafe to hear the career of the great tennis coach. He is originally from Romania and started playing tennis at a very young age. He came to Cornell in October 2011 as a guest coach.

The coach  started out talking about hard working and how to be very intentional with your time. I was very inspired by his point and how to balance different responsibilities. He went on to talking about looking for people excited for excellence and tennis. He also said that the school tennis team  is in fact supported by the alumni network.

Going on from there, he also mentioned that it is important to be nice yourself. He also touched on the importance of relationships and how he makes sure that he knows everyone on the team from top to bottom. I was very impressed by how international his team is. He mentioned this are people from Romania, Ecuador, Australia and one guy from England who is coming in the next year.

I am not in varsity team. But I once was in varsity selection for women rowing team. I learned through the process that a women rower trains as least two to four hours everyday and sometimes they start 5am in the morning. I was very impressed that those people could succeed in a very demanding schedule with a heavy academic workload. I was very inspired by their work-ethic and drive.

I think this talk is very inspiring and I learned more about sport spirit than tennis  itself. He lets me believe that athlete are very admirable people.

A Great Tour of Lab of Ornithology

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This morning I went on a visit to Cornell lab of ornithology with several of my friends. After about twenty minutes of ride, we arrive at the lab and I was amazed by the beautifully-designed building. It is surrounded by a natural forest that allows birds to live so that the researcher can study different species better. First, there are two Cornell student toured us through the habitat around the building. It might be the season that we didn’t get to see many birds on that day. Halfway through the tour the guide stopped and started to imitate the sound of a bird and we then heard the bird’s response. Later he explained that that specific sound is a warning to the bird that there are predators around. This way the bird will come out and researcher can study the bird more closely then.

After the tour outside, we went back in the lab and my friend and I went to the store. They sells really cute earrings and other small souvenirs.

In the second part of the visit, we got to see inside the lab building and learn the work behind scenes. I was amazed when I know that the lab has the largest bird sound library and many films has used the sound record in it, even including Harry Potter! We also went in the classroom and saw several bird skeletons and specimen.

This trip was great and and. I learned a lot about birds and that Cornell is great in ornithology. I love the event and would recommend to go there if you are interested!

Great Musicians and Wonderful Music

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Last Friday I went to the Spanish Orchestra with several other Rose Scholars at Bailey Hall. I thought the music was very dynamic and active, like the Latin music I have heard before. It was interesting that the pianist spoke Spanish occasionally and many of the audience responded him. More just than great instrument performance, there were three amazing singers and one of them recently joined the Orchestra, according to the introduction. I also saw people randomly start to dance with the music on the hallway and I enjoyed the joyful and beautiful music.

In my free time I also listen to some Latin music and I like Shakira’s music very much. In fact, I just went to see Zootopia tonight and Shakira did an amazing theme song for it! I hope to learn more about Spanish music and their culture. Look forward to more opportunities about music!

Talk on Cornell Tech

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On Wednesday I attended a very interesting talk by Professor Shwartz on Cornell Tech, a new Cornell campus located in NYC that is dedicated from technology related graduate studies. From his talk, it appears to me that Cornell tech has an even stronger emphasis on project-based learning and hands on experience than traditional engineering and science objects studies. On one of the photos he shows us, it is interesting to see the vast open space in the classroom that deliberately maximizes communication and team work. Also, the new innovative campus also offer a techMBA program and emphasizes studying of business side of tech products. Generally, everything about this program is strikingly new and different. I think it would be even more interesting when the campus on Roosevelt Island is open and there would be more potential collaboration between Cornell Tech and Weill Medical College.

Classical Music and Very Interesting Instruments

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Yesterday I went to see the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra at Bailey. According to the pamflet, the Orchestra was started by several students at the College of Music in Freiburg and wanted to play Baroque music on historical instruments. So the establishment of this famous orchestra of traditional music was interestingly entrepreneurial.

Although I don’t have too much music knowledge, it is interesting to see that the orchestra didn’t have a conductor when they play. I was impressed by how harmonic they played without it. According to the introduction, this is one of the traditions of FBO.

During the second part of the program, a gentleman came up to stage and demonstrated a traditional instrument that was played by Mozart’s friend. How interesting! Though he said the name in French and I couldn’t catch it.  Through the rest of the program he played that instrument along with the rest of the orchestra. It was a very interesting combination.

I really enjoyed the concert last night and I hope to learn about music from my peers and more concerts.

 

A Hilarious Show about Women Power

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I feel very lucky to be one of the nine students that got a ticket to The Vagina Monologue show tonight. The show was consisted of several monologues, each represented by a case that happened to an individual or a group of women in real life. Each monologue told a story about the experience of a woman with relationship and sex. More importantly, the sincerity and thoroughness of each character deeply relates to the audience present and promoted women to be more confident and care about their body unapologetically. I laughed very hard in one monologue which a sex worker told her experience working with female customers and dissed her previous job as a lawyer. It set a very positive and funny tone while sending the message that woman should not be ashamed of themselves for their vagina and the pleasure.

This show gave me a lot positive strength and made me reflect on my personal bias as a woman. Sometimes when I read the posts other people wrote, I noticed that a girl tended to use softer and more passive expressions that guys, and that perhaps applies to my writing as well. I once talked to a seasoned professional in Johnson school, she told me that right now only 10% professionals in investment management industry are women.  I am not entirely sure where that under representation comes from, but I certainly felt intimidated by guys in public settings (networking sessions, club meetings…) at times. After watching the show, I am more certain that I should be most honest and brave with myself.

Again, I think The Vagina Monologue is a great show with very dedicated and talented people. Also the cast is consisted of a incredibly diverse set of women from freshman to PhD and from chemical engineering to AEM major. I learned something tonight from these energetic women. Thank you for organizing this event!

Great Outdoor Short Films

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On Friday I was lucky to be able to go to the Banff Mountain Film Festival with my two blockmates and other Rose Scholars. I have heard great things about the experience but I didn’t know what to expect. It turns out to be a combination of several interesting short outdoor films, each lasting ten to thirty minutes. My favorite is one that several guys goes to see eclipse at the end of the earth. I was shocked and fascinated their destination and bravery because it certainly looks very dangerous to climb up the snow mountain.

On our way back to west campus, we talked about how our life is different from people in the film. They are so bright and adventurous yet we have a lifestyle so vastly different. It is always interesting to see somebody out there who has a totally difference life experience from me. I learned a lot from the spirit of people in these films: their destination, bravery and willingness to challenge themselves. I am so happy I have come to see the film. Thank you for organizing this event!

If you are interested in the films but didn’t get to see, here is their official site for more information:

https://www.banffcentre.ca/banff-mountain-film-and-book-festival

 

Great ice-skating experience

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I have never been to Lynah, the ice-skating place before and I never knew that Cornell has a stadium like this! I have only ice-skated once before and going on ice at the beginning was definitely scary. I was holding closely to the side bar before I slowly let go. Honestly, skating on ice is very different from doing that on the ground because there are many scratches on the ice and if you go too slow you might not keep straight because of the rigged ice. Thanks for the people for skating team to teach us how to appropriately skate. I learned a lot and had ton of fun!