Artistic Roadblock

Usually when it comes to the art events I am really good at it and I get really into it. This time not so much. In this event you had to make a collage with a map. I had a lot of trouble figuring out and understanding how I can make a map express who I am. All I could think of was that I’m from California so I just cut out a map of California. Another reason why I had trouble could be was that I was also just stressed out that day and this event reminded me of the Java project I had to do, which was about writing an algorithm for the shortest path in a map.

I usually consider myself creative and artistic, but I think everyone has their own mode of how they like to express themselves. Maybe the problem I had was that I thought of my approach too geographically. I could have just cut the shape of things that represented me by using the map. I could have had trouble figuring out what to do with the map because I don’t use a physical map ever in my daily life. If I need to go somewhere I just type it into Google Maps and don’t really think about where I am going. There’s no connection with maps for me.

I think if this event was towards the beginning of the year when I am in a different head space and not so stressed out by classes I would have been more able to express myself.

It’s All About Moderation

Unsurprisingly binge drinking is more prevalent in certain cultures than others. This makes sense since certain things are taboo in some cultures or some things are used for merely only ceremonial purposes. But, what surprised me was that in some European countries where you would expect there to be a lot of binge drinking didn’t really have binge drinking as a problem there. I was surprised to learn that it wasn’t really a thing in Italy even though Italy is known for its vineyards. Also, we passed around a replica of a wine cup from a couple of centuries ago. And it was really small and the part where you put the wine was really shallow. The size of the glass shows how drinking culture in society has changed.

The talk wasn’t really about how drinking is bad for you and that you should never drink. It really was about how with everything, alcohol should be taken in moderation. Michael Fontaine helped depict this to us by having us read out loud a story about a party. The basic premise was that the party devolved from being a happy occasion into an ugly one due to an excess of alcohol.

Since we had to read the story out loud this was probably the most interactive Rose Cafe, plus we were even able to see the story visually because two people drew what was being described in the story.

AREA Isn’t Just Length x Width

Want to make more informed and ethical decisions? Well, you could go through the steps of the AREA Method created by Cornell’s own Cheryl Einhorn.

A lot of her talk was about the AREA Method, which she created because she wanted to be more ethical at work as an investigative journalist. I am intrigued by how this method is suppose to make people recognize their biases, in order to make decisions that are ethical and the most beneficial for all parties. I think it would be interesting to read her book about the AREA Method, since this summer I am going to be a Product Management intern at CBS for their streaming site. I know that to be an effective leader I must be able to make decisions with conviction and confidence. Thus, I feel that to be able to go through the AREA Method would be incredibly beneficial. I want to feel confident in my decisions, especially because I am a young woman working in a tech environment in a role that traditionally in industry has been reserved for masters students. But beyond the professional setting, being able to apply the AREA Method in your personal life is beneficial. It allows you to understand your perspectives and to consider the perspective of others.

Also, from talking to alumni I’ve noticed a trend. They all say that they wish they took more classes outside of their major. Cheryl Einhorn even mentioned this herself and says because of that she didn’t fully take advantage of her time at Cornell. This makes me reflect on my classes and makes me feel more appreciative of the classes that aren’t in my major. They definitely do allow me to interact with students in different majors and it gives me more of an opportunity to engage with people with different perspectives.

A Conversation with Martha Pollack

During this coffee chat our guest was the university’s president, Martha Pollack. It was exciting to be able to talk to the President and because she does have a tech background. In fact, when we went around introducing ourselves after I said I was a sophomore studying Information Science, she said “Way to Go!” pumping her arm up into the air!

During the chat we discussed what the future of the university would be ranging from legacy student status to what it means to have a unified Cornell, since Cornell has multiple campuses. This was also an interesting time to talk to Pollack considering that a few days prior to the chat the admissions scandal at USC had come out.

From what I took away from the discussion is that Cornell is evolving. We are continuing to develop to become a more unified and accepting community.

When it came to legacy status Pollack said that she didn’t see it going anywhere, which I understand. This is because in ways it keeps alumni connected to Cornell. A lot of alumni want to connect with their children in having a shared university. Also, it causes alumni to continue donating to the school and participate in networking events that occur at Cornell. However, in ways I can see this being abused by alumni just donating large sums of money so their children will be accepted. Yet, if we didn’t have legacy status would alumni then even bother to donate to the school? What would the incentive for them be beyond that they just want to give back to the Cornell community? I feel like alumni want a little more out of it if they are going to donate. Also, just because a student is a legacy it doesn’t mean that student isn’t qualified.

Here’s a scenario for the comments section because I’m curious about your opinions. Imagine you are a Cornell graduate. Your child is applying to college. Cornell is your child’s dream school. Do you think legacy status should still exist or not?

Getting Crafty With Bookmaking

This past event we created our own small books. They were pretty easy to make. All you need is some cardstock paper as your cover and then some plain white paper, which then can all be sewn together with wax thread. I hadn’t really thought of bookmaking as an art before. From the examples I saw some were very simple while others were elaborate. I never really thought of how different types of papers can create a whole new feeling for the book.

Based off of the examples I saw bookmaking is similar to user experience. Think about it. The way the book looks like is meant to convey something about the content inside of the book. Hence, if you were writing a thriller book you would probably want to use darker colors instead of having rainbows on the book.

We even talked about zines, which are small books that people mass produce. They are meant to inform people on a certain topic. Yet, I feel like in ways this art is dying out. I can’t recall if I have ever received something that could be classified as a zine. I feel like people of my generation would take to social media to inform people. This is because social media can reach a larger scale audience, it’s quickier to make, and it’s free. Plus, you can even interact with the people who you are trying to inform compared to the zine where the interaction is over once you hand the book to the person.

Hi There! Please Hire Me!

This event was really good because it was an interactive event in which I was able to participate and talk to my peers, rather than just sit there and listen to another talk. I liked how I was able to talk about my own experiences, which was helpful because it helped me come up with talking points for when I interview. A really good point the speaker brought up was how your present yourself during a phone interview. What comes to mind of a phone interview is me in my pajamas just chatting with the interviewer. In my experience I have always found phone interviews very enjoyable, which might sound odd. But, I think it ’s because I talk to the interviewer as if he was like an old friend who I haven’t spoken to in a long time and I’m just catching up with. The host of the event said that while you talk on the phone you should smile. And I think that is why I don’t mind interviewing because I do use facial expressions and hand motions when I speak. It makes the conversation feel more natural. Also, smiling makes you feel more confident and happier. This workshop made me come to realize techniques that I just naturally did. My recommendation for anyone interviewing is don’t stress. Take notes before the interview of why you want the job and what you offer to them. And your golden. Just smile, relax, throw in some small talk and some light jokes.

Coat Racks and Glow Sticks Combat Sexual Harassment?

At this Rose Café I learned of the different techniques that Yale and Cornell have implemented to make their campuses safer. One thing I learned was that glow sticks were used at a Yale event, in order to prevent harassment because with the glow sticks everyone can see each other. Also, many colleges have implemented coat racks at parties off campus so that students don’t have to be taken to a room alone with a stranger. They can easily get their coat and leave whenever they want. What makes these techniques effective is that these are objects that no one associates with sexual harassment prevention. Thus, people are going to use it and live their life without feeling like it is being interfered with. When people can still feel like they are having fun and not being lectured you know that you have found a really good solution. Conversations about consent and prevention usually create a negative feeling and creates a feeling of fear because you feel like you have to follow specific steps to protect yourself. Yet, with the solutions I spoke of above it focuses on the positives and a person doesn’t feel like they have to fear anything.

From Getting a Cornell Engineering Degree to Opening a Gym

We had a guest speaker who recently opened up a cycling studio in Ithaca. The interesting thing is that she is a Cornell grad with an engineering degree. She talked to us about what it was like opening her own business. She said that one thing from her Cornell experience that translated to her business was how in her Information Science classes she learned about user experience. Hence, she was able to take the strategies she had learned from that and translate it into making a positive and inclusive experience for her clients.

Her cycling studio is similar to the style of what Soul Cycle is, which people flock to to have a community to work out with. Hence, I can see how implanting user experience strategies can be helpful since you have to consider every single touch point the user interacts with.

Another thing I learned was to appreciate the electives I take that don’t have to do with my major. This is important since it can give me new ways of looking at the world and give myself a break from my major. One thing I struggle with is that I get frustrated when I’m doing work for a class that isn’t my major because I feel like that I’m not spending time on what I should be focusing on. Yet, I think her talk helped give me more appreciation for having the ability to take classes outside of my major, since I know my peers in Information Science in the College of Engineering don’t get as much of a chance to explore Cornell’s classes compared to me studying Information Science in Arts and Sciences.

Is Grad School in my Future?

I went to the event that discussed whether or not going to grad school is the best fit for you. From what I gleaned from the event it really depends on the industry you go into and it’s situational. Since you have to ask yourself, “Will getting a graduate degree aid my career or will it put me behind all my peers who have x amount of years ahead of me.”

I think for me I might just go into industry first and then go to grad school if I find it is really necessary and my employer pays for it. Since in tech it isn’t really necessary now to have a graduate degree, except for Data Science. I think in tech they’re starting to see that traditional education isn’t fully necessary to be successful in the field. This is because there are so many resources, now, online that people can learn from. Major tech companies like Apple are making it that a college degree isn’t necessary to get a technical job there. Plus, tech is constantly evolving meaning you are doing a lot of learning on the job. New languages come out that you have to learn and you learn it by reading documentation and going over tutorials. You don’t go back to school to learn the new programming language.