Engagement and Elitism

As a participant in Cornell Alternative Breaks this past year, and an incoming Trip Leader for the next year, I was already familiar with the Public Service Center before Mike Bishop’s Rose Cafe on Engaged Cornell; however, I was still surprised by a lot of what he discussed, which really illustrates just how many opportunities there are for public service at Cornell.

One theme we touched on during the Rose Cafe – a theme which has presented itself in several other Rose Cafes, I think, and has general relevance to our lives – is what it means to be an Ivy League student with privilege, resources, and opportunities abound that people in the surrounding community (and, honestly, most people in the world) will never be able to access. Almost everyone at the Rose Cafe had some sort of community service under their belt, but a lot of us shared the sentiment that sometimes volunteering turns into a burden or a requirement to fill, rather than reflecting a genuine interest or passion in the community. Especially at Cornell, I think a lot of people can relate to trying to fill up their resume during high school with volunteer experiences, only for those experiences to become vaguely-recalled blips in the past. However, this Rose Cafe reaffirmed the existence of a plethora of service learning opportunities at Cornell, to help students use their privilege for good.

For me, participating in Alternative Breaks was a really great way to reconnect with the same feelings that drove me to begin volunteering in the past, and continue to learn from and explore those feelings (this is a short plug to join Alt Breaks next year!!), but I also recognize that it’s not for everyone. That’s why I was glad Mike Bishop came to talk with us, because he really seemed to push the idea that regardless of your interests and goals, the Public Service Center at Cornell has a wide variety of resources and opportunities for getting engaged – it’s a really great place to start challenging everything you thought you knew about service.

Learning more about Organoids

GRF Shiv came to speak to us during this Rose Cafe about Organoids. Being a STEM major, I was surprised that I have never heard about this new technology. The way Shiv described it was creating mini organs that have the same functions as the organs themselves. I personally find this extremely fascinating that one tiny organoid can have the same functions as say, our lungs. What’s even more fascinating is what the organoids can do. Shiv mentioned how organoids can be used to research how the body responds to different drugs and therapies thus it is a growing field in the biotech world. I am excited to see where organoids can take us in the upcoming years.

It was also interesting to learn about Shiv’s background and why he came to Cornell to do research. He is working on his PHD in biomedical engineering and researching how organoids can be used to learn more about antibodies and what they fight against. This was a great opportunity to not only get to know a GRF, but to learn more about the work that he does and the difference he is making.

Organoids

This weeks Rose Cafe with Shiv was very interesting. I do not have much knowledge in the field of science so a lot of the talk did go over my head but the main point was very well communicated. I actually had Shiv as a guest for my Expository Writing course in rose house and you can tell how passionate Shiv is when he talks about his work. He works with organiods which essential are small organs that mimic the makeup and function of our bodily organs. Shiv talked about his place in the BioMed Engineering program for his PhD candidacy. He plans to even go to medical school after his PhD in order to provide patients with the best specialized care in the future. By using organoids he can research was in which the body may respond to different things. In this way new drugs, treatment therapies or cure can be found through this research. Shiv specifically explained that his research is about lymph nodes and how B cells make antibodies. I look forward to the medical successes of Shivs future!

Art and politics and culture

This film was an interesting one. It was hard to stay awake for the most part not because it was a bad movie, but because I was extremely sleep deprived. In a very very short sentence, the movie is about a prison man who identifies as homosexual and has to deal with living in Castro’s Cuba. The whole movie reminded me about the discrimination against transgender people in India. Transgender kids are abandoned by their families early on in their lives and they kind of group together at train stations and live in homeless packs around the country. They make money by begging in trains. The whole situation is very upsetting a lot of high profile films/artwork have been made to bring awareness to this serious issue. One great thing that the government does is it gives them opportunities in high position offices. So the issue is very sticky because these groups get so discriminated against, they use their “bad luckness” as a means of getting money. People in India are quick to give them whatever amount they ask out of fear of being cursed. It’s true– it happened right in front of me when my grandpa gave 100 rupees to her. They also go to weddings and celebrations and threaten to curse the place. These transactions are more high range where they demand thousands of rupees.

I like America where people who are transgender are assimilated in society, but also have support groups and their own communities. I watched the broadway show, Kinky Boots a couple months ago and I absolutely loved it! The entire cast was transgender and open about it which I truly loved. There is a ways to go in India for something like that to happen, but hopefully the country will make progress through as these art forms help build awareness of the seriousness of the issue.

Here’s a link to a political movement where the Indian government was challenged to raise awareness.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/07/25/making-transgender-rights-reality-india

Super Bowl Investments

GRF Shiv, on Super Bowl Sunday held an even where he essentially was showing us how to gamble. He printed out packets from a gambling website in which we had answer questions that were predictions of the game. However, just like most gambling you have to make an investment online. After, if you make a prediction and someone else were to make the same, and both of you were correct then you would split the profit of the people who were wrong. For example, on the packet it seemed like that New England Patriots were the favorite to win, and the Philadelphia Eagles were the underdogs. After the Super bowl, the Eagles won with a score of 41-33. Unfortunately for those that made  abet on the Patriots, it seems like they would have lost some there investment to the people who placed a bet on the Eagles get to split it. I think when I have more time, I will look more in this phenomenon because there are people that have learned about the algorithms have been able to gain profit from it.

Urban Planning

It was very nice of House Professor Blalock to guide this discussion on urban planning. I never really knew too much about urban planning prior to this table talk. I remember that he asked us ideal places that we would want to live. I responded, “California, because there are large distances between most people and their neighborhoods and of course the sunny weather”. Another scholar responded, “New York”.  Dr. Blalock then explained to us that New York from an urban planning standpoint would be a better place to live because since everything is relatively close to each other in terms such stores, schools, and other buildings which is convenient. In California, because there is so much space there is not the sense of convenience compared to New York. In California, people are encouraged to drive everywhere which is not good for the environment and people’s personal and physical well-beings. Due to the convenience in New York, people can walk places which is better for personal and physical well-being.

He also told us a little about the history of Ithaca. In terms of urban planning, the city of Ithaca was built where a body of water was. Additionally, it was built on a hills so he was explaining that when it rains, due to the hills it will collect in the commons or downtown Ithaca. In other words, the commons will flood. Also, we found out that Ezra Cornell’s fortune came from investing shares in telegraphing companies which merged into what we know as Western Union.

City Planning and the History of Ithaca

First off, I really appreciate Dr. Blalock stepping in to run Monday’s Table Talk. To be honest, I’ve never given city planning much thought, except perhaps when I complain about traffic bottlenecks and confusing roads when I’m driving. At the Table Talk, I learned that city planning is more than just deciding where the roads and intersections go. It’s a complicated process that has to deal with sanitation, environmental impact, education, health, and general quality of life. City planning often takes years and requires explicit objects and goals detailed in a sight plan before any construction can happen. And there are different ways to city plan; for example, a city can be split up into zones, such as residential and industrial, which have their own sets of guidelines and  restrictions to follow, or it can incorporate mixed use, where residences mesh with schools and commercial areas for convenience.

I also had a good time learning more about Ithaca’s past, from Ezra Cornell’s fortune coming from investing shares into telegraph companies which merged into what is now Western Union to how downtown Ithaca is situated on a flood plain to how Cayuga Lake connects us to the rest of the world via waterways. I did feel a little dumb for knowing next to nothing about Ithaca beforehand, but I’m glad that I’m a little more informed now. Originally, I had come to the Table Talk to learn more about how to better orient myself in a new place, which, as my freshman fall semester can attest to, I am extremely bad at. I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t end up discussing this, but, again, I did pick up new knowledge that I found intriguing, so I still found this Table Talk a positive experience.

Science fiction or Innovative Science?

It was great to hear, as part of Rose Café, the presentation by our Rose House Graduate Resident Fellow, Shiv Shah. Shiv presented his PhD research on Biomedical Engineering. His research focuses on “Organoids”, which are mini organs used to test drugs and predict how they will work on the human body. Organoids are used to mimic human organs in order to test new drugs, design new therapies and find new cures to challenging diseases that affect humans. Shiv is working for his PhD research on how to create immune organoid models to study antibody production for therapeutic purposes, such as ways to design innovative cancer treatments and new approaches for personalized medicine. It does sound like science fiction made reality, doesn’t it? Yet, if it works, the use of an artificially grown mass of cells or tissue that resembles an organ or a miniaturized and simplified version of an organ produced in vitro in three dimensions that shows realistic micro-anatomy, can help to develop new cures to important diseases. After all, Biomedical researchers push daily the frontiers of knowledge with innovative science to generate novel treatments and hopefully cures that will impact positively ours and future generations. Cool, isn’t it?

6 Years of Rose

Last week, I attended the last coffee chat of the year. It was hosted by Blalock as he reflected on the past six years as house professor at Rose. Every 6 years, a new house professor is brought in and, unfortunately, Blalock’s time has come to an end. It was so inspiring to hear everything he was able to accomplish during his time here at Rose. He listed off so many accomplishments but the two that stuck out to me the most of were creating the scholar’s program and eliminating car accessibility on west campus by putting up the two lifting gates on each side. I had never even paid much attention to the fact that there were very little cars on west campus. However, he shared that pizza delivery cars used to be speeding on west campus every night. Though I do wish I could have fresh pizza delivered to the building instead of having to walk to baker flagpole to pick it up, I am even more grateful that we are able to walk around safely at any hour of the night.

One of my favorite parts of living in Rose is the fact that the staff is so caring for the residents and everyone else in the Rose community. Throughout the talk, you can really tell that Blalock dedicated so much time and effort into making this a better place for everyone to live and spend their time at. I’ve talked to him a couple times in the dining hall and he always makes sure to ask how we are doing and make sure that everything is running smoothly. Though I have only known him for a year, I am confident of how much of an impact he has made on this community and I’m sure his influence will live on for the years to come.

Community and Merit

Last week, I went to hear House Professor Blalock reflect on his time here at Cornell, now that his 6 year term is about to end. Cornell has a policy that they can only hold that position for 6 years before someone new has to be brought in. If it wasn’t for this, I suspect Professor Blalock would stay longer. From his discussion of some of the projects he has helped with over the years, I appreciated his conscientiousness. One of his favorite projects, founding the Rose Scholars Program, was born out of this. He questioned the system of a random number generator determining who could return to Rose House, and thought it should be more merit based. I totally agree with this approach, as it gives students the opportunity to take control if they really enjoy living here.

However, when Professor Blalock asked us about what Rose House means to us, the general consensus seemed to be that it lacks a sense of community. Many of the students don’t really get to know each other, even if they live on the same floor. Professor Blalock explained that they have learned that the architecture of the dorms plays a roll in this, and that the administration will hopefully take this into account when designing the new dorms on North Campus which are to come in the future. However, for the existing dorms, probably the only way to get past this issue is to organize more events for the students to get to know each other. I wouldn’t suggest ice breakers, as most including myself either don’t know them or believe they are ineffective. Instead, I think that just organizing events for each floor would probably be a good way to deal with the issue. This will be something for the next house professor to deal with. But we all greatly appreciate Professor Blalock’s service to the Rose House community, and he will be missed.

The end of this semester and a new semester of Rose

In this Rose cafe, our house professor dean Garrick Blalock talked about what Rose means to people living in Rose and a farewell talk to him, since he will be leaving next semester.

This is a really touching moment for me to learn about all the thoughts and efforts that professor Blalock and our House assistance dean Jarrett Anthony to make this place a welcomy and warm home to the residents. Especially the efforts that they put into for Rose Scholar program, which is a unique program on west only for Flora Rose. Comparing to the active citizen programs which my friends are doing in other residence halls, I find Rose Scholar program is great in that it can really keep people who like Rose and want to put in the effort to continue to live in Rose, actually get to continue to live here. I think really like this program for that i get to know a lot of different ideas through the coffee chats that I have not foreseen before, and I also made some friends during this process. It was an amazing experience for me to have an hour a week to listen to interesting ideas of people who are experts in the field that I’m not familiar with and their perspectives on things that I ran across everyday.

While enjoying these interesting activities and a good variety of activities every week almost everyday, I think what I’ve overlooked is organizing and planning of the professor, deans and students put into these. For example the professors that were invited to give the talks, the themed talks led by house fellows and the activities we have such as massage, observatory. I’m really grateful for the amount of work and thoughts that our professor Blalock and dean Anthony put into this to make this such a rewarding experience to us, and after each activities, I really felt my time were well-spent.

Since this is my last rose scholar post this semester, I really want to thank our amazing professor dean Blalock for the caring of students living in Rose, the great amount of work to make Rose House a supportive home for the residents and the insightful ideas that he shared with us in weekly cafe talk. I really think I will miss the thoughtful talks and ideas by professor Blalock, and he has brought such an amazing change to the system of continue occupancy at west, which is the system I would suggest should be applied to other residential halls at west.

Also a lot of thanks to our assistance dean Jarrett, for the weekly email of upcoming activities, and cares and reminder emails to the residents. As a Rose resident, I can feel the cares that the house deans and fellows give to us and the help that they are willing to give, and I ‘m so grateful for all the effort that you put into and I fell really lucky to get to come back to Rose and live here agian next semester. Thank you again for everything and wish all the best for future life!

 

A New Perspective

On the 6th of May, we got a tour of the Project team workspace in the basement of Upson. This is were a majority of the Engineering Project teams work, build, and design, since there is a fabrication and prototyping shop down there as well. However, I am a member of the CUSail project team, so I was already familiar with the space. The interesting part of the tour for me was seeing another team’s work and hearing them explain it. This tour was led by two members of CUAUV, which stands for Cornell University Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. Every year they design and create robots that can function by themselves underwater and perform a series of tasks. I greatly enjoyed hearing about their work, since I tend to always see what they’re doing, but never have the time to go over and ask them about it.

Another reason I went was to try and experience an every day part of my life “as a tourist”. Often times after we experience something enough times it tends to get boring and mundane, no matter how unique. The first time I was down in that lab it was amazing, since there was so much activity. But after so many weeks of working down there, it just becomes another mundane part of my life. That’s why I wanted to try and see the workspace as an outsider, and perhaps restore some of its uniqueness to me. This idea of “being a tourist” is one I try to implement more, such as going to a popular tourist location in New York City where I live. Since people find the lab interesting, then I definitely should be able to also.

 

 

Dystopian Reality

“What Happened to Monday” is an enjoyable, plot-twisting dystopian film in which overpopulation results in a one-child policy. Though the movie takes place in the future in 2043, its not as far from reality as it seems.

My parents and I immigrated from China when I was two years old. Only recently did China adopt the two-child policy. At this time I was born, China’s one-child policy was strictly enforced. Though there’s more a stigma against having daughters in China, as educated individuals, my parents were overjoyed to be having a daughter, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to have a son. Half a year after I was born, my parents found out my mother was pregnant again. In other circumstances, they would have happily had the child. Unfortunately, this pregnancy was not received as a blessing. When you have more than one child in China, the children do not have citizenship, healthcare, and also are unable to attend school. My parents thought about the kind of life the child would have and decided against having the kid and had an abortion in China.

Thankfully, we moved to America soon after and my mom became pregnant two years after with my little brother. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a bigger family and thought about the what-ifs.

Mapping a City

Personally, I’ve never put much thought in what the process of mapping a large city is like. Last spring break, I had the opportunity to go to New York City, where I stayed at an airbnb by myself. On Monday my friends and I had a discussion of how useful maps are in places like these. Since I had never been in the city by myself  I relied mostly on “Google Maps” to get around. My friends have lived in New York City their whole lives and they have been relying on the mapping system since they were 10. We discussed the impact it has on many people’s lives and how we wouldn’t be able to navigate without it. Then we discussed how other countries, such as El Salvador don’t have this same system. When I visited there at the end of my Senior Year, I went to a small Island right off the cost of El Salvador and I couldn’t find it on a map. When I got there, I realized that the area was very large and a map would be able to help, in terms of finding where most of the community there was living. I realized how much we take advantage of maps and how helpful they are to us, when we do have them.

Out With the Old…

After six eventful years, it’s sadly time to say goodbye to Rose House’s beloved dean and House Professor. You may ask why he’s leaving after only six short years for which I will tell you it’s because they are making him due to a six year term limit. During this final Rose Cafe of the school year Professor Blalock took us for a little trip down memory lane with some of his greatest hits throughout the years. In my opinion, his greatest achievement would have to be the development of the Rose Scholars program with the help and guidance from Dr. Anthony. The backstory behind the program was a lot more interesting that I would have expected. The program was designed to choose the 100 Rose House residents that would be allowed to return to Rose House the following school year. Prior to the scholars program, a lottery system with a random number generator determined the fate of all 380 Rose residents. Professor Blalock knew there was a better way to choose who should remain a member of the Rose community, and boy did he find it. All five years the program has been used, not one student has been denied entry from it. It definitely seems like the 100 students that will remain in Rose House for the following term actually want to be a part of the community that comes with it. If it weren’t for Dr. Anthony though, Professor Blalock would have been getting 100 slips of paper under his door each week! I think the blog is a much better medium to reflect on. Pencil and paper are so old school. I guess it is time to say goodbye to the old. Thank you Professor Blalock for all that you have done for the Rose House community. But as we say goodbye we can also welcome the new so say hello to our new house professor Rosemary Avery! Welcome to our home!

Problems of Characterization

I walked into “Patriot’s Day” with low expectations. I find that my opinions of movies usually match best with the Google reviews, however high the critics’ reviews may be. But this time, I was pleasantly surprised by how at odds my impression of the movie was from the other laypeople. Patriot’s Day was able to present a fictionalized version based closely on the actual events of the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013.

What I found most interesting in the film was its characterization of actual people. Though I’ve seen many films that have characterized actual people–“Jackie” about Jackie Kennedy, “The Imitation Game” about Alan Turing, I’ve never seen one about an event so recent that I thoroughly followed. Many of the people portrayed in the film are still living, and this made me evaluate the ethics behind characterizing an actual person. Following the bombings in 2013, I formed certain opinions of the individuals involved. It was interesting to see how differently the film portrayed them. I had thought of Dzhokhar as someone who acted under the influence of his older brother who wasn’t completely immersed in the mission. The movie made him to be a completely reckless, immature teenager, selfish and excited to use bombs as some sort of game. I’d like to think he had thought through what he was doing farther than that. My greatest qualms involve the movie’s portrayal of Katherine Russell, Tamerlan’s wife, as someone who knew of the bombings and who was unwilling to cooperate with police. This could be true. But it could also be true she truly had no idea of the plan and was betrayed and hurt by her own husband. Characterization has the ability to change the narrative, and when someone living is characterized, this presents issues involving the truth, or lack of. I enjoyed Patriot’s Day very much, but its propagation of a one-sided narrative has me questioning how much truth lies within movies based on real events.

 

New Ideas

As a transfer from WashU in St. Louis, I’ve had the privilege of attending two universities. The differences between the schools are various, ranging from a smaller student body and less pervasive Greek life at Washu, to regularly warm weather in Missouri. One of the largest differences between my experiences at WashU and Cornell is the availability of activities both on and off-campus. Since I’m not involved in Greek Life or other social organizations, I’ve found that my free time spent with friends is usually limited to hanging out in the dorm or going out to eat. Ithaca doesn’t have an abundance of things to do and Cornell lacks regular programming students take part of.

The Eddy Gate project would be great as a permanent addition close to campus. When I went over on Saturday, there were people milling about and performances every now and then. Though the manifestation of the project was a bit smaller than I was expecting, it was nonetheless enjoyable, well-planned and transformative. Recycling a non-academic space as one with food, games, and performances where the Cornell community can hang out is a fantastic idea and hopefully the project will continue and inspire others like it.

Perspective is Telling

With the onslaught of space-related movies in the past few years, I’ve found my knowledge of physics lacking. After learning the basics of special relativity, however, Arrival made a bit more sense than previous movies like Interstellar and the Martian. The concept that time is dynamic and subjective changes the way we see the world and interact with others. In Arrival, it brings about world peace. I think it says a lot about human nature that knowledge of the past and the future is able to rectify the world’s major problems. Our tendency to misunderstand each other and assume what others’ intentions are leads to conflict that can easily be avoided by understanding each other.

Language is an ongoing motif throughout the film. The translation of “weapon” in languages on Earth to “tool” in the Heptapods’ language speaks to our worldview of things as ways to compete with others and become better. It also portrays the power of language in relationships and its ability to show the values of a society.

The most moving part of Arrival was when Abbott sacrifices his life to save Louise and Ian. His commitment to their mission and his selflessness shows his ability to empathize. Additionally, Abbott and Costello had individuality–Abbott was more talkative and open and Costello more aloof and reserved. Though the heptapods were just one take on extraterrestrial life, it was extremely positive and unique. ET life is usually portrayed negatively–they’re trying to conquer Earth and destroy the human race. Do we see the world as we are?

 

Rose Cafe – where you learn in multiple meaningful ways

Last Wednesday, I attended the last Rose Cafe where Professor Blalock introduced his replacement Professor Avery for the House Dean position. We talked about how the scholar program evolved and the future of the housing system. It was a really nice conversation.

This year, I attended a couple of Rose Cafes and it was my favorite event in the Rose house. While at first, I came because of the scholar program, as times goes on, I love going simply because the I am attractive to the topics and the atmosphere of Rose Cafes. I’ve learned a lot from guests with various kinds of jobs, various kinds of background. At the same time I got to know something I was unfamiliar to, I also learned life experience from those successful guests and amazing students, such as maintaining the West Campus, how to cheer an athlete from the tennis Coach and the perspectives  from the pilots. I learned the passion about life and work, which helped me a lot dealing with my sophomore year loss about the future and what I’m going to do.

 

Thank you Professor Blalock for broadening my horizons in multiple meaningful ways and creating a cozy, relaxing and open environment where we could gram some coffee and cookies in the middle of the week. And thank you other scholars for this wonderful semester. Lastly, really looking forward to Professor Avery and wish you all have a nice break. See ya!

A First and Last Experience

This past Wednesday I went to my first ever Rose Cafe and I can say that I am disappointed that it took me this long to go to one. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversational tone that the event had and the way that ideas were bounced around from everyone in the room. It was great hearing Professor Blalock talk about the Rose Scholars program and how it started. The idea of the Rose Scholars program came from trying to fix a system that could ultimately lead to unfair results, which made me think of the program in a new light. Not only did Professor Blalock encourage discussion about the current program and its origins, the discussion largely revolved around how the program could be improved. I believe that this is a prim example of the way that Rose House is different from some of the other West Campus dorms. This discussion of improvement and communication between scholars shows that the program that was set in motion is in fact working. Although there are some things that we would like to see changed, the program at its core is promoting the intellectual conversations that it hoped to achieve. My only regret from that resulted from this even is that it is the only chance at a cafe that I had this year, and that it was the only cafe that i will experience with Professor Blalock as House Professor. However, I look forward to the new experiences that await with Professor Avery in the upcoming school year.

Revamping Eddy Gate

When I heard about the Eddy Gate Project, I was initially a little confused. All I knew of Eddy gate was that it was an apartment building. The actual event was held in the alley near the black wrought iron gate next to Cascadilla Hall. The project’s goal was to bring more visibility and vitality to the empty alley near the gate, and I can see why it was needed. Normally, that alley is entirely empty and the gate is an ornate entrance to nowhere. However, the project entirely transformed the area with nice outdoor seating, games, food trucks, and live entertainment. They even had an innovative “polling station” where you could leave a review on the event by dropping a colored ball into a container. Overall, the event was pretty great.

The idea of taking an underused or empty space and making it something valuable is a great one. I feel like most modern thought is geared towards creating something entirely new, rather than simply reworking the old. We didn’t need to construct an entirely new area to be a venue for outdoor gatherings. The Eddy Project took an existing structure and made it into a venue. I think it’s a valuable concept that we can all apply, whether on a small scale or large one.

 

 

*here is a photo for proof that I attended the Eddy Gate project.

Mapping Ithaca!

Ithaca as I know it has always been a wee bit off the map as far as cities go. However, this week I learned that Ithaca was once a place where trade with New York was abundant. Professor Blalock taught us a bit of the history of Ithaca’s geographical history this past Monday. He began the talk by asking me and two other attendees about our knowledge of city planning. I honestly did not know much and guessed it was basically involved a group of government city planners in a room mapping out a course for the city. And I was right, city planning involves just that. It involves a lot more too, of course. The purpose of city planning is to ensure that as the city grows, certain measures are put in place for the accommodation of more people. These measures include rules for drainage, sewage, what types of buildings should be built where, and more. And apparently, Texas cities do not have proper building zoning laws. The flooding in Houston after the hurricane could not have been as bad as it was. We also talked about flooding in Ithaca as well. Did you know that downtown Ithaca was built at the bottom of a hill? As a result, it experienced intense flooding, until an artificial river was created to redirect the water to Cayuga Lake. And it’s on this lake that old farmers would take their produce along the lake to Lake Hudson near New York City to sell their wares. That river has now been replaced with a highway, which we are all familiar with since we do not have to take a boat to the city. I love learning to the city of Ithaca and what it was like hundreds of years ago!

 

 

All About Organoids

Last week I attended a cafe hosted by my GRF, Shiv. He explained how he is currently pursuing his PhD in Biomedical Engineering and upon completing this feat, he will be applying to medical school. He also studied Biomedical Engineering during his undergraduate career at Boston University, so he has many years of experience in this field. He explained how organoids are basically mini organ models in a dish that aim to mimic a target organ’s functionality and structure. There is huge interest in these models to understand how the local environment affects how organs develop, undergo processes, or change into a disease state. His organoid model specifically aims to model the lymph node to understand how B cells make antibodies for therapeutic purposes. I was amazed to hear that he is the first one to successfully make B cells turn into antibody-secreting cells outside the body. He explained how you can take a Zika virus, put it in his system, and form antibodies to make a widely distributable cure in a matter of 4 days. Basically, he uses the organoids to make different environments since each patient is different. From these environments, he can predict which drugs the patient will respond to and make patient-specific treatment plans. In short, he’s using organoids to make cancer treatment personalized, and I hope he can make difference in the field. I’m so proud of his work, and I can’t what to see he will accomplish by the end of his PhD.

The Last

This week I attended the Rose Cafe with Prof Blalock. It was a smaller cafe, probably due to the fact that it occurred the night before slope day, but it was a pleasant and reflective conversation. Prof Blalock is leaving Rose House after 6 years, and introduced his replacement, Prof Rosemary Avery, who seems like an excellent person for the job. We talked about how to improve Rose House and the scholars program as a whole, and I felt that the input was well received. I feel optimistic about the future of the House. Although I am a scholar, I am moving off campus next year so this was my last Rose event- it was a nice way to finish out my experience at Rose. I really enjoyed living here and being a part of the scholars program and, as a transfer student, I really appreciated the community that it provided. Overall, I will look back fondly on my experiences living here, and am happy that Rose House was a part of my Cornell experience.
I wish Dr. Avery the best in her new position!

endurance

For the movie itself, I want to quote one of the movie review as a summary: “Incredibly entertaining and inspiring. Amazing to see what the human body and mind are capable of when you push yourself beyond your comfort zone. The film is very well made and provides a real insight into an event most people know nothing about.”

But right now I am going to discuss is, how important endurance is. In this movie, it’s incredible to know that only 12 people success to walk across the forest through 25 years. Everyone has excuse to give up, but only a small scale of people choose to continue with endurance. It reminds me a famous saying: based on the degree of how hard-working the majority is, you don’t have to beat others by your talent. Most of people is not as hard-working as their maximum, so keep-going and study efficiently will lead to success with 99% possibility, even if you are not talented to some extends. This movie motivates me to be a endurable student dealing with finals.

 

Robotics Tour

The small group of students guided by two of the robotics team members as they show us their lab where they produce their very own automated submarines.

Back when I was in a kid in China, I was very interested in making robots. So many of the toys I was given were robots or things that can be built from the ground up by yourself. So in high school I thought about joining in the robotics team, but due to various circumstances I did not end up joining the robotics team.

Overtime, I realized I am not exceptionally gifted in STEM and moved more and more towards literature and drama, so I guess that explains my communications major and not engineering.

Visiting the lab was very interesting as we walked past groups of engineering students in the automated underwater vehicle division construct their submarine for their competition. I have built my own computer and have a technician certification to fix computers but the true science behind building robots and vehicles is outside of my understanding.  I did however learned that this year they updated their hardware from an onbuild CPU into a hybrid CPU and GPU for better calculations during the operation as they found the GPU is better at the job. I think this was something that I had a knowledge of and so I found it interesting,

Next to the engineers were the software developers designing the programs and writing codes to operate the pilotless, completely automated submarine that will eventually be tested in the Teagle pool.

The tour was overall fairly interesting, but knowing myself and my lack of STEM capability, I can only root for my fellow students at heart.

Patriot Jian Yang

Ahh my boy Jian Yang, or Jimmy O. Yang has a very important role in the movie Patriots Day. I really love the Asian representation in American pop-culture, even if the movie is based on the real life story, it is always nice to see it.

Jimmy O. Yang is very talented, and it is so great to see him featured in a movie. I first found out about him in various stand ups he did as I was browsing through YouTube. This little Chinese man who looks kind of wimpy and frail resonated with me as he reminded me of myself. Even though in a way he kind of plays into the stereotype of frail Asian man, but he does a very good job playing his part in the movie.

Watching him from the perspective of his character Jian Yang from Silicon Valley, him in Patriots Day is a much more Asian American portrayal. I did not know that there was an Chinese student who was held at gun point and then gave away the position of the bombers, so I was very surprised and wonder why there is just a random scene of Jimmy in a restaurant on a date with some girl.

The scene of the car jacking was also excellent. Every moment of the bombers in the car up to the gas station had me on edge because I can easily put myself in that position. When he ran from the car into the gas station, I was so nervous I felt like I was hyperventilating, it was so tense.

Overall I liked the movie, even though it felt a little too Hollywood, but with Jimmy O. Yang and several very interesting scenes I would recommend it to someone who is interested in the Boston bombing.

Visiting the Project Team Space

While I was impressed by Cornell’s project team space, and by the work that the various teams, and in particular CUAUV do there, I must confess I got a little “contact anxiety” from visiting the space.

I am an engineering major who consciously choose not to join a project team because of the time commitment. I entered Cornell engineering fully intending to join a project team. “Project teams” for engineers are teams that participate in various competitions. Our tour of the project team space was led by members of CUAUV – “Cornell University Autonomous Underwater Vehicle”, which designs a sub to complete an assigned series of tasks. CUAUV is one of several project teams, which also include “concrete canoe”, “steel bridge” and a mars rover team. Each team works together to design their product – a sub, a canoe, a rover – etc. Joining a project team seemed to me like the perfect way to build my resume for grad school or a future career. But I balked when I considered the significant time commitment joining a project team. I did not believe I would be able to keep up with my courses, and ultimately I choose not to join.

I truly admire the work members of project teams put in. But visiting their workspace inspired in me a fear I imagine many other people have had during their tenure at Cornell – the thought that all my classmates are doing more than me. But it also prompted me to examine this fear, and remind myself that I created a schedule that works for me, and other people are doing what works for them, and that’s all fine.

Visiting the project team space also reminded me that maybe joining a very collaborative team extra-curricular would not have been the best idea for me. I’m a long wolf. I work in a lab in a mini-clean room. I like my clean room very much. Visiting the project team space also reminded me how much I love my extracurriculars, and how valuable it is to do something other than course work – even if balancing the time commitments is hard.

For those who have never seen any of the very impressive products created by the Cornell project teams, I would advise you to stop by and see them sometime. The members of Cornell’s project teams do exceptional work, and it’s fascinating to learn more about what they do and how.

 

Mini organs, big cures

Last week, I attended Shiv’s Rose Cafe about organoids. Overall, I really enjoyed the conversation about his work. Shiv spoke about his research growing “mini organs” which could be used for developing antibodies and patient-specific cancer treatments. Thinking about how cancer and autoimmune diseases have affected my own family, I am encouraged by the prospect of new and improved ways to treat these conditions. Not to mention, He did a great job of making the talk approachable, and he made some very comical and appropriate analogies. As a person who was once very interested in this field, I was intrigued by his talk. While I have a basic fundamental STEM background, it is always interesting for me to learn about popular methodology, and current work going on in the field since I decided to pursue linguistics instead of biochemistry. His work is very important, and I found it really encouraging to hear about how his research in particular could decrease the cost of certain medicines, which is a really critical issue in healthcare right now. Also, Shiv was very animated and excited about his work, and I always find that to be very refreshing when attending academic-oriented talks. I have really enjoyed the last few Cafes in which GRFs have shared their research with us- I think it has provided a great opportunity to learn about research outside of my own field, as well as get to know our GRFs!

CUAUV: Much more than just a project team

A couple members of the CUAUV project team were kind enough to lend a few of us a tour of their team’s lab space. In Upson there is space, tools, and equipment allocated to many project teams including CUAUV. I honestly expected the tour to be a little uncomfortable and intrusive. I mean, we were going to walk around a place where people had competitions to prepare for, machines and systems to build, and of course final exams to study for. I didn’t expect to see any welcoming or smiling faces there. But I was wrong. As our CUAUV guides described their work and showed us their space, the rest of their teammates were hard at work, but they seemed so passionate about what they were doing. Some people were fine-tuning circuit boards, some were analyzing data, and some were putting machine parts together. All of them gave us intruders kind gestures as they continued to do what they had been doing. There was so much friendly, collaborative energy, and I could tell that for them it’s more of a family than it is a team. There was a massive whiteboard with all sorts of notes – thoughts, supplies to order, problems to solve, and funny messages alike. As stressful as it may be for them to spend hours on end working on their project, it was clear to me that they truly enjoy it. As the guides talked about the culmination of all their work, I realized how diverse of a learning experience they get. Sure, building an autonomous underwater vehicle does involve circuits, gears, nuts, bolts, all that typical stuff. But they emphasized that there is all sorts of cost and marketing analysis behind the vehicle. Not only is it expensive to build, but it is also expensive to test. They bring the vehicle to Teagle Pool for testing and analysis. If there’s anything broken, wrong, or inefficient, then they will have to incur the cost of replacing it. So they have to balance the efficiency and functionality of what they build with the costs of doing so. As someone who is considering the path of a tech entrepreneur, I found it very interesting when the guides talked about their team from this angle. It was a pleasure to talk to the members of CUAUV, and I’m sure that at their competition this summer they will be tough to beat.

Eddy Gate

On Saturday I was able to attend Eddy Gate with other rose scholars and friends. I had seen the olive green signs all over campus for a couple weeks, so I was excited to be able to see what all the advertisements were for. Eddy gate was a student-led project that aimed at revamping the empty area beneath the gate behind Cascadilla hall. The vision was to create a space that would be open to all members of the community to gather, eat, play games, and overall just chill. The team was able to fundraise money for the event through their go-fund- me page as well as several donations from different organizations on and outside of campus.

Overall, I had a great time at the space! We were able to play games like Connect Four and Katan. They really transformed the space from something that is scary to walk through during the night time to a well-lit and welcoming park. We were also able to see performances from different talented individuals and groups on campus which was a treat. It’s exciting to see students take charge and create change on the campus because often times it seems like rules are so set in place that nothing can be changed on such a large scale.  The team inspired me to look for something I want to change on campus and go for it! I hope they can make this change a permanent addition to campus.

Robotics at Cornell

As a Bio major, I’ve never really been exposed to Cornell’s project teams and what they do. I knew of them, but I never knew how many people were actually a part of it. When I got the opportunity to see where the project teams worked and to learn more about them, I was ecstatic. From our guides, we learned that they were a part of CUAUV, a project team dedicated to the creation of an autonomous submarine. Each year, they create a new one from scratch and take it to compete against other schools at the end of the year. Cornell is one of the best at this because they have won 7 times since the competitions first started in 2000. I realized that it is very important to learn about all the things happening at Cornell because you never know what new things you could discover. I’m very glad I went on this trip and will definitely keep tabs on the project teams from now on.

 

Implications of Organoid use

I left last weeks Rose Cafe presentation and discussion led by the GRF Shiv with the understanding that organoids are essentially mini organs engineered in vitro. These can be used to develop and test treatments and therapies including those for some of the most pressing current health problems such as different types of cancer and addiction. While this discussion was interesting, after the discussion I was still curious and interested in broader ethical implications of this biotechnology: would organoid use for developing new treatments or more efficiently produce existing treatments raise the cost of these drugs or lower cost? What are some potential consequences or externalities, either positive or negative of this technology? I also appreciated that the speaker spoke a bit about his academic/ career trajectory and motivation for pursuing engineering graduate studies here before going to med school.

 

Arrival

I am in general wary of watching science fiction movies about an alien invasion or a close encounter for fear of it being cliché, poorly produced, or unoriginal. Yet Arrival proved to be a fresh take on the first-contact alien movies by pitting intelligent communication front and center.

Most directors or writers would likely opt to depict the fallout or consequences of aliens landing on Earth, yet this movie had none of that nonsense. By focusing on communicating with these creatures, the movie elevated the genre to an almost academic level; teaching the audience about the fundamentals of communication and language and exploring the consequences of trying to interact with an intelligent species with an entirely different mode of conveying language. The careful dissection of each branch and turn of the aliens’ circular writing system was not something you’re likely to find in a Transformers movie.

Of course, the rest of the movie added to the substance; the acting was quite good (Amy Adams rarely fails to disappoint), the cinematography and special effects were seamless, and end was satisfying.

It was quite a good movie. I would recommend it.

Cornell Symphony helps students through exams

Before this day, I had not attended a performance by Cornell Symphony. Once the show began, I was instantly enamored by the effortless melodies that were produced by this group. Ever since I was little, I was always interested in music and instruments. At the age of 9 I fell in love with the flute and when I came to college I decided to focus more on my studies. Little did I know, there were people who loved it so much that they continued to play here at Cornell, through the Symphony Orchestra. It was amazing to see how much work they put into the pieces for the performance. I will definitely come see their future performances, it is a nice break from the stress that school work may bring.

A Memorable Cinematic Experience: Patriot’s Day

It’s hard to imagine that it’s been over 5 years since the Boston Marathon Bombings. As a New England native who’s spent a lot of time in Boston, the tragedy was very memorable, and watching this movie as the Flora’s Friday Film last week rekindled some of those emotions. As many film reviewers claimed after their initial reviews, the film to presents itself as a great tribute to the many who were involved in solving the case, as well as a great example of the Boston Strong mentality that arose after the events. I found Mark Wahlberg’s acting to be incredible; he does a phenomenal job of captivating fear, courage, and triumph — all three emotions that resonated throughout the events of April 15th, 2013. When watching historical dramas and biopics, it’s important to realize that everything portrayed in film isn’t always accurate to the historical events being portrayed. That being said, Patriot’s Day does a great job of staying true to the story. The use of composite characters, which incorporated the experiences of multiple victims, and the use of actual testimonies in the making of the film, allowed for a comprehensive, impactful portrayal of the narrative. Overall, it was a great viewing experience, and I highly recommend this film to anyone who hasn’t had the opportunity to watch it.

“Good Curling”

When I first saw the announcement, I thought it was a little weird that there was a learn to curl session near the end of April. I also don’t know when the next time an opportunity like this would come up, so I figured I’d check it out. I don’t think I’ve ever actually watched clips of curling that lasted more than a few seconds, but I’ll definitely be looking out for it during the next Olympics.

We got to the rink and were told to put rubber bands on our sneakers to help with traction. I’m not convinced they actually helped with traction, and I unbeknowingly lost one at some point during the evening. I also ended up completely forgetting that I had rubber bands on my shoes until I saw them when I was putting them on the next morning. GRF Ty had his own pair of actual curling shoes, which was pretty impressive from the beginning. As we were cautiously waddling our way across the ice, he propelled himself with one foot, gliding with balance.

Since there were only three of us from Rose House, another member joined our team. Sue, who also brought a margarita in a thermos, soon became our MVP. We started by learning how to not fall over while delivering the stone. This ended up okay, after I fell the first couple of times. I didn’t realize how big the bruises were until I got home that night to ice them. Yes it hurt a little at the time, but it was definitely worth the experience.

Just pushing off while balanced on that thin PTFE slider was hard enough, but trying to actually delivering the stone based on the skip’s direction was not going well for me. It looked like the other groups were doing more than we were, and before we knew it, we were set to play our first game. We had a very short crash course on how to sweep, but honestly I don’t know how much our sweeping helped. It seemed like either the stone would go at such a speed in which we couldn’t keep up without running after it, in which case sweeping won’t help, or the stone wasn’t going to make it regardless.

I think we were all a bit confused going into the first game exactly what was going on. We watched a video before we got on the ice, where they mentioned things like skip and hammer, but again, since I had never actually watched curling before, I was lost. Our first game started a little slow. None of us were delivering stones just right, and the team we were playing against had a stone in the house. Our skip and MVP, Sue, scored us our only point with the last stone, thus winning us our first ever curling match.

The second round wasn’t our best either. I don’t remember if the skip or vice skip got our only stone in the house, but Jacob knocked out one of the other team’s stones, potentially scoring us a point. In the end, they came back and took the round. The third round was the climax of the night. I was having trouble providing both enough power and good direction to the stone. My first stone fell short, but it went the right direction. My last stone of the night had enough power, but I lost balance after the delivery and ended up just sitting on the ice while it made its way down. From where I was, it looked like it was going to go too far, but it was just near the edge of the house and we were up! The other team delivered a stone, closer to the center, and we were having trouble getting another one closer, but again, MVP Sue knocked it out and won us the game!

The overall experience was definitely fun. Thank you to Sue, Matt, Jacob, and GRF Ty for making it a great first curling experience. I wish them luck in forming a Cornell Curling Club, and if it does happen, hopefully more Rose House residents will try it out. After getting home, I ended up watching the winning Olympic match, and I now have so much more respect for the sport. It’s not easy to dictate the trajectory of a 42-pound stone from Scotland sliding down ice.

The Future of Medicine

At last week’s Rose Cafe we had GRF Shiv come speak about his research and work on growing mini organs outside of the body. I had heard of this advancement in science a while back and found it fascinating, but what blew my mind was how fast it had grown and progressed into a huge and legitimized field with so much work being done in it. Shiv’s work focuses on lymph nodes, the nodes in our body that keep us clean and healthy from foreign dangers to our cells. He makes mini lymph nodes that fabricate a quantity of antibodies in 4 days that would take previous methods using mice about one year to produce. This, along with the cost-effective nature of these new methods makes this a very promising medical advancement that will likely lead to many cures in diseases and cancers in the coming future. Shiv also talked about the implications this has on personalized medicine and eventual tissue replacements once the technology progresses to that point, this would mean our individual medical experiences would be tailored to our bodies and genes, rather than in the generic way that we are treated now.

 

This growth in technology in this new industry left me very stunned, I could not believe that scientists and researchers had been able to accomplish such amazing things in such a short span of time. It’s quite fascinating thinking of mini tonsil-like organisms in a petri dish pumping out the very same things that my body pumps out but in less time and after being made by a human from scratch. It was very inspiring to hear Shiv’s motivations and ambitions in being a pioneer in this field, driven by joining the fight against cancer.

A victim of psychology; a resolution in biology

Cancer cancer cancer cancer
Why does no one have the answer?
Organoids organoids says Shiv
They can help us continue to live
We need antibodies to give
Organoids organoids and that in vitro culture
Those B cells producing antibodies ain’t gonna falter
Well maybe

What’s left to say?
The petri dishes
We rely on them so much
They give life to those stem things
Organizing into groups and rings
Where’s their identity?
Ah to help the world in this century
Well maybe

Well maybe not
The identity is dropped
But no one cares
We can do without
It’s special
It’s not special

Kind of like you no?
Special but not really?
If you’re a realist at least
Your identity is subsumed by the group identity
I mean let’s face it
Are there really any quasigroups out there

Organoid organoid
Sounds like groupoid
Or monoid
Centroid
Ellipsoid
Homoeoid
Algebroid
Paranoid
Longoid
Listoid

It’s hard to A-void
                    the-void
But it’s sometimes unavoidable
No
Don’t be a caterpillar in the wind
Like dandelions and roses
Ruining my PB&Jelly
Don’t drift along with the complacency of a human
In a sea of jelly
No I mean desert no I mean forrest no I mean space
Yes space

Get out of my space
But you deny property rights?
Was Nozick the first libertarian?
Of course!

But to minimize temporal law
What a minimization! No!
It must change, adapt, but always in accord with something higher
Distributive justice?
No! There is no transfer of justice! Justice is fixed
Only beholden by the mind’s eye
Says Augustine

But surely temporal law is just and in accordance with justice
And temporal law is like a foggy mist
It comes and lingers and then cease to exist
Ah so justice is subject to change
But no! Justice is an intelligible!

Augustine falls on his knees in agony
“That’s ok I’ll just write another book changing my views”
After all philosophy itself isn’t an intelligible, I mean how could it be?

Fill up your mind with knowledge!
Drain it like a sink and restart
This is philosophy, it comes and goes like waves

Cancer comes and goes in waves, no?
The peak is a resolution or a death
Maybe with organoids it can be a resolution
But with philosophy, it must always be death
For the only positive thing to say is death

Who are the real heroes?

This past Friday, I had the opportunity to watch the film, Patriots Day. The film was centered around the tragic events that took place in Boston. The movie itself is very powerful and moving and does a great job in capturing the horror of the bombing and the emotional toll it took on Boston and its citizens. However, one problem I had and many others had was the main character himself. One lone person didn’t lead to the capturing of the brothers and moreover, Mark Wahlberg’s character itself was made up. I think this was a bad move on the film’s part as it marginalizes the effort and heroics of the people who actually helped find the terrorists. Instead, the movie glorifies Mark Wahlberg and makes him out to be the hero of Boston.

When making a movie about a tragedy like this, I believe its very important to preserve characters and plot points. Directors are well entitled to impost their artistic license but by preserving such things, the story feels more authentic and true. In this case, glorifying Mark Wahlberg’s character does a disservice to the city of Boston.

All in all, I think the movie was very well made and barring some flaws, it was quite moving and something I would recommend to watch.

The hidden realities of people we may know

Through watching this film, I re-lived the moments I saw the Boston Bombing on  T.V. and all the panic and hysteria it drove. I remember seeing interviews of people with amputated legs, devastated that unknowingly their lives had changed forever. Every time I witness a terrorist attack and even throughout this film, it’s always challenging for me to fathom how these are real people, and how these people just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. This reality scares me because truth to be told, my family and I were supposed to be at that Boston Marathon, and something could have happened to us, however last minute my parents opted out. This makes me wonder how many times, just by change and luck, I have been saved and brought away from dangerous situations and while that makes me feel safe, it also makes me realize that my feelings towards safety are temporary. Through any surprise murder or bomb threat, I am always interested in knowing what lead the person up to doing these horrible things, and how their minds could have tricked them into believing that their actions were acceptable. In that sense, I would have liked the movie to have focused more on the psychological mentalities between the brothers, which lead to them capable of detonating these bombs.

This film also made me reflect on the idea that you may now know the actions of the people closest to you. It is hard to imagine Tamaran’s wife condoning the activities that he as a part of, and thus it must have been so scary and unimaginable for her to learn what her husband has been up to. In that  regard, it also worried me that I could be associated with people who are potentially very dangerous and that you don’t always know the true colors of all people you meet. Although this is a very paranoid statement, situations like these make me less likely to trust some people completely and maintain my distance. I wonder if there were any actions of deceit that the wife and friends could have caught on earlier, and if these actions could be given more notice, so more people could identify idiosyncratic behavior and ponder upon the relevance of this behavior. However, we then come to the issue of correlation versus causation which makes it more challenging to assume people’s behavior indicates deception and dangerous activity.

Being a bystander

On April 26th, I was able to attend the mini-seminar series that pertained to bystander intervention. We watched multiple scenarios which are could be ideal for a bystander. The first was a potential sexual assault, which was interesting to see because there was a man who was trying to take a girl who was way too inebriated upstairs. A group of her friends saw this and came to divide both of the people to stop something from potentially escalating. The second scenario was a girl of a different race than her friends being denied access into a party by one of the brother’s whose fraternity was throwing the party. The friends decided to leave the party instead of going in. Third, was a hazing situation in which a roommate sacrificed his sleep to console his shaken up roommate who came in late. Fourth, was a person struggling with an academic program, because they were not doing well and started questioning their ability to do their program. Another person overheard their strife and decided to talk to them, and was gave them advice to ask for help. Another was that a person, came to a party and drank way too much, they ended up blacking out. Their friends were wondering what to because they didn’t want to ruin the party, but eventually they called 911 because their could have been dire consequences.

 

All these scenarios were very realistic. What I learned was don’t stand around and expect to something to happen, when you have the opportunity to, because you never know what can happen.

A Universal Language

Arrival is a science fiction film that explores the role of communication and language in our society. After the arrival of 12 alien spacecraft around the globe, the global community must work to communicate with the mysterious extraterrestrial guests to discern their purpose. Amy Adams plays an American linguist Dr. Louise Banks who is tasked with dissecting the complex circular alien language excreted in order to communicate with the voyagers and discover their intent before a global war breaks out as tensions rise internationally. Through her investigation, it is quickly discovered that the language is fundamentally different than human languages–it has no discernible beginning or end but rather is fluid and endless, much like a circle. This reminds me of a TED talk I saw years ago about the impact of the structure of our language. The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis states that your native language determines the way you think and perceive things on a fundamental level. As our native language plays such a strong role in the way we structure and organize our thoughts, nuances within any given language are theorized to impact human perception and experience. Fundamental to this movie is the structure of the alien language and the unique attributes granted to those who are able to comprehend it and thus think in a manner that normally falls beyond the bounds of the human mind constrained by any language of Earth. Overall, I greatly enjoyed Arrival, and I was pleasantly surprised at the departure from some of the standards of the genre–lasers and faster than light travel–to the different focus of diplomacy and interpersonal discovery.

Relating to the Characters of Intervene

Last Thursday, I went to a seminar on bystander intervention. While I appreciate Dr. Anne Laurita coming to speak with us, I honestly didn’t feel like I got much out of the event. I think that part of this stems from a having a tough time relating to the scenarios shown in the film Intervene. Amidst the dangerous drinking, hazing, sexual harassment, and other problematic situations, the only one I felt connected to was the part regarding academic problems; I’ve been both the bystander and the person who needed help on different occasions. I’m aware that all of the other situations are seen around campus, some more frequently than others, but having never gone through myself, I felt very detached. I understand that the point of the seminar was to show ways of intervening (although we did discuss the positives and negatives of intervention, which I thought was interesting), but I feel that I would never be in a position where I would even be a bystander able to get involved. For instance, I don’t go partying or drinking, and neither do any of my friends on campus, so I have a hard time seeing myself as a bystander at a party who needs to intervene in an emergency, simply because I wouldn’t be at that party in the first place. I felt very disconnected, and so had a hard time being inspired to act.

While I didn’t feel like the seminar was very useful for me, I hope that everyone else who had come found it to be enlightening, informative, or otherwise positive in some way.

The Boston Community

Patriot’s Day was most likely the film that I enjoyed watching the most this semester. It was powerful, engaging, and left me keeping back tears at the end. The Boston marathon bombing was an event that was heard nationwide, and one that has continued to come up in conversations in the present day. The film itself shows why this is so. Throughout the movie, the stories of each of the character’s are shown so that you can connect to or simply see their backgrounds. This continues to the very end of the film, when the real-life accounts of the characters are added in and they are able to speak about their experiences. The film never forgets the victims of the attack and is able to incorporate their stories into the narrative.

I believe that the film especially shows the unity of the Boston community. The accounts of the different victims elaborates this idea, as they use their own experiences after the bombing. I found this idea of community and support incredibly impactful, since it is woven into the movie itself and explicitly brought up once the actual film is over. The film also brought up other attacks on big cities and how these communities rallied within themselves to heal.

Community Engagement and Service

Last week, I attended the Rose Cafe with guest Mike Bishop, who discussed community engagement at Cornell and beyond. Mr. Bishop is the director of Engage Cornell, and he discussed his career in service and how his program helps students connect with service opportunities. His experiences were very interesting to listen to, since Mr. Bishop has been involved in many different types of service and demonstrated that there are many forms of giving back to the community. This could involve fundraising, mentoring, and more. Specifically, Mr. Bishop commented on how he is energized by certain types of service, encouraging us to discover the form of service that speaks to us best.

Mr. Bishop also discussed the number of non profit organizations in the Tompkins County area is over 500 organizations, which is much higher than the national average. I thought that this was surprising and did not expect there to be so many organizations. This also demonstrated to me that there are many ways to provide service and connect with the community, and also that there may be many issues in the community that we may not realize. This Rose Cafe reminded me that being at Cornell allows me to pursue many opportunities that I may not have access to at home. I plan to reflect more critically on my previous service experiences in search of the method of community engagement that suits me best.

The Boston Marathon Bombing

Last week, I went to go see the movie Patriot’s Day. This movie was about the Boston Marathon bombing. Some parts of the movie were heartbreaking, but in the end one of the bombers got caught and the other was killed. I still don’t understand how someone could do such terrible and atrocious things. One thing that really stood out to me was the guy who they kidnapped and whose car they stole. In the end he got away and helped the police, but I’m sure he must have been terrified. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I was in his place, but I really wonder if I would’ve been strong enough to escape. Would I have just shut down and accepted the fact that I was going to die? He was just a regular guy going about his day one minute, and the next he was kidnapped. It’s really scary to think that this could’ve happened to anyone. Either way, I’m glad that the bombers were caught.

I Got Your Back

As an employee of Cayuga’s Watchers, I am no stranger to the idea of Bystander Intervention. Oddly enough, the night prior to the Intervene seminar I attended a Bystander Intervention workshop run by Cornell’s Consent Ed. Many of the things we talked about in the Intervene workshop were similar to what we discussed at the other workshop. I find it interesting how intervening can vary from a simple question of “Are you okay?” to a complex situation where we are cautious and afraid to step in. The key point I took away from this workshop that differed from previous ones that I’ve attend was that you don’t have to intervene alone. Sometimes it makes it a lot easier and more comfortable for the bystander if they step in with a group of friends. Most of my previous training focused on how I could help on my own. I thought it was really cool how Intervene made a point to say that you don’t have to do it on your own. Hopefully more people take these types of workshops in the future and can prevent the disrespectful and heinous acts that occur we are blind to.

Some Important Lessons in College

I was really glad that Charlotte and Liz were able to get this event for the couple of Rose House Scholars. Unfortunately, I think that this event would have actually benefitted several people if it was a larger and almost course like thing that we had to take at Cornell. There should be a better way to implement this program on a large scale. I enjoyed the fact that we covered several different types of situations and what we should do in each whether they be in college parties, in academic settings, or somewhere in between. This little hour long workshop revealed that although we do have certain resources at Cornell, they aren’t advertised around campus very well. I feel like the different resources that Cornell offers are just well hidden facilities. Yes, you’re able to look around as a student. However, there are several newsletters and different places that carry different opportunities which you can lose on. Anyway, it seems that the Skorton Health Initiatives are well made to fit the different situations that may arise while you’re on campus. But having several programs is useless if we’re not using them.

Alcohol poisoning is a common event that happens at many colleges in the US but, other than the alcohol wise mini course we had in freshman year, there has been no actually course or direction as to what to do when a friend isn’t responding.  Yes, alcohol wise is a good (the word is being used lightly) starter course but we were immature and naive when we walked into college. Another thing we, as Cornell students, should be coached on is when should we intervene. We are a huge community but we still have that family-like vibe in the many mini communities we are in. However, even then, how do we know we should step in when an acquaintance looks like they’re in a precarious situation? These were all just little thoughts I’ve had when thinking about how can we make our community a healthier place.

We’re Professionals Now

I’ve included a picture of my finished product.  It’s been a while since this event.  It’s May now! How time flies.  Anyways, since then my clay sculptures have dried.  If you can’t tell, on the right is a strawberry and the left is a raspberry.  Yum.  Why did I sculpt fruit?  Myself and the other attendees were encouraged to base our work on ancient Peruvian ceramics.  We were shown various water containers, each especially made according to the main job of the sculptor.  For example, a fisherman’s container would look like a fish.  Most pieces were shaped like a fruit grown in the Peru at that time.

I was nervous at first but the museum staff showed us the proper techniques to make a stable and pretty structure.  You can’t tell from the picture but my strawberry is actually a container.  Isn’t that fun!  Shout out to GRF Magdala for organizing such a fun and enriching event.  Maybe I’ll go again sometime and take my friends. (:

Many Ways to be Engaged in Leadership Opportunities at Cornell

This Rose Cafe really helped illuminate many of the ways that the Public Service Center and also Engaged at Cornell can help students make the best of the resources around them and contribute to the community. I had no idea (and also found it really surprising) that Ithaca had an even greater density of startups than San Francisco which we think is among the cities with the greatest density of start ups. That really speaks to the innovation hub that we are living in, even though it may not always seem that way on an insulated campus. There are many nonprofits in Ithaca that are committed to improving our community and contributing through social justice, and Cornell students are welcome to contribute to the cause. Engaged at Cornell can facilitate these opportunities and help students be more involved with their surrounding community. I wish I had known more about this resource as a freshman.

Protect ourselves by welcome Alien?

This movie wants to tell us how important to be a kind people, by showing us how we welcome aliens. But….why human being should welcome Aliens, even without any information about them?! Imagining US’s Custom has been attacked by strange foreigners from unknown country with unknown purposes, what will we do? Defending ourselves from unknown attacks is out natural actions. It’s usual as we will buy a concrete door for house. If we didn’t trust human being, why we should trust Alien? “Trust alien, pls start from dismantling your doors.” But after all, any creative imagination should be encouraged. Besides this unrealistic logic, it’s a good film.

love can beat everything

After watching this movie, the first lesson I learnt is that there’s nowhere without dark side, even through there is US, and 99% people are nice and innocent. The second lesson I learnt is that there is still some hope to accept and teach bad people how to be a nice people, even through to some extend they are evil totally. The third lesson I learnt is that maybe love can move everyone, even through the possibility is lower than what this film shows to us. But after all, it’s a good movie to record the most miserable tragedy happened in 2013, and also salute to those policemen who protect us from injury and darkness.

Return

This was actually my second time watching the movie Arrival, and it felt much better than the first time I watched it.

Sitting in a dark dining hall, the ambiance of the atmosphere deepens my immersion of the aliens. The woob woob sounds as the heptapods Abbott and Costello dart into the screen instill in me a sense of wonder as well as fear at the same time. Watching it as just an individual without even thinking about the consequences of what these aliens are to humanity as well as international relation is already overwhelming, trying to imagine those scientists, soldiers, politicians figuring out what to do with them is just mind blowing.

Like most catastrophe, if it can even be called that, the focus of the movie is less on the creatures themselves, but rather the human interpersonal relations. The first time through, I watched it on my phone, but I simply cannot feel the same charm as I did on the bigger screen. The emotions through the intersecting narrative wasn’t exactly Momento in terms of nonlinear structure, but instead gives the story a heartfelt sentiment. The scene when Louise sprinted with the phone to call the Chinese general as the future self tells her what to say in the present gave me chills because it just felt so emotional and intense. There were so many save the world plots in different stories, but I really enjoyed this one.

The movie was very intriguing although it is a little hard to understand and definitely warrants multiple viewings.

Community work never ends

Last week I attended a talk by Mike Bishop, director of Engaged Cornell, about civic engagement and the ways to connect with the community. I was really impressed by Bishop’s experiences in civic engagement, he seemed to have done work in almost every field possible. What really struck me about this talk was the sheer amount of ways there are to get involved with the community. It made me think about the fact that my engagement with the community can occur in many different ways. I do not have to settle on one path, but can jump among different ones as my own skill set changes.

Another key point I took away from the discussion was the idea of addressing root causes rather than the effects of systemic oppression. While helping victims is of course useful and appreciated, more will continue to suffer unless the root causes are addressed. Considering my own skillset, I hope that I can one day be a part of dismantling the systems that enable the continued oppression of minorities and low-income persons.

Patriot’s Day

Last week I was able to watch the film “Patriot’s Day.” I had heard of the movie before but hadn’t seen the trailer or even knew what the plot was about. The movie was about the 2013 bombing that occurred during the Boston marathon. The beginning of the film introduces characters who are key to the story without the viewer understanding why the movie is presenting random characters. The movie is formatted in a very fragmented way because it breaks down the occurrences of that day and the two days after the attack down to the hour. It was captivating because although it wasn’t as flashy as an action movie, it was extremely realistic which really brings an audience in. As viewers, we were able to get a sense of what being in Boston on that horrific day was like through the camera angles and time stamps.

It was interesting to see how officials decided on the best way to respond to the situation. First, they needed to decide who would take the case between the Boston police department and the FBI. When analyzing the scene and finding pieces of home-made bomb materials, the FBI was able to decide that it was most likely a terrorist attack. They faced other challenges such as trying to figure out whether or not they should release the photos of the suspects to the public prematurely. Often times we expect these professionals to be able to give us answers almost instantly, but the movie highlighted how delicate these situations are and how patience is often times the better answer.

The movie was heartbreaking because it showed how this act changed the lives of hundreds of people forever. However, it also showed how strong the city of Boston is and how resilient they were after the accident.

skip, sweep those stones!

“If curling was easy, it would be called hockey”. That quote was proven to be true on Saturday in Lansing for the Flora Rose (plus supah sue-we will get to this later) Curling Squad. Curling is game of skill, strategy, and strength. The objective is to push off of the hack (starting block), have good technique while throwing the stone, sweep the stone to give it more speed (if necessary), and have pinpoint accuracy in landing your shot/placement. At first, you will wipe out. You will fall on your tailbone and wish you had knee pads. But once you get the hang of it, there is nothing else like it. Being able to glide on the ice for those few seconds is such a freeing experience. What truly made my first curling experience even more amazing, was that we were teamed up with Sue. She had walked over and asked if she can join the team. From that moment on it was as if we knew her for way more than 2 hours. She was so lively and good spirited. Just like the rest of us, at first, she struggled. But, once she got the hang of it Sue looked ready for the 2022 Winter Olympics. She had that accuracy and drive that could not be taught, hence the name Supah (aka super) Sue. With Ty as our coach, we were able to have a come from behind victory 3-2. Curling is a sport for all, so come out and throw some stones!

Learning how to Curl

It’s all about bending low and sweeping … Have you ever played curling? I played for the first time last Saturday at the ice rink in Lansing. What an experience! The purpose of curling is to score points by delivering more stones, which are made of granite from Scotland, to the house center – a circular target on the ice – of the marked sheet of ice than the other team, each team of four players carrying eight rocks; the winner is the team with the highest score after all ends have been completed. The game reminded me of pétanque, a form of boules played on a flattened crushed stone ground area, which I often played in France. In curling, the technique in bending your back very low, extending your arm and non-demoniant leg (without falling) and releasing the stone in the direction that your Skip (teammate) indicated.  Sweeping of the ice is done with a brush to reduce friction underneath the stone and increase the amount of curl. It’s a lot of fun and was surprisingly easy to learn, though not master. I enjoyed very much my first attempt at curling and made new friends among sweepers and skippers!

Arrival

This science fiction movie with Amy Adams, as Dr. Louise Banks, is about a Linguistic Professor that is recruited by the US Army to try to communicate with extraterrestrials that landed in 12 countries on earth. The movie challenges the order of time, as it starts when we learn that Dr. Banks’s husband left her when he found out that their daughter will die of cancer. Dr. Banks reminiscences about her daughter’s childhood and dead. When the oval-shaped vessels land, Colonel Weber, played by Forest Whitaker, asks Dr. Banks to join him to attempt to communicate with the beings that landed. Dr. Banks agrees and is joined by a physicist, Ian Donnelly (played by Jeremy Renner) in the mission. The different countries involved with dealing with the vessels are so diverse that the lack of trust makes Colonel Weber fear that a war leading to destruction of earth may be launched if the extraterrestrials are challenged. Communication becomes the only way to overcome the challenge but Professor Banks soon realizes that it will take time as she has to rethink entirely simple ways for how to introduce herself to the extraterrestrials, and also how to make sure she communicates to ask them questions such as: what is their purpose on earth, where do they come from, what do they want and how did they get here. The extraterrestrials are heptapods (with long elongated heads and seven feet resembling huge squid) and use their ink to generate circular symbols, which are more of a nonlinear orthography compared to the way we communicate. Professor Banks realizes that the extraterrestrials came to help humanity and she will teach others their language, and that Ian Donnelly will become her husband. It is an odd fiction but makes you think if you could see your life from start to finish would you change something?

Interested on Pursuing Graduate School?

Graduates with a College degree earn 1 million more than those that did not attend College. Since automation has reduced the number of jobs that require only a High School degree, there will be a shortage of highly educated and highly qualified job applicants in the US. Therefore, there is an increasing need to pursue Graduate School to gain more specialized training to advance in many fields. Because of my own interest to pursue Graduate School, I attended a session that guided us on the process of Graduate School application. It is not too early to think about Graduate School once you are a sophomore, as there are many requirements you need to complete during your junior year. First of all, you need to research for Graduate Schools and visit, if possible some of your leading choices, contact Professors in your area of interest as some schools will pay the visit if they are interested in your qualifications, take the GRE (general and subject if required). Graduate School will allow you to get advanced training to be able to work at the top of your field of interest and contribute to move the frontiers of knowledge. Graduate School is definitively an investment in your future career options as the jobs of the future will require highly advanced training.

all you need is passion

Mike was able to use his time at Rose Cafe in a truly meaningful way. We talked about giving back, and what we have each done in that past to help others. Then, he spoke to each of us about our stories, and what he saw within them. Furthermore, he was able to tell us his story. How he was always passionate about helping, but never thought he could get a career out of it. Once he truly felt this was his calling, Mike attended graduate school. From there he ended up here, at Cornell. And since then the rest is history.

In this Cafe, Mike told us how there are so many organizations in Ithaca and its surrounding towns here to help the locals and that they are always seeking volunteers. Now knowing this, I want to lend a hand wherever I can. Overall, Mike and Engaged Cornell really are a force for good.

a genre in a new light

I never truly thought of romance as anything more than a standard genre of both literature and movies. Sara showed me otherwise. This rose cafe was much different than others I have attended, and I liked the that. The reason I felt it was different is  Sara made it more discussion based than simply explaining her topic then Q/A. Sara truly was able to guide the Cafe to explain what she does, while incorporating our thoughts and questions to heighten her topic.

To me, romance in literature/films was always about person A wanting to get the attention of person Band then to live a happy life together. With her insight, Sara was able to open up brand new doors for me. She explained how there are many types of romance and how they all branch off from earlier ideas set by others. For example, while she looks at romance from a classical perspective, we were able to go off of that notion and talk about romance in a modern day sense. We talked about what romance is in this day and time compared to our thoughts on what it was years ago.

This Cafe really made me want to start “reading for fun” like I did when I was younger. If that was Sara’s goal then it worked because I am now doing so

Patriot’s Day

In the movie, each shot of the streets of Boston is captured, each scene is captured, and the real images of the bombing and the screen shots made by the crew are inserted in turn to allow the audience to feel their way to the scene of the incident. Although the film was adapted from real events, unless you were a witness to the Boston Marathon bombing, you couldn’t even find out which plots in the movie had changed the actual events. Many times you will feel that this sense of realism is more like a documentary. The charm of this city in Boston is not only shown in the lens of the oldest buildings in the United States, the powerful four major league teams, but each and every one of the people who lived and now lives in this city. Everyone is determined to fight terrorism. The resolute and yearning for a better future. The episode interspersed with the appearance of a large number of Boston locations and Chinese. The rush runner was used by every Chinese student who read a book in Boston. Every film was run alongside the Charles River. Colorful and realistic add color.

12 angry men – determining one man’s fate

There was a logical loophole and method bias in the persuasion process of juror number 8. Asking someone what they had for dinner the day before yesterday or last week, about 99% may get the answer “can’t remember”. However, if you look up the name of the movie the day before yesterday or last week, there may be 99% of the possible answers. Well, between forgetting a dinner and the name of the movie, obviously they cannot be equivalent, and it can prove that the boy forgetting movie’s name is normal. In persuading the last person, juror number 8 found out the “psychological motives” of the father and son’s bad relationship, and pointed out that “you are the last person”, providing both the reason for persuasion and the other party. Mental stress was exerted. Is this way of persuasion correct? Why use one person to convince another person? Is it to seek objective truth, but also just to prove his point of view?

Finally, judging from the order in which all the people were turned, the first thing that was reversed was the grassroots, followed by middle class, and finally the rich. This arrangement was meaningful and I think the writer intended it. In the one-person-one-vote rule, the differences in the class were eliminated, and people who rarely had the right to speak had a veto power. Everyone who chooses to “do something I can do” often chooses to exercise power. Does this power bring about the desire and temptation to show power and thus influence their own objective judgment? In fairness, the evidence chain of the case is not complete and it is taken for granted. However, the decision of the people is actually not related to the truth. This is why everyone is looking dazed out of the court. Because everyone understands that they may not have made the right choice, whether or not the teenager has killed anyone. However, everyone who had originally voted for guilt turned from a careless and reckless mindset to a solemn one. He thought hard about making a judgment of “truth,” quarreled intensely, and tangled his heart, at least he thought there was “reasonable doubt”.

Even in the United States, where the independence of the judiciary is concerned, the rules of law alone cannot guarantee that the truth must have appeared, but it gives people equal rights and opportunities for “reasonable suspicion.” I think that the main meaning of this movie is not to tell a story of justice, nor is it a hymn to the American judicial system, but to convey to everyone the spirit of “should take seriously their own power”. Everyone carries heavy weight with the decisions they made – and people need to remember that.

What happens after the Arrival

Before they first entered the alien spacecraft, there were several shots toggles. From the hand touch the shell of the ship, to the character’s face close-up, to the hand close-up, and then back to the face close-up. Can not help but guess who this hand is, male or female.

Although men and women are divided about what constitutes the foundation of civilization, when we encounter a new thing, our instinctive reactions are the same. We are both afraid and curious. We both want to go near it and because we want to keep safe. distance. The people, the soldiers, and the stock market all show our fear of the unknown. For the first time into the spacecraft, the only light source is high above, a closed dark environment, solemn and mysterious background music, and a rising channel. And all the preparations that human had made before were merely in exchange for the obscure figures of two aliens.

When the alien language first appeared, the feeling was three-dimensional and dynamic. There are several close-ups in the movie. And when their language is translated into a flat 2D image that we can understand, hasn’t it been changed? The heroine’s understanding of alien language and alien language is gradual. Even at the end of the film, I’m not quite sure whether she fully understood and mastered such a language. From weapons, to tools, to gifts. The three words that seem to translate to each other express a completely different willingness. Weapons are understood as malicious, tools are neutral, and gifts express the goodwill of aliens. What aliens give is a tool. As for whether the tool is a science and technology or a process or a method, it is not very important. It is only the heroine’s understanding of this matter. Nuclear energy is a tool, a science and technology, it can also be a weapon, it can also be a gift. Just like our future, how it is depends on how we look at it and on how we choose to look at it.

The Life of a Dairy Cow

One of the main reasons I’ve been cutting dairy out of my life is due to the treatment of the cows. I went to a farm once before when I was really little, but all I can remember is that it smelled pretty pungent. The Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn gave me a chance to see first hand how this particular dairy bar is run.

 

Once the other Rose Scholars and I got to our destination, that familiar, intense smell wafted out of the barn and just about singed off my eyebrows.  All the dairy cows were in a line and being prepared for a milking.  Our tour guide informed us that the suction cups placed on the cows apply about the same pressure as a nursing calf.  There is also a disinfectant and moisturizer applied to the teats prior to milking.

 

After the milking station were the more permanent residences for the cows.  They were complete with backscratching machines, lines of food, and individual pens for the animals.  While the sleeping quarters for each individual cow looked pretty small, they opened to a much larger space, so the animals did not appear claustrophobic.

 

At the end of our tour, we were able to pet calves, which each had their own, small covered pen outside of the dairy farm.  Petting them was cathartic in a way, and I also got some really awesome close-ups of them.

 

I still think harvesting another mammal’s milk is pretty weird, but I was relieved to see that at least Cornell seems to treat its dairy cows well.

Giving Back

This week’s Rose Cafe, led by Mike Bishop, Director of Student Leadership in the Office of Engagement Activities, was about community engagement at Cornell. More specifically, we discussed ways that we have given back to our community in the past, and what we can continue to do here in Ithaca. I was amazed to learn that Ithaca has more than five hundred non-profit organizations, possibly due to the large population of students in the area. I enjoyed getting to hear from everyone in the room since we had a smaller crowd this week, and was touched by how passionate some students are about giving back to their communities.

12 Nations, 1 language

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to watch the film Arrival. The film centers around 12 alien spacecrafts that land on earth with no apparent motive. Soon after, we learn that the aliens have arrived to give mankind a weapon.

This weapon happens to be language and those who wield it can see the power of language and how it binds us. Only when the countries come together and reach a peaceful agreement, do the aliens bestow upon them the ultimate gift of language and it’s power.

One interesting aspect of this movie is how language gives the power of seeing into the future. The movie plays with this as it shows how the main character knows their child will die and her husband will leave him but she continues to engage in the relationship. This presents an important dilemma that leaves many viewers like me asking what we would have done in that situation. However, what’s more interesting to think about is that if the main character tried to avoid the situation, would the events in the future still have happened? A similar case is present in Oedipus and I wonder if the same thing would have repeated here.

All in all, this movie is fairly interesting and a good viewing for any Sci-if fans.

 

Language as a Tool

I can say with a certain amount of confidence that I am not a big fan of the sci-fi genre. I think it’s surprising since I find the actual premise of science fiction interesting. However, when it comes to the movies and the books, my interest tends to fade.

Arrival is somewhat different than other sci-fi movies. The emphasis that is placed on language is refreshing when compared to the never-ending science fiction films that are primarily action-based. While this film did have explosions of it’s own, they were never at the core of the film. Language played the largest role. This was set up in the movie from the very beginning, when it was seen to revolve around a linguist. The film’s emphasis on language showed the importance that it has on everyday lives and the way that we communicate. Although the film did place some extra qualities to language (it is science fiction), just the communication among the countries in the film when tensions were the most high show how a few simple words can change an outcome. The movie showed the importance of language as a way of reaching people and being able to empathize with others in a way that promotes better relations.

The degree to which we must appreciate non-linearity

Last week watching The Arrival was eye opening for me. In understanding how aliens were talking using circular references for times instead of the linear, structure time measurement that humans use, this really allowed me to question the linearity of the world. Why is it that when we do certain things, we expect other things to happen. For example, we correlate getting a job with getting happiness as we will get paid an live independent lives. Similarly, we correlate good health with making us feel empowered to do everything we desire. In living in a world where each action, has a supposed negative and positive action, we lose sight of the continuous flow of events that shape our lives. I’d prefer the alien’s concept of representing time in a circle, and would extend that to representing all life events as a circle since a circle has no sharp ends and twists and has a constant influx of certain scenarios which lead to others and which then revert back to the original. In this sense, a circular way of life allows for a life that is more fluid and dynamic but repetitive and consistent in that every path of the circle is continually repeated. I feel that the circle is a proper metaphor for life since we do encounter similar situations and repeat aspects of our lives consistently, however we are often times bombarded with obstacles and difference events which in the end still allow us to complete our continuous cycle instead of viewing our paths as strictly regressive or progressive.

I was also impressed at the assimilation of communication skills that took place when trying to understand the language of the aliens. I believe that this action showed how language is more than words, language is so dependent on the context, the way the words are said, the emotions, etc. I believe this relates to my interactions with people since I am more focused at times regarding people’s body language, facial expression,etc rather than what they are actually saying which shows how everything besides words itself can be powerful communication tools. I also thought it was interesting to imagine a world time is uniform. As a person that spends a lot of time worrying about the future,and feeling guilty over my past, I would wonder what it would be like if all those time periods were to merge together and I could truly live in the moment and take life situations as they go simply because I would have no other choice. In this regard, I learned to appreciate the non-linear structured way of life because at times I feel that societal structures and expectations have made me more unhappy.

Arriving at a Conclusion

Arrival is a film which delves into the concept of learning as a way to alter your mind. Here at Cornell I had the pleasure of taking an introductory linguistics course and the hypothesis that learning a language can change the way you think was brought up. It has not been well studied, but a real life example brought up was color perception. Some languages have names for colors which english does not, i.e. the hue of color between orange and yellow doesn’t have an english name (other than yellow-orange) but some cultures do have a unique name for this. The people in these cultures also see these colors “better”, that is they notice them and distinguish them easily. If you lack the vocabulary, or alternatively have a wider selection of words to choose from, the way you sense the world changes. Newspeak, the official language in Orwell’s novel 1984, is perhaps similar in this regard. By limiting vocabulary and losing your ability to express yourself, you thus lack the conceptual ability to even think for yourself. I only know one language (my Cornell transcript shows I have mastered 3 semesters of Latin but that dubious at best) so I don’t fully understand how this works in real life. I do have friends who are bilingual, and they mention all the time that “this sentence is so much better in the original French”. I have to take their word for it, but this sentiment is again more evidence that languages force you to consider the world in different ways. The traditional hypothesis of human development says that once people had brains large enough, language followed. However, scientists have learned today that its not just the size of brain, but also the way the brain is internally structured that leads to human’s greater intellect. So maybe instead of better brains creating language, language rewired our brains to change the way we viewed the world.

If You Knew the Future, Would You Try to Change It?

Last Friday night, I attended Rose’s screening of the sci-fi drama Arrival. This intriguing film focused upon Louise Banks, a linguistics professor tasked with deciphering the language of extraterrestrials who have peacefully landed on Earth. In the process of learning this extraterrestrial language, Louise gains the ability to see the future. She foresees that she will conceive and birth a daughter who will die as a young adult from illness. Despite envisioning such a future, Louise decides to conceive the baby anyway. Once the daughter is born, Louise’s husband separates from her upon discovering that Louise knew the child’s fate prior to conception.

I initially had a hard time understanding Louise’s decision to conceive despite knowing the baby’s eventual tragic fate. It is difficult to imagine putting a child through such a sad, stressful, and fatal ordeal knowing it could have been prevented. Additionally, I struggled with the fact that Louise kept such a secret from her husband, who also had to go through the unfathomable tragedy of losing a child.

However, I had an interesting discussion about Louise’s dilemma with a friend who had a different perspective on the situation. Despite dying early, the child likely brought joy to Louise and her husband’s lives, and, it was also highly possible that the daughter lived a fulfilling life she wouldn’t regret, despite it being cut short. Therefore, is it so bad that Louise conceived the child knowing it would die? The issue is further complicated by Louise’s foresight, as, in visualizing her future experiences and interactions with the child, Louise may have already felt she had developed a real relationship with the child. Thus, it would make it hard to decide not to conceive a child whom she already “knew.”

Louise’s decision is more complicated than it initially appears to be. Although I can’t find it in myself to say what she did was right, I will admit that I do understand her reasoning.

Grad School Planning

GRF Sara led a discussion about Graduate School during this seminar. First, I’d like to say that her own story about how she got to where she is today was very interesting and admirable to me. She graduated with an undergraduate degree of History and worked at a finance firm after graduating and somehow got to be a PHD student in English here at Cornell. Her passion and enthusiasm for the humanities is definitely a major reason why she is here. I especially admire her passion for what she does, as she phrased it, “What kind of grown-up gets to read everyday for fun?”.

As for myself, I intend to go to Physical Therapy School after undergrad and I plan to get a doctor in physical therapy. Our discussion however pertained mostly to other types of grad schools such as MBA programs, PHD programs and other master degrees as well. The process for each program does overlap in that we must apply with a personal statement, interviews, and recommendations. I learned a bit more about gap years and what my fellow peers’ opinions were on it. In my opinion, a gap year or years, would be a good time to gain some professional experience in the real world before going back to school. I believe it would help make an application to grad school stronger in I would be more mature and experienced. However, like my other peers, I have doubts about taking a break from school and not having the same mindset and drive to work academically. I’m still open to either option and I’m excited to see where my experiences take me!

Land Trusts

Dr. Andy Zepp came to speak to us about the organization he was a part of, a Land trust. I had heard of other types of trusts prior to this rose cafe, but I had never heard of land trusts. I found his story interesting that he had graduated from ILR here at Cornell and went into marketing before deciding to go back to school and further his interest in the environment.

We learned more about the Finger Lakes Land Trust which works with the government and other private landowners to preserve lands in different regions of the country, mostly in areas around Ithaca. They find land that they believe should be kept and preserved and work out deals with the owners of these lands and the government to see if they are able to subsidize part of the price. The work that they do is important for not just tourists who can enjoy beautiful trails and nature, but also for environmental conservation purposes.

Dr. Zepp showed us many pictures of beautiful landscapes that they helped to preserve including a piece of land interestingly enough, owned previously by a Cornell Professor. I also found it interesting that Land Trusts are not necessary in other countries in Europe since the government has a larger say in how the land is used unlike here in the US. Therefore I believe that the work that Finger Lake Land Trusts, while not widely known, is extremely important in conserving the beautiful lands surrounding us.

Watching movies in college

A few days ago, I watched The Arrival. It’s basically a movie about a alien landing and a Linguistics academic is the only one who has the patience/knowledge/skills to figure out a way to communicate with them without having the world combust. I really loved the movie, especially because it was sort of a sci/fi futuristic movie and it featured a heroine as the protagonist.

I remember in high school, I used to watch one movie every weekend, I basically looked up every single Oscar nominee and tried to watch them all. In my freetime, I would browse trailers for hours on YouTube. It makes me kind of sad that I don’t even know what movie trailers are out there anymore. Not just movies, but also browsing new music used to be one of my favorite activities. :’)

***

I think the movie industry is going to experience a lot of change with the influence of data science specifically in the area of attracting viewers. MoviePass is this hot startup that has lots of funding from their seed rounds. Currently, it’s in the process of losing a lot of money in exchange for data collection to bolster the strength of their algorithm. The company is giving out unlimited movies at any movie theatre in their system for $10 monthly. You are essentially paying $10 and your privacy (they keep track of what movies you are watching). Clearly, from the Cambridge Analytica mishap, it seems fairly simple to allocate different buckets of personalities for people and micro target them. So, I will not be surprised if what MoviePass is able to do changes the landscape of movies and trailers entirely. This is really sad to say I think, but I am fine with them sending me targeted ads about products I might like based on my personality and past searches. I guess the problem comes when they try and influence my political and social views… that’s not ok!

All by our lonesome?

On Sunday I went on the Earth Day Hike in Ringwood Ponds. It turned out that it was just me, GRF Sara Schlemm and Todd Bittner, our guide. Although it was a small group it was nice to have more flexibility in where we went and what we saw.

One ofter hears about how being “in nature” or without electronics is a de-stressing activity, but you never really realize it until you do it. It was both a physical and emotional breath of fresh air to be in a natural area and just plain explore. This is something we do often as children, but gets harder and harder to do the older you get, as we accrue new responsibilities.

I’ll just give one example. We were watching newts swim around in a pond, when Todd motioned us toward the surface and used a stick to pick something up. On a closer look, it was a collection of newts eggs. The eggs are bound together by a jelly-like substance and attached to blades of grass.

It’s really quite beautiful up close. The sac does a wonderful job of protecting the eggs and keeping them stationary until they hatch.

The ponds at Ringwood are seasonal, in that they dry and refill seasonally. Because of this there aren’t any fish in these ponds, making them a ripe habitat for amphibians. When we arrived the ponds were mostly silent, but by the time we circled back around the sound of spring peeper’s was almost deafening. The variety of wildlife was pretty astonishing.

Something else that I really appreciated was tree identification. Before then I hadn’t a clue how to tell different species of trees apart. Todd showed us a bunch of different ways to tell common trees apart: from bark to leaf shape to branching patterns. The people in change of managing Cornell owned natural resources do a lot of management of species ratios and ecosystem health so  its crucial that they can identity trees quickly.

 

Romance with GRF Sara Schlemm

This weeks Rose café was one of the most enjoyable because Sara is so passionate about the work she is studying and you can tell how excited she gets to share it with us. Sara works on romance in the classic sense which may be contrary to ones instinctive understanding of romance in literature. In history romantic literature is characterized by fantasy, magic, love, disruption of authority and general escapes from reality. By explaining the roots of romance back to medieval literature Sara really opened up my understanding of the definition of romance of a genre.

We also spent some time relating these research topics to modern day. Sara told us of her plans to make her current research into a historically comprehensive book about romance literature into modern day. We talked about how social media and consumer culture is in itself a function of romance; allowing us to escape from reality and choose our modes of perception. Another interesting part of this discussion was peoples expressed interest in fantasy and romance in their younger teen years. I wonder what this means about the link between fantasy and romance and what role that plays in the maturation process. Also, how does fantasy and romance maintain a role in our lives through altered forms/mediums and we become increasingly immersed in realistic adulthood?

Whether to change your choice or not

Last Friday, I watched the movie Arrival  with other Rose Scholar fellows. It was my second time watched the movie, but it still brought very strong feelings for me. The movie is about the main character, Louise, can see the future. She knows that she will marry her colleague Ian, but their daughter will die early and Ian will eventually leave her.

 

I think about this choice with my own experience and ask myself: If I can see the future, especially some heart-broken event, will I still make the same choice? I am 20 years now. I enjoy studying in Cornell and getting along with my friends, especially in Cornell in which most of them come from completely different backgrounds and offer me a brand new view of the world. However, I also experienced some failure/heart-broken moments. I know that this seemly not so pleasant moments bring me valuable lesson, and makes me much more stronger and mature than before, and cherish what I have more. So if I were Louise, I would do the same choice, because life is not only about results, the love, happiness even sadness during the process of getting the result is also very valuable.

First Clay Experience in Johnson Museum of Art

Last Thursday, several other Rose scholars and I, together with GRF, attended a weekly clay workshop in Johnson Museum of Art with no prior experience required. Before we got our hands dirty, the instructor guided us through some clay collections in the museum. What really surprised me is how the utility and beauty of sculpting with clay can be combined so well. I really like some of the collections in which the shape of the sculptures with clay represent the jobs of the owner, such as farmer.

For our workshop, the theme is fruit. I created an apple, which is the classical fruit representing harvest. The instructor gave us hand by hand instruction and always encouraged us no matter what kind of fruits we choose. Even if we may not very proficient in making sculpture with clay, we did feel the creativity brought by the infinite possibilities of the art. There is no designated form for any specific fruit, and we can create them in any form we what, as long as we experience happiness and fulfillment of creating our own sculpture.

Narrative is Linear

Since my post will largely ignore this fact, I want to say that Arrival is one of my favourite movies I have seen all year. It was visually stunning, thematically thought provoking, and, at any rate, I am a sucker for stories about first contact with extraterrestrial life.

One of the key features of the film ‘Arrival’ is its “non-linear” narrative. There are multiple points where Louise is observing events in the future or past that influence the direction the narrative goes. The opening scene takes place well after the climax of the movie, for instance. Thus, we are invited, as the audience, to see the story unfold in a sequence that goes against the standard flow of time. However, I am not convinced that this counts as non-linear in a a deep fashion, because as I consider this, it seems to me that the concept of “narrative” itself depends on a form of linearity.

Since I’ve argued this point with other Rose Scholars already, and there digressed to some more radical definitions, I’ll stay conservative here. Narrative, as I’m considering it, is simply a story. Thus Arrival is a narrative. As we watch Arrival, the director has chosen a sequence in which to present the scenes. We observe the scenes as they play out in front of us. This is the sense in which I think Arrival is truly linear – within the universe of the narrative, the characters experience things atemporally, but within the viewer’s conception of the narrative, it plays out in a sequential, linear order.

Since I don’t exactly have a proof that ALL narrative is linear, I’ll consider two classical examples of non-linear narratives in an attempt to drive my point home further. The first is ‘Pulp Fiction’, which, similarly to Arrival, displays scenes in an order which is not the order that the characters experience them. For example, the final scene of the movie takes place immediately after the first, despite multiple days of story taking place in between. However, just as Arrival, there is a linear order to the scenes as presented, so the narrative, as experienced by the viewer is linear. The second is ‘Primer’, as story about two guys who invent time travel and find that using it gives them power that destroys their lives. It’s difficult to say whether or not the scenes as presented to the viewer are out of order with respect to the perspective of the characters in the movie – the plot is deliciously convoluted. But, again, the narrative as experienced by the viewer moves in a specific sequence chosen by the director. This may seem like a trivial point, but I’m fixated on it for a particular reason; it means that, no matter how hard we may try, we will always experience narrative linearly. A story told will be heard in the order it is told, and to me this suggests something fundamental about stories. Perhaps fundamental about our perception of time itself. Though Arrival, of course, would argue that this perception can be contested.

For those interested in exploring some atemporal philosophy, Book XI of Confessions by St. Augustine is something I read for a class this week and is related to a number of the temporal themes of arrival, particularly our conception of time. Jake Januzelli pointed this out to me originally.
http://pm.nlx.com/xtf/view?docId=augustine_iii/augustine_iii.01.xml;chunk.id=div.aug.confessions.137;toc.depth=1;toc.id=div.aug.confessions.137;brand=default

Foreknowledge

The central character of Arrival, Louise, is a linguist. She is tasked with deciphering the language of a visiting alien race, the heptapods. Louise’s ultimate mission is to find out why the heptapods are on Earth. The aliens eventually explain to Louise that 3000 years in the future, they will need the humans to help them. In exchange for their assistance in the future, the heptapods have come to offer something in exchange: their language.

As a result of learning the heptapod language, Louise begins to perceive time in a non-linear fashion. We learn that her visions of her daughter, Hannah, who died a terminal illness, are not flashbacks, but flash forwards. Louise will marry her colleague, Ian, and one day have a child named Hannah.

While it’s not the focus of the plot, Arrival raises interesting questions about the nature of time and of foreknowledge. Specifically, I wondered whether or not the events in the flash-forward visions that Louise and the heptapods have are inevitable, or whether, by knowing the future, the heptapods, and Louise, can change it.

Examining the film, the evidence in the case of the heptapods seems mixed. If knowing the future allowed them to change it, why don’t the heptapods simply avoid whatever trouble they’re going to be in 3000 years in the future? Perhaps it’s because that trouble is inevitable – or maybe reaching out to humanity is simply the most effective way to solve the problem.

In Louise’s case, the film seems to suggest that Louise choose to allow her future with Hannah and Ian to unfold, even though she knew it would end painfully. This suggests that the visions are not inevitable. Yet, if what you’re seeing doesn’t have to happen, you’re not really seeing the future, are you? You’re seeing a possible version of events.

It’s interesting to consider what heptapod society would be like if all individuals have this forecasting ability. Would it complicate the visions if everyone involved could see them and change their actions in the present if they wished events would turn out differently? How would it affect you in the present if other people know you will do something bad in the future?

Louise also faces an interesting dilemma, in which case she knows that her future will bring both great happiness and great sadness, and must decide whether to let it happen.

Or, maybe the visions –  or at least certain components of the visions – are inevitable. In this case, the real question is not what choice you would make in Louise’s shoes, but whether or not you would prefer to know the future if you did not have the power to affect it.

Both interpretations raise interesting questions. I’m not sure which one I would prefer. One offers the power to choose your future – but also a great deal of responsibility. The other one would likely make you feel powerless. Either way, it is fascinating to consider to what extent the future the heptapods see is in flux.

Sculpting and the Benefits of Crafting

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to go to the Johnson Museum and, as the event is titled, sculpt with clay. While the event coordinator, Annmarie, did show us some interesting pieces of pottery, the main activity was being able to create our own fruit- inspired sculptures. I used to craft quite a bit (although not generally with clay), and I had been looking forward to this event since GRF Magdala had mentioned it back in early March. I found the ambiance of everyone getting their hands dirty and encouraging and praising each other’s handiwork to be very relaxing, especially since that week and the previous week had been very stressful for me. It got me thinking about the benefits of crafting, whether it be knitting, sculpting, macrame, or something else entirely. After coming back, I went online and found articles stating that crafting may, among other things, protect the brain from aging, relieve stress and anxiety, and increase happiness, by putting the mind in a state similar to meditation and releasing dopamine. I’m not sure if these articles are overstating the benefits of crafts, especially since the studies are relatively new, but I certainly came out of the sculpting session much happier than I was going into it. If there are similar arts and crafts events in the future, I will be sure to sign up as soon as possible.

Romance and Magic

Last Week, I attended GRF Sara’s Rose Cafe about romance in the traditional sense. Although many of us today would associate “romance” with a certain genre of novels and with love and romantic relationships, the word also has another meaning that refers to a genre of historical literature dealing with fantasy and adventures and idealized heroes. Thus, we have Arthurian romances chronicling the adventures of King Arthur and his knights. Epic fantasy novels or series such as J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings would also be considered romance. GRF Sara’s research studies the rise and fall of the popularity of romance during the English Renaissance period, but – knowing that this topic might be foreign to most of us – she linked the ideas of romance, magic, and alternate realities that cropped up during this historical time period to modern day issues.

One subject that we touched on near the end especially piqued my interest. We discussed our interests in the fantasy genre and whether romance is still thriving through these stories. Many people in the group mentioned that they had read fantasy books as children but no longer did, leading me to wonder about the inherent idealism present in many fantasy stories and whether that contributes to our nostalgia surrounding them. The main conceit of romance, with chivalrous heroes and epic adventures, lends itself to stories with very clear-cut morality systems and conflicts between good and evil. Nevertheless, as a current avid reader of fantasy literature, I know that many novels in the genre subvert these expectations, and I wonder about how historical authors of romances tackled these ideas.

Biohacking–Achieving Mental Attunement

Last week I attended the Table Talk hosted by SA Andrew about what he terms “biohacking”. I will admit I came to the table talk thinking it was about bioengineering as I only saw the title of the event, but I was interested by the content all the same. The concept behind biohacking is finding quick and simple actions such shutting your eyes and looking upward, cold showers, and selectively choosing at what times to eat in order to help “optimize” your body and life. The premise revolves around the notion that the human body is nothing more than a complex machine, and as such, it can be optimized through small cheats or “hacks”. An example mentioned was simply forcing your mouth into a smile results in a release of serotonin in the brain–a spontaneous response that originates from human physiology. Biohacks apparently are different from person to person, and therefore, the central part of biohacking is better understanding your body and how it functions. I found the concept to be an intriguing blend of what is likely placebo and actual human physiology. So many of us live our daily lives without being truly in tune with ourselves–both with respect to mental health and physical well-being. From this, biohacking seems to be a particularly valuable method of better achieving mental attunement and awareness of your personal health.

Is Romance just Fantasy?

Last week I attended a great Rose Cafe hosted by our GRF Sara. Sara’s studies are on romance in literature and how the policing and treatment of romance literature reflects upon modern society’s values. Although I have not done in depth research on romance, I definitely saw where Sara was going with her research question.

Currently, I am enrolled in a class about the medieval romances. This cafe got me to think about how these medieval romances have somehow stuck around for thousands of years after their initial conception. Although I tend to read them skeptically, due to the fantastical and unlikely occurrences within them, I’ve begun to realize this might be the appeal of the genre. No real life romance plays out the way they do in the epic romances, just as no one will really embark on a quest to save the world because they were born the chosen one. I think romance is fantasy, in both senses of the word. Modern day fantasy novels incorporate many of the tropes seen in medieval romance, and fulfill our fantasies at the same time. Whether this is a fantasy of a perfect, epic romance or of vanquishing evil singlehandedly.

This cafe got me to thinking about the reasons I had once used to profess my dislike of the romances in the romance genre. I now realize there is no real reason to think of them poorly as unrealistic ideals of love, when they were always intended as unachievable ideals of love that are simply meant to fulfill fantastical desires. Overall, it was a great cafe that has opened up my perspective in reading the romance era of literature.

Knowledge and Choices

The movie “Arrival” was an interesting find. I’ve never gotten around to watching it on my own even tough I’ve heard great things about it. The entire story line was a tiny bit confusing because it wasn’t exactly in chronological order. Although the term evades me, it added to the mystery and slightly dark nature of the film. In the beginning of the film, with the bleak opening (I’m trying not to reveal too many details and this event really dictates a lot in this film), the audience is left questioning what is the true storyline. The protagonist is a linguist who seems very disheveled and unsure about her own position in life on her own story line. She’s confused about her husband although she isn’t married and there’s this aura of sadness that surrounds her in the opening scene. The audience believes that this sadness is attributed to the event that occurs in the beginning of the film. However, at the end you realize she just has knowledge of this event but, she hasn’t gone through the pain as of yet. This brings to a light a very important question on whether or not would anyone like to know what will happen in their lives in the future or in a certain timeline. If you would like to know, would you try to change it?

Even though this movie brought up several points to discuss, I think it takes a particularly brave soul to continue on with a certain life knowing the consequences. When I initially saw the movie, I thought her decision was dumb because her particular choice in life would cause her a lot of misery and that haunted and hollowed look we see in the opening. Personally, if I acquired the power to somehow break the normal way of perceiving time, I would probably try to scan through the several different possible storylines and find the one that I would end up being the happiest. There’s no point in walking into heartbreak. Because your perception of time would change, you’d be able to scan through these different time lines. Her choice baffled me and was kind of expected. I guess from the opening they determined the timeline she would choice and I wish they added a separate timeline. Maybe they could’ve changed some other event that would preserve who her life partner is but, would save her from her fate. I guess that’s  a question we should all ask ourselves and not just in retrospect, would we do certain things all over again?

Fantasy = Nostalgia

Last week, I attended Rose Cafe, where GRF Sara began to share with us her PhD studies in Romance and Fantasy. She described Romance, not as a term that people use to describe their intimate relationships with each other, but more of a relationship with hardships. Specifically, those that were in the medieval times. When she inevitably brought up fantasy, all I could begin thinking about were the various books or movies that I would read or watch that allowed my imagination to go wild. Especially, when I read a book I felt like I could really visualize the situations that were happening and always had questions. Usually, these questions were about why characters could not do something a different way or why they were treated a certain way. Like I mentioned earlier, fantasy just allows one to let their mind roam free and untamed. It reminds me of nostalgia.

Enjoying something that does that for you creates a feeling that is called nostalgia. Nostalgia brings us now busy college students a longing for the simplistic times. To be completely honest I feel that there is nothing wrong with that. Of course, as long as this longing does not consume us but instead motivates us to continue to work hard because simpler times will be ahead.

A Less Romantic Notion of Romance

At GRF Sara’s Rose Cafe, we discussed her research in Romance literature, and how our understanding of Romance (and romance, lowercase) has shifted not only throughout history but also throughout our own lives.

Somewhat surprisingly, a lot of what we consider to be fantasy nowadays would actually have fallen under the category of Romance in the past (and maybe still falls under that category today, depending on your view). Maybe even more surprisingly, nearly everyone in the room felt like they were more drawn to fantasy/Romance when they were younger than they are now, and feel nostalgic about about it, if anything. Sara noted that even in history, Romance was a genre that sought to blend magic and reality, offering a wildly unique take on the world and a transformative experience for the reader – qualities which in my opinion appeal to the youthful sense of wonder in all of us.

Maybe that’s why we “romanticize” things nowadays, or call certain actions or words “romantic” – these terms have deviated from the traditional definition of Romance and likely derive from the modern lovers’ romance with which we’re more familiar, but we often use them to describe things that are unrealistic. When someone tells me a story about what their significant other did for them on their birthday, for instance, I’ll think, how romantic, but what that really means is how ideal. Along those lines, people who romanticize something are idealizing it, or viewing it as a model to be emulated or achieved. In a way, Romance and romance are two versions of the same human desire to experience the unreal, or the ideal. For me, that was the main takeaway from this talk: that Romance and romance aren’t as different as we originally tend to perceive.

Romance or Fantasy? Why not both?!

It’s crazy the impact that your living place has on your life. In GRF Sara’s case, it brought her to the topic of her dissertation. She claimed that it is important to study a topic that is interesting to others. When we hear the word “romance” today we think of a romantic gesture but would not typically use it to describe our relationships. In past centuries, that wasn’t the case. Romance was a type of literature which had elements of magic, tragedy and adultery. If you look at the impact technology has on our society, it’s as if it forces us to live in a romance whether we want to or not. I thought this was a very interesting thought. Our online experience is tailored for each individual based on our searches and previous internet activity. We see mostly what we want to see. What will new advances in technology do to our society? Virtual reality enables people to escape and enter these mythical lands of adventure. Will our time period take escaping reality to a new level?

On a side note, I just wanted to say how pure and enjoyable it was to see how excited GRF Sara got when another scholar said she was taking a medieval romance course this semester. Thank you for sharing your work with us!

Art of Spring

On a snowy day in April, I was feeling ready for spring to come even more than usual. I wanted the warmth and to see the missing sun again. On that day I went to the Johnson Museum and worked with clay. It was nice to do something with my hands instead of my mind for once. We made fruits and vegetables that we were eager to have this summer. My piece of clay became a watermelon. It was fun to do something artistic and I learned a lot about the museum while I was there. I have spent almost an entire year at Cornell and yet before that day I had never even gone to the art museum. There are so many programs that I have not utilized there and I cannot wait to make use of them now that I know where to go.

Would you Change the Future?

Last Friday, I saw the movie Arrival. It was an interesting movie. In the end, we find out that the main character, Louise, can see the future. She sees that she’ll marry her colleague, Ian, and that they’ll have a daughter. Unfortunately, her daughter will get a disease and will pass away and Ian will leave them. Even though she knows this, she still chooses to be with Ian. I understand why she does this, but I don’t think that I would be strong enough to do the same thing. I can imagine that losing a child and a husband would be a terrible thing, and I just wouldn’t want to go through that. In a way, her choice is also selfish. She doesn’t tell her husband about this until it’s too late, and so, in a way, she makes the choice for him. He might not have made the same choice that she did, but he did not get that option. But this is an impossible situation. Since she can see the future, she saw how happy her family was while they were still together, and she might have felt that that happiness was worth the eventual sadness. Since Ian can’t see the future, he can’t see the happiness, and therefore even if she had told Ian about what was going to happen, he never would’ve been able to understand the entire situation. Louise was very strong to make the choice that she did, but I don’t think that I would’ve done the same thing.

Dairy Delight

Last week we had a chance to visit the Cornell Dairy teaching barn to tour the facility that houses Cornell Dairy’s main operations. We were given a delightful tour by an animal science graduate student who walked us through the general day-to-day workings of a functioning dairy facility. Many aspects of the dairy industry are viewed by some as nefarious due to welfare/ethical concerns and are thus stigmatized (something that was brought up by the tour guide). The Cornell facility, however, seeks to counter some of this negative light through education on what a properly run dairy barn should look like. The cows all seemed very relaxed–some even quite curious–and all of them were at all times happily chewing their specialized tailored food-blend that is optimized for both health and milk production. My favorite portion of the visit–and I’m sure it was a sentiment shared by many–was the tour of the calf pens. The calves were incredibly adorable and far more sociable than their mature counterparts, and they seemed delighted to have visitors. Overall, the trip was very unique and insightful. As someone who consumes products from Cornell Dairy daily, it was certainly valuable to be able to see where this dairy comes from and to learn more about the science behind milk production here at Cornell.

A visit to the dairy barn

I loved visiting the dairy barn last week!

I didn’t realize we were actually going there. For some reason I thought that we were going to the dairy bar. I was super excited to see where we ended up instead! It was so much fun to have a close look at the dairy cows. It was neat to see the way that they milked the cows. I just assumed that cows were all milked by hand. Instead there was a nifty machine that milked five cows at once.

The cows were very curious, and the calves were adorable! There were so many of them too.

Apparently, the cows like the temperature to be a bit cold. The barn is a bit chilly, and they have massive fans to keep air circulating during the summer. Cows are also very warm, like space heaters if you lean up against them. So, if I’m lost in the winter, all I have to do is find a cow and I’ll be good to go. Moo.

 

Caution to all who enter here…

When I first heard about this film The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young, I was surprised by how aggressive, for lack of a better word, the title was. I am not a particularly active runner nor am I interested in the idea of running numerous miles, but usually the many movie titles I have seen about running and marathons have a positive connotation with the title and the story itself is supposed to be uplifting.

Once more about the marathon was revealed, the title made more sense. Usually, marathons are supposed to celebrate hard work and persistence, and while the Barkley Marathon does, it also focuses on survival. Which makes sense when you consider its origins: the 1977 prison break of James Earl Gray. In 55 hours, he only covered 8 miles through the rugged terrain. Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell thought he could do better and thus the Barkley Marathon was born.

For a race born during a prominent time, it is notoriously hard to get into. Not only is the opening for registration and how to register not well known, but an application must be filled out, from which you can get denied. While I am not an outdoorsy person, I do understand why such a race could be considered interesting. Not only is it about running, which you can train for, it is also about survival and having to expect the unexpected, which is less easily trained for.

The Power of Language

The movie Arrival, we watched this Friday is a very interesting science fiction movie about aliens, UFO, but instead of depicting the appearance and personalities of the aliens, it emphasis on their language. The story led by the main character a linguist Louise Banks, who managed to communicate with the aliens learn about their languages and figure out their intentions to earth.

This movie reminds me of the Cognitive Science class that I’m taking right now about how humans learn new languages and the universal language grammar. In this movie, the weapon that the aliens bring to the earth is their language, which could foresee the future and the past. This is a huge power, but yet the ending of the movie Louise realized her sad future if she fall in love with Ian, and have a child with him despite the fact that she know the child’s fate. This is really devastating because she has to follow her fate, and she can’t change it. The timeline explanation has always been a tough problem for this time travel story, because if we change the present how will the future change is always unknown and it’s easy to reach a contradiction for either way of explanation. Luckily, this movie mostly focused on the communication and how the main character unravel the mystery of the language instead of showing how the further story develops after humans have the power of knowing the future. This decision made the audience enjoyed the movie , instaed of picking the logic contradiction within the assumption of the movie.

Therefore, overall this is a very enjoyable movie, and I’m glad that it reminds me of some fun knowledge I learnt from my course.

Not quite the dairy bar

Last Saturday, I visited the Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn for the first time. I think a couple Rose Scholars were expecting a trip to the dairy bar, but this was definitely not the same. Isabelle, a CALS alumna and current vet student, showed us around the place. We first entered near the milking station. I didn’t quite play attention to how the cows were placed into their stations, but I thought it was interesting how well-behaved they all seemed to be. She told us about the process of milking, and how someone uses iodine to disinfect before attaching them to the main machine. The RFID tagged cows also have their milking history stored in their system, so they can keep track of how they’re doing.

We then moved along to see where the cows resided when not being milked. Along the way, we saw a cow with a cannula. In the cab ride over, we talked a little bit about what we were hoping to see. One person mentioned wanting to milk a cow, but I had said that it would be an interesting experience to stick my arm into one of those cow holes. We didn’t end up getting to do that, but that’s definitely something I’d be into trying sometime. Isabelle said that the force exerted can actually be quite strong.

She talked about how the area was set up, such that sand and bars were placed so that cows would preferably lay down in a certain position, such that their feces wouldn’t end up in the sand, making clean-up easier. She also said that from experience, their sand beds can be quite comfortable.

We also got to see a couple of calves that were just a few hours old. We learned that they were separated from their moms by a fence, because cows can step on their young unintentionally. We also learned that cows like to eat placenta, even if it’s from another cow. We then got to see where the older calves stayed. We ended off with learning a little about their feedstock.

The whole experience was definitely interesting. As someone who has never been interested in vet work myself, it was definitely a unique experience for me. One of my hallmates freshmen year was an animal science major who came from a family who raised cows. I remember her having to go to the barn to do overnight shifts wearing her coveralls, so I was at least prepared enough to wear boots on the day of. Overall, I just thought it was a fun experience to see more first-hand what animal science students much more regularly. They get to experience what they’re learning about too, and I’m glad that Cornell provides what I think is a valuable learning experience and that I was able to get a glimpse of what goes on there.

The Gift of Time

The arrival is yet another story about lack of communication and the need for humans to feel threaten by the things they do not understand. In watching this movie, I realized that all is takes is for one person to stand up for the misunderstood in order for the world to really understand their purpose. After watching this movie, a question really stuck with me: If you could see your whole life from end to beginning, will you change things?

If I somehow was blessed with the gift of time from a bunch of visiting aliens, I would feel the need to change things if my end turned out to be bad. I feel that this kind of gift could be a blessing and a curse due to the fact that one could spend a lifetime changing things in their future that is not liked. In all, I thought this movie and event to be enjoyable.

Connected by Language

I am not typically a fan of science fiction but Arrival was definitely one of the better science fiction films I have seen. It was very creative, from the flashforwards Louise experiences with her child to the language using ink and circles that the heptapods used to communicate. I thought it was interesting how Louise could see the future and I wondered if I had the ability to do so, would I consider this be a good or bad thing? I think that knowing the future would just make me anxious and make me feel like I have no control over my life because what is going to happen is going to happen anyway. I am curious to know if Louise’s ability to see the future is very detailed (she can see everything) or if she can only see certain outcomes. Overall, I enjoyed the film’s focus on linguistics and on the importance of communication in solving problems. I find it fascinating how we are able to understand sentences with little to no effort but when you think about teaching sentences to someone else, there are actually many components to it.

Running in Circles

This week’s film was a documentary on the Barkley Marathons. I have never heard of the event, or for that matter the entire sport of extreme marathon running. The point of these ridiculously long, arduous races seems to be to challenge yourself. Your goal is to push yourself to your limits and learn how to accept defeat. The Barkley Marathons in particular highlight the futility of mankind. So far only 15 people have ever finished the race since its inception in the mid 1980s. It is a life lesson, you can try your hardest but ultimately fail. Even if you finish the race you get nothing but the pride of completing. The Marathons are organized by Lazarus Lake, an eccentric fellow who has wrapped up his philosophy of life into one fun foot race. The race stacks almost everything against the competitors, puts them through the worst possible conditions. Competitors face harsh weather, physical and emotional pain as they run. Like the race, life is no easy task and merely successfully completing the either the race or life is prize enough.

I Love Running… But Would I Run the Barkley Marathons?

Last Friday night, I attended Rose’s screening of the documentary The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young. I had never heard of the Barkley Marathons before viewing this film, and I was shocked that such an unbelievably strenuous, taxing, and exhausting race exists — and that people actually want to participate in it! In case you are unfamiliar with The Barkley Marathons, this trail race is composed of 5 20 mile loops (100 miles overall) in Frozen Head State Park of Tennessee. 40 runners are chosen to participate via an undisclosed application process, and each loop of the race must be completed in 12 hours for the participant to continue competing. Only 15 runners have ever completed the 100 mile race in its 32-year history.

I was obsessed with running in high school – I was on the cross country, winter track, and spring track teams for all 4 years. I loved the challenge that running presented, the competition that pushed me to excellence, and the exposure to nature on long runs through the woods. But even I can’t imagine ever desiring to compete in the Barkley Marathons. It just doesn’t seem healthy, in my opinion. To complete the 100 mile race in 60 hours, competitors essentially have to pull 2 all-nighters, while exerting themselves to extreme extents. I can barely function after pulling 1 all-nighter here at Cornell, and that’s without having to run the next day! But then again, I remember that in high school my peers who didn’t run would always question me as to why I ran and how I could put myself through such “torture,” as they couldn’t fathom ever finding a 5-mile run enjoyable. Therefore, I do question the validity of my opinions about the Barkley Marathons – maybe if I did begin running even longer distances I would find them to be fun, and would be persuaded to apply for the Barkley Marathons. I think when we haven’t tried something and thus lack any familiarity to an experience, we are immediately averse to it and unfortunately that can prevent us from challenging ourselves and finding new interests/talents.

So, maybe someday I’ll train myself to run an 100-mile race in the woods.

And the Cows go Moo!

The teaching dairy farm is simply amazing. Even though I had to skip my fencing meeting as well as brunch for it, it was totally worth it. I don’t think anyone outside of the animal science students have been to the barn, so it felt like I was entering a secret hangout place for students.

Although the initial breather of the barn was a rude awakening from my days in my family farm, it quickly became quite endearing as time went on. Our guide explain the sour smell in the air is also a product of the food cows eat which include bacteria as it is fermenting the feed. It kind of smelled like Kimchi or the preserved Chinese pickles which I do enjoy.

Watching all the cows get milked and fed was very interesting. I didn’t expect so much machinery to be involved. I thought since it is a teaching farm, most of the milking would be done by hand. Then again, there were so many cows so I guess it isn’t feasible. I didn’t think the farm would consider profit as a part of its system, but I guess it still have to be a farm even though it is mostly for students.

Seeing all the cows and calves that are soo cute reminded me of the days back in the farm in China. In our little village we raised chicken and pigs and such, the one cow was actually half blind and not the same species as the dairy cows. Due to the result of industrialization and consumerism, our little farm actually became a tourist resort and all the little dogs and chickens and pigs disappeared and are replaced by peacocks and boars for the tiny zoo. Sigh.

I came back from the farm with a heavy heart as the parting words was the grad student guide telling us, most of these cows live to about 7 or 8, then they change careers to be sent to the butchers. Now I’m just lost, such wonderful creatures. Only my condolences.

A Race With Character

Last Friday, I watched a documentary called The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young with Rose House. As a washed-up cross-country runner, I was a really excited to watch this film. I’d known about ultra-marathons prior to watching this film, and had always been intrigued by the level of physical endurance required to sustain the required level of energy for that many hours, or days, or sometimes even weeks on end. I remember hearing about an ultra-marathon in Brooklyn called the 3100 Mile “Self-Transcendence” Race; I can’t imagine having the mental and physical fortitude to do something of that calibre.

But the Barkley is in a class of its own. I feel like a lot of the event’s charm comes from the aura of it. The little intricacies of how the race runs, the characters that organize the event, the class of runners it brings in—they all add to create an event that, at least to me, is oddly intoxicating.  There is so much difficulty buried in the event, but that difficulty is wrapped up in a strange sense of casual-ness. The way the organizers explain how it functions really adds the the experience. For example, the relaxed manner in which the founder explains that the “entrance fee” is simply whatever he needs more of that year, be it socks or button-down shirts, really sets the tone for the rest of the film.

I don’t think I could, not would I ever want to, participate in the event. But I would love to just attend as a spectator, camping out and cheering on the runners. On some level I understand why that doesn’t happen; the event is small, and is intended to build a sense of camaraderie between the athletes, but there is definitely something about the culture of it that feels like it would be fascinating to be part of. It makes me wonder what, and where, all the other events in the same realm is this one are, because you know they must be out there somewhere. Maybe someday, if I’m lucky, I’ll have my very own “Barkley Marathons.”

The Impossible Race

Growing up, I was always exposed to the New York and Boston Marathons. Thus, when I saw the documentary last Friday about the Barkley Marathon, I was extremely surprised. This marathon was by far one of the most interesting and intriguing concepts I had came across in a while and I was shocked to learn how little is known about it by most people. The marathon itself is more grueling than your average marathon.

Although the organizers try and discourage a lot of people from applying, thousands of applications still flood in which at first might be odd. However, I believe this makes perfect sense and depicts an important aspect of the human psyche that a lot of us can relate too. The thrill and reward from possibly accomplishing such a tremendous feat is one that greatly entices us. I think this relates really well to students coming to Cornell as even though we know it will be hard and a lot of work, we still come and try and show our merit. Doing well on an exam or project at this school boosts our confidence and the motivation to hurdle a daunting task draws us in just like the competitors drawn to the marathon.

All in all, I was glad I was able to watch this documentary and learned about the marathon as otherwise, I don’t think I would have ever stumbled upon it.

Considering Dairy Production

I learned a lot of interesting facts about dairy cattle during my visit to the Cornell Dairy teaching barn. There are several different types of cow: the classic black and white spotted cows are Holsteins, while Jersey cows are smaller and brown. Holstein cows and Jersey cows produce milk which is chemically distinct. I also learned a lot about dairy farming practice.

The cows at the Cornell Dairy teaching barn live in a relatively spacious enclosure. They have sand beds they can lie down in – apparently the cows are somewhat territorial, and they don’t like when another cow sleeps in their bed.  The floors in the barn were grooved, to help the cows get traction so they won’t slip or injure themselves.

I also learned that dairy calves are separated from their mothers soon after birth. According to the vet student leading the tour, dairy cattle are not known to be excellent moms. The calves are moved to individual enclosures outside the barn for several weeks – think a large doghouse with a pen in front – before being sent on to a calf raiser or an auction.

Prior to this trip, I believed that cows were timid animals. The cows at the dairy barn, however, were curious about our presence, sticking their heads through the bars to try to reach us. It was also interesting to observe the cows’ behavior.

I must say that visiting the Dairy Barn made me feel a little…icky. Obviously, I was aware of how milk was produced before, and I didn’t see any mistreatment of the cows – but I cannot say that I am completely comfortable with dairy production.

Having seen baby cows, I can confirm that they are essentially giant puppies. Even if dairy production doesn’t necessarily seem cruel, we’re still treating cows in a way we would never treat dogs, and I’m not comfortable with that. It was especially sad for me thinking about male calves being sold off as beef cattle – the dairy and beef industries are related, so not eating meat doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not supporting meat production if you still consume dairy.

Visiting the Cornell dairy barn also prompted me to think about the wider dairy industry, and to consider whether other dairies follow similar practices and have the same standards for animal welfare. It’s definitely an important issue to consider, given that dairy is in so many products that we consume.

City-Girl Discovers “Farm Life”

  

Full-disclosure: I attended this event primarily because I assumed I would get the opportunity to milk a cow for the first time (Spoiler: I didn’t get to do it). I have lived in large cities or surrounding suburbs my entire life. I hope this is sufficient to convey my disappointment at not having milked my first cow on this expedition to the Cornell dairy barn.

However, I learned a lot about cows and the dairy industry. For instance, I had no idea that most of the cow breeding that happens within diary barns, throughout the US, happens through artificial insemination. I guess I should have seen that coming, seeing has how male calves are castrated at a very young age and raised as beef cattle. I learned about the maintenance that happens within dairy barns to ensure that milk obtained is safe for consumption, as well as other fun-facts about how to care for calves — they are absolutely adorable! (Picture of brown calf attached  for reference.) To top off the trip, I was very amused by the backscratcher (which is the bright yellow brush in another attached picture) for the cows, which is located above their drinking water.

I had a very pleasant experience overall, after the initial disappointment dissipated (haha, just kidding). I probably learned more about cows than I’ll ever need to know in my lifetime. I hope the readers enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed staring at these mystical, previously-only-seen-in-textbooks (or their movies), creatures.

 

The Students of the Round Table – Discussing Graduate School

I have in the past briefly entertained the thought of going to a graduate school after graduating from Cornell. Although I am currently a junior Information Science major, I have recently developed an interest in marketing and advertising and may want to pursue this in the future. Last week’s event revolving around applying to graduate school helped me to explore this opinion in more depth.

I really appreciated Sara running the event as not only did she talk about the general process of applying to graduate school such as obtaining recommendations early on from professors and bosses at work, but she also shared her personal experiences in changing from one career path to another through graduate school. Additionally, Sara made sure to pay special attention to each student at the event by giving specialized advice or asking certain people by name about their view on a topic being discussed. In my opinion, it made the entire discussion about graduate school feel more personal and relevant to each person as we each shared our experiences and possible goals for life after Cornell. It was also nice having the opportunity to provide new information to Sara about current graduate school applications and discuss it with her in addition to learning from her, as when I was researching a graduate program I was interested in, I noticed that the application required a video-recorded interview, which acts as an alternative to a Skype or in-person interview where unprepared applicants receive a series of questions and are required to video-record their responses. I appreciated that the entire event was more like a casual open discussion than a miniature lecture due to the personal nature of the event’s focus.

Although I am still on the fence regarding graduate school, I highly enjoyed the event and will keep in mind Sara’s advice and experiences while completing the rest of my Bachelors at Cornell and considering my next steps after graduation.

Why Compete in the Barkley Marathon

Yesterday I watched a movie about the Barkley Marathon. The Barkley Marathon is not like a normal marathon. For one, its existence is a “secret”. Despite this, the organizers get a lot of applications from people all over the world wanting to compete in it. I believe that what draws participants to this marathon are its unique quirks. For example, once applicants are selected, the organizers ask them to bring things like state license plates and shirts as payment. Every year, they also select an unqualified applicant to compete in the race, calling him or her the “human sacrifice”. These quirks make people want to apply, but what makes them want to actually finish the race despite the grueling conditions?

For a lot of the runners, this race is about proving something. While many of us have never competed in a marathon, I think that we can relate with the motives of the runners. They want to achieve something that they think is nearly impossible. I think all of us have goals like that, from getting into that dream grad school, or getting that dream job that you think is nearly impossible. I applaud all of these athletes for all the effort that put into training and competing. Lots of them had bruises and cuts all over after running in the marathon, and I think that it must take a lot of endurance and perseverance to continue on despite the pain.

Romance, Adventure, and Untraditional Pathways

It was really interesting to learn about the romance genre as one that stems from medieval literature and focuses more on disruption of authority and pursuit of adventure and fantasy. Students shared their favorite past-time adventure books and readings, and it was interesting to notice that a lot of them experience nostalgia when thinking about them. Perhaps we all have some continuous desire for adventure, creative thinking, and fantasy that never truly leaves even when we are adults. I also really appreciated that the speaker shared her personal life experience about taking an untraditional pathway from a career in finance and then taking an opportunity to become a graduate student in Literature at Cornell. That takes a lot of willpower and dedication, but most importantly a strong commitment towards the things that you truly care about and feel that you can positively contribute to the world. In that sense it was really inspiring to hear about the journey of such an individual.

Romance, Authority, and the Escape

At this week’s rose cafe, GRF Sara discussed romance in literature. She had to clarify that this does not imply dating or love, but instead a complex relationship with authority and escapism. We began by pointing out that most medieval romances did not focus on a happy love story, but instead on adultery. This kind of romance, as Sara points out, disrupts authority. It disrupts the institutions that tell us what is right is a happily married nuclear family. In another way, romance also ties in with desired-based thinking. And nothing is more desirable that the wish to flee away from all responsibilities and make the escape. I think this is why fantasy shows and books are so popular amongst young adults, who recently have entered the workforce and facing responsibilities desperately desire an escape from it all. I think this cafe helped further dissect our literary and entertainment interests to see exactly how they reflect our innermost desires. And literature helps do this longitudinally on different sentiments throughout history.

When your passion calls, you better listen

GRF Sara led a productive discussion about the grad school process and helped many people in the room to formulate their own thoughts and plans. But for me it was most thrilling to hear how she paved her way to grad school. She worked in the consulting industry for many years before she had an epiphany. When she wasn’t consulting with clients, she was diving deep into literature, reading book after book of all sorts of genres. That’s what she wanted to do at the end of the day. So she figured, why wait until the end of the day? It’s a passion, not a hobby, so it should be ever present in life. She was already reading and writing extensively in her work for the consulting firm, so it wouldn’t be that dramatic of a shift. From that trail of thought she decided to consider grad school to pursue a career as an English professor. It was clear from the way she articulated her epiphany that she had made the right decision and that she is very happy. Tips can help in the near future without doubt. But sometimes it is a journey into the unknown that can be most rewarding in the distant future, the future we cannot picture in our minds even if we try.

Learning is a privilege

Last Thursday I attended a great seminar by GRF Sara about how to apply to grad school. I had always kept grad school in the back of my mind as an option, but was unsure of how committed I was to the idea or what I would study there. The discussion we had helped me think of graduate school and PhD programs in a different way than I had before. They are continuations of education, but in a way they are almost like a job and should be treated as such. I also discovered that some PhD programs will actually pay you, in which case I can absolutely see myself getting a PhD.

When Sara mentioned that being paid to read books all day is like a dream come true, I agreed entirely. It got me thinking about historical scholars of literature, back in the 1700s or even further back. Before education was made widely available (or as widely available as it is today), education was reserved only for wealthy. People who wanted to study books all day and compare intricate symbolism in one genre to another could only do so if they did not need to work. The way PhDs are structured now is so different to the way education was conducted back then. People would just read in their “study” and learn from it, without needing to write long dissertations. It’s possible they did so for fun, but they weren’t accountable to anyone for it. For me to be able to consider doing something like this with my life, despite not being one of those “don’t need to work a day in my life” kinds of people, is absolutely amazing and should be taken as a privilege! I absolutely want to take advantage of the fact that I even have the opportunity to continue my education and hope others will feel the same way.

The degree to which Normality isn’t necessarily Normal

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend GRF Magdala’s rose cafe about the pathological versus normal. This conversation was extremely interesting as it got me to think the degree to which society is so fixated on everyone being compared to this “average”, so much so that if you don’t fit into whatever social role expectations you are supposed to, you are considered an outcast or abnormal. On a broader level, I believe that the reason there is so much negativity in the world with respect to not valuing other races, or people of different gender identities, is because we are so fixated on using binary classifications to make our live easier, yet at the same time contradictory, these binary classifications complicate the way that people are able to freely express themselves.

In that regard, while I believe that we don’t need to have a “normal society” in order to function, I feel that given current social role expectations, it will be challenging for us to divert from this viewpoint.  For example, we are  so used to comparing things to certain “normal ideas”, in order to detect right versus wrong, unhealthy versus healthy. For us to not have these classifying factors, will increase the amount of confusion and gray matter we have over ideas. Thus, I believe that a normal society, where we have an average expectation of how things are supposed to be is important just so that we have metrics to track progress or the regression we make as society in developing cures to vaccines, solving mental health problems,etc. We thus will continue living in a world that is abnormal due to its constraints on the normal, perceived views of how society should operate and a world that is normal as perceived by society since all our actions fit into this measure box of ideas, values. etc. Anything that deviates from this would be considered normal in this context of pathological versus normal, however abnormal to society given that we have binary,and definite ways of classifying ideas, problems,etc. In that sense, through analyzing our discussion, it is evident that there seems to be contradiction in what society perceives as normal versus not abnormal and what the French Naturalists perceive as normal and abnormal. When I try and imagine a society that is without any binaries, I feel that it would be more inclusive and that I would not have these pressures to live up to. Everybody has their own expectations from themselves, but these expectations seem to be arising on this one central idea of who we should be and what we should do.  In trying to emulate this average idea, we all tend to act similarly. Sometimes, I wonder how different my life would be if there was no pre-defined metric to classify “success”, or “who I should be and what I should do”.

The Barkley Marathons

Previously to watching this film, I had never heard of the Barkley Marathon. To be fair, I didn’t fully understand the actual race while I was watching it, which caused me to look it up after the film was over. However, I did take away the difficulty of the race, and the toll it took on the bodies of the participants.

If not the images of the participants themselves, the low number of people that have actually completed the Barkley Marathon proves that it is not an activity to be taken lightly. The physical toll on the body was clearly shown by the roughed up feet of the different participants when they would take a break at the camp. As the movie said, some view finishing the entire race as the goal, others just certain parts of it, and some even just participating in it at all.

An aspect of the race that I found very interesting was the way that those coordinating the race kept track of whether the racers had completed the entire loop. Each racer had to take certain pages out of a book and bring the pages back with them once they completed the loop. While the race in and of itself isn’t particularly formal, these checkpoints still ensure that they truly completed the course.

 

Unexpected Education

My favorite animal used to be cows; all my old usernames would have some version of “cow” in it actually! That being said, I was very excited to hear about the Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn event. It was a very engaging time that I think everyone who didn’t go should be jealous of. I think the best part of the event was how passionate our guide was, her energy transferred to us and made us excited even though it was cold, wet, and muddy. She talked so casually about helping cows give birth and perform c-sections. I am definitely glad we we had the opportunity to interact with her on this trip. The cows were much more docile than I expected them to be and we even got to see the cows being milked live.

The tour of the entire facility was simple and informative, I only wish I had worn better footwear instead of my slippers. There were different parts to the facility: a birthing area, outside apartments for the calves, a dry area (for cows not being milked), a feeding area, and a rest area. It was hard to believe that it was so organized and actually clean, far from what I expected.

I really did enjoy this event but it was not what I expected from the event description. I thought it would involve us seeing how the dairy products were made or maybe even some tasting, but this was a good surprise too!

Moo!

Last Sunday, I was able to visit the Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn with fellow Rose scholars. I was excited about this event because it was an opportunity to venture away from the places I usually frequent on campus. I had always heard that the milk we drink in the dining halls comes from the cows at our dairy barn, but I didn’t realize how close they actually were. I honestly went in with the expectation that we would be able to see the cows from far away and attend more a lecture like activity. However, as we entered, we were able to see dozens of cows no more than 2 feet away from us!

The veterinary student who was our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about everything regarding the cows and the facility. She explained how there are 150 cows (and 56% of them are pregnant)  in the facility on average and they rotate between laying on their “beds”, eating, and milking throughout the day. Because the cows produce 9 gallons of milk on average per day, it is no surprise that they need to consume pounds and pounds of food to keep up.

We were able to watch the cows enter the milking facility and place themselves in their individual milking stations (they do this on their own)! While at the stations, an employee attaches a machine similar to a suction cup to the cows and once the machine calculates that it has received the right amount of milk, it disengages from the cows. Watching this was very fascinating because I didn’t realize how much engineering went into making the process more streamlined.

Once we left the milking facility, we were able to see where the cows eat and sleep, and finally, we were able to see all the babies that had been recently born! Overall, this was probably the best event I have attended!

On the Benefits of Averages

Last Wednesday, I attended GRF Magdala’s very fascinating Rose Cafe on medicine in French literature, and on the concepts of “normal” versus “pathological.” Early on in the discussion, Magdala asked the group what we believed the word “normal” to mean. The answer that we arrived at was that it was just another word for “average” or “mean” (I am referring to these words in a purely statistical way). While I think that many people, myself included, do not always use the word “normal” in this context, I suspect that this is due to a lack of understanding, whether conscious or not, of what the word means. I think that if we truly treated the word “normal” as a synonym for “average,” we would have a much different reaction to the word than we do now.

This difference in how we view the words “normal” and “average” can be seen through the binary that exists between the concepts of “normal” and “pathological.” According to this binary, if something is not “normal,” then it is “pathological.” However, statistics never suggests that there is something “pathological” about being away from the mean. Statistics treats those above the mean and those below the mean in the same way, while society treats them differently. For example, consider intelligence. Society considers those with above-average intelligence to be “smart” or “a genius,” both of which are considered to be good things, while those with below-average intelligence are deemed “stupid” or “dumb,” which are considered to be bad things. Yet there are the same number of people with above-average intelligence as below-average intelligence.

Furthermore, consider the word “outlier.” In statistics and data analysis, this word refers to a data point that is far out on one extreme, and does not seem to follow the general trend. In the “normal” vs. “pathological” binary, outliers would be considered to be pathological. Indeed, the outliers in our society are often viewed poorly by the masses. However, the word “outlier” itself has far less of a negative connotation than the word “pathological,” even though the outliers in society would be considered to be the most pathological.

A large part of our discussion was on whether or not we should utilize the concept of “normal” in medicine, or if we should focus on the individual’s narrative. Personally, I believe that the concept of “normal” does belong in medicine, but we are often using it wrong. The example of the normal body temperature was brought up during the discussion. While it is true that not everybody has the exact same standard body temperature, it could still be useful for a doctor to have a general idea of what a patient’s body temperature should be under healthy conditions. This is especially true if a patient comes in because they believe that they may be sick, and the doctor may not know what the patient’s body temperature should be. Knowing the average body temperature can help a doctor decide if the patient has a fever or not.

Finally, consider this statement: On average, smokers have a lower life-expectancy than non-smokers. Sure, it is possible to smoke and live a long life, just as not smoking does not guarantee that one will not have a short life. Yet this statistic can help us realize that it is probably healthier to abstain from smoking than it is to smoke. Averages can be very useful. But we should not treat everyone as if they should be the average.

Considering Life Post-Undergrad

Last week I attended a talk with hosted by Sarah, a GRF in Rose house. We talked about grad school applications and ways to navigate the process. It was extremely insightful to hear from her because she experienced transitioning from the workforce to grad school, which was a unique perspective. She shared with us how she was a History major during undergrad and then went into consulting. After a couple years of working in consulting, she decided to take an unconventional path and apply to get her Ph.D. in English. In addition to her diverse background, she also mentored pre-MBA students in their application process. Once she shared this information with us, I was extremely excited to ask as many questions as possible.

One of the career paths I have been carefully considering is consulting, and she was able to share her experience with me about her time at a small firm. Due to the fact that I am not an economics or business major, I was concerned that I would not be able to break into this extremely competitive field. However, she gave me tips on how to be successful in the field and reassured me that my undergrad major was only a small factor in the decision-making process. We were also able to talk about what the best timeline would be, and I decided that getting experience in the field before ultimately returning to school to obtain my MBA is the best option for me.

Overall, attending this event was extremely useful because I had just recently been starting to consider what I would be doing after graduation. I am grateful for all the useful advice Sarah shared with us, and I plan on remaining in contact with her throughout the rest of undergrad and beyond.

Normal versus Average

It’s been almost a week since I attended the Rose Cafe hosted by GRF Magdala. The reason was that I wanted the discussion to sink in. To use a word that was frequently cited during the discussion, the ‘narrative’ that our societies’ focus on and measuring of individuals against a normal (different from but nearly synonymous with, depending on your point of view, average) standard removes the autonomy and individual worth that individuals seek. Put bluntly, and as rgc94 pointed out, this argues that our individual conception of self is taken from them when we reflexively evaluate their worth with respect to some normal. Instead, particularly in medical practice, the medical professional should treat the patient, rather than the illness, the latter of which necessitates the comparison of the patient to a more normal “healthy” individual.

I have two concerns with this. The first involves our conception of self itself, and where it comes from. If I understand the post made by rgc94, this point is also made there. I heard of this idea somewhere else as well, and I think it goes back to Hegel; that our understanding of self is built from our contrasting ourselves with an “other”. It is not a perfect mapping, but suppose we map on to this conception “other” instead the conception “normal”. Our ability to develop a sense of self then is necessarily dependent on my ability to differentiate myself from an external model, in this case the “normal”. So, if we value self, this is necessary.

But that last is a big if – should we value self? I’m increasingly in the camp that argues we should not. Self consciousness could easily be an illusion, and our conception of self leads to selfishness, greed, and an ill society. The counter is simple, that an elimination of self leads to oppression, a lack of rights, and dominance hierarchies, and while this may be somewhat true in Western societies that have forced a conception like this (a huge debate I won’t get into here), my (limited) understanding of Eastern societies with similar conceptions suggests that it can be highly functional. Either way, a disregard of a self in this sense I think plays well into Magdala’s thesis; If disease is truly a form of natural harmony, and good health merely the absence of suffering (thus the only disease needing to be cured is one leading to any amount of suffering), then a patient treating that disease is treating the wider conception of suffering, the patient’s “narrative”, rather than the patient as an individual. To treat the patient as an individual would necessitate this comparison to the “normal” that she wants to avoid, and with this (perhaps disingenuous) re-characterization of the argument, I am back on board with accepting its claims.

Is Normal Necessary?

Last Wednesday, I attended the GRF Magdala’s Rose Café about the normal vs. the pathological in French medical literature. At first, it sounded like an esoteric topic, but she immediately began breaking it down for us and it soon became clear to me that this topic is extremely  applicable to our lives, despite her focus being on 19th and 20th century literature. I realized that I have always accepted the idea of some arbitrary standard of normality in all aspects of my life without ever questioning why those standards were chosen or how they may be damaging to people who may deviate from what is perceived to be “normal.”

In my opinion, some of the most important and controversial topics we discussed were the idea of normal vs. healthy vs. pathological and whether it is necessary to even have some standard of normal. At the time, I was convinced that having some standard of normal was necessary for medical practitioners under our current system, because otherwise there could be no way to generalize medical practices for a large and diverse human population. Many people at the Café disagreed, saying that the idea of normal does more harm than good, and Magdala brought to our attention a book by Emile Zola that subverted the notion that being different from the norm precluded having a fulfilled life (the protagonist of the novel was a woman with a limp). Even now, I am still intrigued and undecided on these issues, but at the very least I still believe in the utility of having a standard of healthiness that is not necessarily enforced (so that those who do not prescribe to the standard are not ostracized) but at least allows doctors to have some notion of an individual who needs care versus an individual who is not suffering.

Two sides of social media

Last Monday, we talked about whether we should quit social media with GRF Sara. Just as many Rose scholars pointed out, social media brings lots of pleasure for us. We share interesting videos and share memorable moments of our life. Even if we do not post too much, it is still a great platform for us to know the latest news of our friends and family far away. As an international student who lives far away from my hometown, I deeply feel the same. WeChat/Facebook is an important tool for me to get connect with family/friends for me. However, I also realize the opposite side of social media. For example, people usually post their happy moments in social media and avoid the negative side. There are some potential psychological problems caused by this phenomena. There are also some very radical and bias words spreading around the social media, which attacks others psychologically even not intentionally.

 

At the end, I believe that we should not abandon social media completely, but we need to be more careful about the way we use it.