Author Archives: Deepika

Cornell Cows

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I’m really glad I went on the tour through the Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn this weekend. This was one of those activities that I otherwise would have never done during my four years at Cornell. The milk we have in our dining halls comes from the very cows we visited. The veterinarian student who led the tour was extremely knowledgable about cows, the milking process, and necessary medical procedures.

Only about 2% of America’s population live in farms. I grew up in the suburbs and the farms nearby were more of the fruit-picking variety or horse farms. I also visited a small farm in Ireland but the grass-fed, hand-milked cows there were much different than the ones we saw here. The Cornell Dairy Barn had very efficient processes to milk their 148 cows as well as other aspects of the cow’s well-being like food, rest, and even an instrument for self-scratching! More than anything, this experience really made me realise the amount of work and research that is conducted to optimise milk production while maintaining humane treatment. Plus, we got to pet the calfs and take a lot of great pictures! 

Racial Identity

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This week’s table talk was about ‘transracialism’ (if such a thing truly exists and is valid) with a particular focus on Rachel Dolezal. She was the white woman who passed herself off as black for years as a civil rights activist and leader of the NAACP before her parents outed her with her true racial identity. I remember hearing about the whole scandal on cable news a few years ago but I was not aware of the academic and social discourse surrounding the idea of transracialism. The debate at the table talk was about how this story relates to transgenderism, if at all. For example, Dolezal is quoted as saying, “I feel that I was born with the essential essence of who I am, whether it matches my anatomy and complexion or not […] whiteness has always felt foreign to me, for as long as I can remember. I didn’t choose to feel this way or be this way, I just am. What other choice is there than to be exactly who we are?” Removing all context and examining the content at its core, Dolezal’s justifications for her actions pretty strongly echo those for transgenderism. Yet Dolezal is met with anger, outrange, and skepticism whereas most progressive societies are supportive of transgenderism. So why the difference?

The most problematic thing about Dolezal is that her claim of blackness comes from a place of privilege with no experience with the history or culture associated with the struggles of racial minorities. She could have championed for equal rights without changing herself to fit what she thinks is representative of blackness such as changing her hair type and skin tone. Most people at the table talk believed what she did was wrong. At best, she’s just ignorant. At worst, she is appropriating black culture in a way that really is not so different from blackface.

Life on Other Planets?

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I really enjoyed visiting Fuertes Observatory and hearing the seminar about finding potential life on other planets. It was especially interesting to learn about the different methods utilised to investigate exoplanets that are Earth-like in temperature and atmosphere. Most likely, life on other planets would be microbial and not the intelligent beings science fiction movies typically depict. Endeavours to detect extraterrestrial life are dependent on our understanding of life on earth and likewise, finding extraterrestrial life will allow us to learn more about Earth’s past and future. It was really fascinating to learn about these things that are outside from my area of study. In fact, I am studying biomedical engineering so a lot of my focus is in the microscale level with cells and proteins. Scaling up to distances on the order of billions of years-lights and time lengths of billions of years gave me a new perspective of the universe.

The last time I was at the observatory, it was raining and I didn’t have the opportunity to look through the massive telescope. This time, although it was cloudy, the telescope was pointed at the moon available for us to look thorough. I was really impressed at the resolution and magnification – each crater of the moon was visible in great detail! I’m definitely looking forward to making another trip and spending more time at the observatory.

Bike Sharing in America and Elsewhere

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This week’s table talk was about bike sharing systems and why and how certain models succeed while others don’t. For example, bike sharing is popular and/or profitable in European and Asian countries like the Netherlands, Norway, and China. In United States cities, it is much less popular for a number of reasons. For example, cities here are more spread out horizontally, making walking and biking less desirable than driving or taking a train. Furthermore, the infrastructure is not adequate for everyone to feel completely safe to bike on the roads. Also, in general, car ownership is not actively discouraged since it is relatively easy to obtain a driver’s license and buy a car. Along with the emergence of car sharing apps like Uber, it seems unlikely that a large portion of the population is going to start using bike sharing in the near future.

Nonetheless, it was very interesting to hear about the origin and evolution of these bike sharing systems. In Amsterdam, the system was created by activists to protest the safety concerns associated with driving in the 1960s. Over time, the system evolved so other entities would be in charge of sustaining bike sharing, like the government or private sector. It was super fascinating to learn about the marketing efforts tied with bike sharing since the stations and bikes themselves are like moving billboards. I personally want bike sharing to take off in America because of the environmental impact but the private sector can get involved and heavily influence its success by investing in the marketing opportunity.

Redefining Mental Illness

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This week’s table talk was a pretty open and honest discussion about mental health. The starting point of the conversion was about the artist Jennifer Ivanovic who creates art with the intention of erasing the stigma surrounding mental illness. A few months ago, I visited the Boston Museum of Science which had an entire art exhibit dedicated to mental illness. It was interesting to see how in recent years, psychology and mental health is being more incorporated into the hard sciences. On one hand it dehumanises an individual’s struggles, but it also can help legitimise it in a way. For example, a lot of people don’t believe in clinical depression or think it is equivalent to being sad for a brief amount of time. In reality, the symptoms of depression arise from chemical imbalances of hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain. As a biomedical engineer, I tend to approach mental health from a biology perspective, especially in the context of developing antidepressant drug treatments of improved efficacy. It was very interesting to hear others’ thoughts on this subject.

In my opinion, mental illness has been de-stigmatised a little bit within the last decade and I would attribute a lot of that to social media. The internet allows people to communicate, anonymously if they so wish, about their problems without the fears and concerns usually inhibiting someone from being open. Celebrities and other influencers also have a big impact when they speak out about mental health and give advise about seeking help. For example, NBA star Kevin Love penned this message just today about panic attacks, seeking therapy, and the stigma surrounding mental health.

At the end of the table talk, we each went around and said one word to redefine mental illness in a positive way. Words like strength, perseverance, and individuality were offered. Since language and connotations are so powerful, it is important to be cognizant of the words we use to define ourselves and others.

Time to Sleep

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It almost seems like part of the college experience is to be a sleep-deprived student drinking 4 cups of coffee, struggling to stay awake in class. Despite all the research and studies showing the adverse effects of sleep deprivation, most people find it infeasible to get the recommended 9 hours of sleep daily. In fact, on the rare occasion I am able to get 9 hours of sleep, I honestly wake up feeling guilty for not using that time for extra studying. It has been ingrained into us that we should sacrifice sleep for academic or career achievement. When you consider that lack of sleep is correlated to increased risk for obesity, heart problems, stroke, and cancer, it is ridiculous that we neglect our health so easily.

After getting minimal sleep my first two years in college, I have now made a conscious effort to get at least 7 hours of sleep daily. Getting enough sleep feels like a privilege but it really should be a priority. As long as my assignments due for the next day are finished, I stop doing work at midnight. I then spend about an hour winding down by making plans for the next day, reading, and listening to music. Of course, this isn’t always possible but I do feel more energetic and productive during the day after a good night’s sleep.

A Peek into Mexican Culture

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Like all Pixar movies, Coco is charming, poignant, and visually beautiful. The movie was filled with the classic La Calavera Catrina imagery as well as traditional Mexican music. Even though I know it is a Pixar movie, I was still blown away by the production value. Each scene must have taken so many artists working collectively and it was definitely one of the best parts of the film. It is also reminiscent of classic animated films like Spirited Away and Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride. However, I do think some of the plot was too predictable. Also, the whole narrative of a boy having a dream of which his family disapproves only to change their minds with the message of ‘family is most important’ is hackneyed in my opinion.

The movie also explores the topic of death, focusing on the Mexican holiday El Día de Los Muertos or the Day of the Dead. Every year, the living set up pictures of their deceased loved ones on an alter along with their favourite foods or other tokens to invite their ancestors to join them in spirit for a few days. It is interesting to learn about Mexican culture’s views on death and the afterlife and how it is unique to other cultures and religions.

I studied Spanish in high school and one of the things I miss most about it is learning about the cultures of various Spanish speaking countries. Watching this movie has inspired me to continue educating myself, even if it is not in a formal setting.

The Labyrinth Under West Campus

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This week’s Rose Cafe was about the very interesting history of West Campus as well as a behind-the-scenes tour of some really cool places. I have been living at Rose House for the last one and a half years now but I didn’t really know much about why these main houses were built and how it ties in together with the culture of Cornell. For example, as I am sure everyone knows, Cornell University was founded on the principle that any person could study any subject. In the 1860s, ‘any person’ meant people from all different backgrounds, ethnicities, etc; something that set Cornell apart from the rest of the Ivy League. For that reason, Ezra Cornell didn’t want people living in dorms like some exclusive club; he wanted people to live in town with the community. I really loved this idea of “elite, not elitist.” However, about 20 years ago, Cornell realised it was a real liability to not have undergraduate housing in some form and so plans were made to build the modern dorms in West and North Campus.

The second part of the program was equally fascinating. We first a took a trip through the twists and turns of the underground tunnel between Rose House and Becker House as well as the multiple elevators utilized for transporting food into our dining hall. Learning about the process made me feel really appreciative of all the effort that goes into it and all the workers who help keep the dining hall going. Afterwards, we headed to the war memorial room in Lyon Hall pictured below. This has also inspired me to explore more of campus and check out other lesser-known places.

DNR

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This week’s table talk was about ambiguous do-not-resuscitate orders and how this affects a doctor’s split-second decision. You may have seen a news headline a few months back about the man with a tattoo reading “Do Not Resuscitate” on his chest. He was taken to the hospital unconscious, leaving doctors in a dilemma of what they should do and what they shouldn’t do. There is the question about the legality of having a tattoo speak for you, the equivocal intentions behind getting such a tattoo, and so on. I really liked GRF Sara’s idea about having potential DNR wishes be designated on your ID or driver’s license, much like organ donor wishes are. People usually have their IDs on them so emergency workers can quickly find it and people can also more easily reflect a potential change in mind on an ID rather than on their skin with a tattoo.

The discussion eventually led to the subject of euthanasia in general. Morbid though it is, this is a topic that has come up in conversation among my friends a couple times. How long would you want to wait on life support before they pull the plug? I thought it was interesting that some of them had already communicated with their parents about their wishes, having no qualms at all about discussing death. In my personal views, it’s almost impossible to have a blanket statement about desires in a life-or-death situation because it depends on so many factors such as type of injury, pain registered, chance of survival, etc. It is a subjective decision to each case, but as patients are not able to communicate their wishes, doctors are left in a very difficult position. It’s a situation that no one wants to be in and may be why people prefer not thinking about it at all.

The Unexpected Cost of Bitcoin

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I attended this week’s Table Talk about cryptocurrency and the bitcoin because I had heard it covered extensively by the news media but I didn’t really understand how it worked. For me, it was difficult to wrap my mind around how something intangible could have any value. When a person invests in the stock market, he/she is putting faith in a company’s ability to manufacture goods or services but investing in cryptocurrency has no such guarantee. From my very surface understanding on the topic, I’m really not in a position to come to any conclusion about whether the bitcoin is a bubble waiting to burst or the future of all currency. I would rather watch this play out from the sidelines than actively get involved.

One aspect that I had never considered was the environmental impact of the system of bitcoin. Individuals or groups can use computers to solve complex mathematical problems in exchange for bitcoins in a process called ‘mining.’ Countries like China and Russia are major players in this. According to this CNN article, the bitcoin uses about 32 terawatts of energy every year which is enough power to run 3 million American households. Experts forecast this energy usage will increase in the coming years. Obviously, this seems to counter the efforts to decrease energy consumption to fight climate change. It is true that there is a limit to the quantity of bitcoin so energy use won’t go on uncapped, but I found this to be an interesting consideration often overlooked when discussing cryptocurrency and the bitcoin in particular.