Category: Uncategorized

Passion

Shared-Interest

Sustainable

Growing

Produce/Vegetables

Shadow

Compassion 

Community

Human Relationships

Organic

Labor

Sacrifice

As any younger sister tended to do growing up, I liked to shadow my older sister’s every move. I went to the same school, picked up the cello, and would eat two paninis as an afternoon snack, just because that is what she did. So it was only natural that once she started getting into learning about climate change and the environment I did too. She joined the environmental club, and so did I. I did have a fundamental interest in the subject, it wasn’t merely because of my sister’s presence that i started to get involved, but it was a passion suppressed by my sister’s passion and joining in on her community. It wasn’t until 3 years ago when I was really able to shape my own fervor for the topic, when I got a job on a local organic nonprofit farm nearby where I live. No pesticides were used, only organic mechanisms, which meant that a lot more problem solving and human labor went into producing all the crops. We would spend hours picking tomatoes in “tomato jail”, hand weeding beds, and bunching radishes. My appreciation on how food was grown, especially the extra time and energy to use less harmful practices and produce crops in a sustainable and responsible way amazed me. This experience was an epiphany in my life, because it was an experience that made me realize the importance of everyone’s actions and how vital protecting the environment really is. After this experience, I came back the next two summers to learn more and promote the cause. I also really changed my way of life, only buying what is necessary, and purchasing as much produce and products locally, to take advantage that I have access to that. Not only did it give me a specific and personal purpose to change my practices and help change others to care for this planet, but I became a part of a community, where I was surrounded by people who weren’t in it for the money but were there because they cared and wanted to help. Our days from 7am – 5pm doing even the dreariest tasks were made fun by the conversations and group experience we were having, for we really were all in it together, and everyone was growing as people together.

dogs are able to experience a wide array of emotions, similarly to humans and have complex thoughts that show their intelligence – rachael boardman

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aQfDmFdKjfQDIz8Tt9mRIDGSmCNAHmV_Ft3XEwZLHJY/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PlbK3uRCQYJ_Ma5aMlVuamVur2yeEZmWYS4k8o1jeyE/edit?usp=sharing

This is an artwork by Stanley, it is untitled and does not have a date. It is watercolor on paper and it is titled “Bequest of Ethel Ward”

Overall, in the videos I watched, I learned about animal intelligence in a variety of animals, including dogs, dolphins, monkeys, etc. In these videos, researchers in one test dolphins to see if they can recognize themselves in a mirror. Their change of behavior suggests that they understand they are looking at a reflection of themselves. Another talks about how certain animals, including dogs and monkeys, will deceive humans and other animals. This suggests that not only are they capable of complex thoughts, but that they understand others have complex thoughts as well. Another video talks about how worms are similar to humans in that they will test a number of different ways to get a leaf into a hole in the group, similar to how a human may try to fit a couch through a doorway. Another video talks about how one species of crows has the same intelligence of a 7 year old. All of these videos taught me that animals are much more intelligent than I had previously thought. They are able to analyze and solve complex problems, along with recognizing other animals and their own reflection. It was very interesting to see comparisons and similarities between how animals act and solve problems to how humans do.

Response: I watched a YouTube video called “Dogs Can Smell Cancer”. It is discussed in the video how dogs spend more time watching humans than any other animal. Many dogs have a strong sense of connection with their owners and the humans they live with because they are very social creatures. They have the ability to read the body language of humans and can sense what is coming before it actually happens, such as how they express that they know they are going for a walk before the wonder actually decides that themselves. It is described in the video how a dog, Max, changed his mood and acted depressed and less energetic towards his owner because he sensed that he had cancer. Once his owner was treated for her cancer, his behavior drastically changed. It is explained that dogs can smell the tiny volatile chemicals given off by cancerous tumors, and with training they can accurately pick out a cancerous patient from a group of patients from a selection of urine samples. They can also sense when blood sugar levels are getting low and alert people before an allergic reaction happens. The main ideas from this video are that dogs have incredible capabilities when it comes to helping people because they have a sense of connection with humans and are very intelligent creatures. They can be trained to use their senses in helpful ways. They also try to communicate things to their owners every day of their lives and can often warn them before something happens. They can be very useful in the medical world, as well as to dog owners in general.

Thesis:  Dogs are very social and intelligent creatures that can save lives. They are keen observers that can sense what is coming before it happens and they have abilities to sense diseases such as cancer, when blood sugar levels are low, or when a person is about to have an allergic reaction. They can be trained to be of service to humans in the medical world, along with the services they provide to their owners every day.

Downtown Samek Art Museum

Paul Villinski – Soaring

As a 4th grader, over summer break, I joined a Civil War camp in which we would tour battlefields and learn about the incredible struggle that took place in the early 1860s. In particular, we went to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to walk around one of the most important battlefields of the entire war. Not only was it a very historically intriguing adventure, but also carried a deep and solemn weight knowing that thousands of people died fighting for certain freedoms and ensuring that others could live and prosper. This battle, essentially, decided the fate of the Civil War given that a Union defeat would mean the occupation of Washington D.C. by the confederate army of Northern Virginia, spelling disaster for president Lincoln and the U.S. as a whole. Knowing this it is very exciting to be able to go to the real place and understand the rich events that took place. Since then, I have gone to Gettysburg about five times and am looking to go a sixth sometime soon. It is amazing that such a basic place can hold such great power and significance in the mind just because of what happened there. Ultimately, this trip opened the door to a much larger love for history and the American Civil War and the desire to understand the sacrifices made to keep the U.S. together in the face of incredible challenges. 

• Historic 
• Intriguing
• Deep 
• Honoring 
• Exciting 
• Solemn 
• Remembering 
• Incredible  
• Pivotal 

After watching the film, I have a deeper appreciation and understanding of the deep history that revolves around the Radiolarian. The Radiolarian is a one celled organism that is found at the bottom of the sea. It has a skeletal and glace-like structure: made up of shells that form from absorbing silica from the ocean’s water. Out of the more than 15,000 known species of radiolarians, 5000 were discovered by Ernest Haeckel. Haeckel was a Biologist and artist who spent his life trying to merge the gap between art and science. His work specifically on the aspect of “art forms in nature” is what interested me most. This is because of his intricate use of patterns and structures that he defined as evolutionary art. Specifically, he grew extremely fond of the Radiolarian as he believed this creature embodied the unity he’d been searching for. He continued to dedicate his life to the research and discovery of Radiolarians for ten years. Through his research, he developed ideas and theories of evolution. Later he was recognized as a major figure in the history of evolutionary theory. After his intense research, he began to travel around the world to talk about his findings and his theories on evolution. With this sharing of ideas came a lot of criticism and backlash and his work became heavily controversial. The one I found to be the most interesting were the comments to do with his theory on race. In Haeckel’s theory, he defined phylogeny (the development of an organism) and ontogeny (the evolution of an organism) as one in the same. He created a racial anthropology to explain how different people evolved from different organisms, therefore creating a racial hierarchy. Although there was less integration of cultures worldwide in this time period, his thought process was inherently racist and even was used to reinforce the German thought process in World War Two. I also found it interesting that his peer Nikolai Nikolajewitsch Miklucho-Maclay, whom he studied with closely for many years, had a completely different view on race and evolution. Maclay’s in fact is viewed as very progressive for the time. Overall, the history of the Radiolarian and those who studied it was way more interesting than I thought it would be. It affects more aspects of history than I expected it too and is a really crucial part of a lot of different scientific histories.

One thing I learned about radiolarians is that there are over 4,000 different types of them. There seem to be too many to fully understand, so it was interesting when they never really stopped discovering more. I also thought the aspect of Haeckel’s life that interested me most was his sudden change and fascination with art and painting. He hadn’t dedicated any of his life previously to painting, but after moving to study marine life, he painted landscapes for the rest of his life, and at points wanted to abandon science to devote his life to art. This film made me think differently about the relationship between art and science because you can find art in almost all things related to science, such as in these radiolarians. I think one issue mentioned in his work was that there was no separation between God, spirit, and nature. I don’t think it was wrong of him to believe this, but I think that he may have been wrong in being so firm on this belief, especially today when fewer people have devoted their lives to God. I think creating these radiolarians, will allow us to have a better understanding of the type of nature out there, and how it can be so unique, such as these that all look different.