It's good to be back...

For starters, I'd just like to say that I really enjoy Paideia. I think we have a great cohort and an intriguing topic, and I'm really glad to be back.
Although I think our group in particular could probably pass the time talking almost entirely in tangents, perhaps some structure would be a good thing. As I've said, I like the topic of "understanding human behavior." I would like to see more of those handouts that Dr. G gave us (like the one about correlation), since it really is my only exposure to the entire field of psychology. I also agree with Dr. G and would like to relate the topic to each of our fields. I came to Southwestern because I have a lot of interests and this would be a beneficial and seemingly appropriate way to study one topic and satisfy my interdisciplinary cravings.
I would most likely talk about a book I read called, "A Short History of Nearly Everything," by Bill Bryson. I don't get to say this often, maybe this is the only time, but this book changed my life. Simply put, it gave it value. Almost as an encyclopedia, Bryson, typically a travel writer, went around the world to speak to the top scientists in their fields and "figure out science." It's fairly superficial because he's trying to cover "science" in four-hundred pages, but it's filled with fascinating stories and facts about the world in which we live. I think a brief story can illustrate my point best. Last semester I was enrolled in Chemistry. I don't particularly like the subject. For me, it was just learning how to find a lot of different numbers. It was a class entirely on calculations with no significant context. I remember learning about one principle, a fairly famous one as it turns out in the field of quantum mechanics, called the "Pauli Exclusion Principle." We learned its significance only in so far as it helped us draw various diagrams with arrows pointing one way or the other to indicate the spin of the electron. In his book, Bryson mentions the principle and states that it essentially contradicts Einsteins theory of relativity. He goes into more detail on how and why, but what was important to me was that it was given context.
So, in short, it showed me, and I would like to show everybody, that science is more than just crunching numbers and knowing equations. There's something behind all of that that's amazing.

As for civic engagement, I've considered joining SMArT (Science and Math Achiever Teams). It's headed by Dr. Burks and it seems like it would be worthwhile and maybe even fun. At this point, I think doing something individually would be easier. Although I love paideia and like spending time with the group, organizing another civic engagement project seems like too much of a chore. I think a movie or breakfast or something is an easier goal to satisfy group unity.

For the research and creative works requirement, I am going to use my biology capstone. I'm not entirely sure which professor it will be under. I'm hoping either Dr. Todd or Dr. Burks. Depending on the professor, I would be doing very different things. I'm ok with that because my interest within biology is fairly widespread. Dr. Todd would mean a lot of time in the lab, while Dr. Burks might be slightly more focused on field work. The next step would be to speak with each professor, particularly Dr. Burks since she's my advisor as well.

I still am not sure where I want to go for my intercultural studies requirement. All I know is that I want it to be different from here. I want it to be somewhere where I can go exploring. Also, it needs to be somewhere where I can talk to the people and get to know them, see what their life is like. I love Southwestern because it's so small, but sometimes I do feel sheltered and I feel the need to get out and meet new people. That's most basically what I want from my trip abroad. I think I can do that most places, but I need to go talk to Sue Meneke again to really get the ball rolling.