Allison’s ELT Three Semester Review

                 My, has it gone by fast!  Earth, Life and Time is quickly coming to an end, but my experiences in the field trips, the colloquiums, the reading assignments and the class assignments of ELT have helped me better understand the concepts of science and time. 

In the fall semester of 2004, I went on a field trip to Sidling Hill , Maryland .  We got up very early and a few hours later arrived in Sandy Mile.  The rock that we saw there was from the Silurian Age.  It was interesting to see all the fossils embedded into the rock and to know they were from so long ago.  We soon left and went to Sidling Hill.  The rocks were unbelievable!  The cut of the rock lets you see the waves and this just shows you how remarkable nature can be.  As the field trip progressed, we learned about the different rocks and how they got to be the way they were.  There were interesting places of cross-bedding, ripple marks and slickenslides, which just proves how the environment can heavily influence rocks.  I thought that field trip was a lot of fun and I learned more than I thought I would about rocks and their formations. 

Last spring, we did a class project about our family history.  I thought it was a lot of fun to ask my parents and even my grandparents about my heritage.  I knew things about what parts of the world I am from, but not what social status they were and other things that happened in their lives.  It was interesting to see that everyone essentially comes from the same place and we disperse as the years go on – and that is how we evolved to be the people we are today. 

One part of the colloquium lectures this semester was about real science and pseudoscience and if mad scientists really exist.  I thought it was very interesting to hear about scientists who thought they were doing good, when in actually they were quite wrong.  I liked how history was incorporated into those lectures.  I thought the in-class assignment about deciding whether the science done was pathological science, junk science or pseudoscience was a really fun and interactive assignment.  It is amazing to hear that some of those experiments were done and no one said anything! 

My first semester freshmen year, I took an introduction to astronomy lab class.  I absolutely loved it.  Astronomy is one field of science that I am always interested in learning more about.  I realized how small our humans lives are compared to all of the interesting natural things going on around us.  The Sun is nearly five billion years old, and has another five billion years until it runs out of energy.  I will be twenty years old in January…an insignificant amount of time compared to the life of the Sun.  There is so much new science going on in the field of astronomy and so many ideas that potentially could be life-changing. 

Another class I am finishing this semester.  It is an introduction to molecular biology lab class.  I thought most everything in this class was interesting.  Going from absolutely enormous objects and lengths of time, to small molecules and days of time was so different.  I learned so much in that class and sometimes I wish I had become chosen a biology major (but then I think about all the chemistry I would have to take and I decide against it!) 

My learning was definitely enhanced by interacting with other ELT students.  I met so many new faces and learned from them because there are a lot of different majors in the class.  I hope my scholars experience helps me with the rest of my undergraduate career, in whatever I decide to do.  I think I am more aware of the science around me and hopefully more critical of it as well.  I hope I keep up with current scientific events as a I make my way through the rest of school.  I am glad I participated in scholars, not just to learn more about science and our society, but to have good friends for years to come.