Category Archives: Work in Progress

Extra credit: Dr. Nathan Wolfe

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Dr. Nathan Wolfe

                                                           Dr. Nathan Wolfe

On April 5th, I attended the 6th Annual Global Health Conference in the Life Sciences building. The guest speaker was Dr. Nathan Wolfe who is a microbiologist that travels the world studying viruses. Dr. Wolfe explained the world of microbiology in a metaphor, which really caught my attention. If there was an encyclopedia about all living organisms, 27 out of 30 volumes would be entirely about the unknown (micro) world. Most microorganisms have not been discovered yet, and new ones are being discovered every day. To think that there are so many unknown organisms that surround us daily was absolutely mind-blowing.

Dr. Wolfe went on to explain how our interconnected world is the reason certain viruses can spread across the globe and wreak havoc. A hundred years ago, there was not a deeply interconnected system of planes that allow people to travel across the world in less than a day. Nowadays, a small viral outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has the potential to spread any where in the world if an infected individual would hop on a plane. To think that a deadly virus halfway across the world could randomly show up here is alarming, especially with the recent scare of the swine flu.

Dr. Wolfe went on to describe how humans have added to the threat of spreading viruses by simply exploring the world. He shared an example about how fungus on a traveler’s boot was carried to a pond where it killed the entire population of frogs. While the fungus was harmless to the traveler, it was deadly to the frogs that had never come in contact with it.

Although AIDS is one of the only bad viral epidemics we’ve seen, another viral outbreak–potentially worse–could happen at any time. Microbiologists like Dr. Wolfe work to discover these viruses so as to prevent future global health issues. While a deadly viral outbreak could occur anywhere at any time, Dr. Wolfe is taking steps to preventing such a possibility. It may take centuries to discover all of the “unknown world,” but microbiologists are making progress one day at a time.

WIP: Issue Brief Thoughts

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So I’ve been working on my issue brief, which is about overpopulation. As I’ve really gotten into it, I’ve found that overpopulation and sustainability really go hand in hand. To be more sustainable, we can’t just cut our resources. If we simply cut our resources but increase the number of people using resources, we aren’t completing anything. My paper has begun to center around this idea, which I think is very interesting. I’m also considering expanding the idea further for my advocacy project, but we shall see.

The paper is due Tuesday, so we’ll see how it turns out. I’m very excited about it.

WIP: Issue Brief

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Our next assignment is an issue brief written in similar fashion to those found on Center for American Progress. I’m thinking about expanding on my civic issues topic, yet I’m not entirely sure how to. If I don’t figure out a way to, I may write about a separate issue entirely.

WIP – Post Sustainability Deliberation

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This past Tuesday marked the end of our deliberation on sustainability. After three days of discussion, I got a lot of experience being a part of a non-biased deliberation. Although I expected there to be arguments between competing viewpoints, I found that our group agreed on most things. From here, we are to get involved in an online deliberation which I expect to be a lot more aggressive than the physical one. Because people are hidden behind a computer, they tend to speak their mind more. This may cause people to disagree more, pulling away from a respectable deliberation atmosphere. There is also no real moderator, which may make things interesting. We shall see what happens over the next 2 weeks.

Preparing for Deliberation

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Last class we watched a video explaining deliberation and why it is different from a debate and a discussion. A debate has a winner and a loser, which a deliberation does not have. A discussion is merely talking about something instead of coming to conclusions. Deliberations discuss various different ideas without deciding a winner or a loser. It is meant to evolve the discussion and look at something from every point of view.

In the next few classes, we will be holding our own deliberations. To prepare, I will be researching about the topic and bringing outside information to help the discussion. I will be moderator the post-forum discussion, so I will be able to observe other moderators and do what they do. Hopefully the deliberation will go well, but we shall see.

TIB Draft

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I’m getting really close to finalizing this, so any criticism would really help.

 

During Spring Break last year, I decided to travel to Logan County, West Virginia with 14 other students to help people recover from a recent flood. I remember first pulling into the town and seeing how devastating the flood had been. Chunks of wood from homes littered roads, and mud covered everything. Houses left and right looked abandoned, with ruined couches, refrigerators, and air conditioners in trash piles outside of them. I figured the town would be in bad shape, but boy did I underestimate its condition.

The first working day in Logan County I was put in a group that would help an elderly couple with their home. The couple, George and Marie, was in their late sixties and lived alone in a small, one story house, built by George himself. The flood left water damage over 3 feet high, devastating the house’s structure. George had already worked tirelessly on the house with one of his sons for the previous 3 weeks, only fixing one room. He was so happy to have help because the work would get done so much faster. Our task was to rip out moldy parts of the house and replace them.

During that first day, we pried up floorboards, cut open walls, and ripped out insulation. The work was tough, but it felt rewarding. The second day was much of the same, ripping out moldy parts of the house and replacing them. It was on the third day that things became a little different. A few hours into working, George approached me while I pried up a floorboard in the sunroom. He began talking about how happy he was to have our help and how great it was for us to sacrifice our time. He kept rambling on and on, eventually reaching how today’s youth are losing sight of the importance of such work. It was after about 20 minutes that he told me to follow him outside. I put down the crowbar and followed him down the hall, out the door, and to the garage. As he lifted the garage door, I saw a spectacular sight. In that garage was one of the oldest and well-kept cars I have ever seen. For the life of me I can’t remember what year or model it was, but it really didn’t matter. It was in that garage that George began opening up about his life. He told me how he had entered the car in the local car show every year for the past 2 decades. The car was his pride and joy, an attachment to his youth that he cherished. From there, he picked up picture frames of his family, telling me about them and the experiences they shared together. He kept talking and talking, telling me more about his life; about his childhood, about his job, and then about his oldest son, who had committed suicide just a year ago.

Watching a grown man cry is one of the saddest, yet most beautiful things in the world. George opened up to me in a way that many people rarely do, even to those they love. Out of everything I did during those few days in West Virginia, spending the time to listen to George was most important. The work I did on his house meant nothing. He was fully capable of getting it done, even if it did take him longer without help. George didn’t need a bunch of kids to provide manual labor. With everything he had dealt with over the past year, he needed a different kind of healing. I can’t go back and change the flood or his son’s suicide, but I can care. In life, sometimes all anyone wants to do is share their story, but most times there isn’t someone there to listen. Showing a genuine interest in who someone is and what they’ve experienced is the greatest form of respect I know of. I believe in the patience to listen, and the power it has to heal.

TIB Rough Draft

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During Spring Break of my senior year in high school, I decided to do something different. Along with 14 other students, I traveled to West Virginia to help people recover from a recent flood. The trip would consume my entire spring break, but I didn’t care. Helping out others and experiencing West Virginia seemed much more exciting and rewarding than sitting around at home. Crammed into a bright yellow school van, we left at 7:30 am for Logan County, West Virginia, almost 9 hours away. The trip was rough, but in no time we were crossing into Logan County. When we first arrived, I was amazed to see how devastating the flood had been. Chunks of wood from homes littered roads, and mud covered everything. I figured the town would be in bad shape, but jeez did I underestimate its condition.

The first working day in Logan county we divided into two groups to help two separate families. One group went off to help a single mother while my group went to help and elderly couple with their home. The couple, George and Marie, was in their late sixties but they had the youth of newlywed 30 year olds. Our task was to rip out moldy parts of the house and replace them. George told us that during the flood, the water level reached almost 3 feet high. It was no wonder so much damage had been done to the area.

During that first day, we pried up floorboards, cut open walls, and ripped out insulation. The work was tough, but it felt good. The second day was much of the same, breaking and replacing, breaking and replacing. It was on the third day that things became a little different. A few hours into working that day, I remember vividly George approaching me while I pried up a floorboard. He began talking about how happy he was to have our help and how great it was for us to sacrifice our time. He kept rambling on and on, eventually reaching how today’s youth are losing sight of the importance of such work. After about 20 minutes, he told me to follow him outside. I put down my crowbar and followed him down the hall, out the door, and into the garage. As he lifted the garage door, I saw a spectacular sight. In that garage was one of the oldest and well-kept cars I have ever seen. For the life of me I can’t remember what year or model it was, but it really didn’t matter. It was in that garage that George began sharing more about his life. He told me how he enters the car in the local car show every year. The car was his pride and joy, an attachment to his youth that he cherished. From there George continued to talk about his life; about his childhood, about his job, and then about his oldest son, who had committed suicide just a year ago.

Watching a grown man cry is one of the saddest, but also most beautiful things in the world. George opened up to me in a way that many people rarely do to even those they love. Out of everything that I did during those few days in West Virginia, talking with George was most important. The work I did on his house meant nothing. His house can always be rebuilt. Sure, it may have taken longer without our help, but it can be done. By spending time listening to George, comforting him, and showing that I gave a damn was more important than anything else I could have done. In one year, the man lost his oldest son and his house and was broken from it. I can’t go back and change either of those events, but I at least showed I cared. In life, sometimes all anyone wants is to be heard. However, there isn’t always someone there to talk to. Showing a genuine interest in who someone is and they’ve experienced is the greatest form of respect I know of. I believe in the patience to listen, and the power it has between people.