Monthly Archives: August 2013

A Little Bit About Myself

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Hey everyone!

          My name is Danielle. I’m a freshman and super excited to be at University Park where I was accepted into the Smeal College of Business. I’m majoring in business but particularly I am looking forward to majoring in Finance. I needed to take a General Education Natural Science course this semester and flashing back to my high school experiences in AP Physics and Chemistry I knew the concept of mathematics in science was not my idea of fun. 

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 Therefore, my Advisor had suggested taking SC200 as she insisted that many students found it very interesting. I was unsure at first, but after reading the course overview, it had sparked some interest in me. It’s not that I hate science, unless we’re talking about the mathematics behind it, which serves why I’m not a science major. It’s the fact that there are so many unanswered questions about life, and unfounded technology that has yet to be created. I’m the type of person who expects an answer to every question. In science, my brain has yet to wrap around the idea of not having an answer. I mean where do you simply even begin to find these unsolved answers? So this is what makes me have that “wow factor” for the scientists who persevere for those unknown answers and why I’m excited to be taking this course as I will now have to learn to think “outside the box”.
Works Cited

What rhymes with hug me?

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Coming into class sweatier than I prefer to be on a first day, I take my seat near the middle with my two friends. Expecting nearly nothing as class proceeds, Andrew talks more and more about topics we covered in Bi Sci 003–like the fact that we are made from star dust….What?  

To be honest, I registered for this class because it was on Onward State’s link of easy gen eds…who isn’t looking to boost their GPA? At the same time I am also looking to gain a better perspective on science after I had horrible experiences with it in high school. Though, I do admit that the philosophical approach to science interests me so much. That probably also explains why I am not a science major… also because business has interested me since day one. Coming from a very “businessy” family, I now plan to study Supply Chain Management and couldn’t be more excited.  The extent of my experimentation with science when I was younger consisted of putting two liters of soda together connected by a tube and swirled water around creating a “tornado” adding colored food dye when I wanted. My name is Alexa Sofranko and hopefully this semester I can broaden my current scientific knowledge (aka none) and take it to the next level.

 

PS. Wondering what rhymes with hug me? 

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Everyday Curiosity

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Hi! My name is Becca Silveira. I am SO excited to be starting my second year at Penn State. Although, I love my hometown in Connecticut more than anything, I truly missed Happy Valley during the long summer away.

I am simply not a science person. In high school, I did what I had to do when it came to science classes, but I did not enjoy one second of it. I think this is mainly because of 1) the way the courses were taught, which then lead me to not retain anything I learned, and 2) none of it was ever applied to my daily life, or even my future daily life, so it all seemed unnecessary, useless and a waste of my time. Although I always did well in math and science, I have a creative side that holds me back from pursuing anything in the math and science fields. So clearly a science major is not for me.
I’ve always been one to question. I’m constantly wondering about everything that I do not have an answer to. Unfortunately, in life we most definitely do not have many answers to anything. This affects my everyday life constantly, like why do bad things happen to good people? Why do people get addicted to things? Is there life beyond the plant Earth? How does our planet create such magnificent things naturally? …I could honestly go on forever. Every where I go, every where I look there are constantly questions. I most definitely get this from my dad. He’s always wondering about the unknown and will not stop until he has some sort of answer, or at least theory (a theory is typically the case). But it’s the kind of wonders that affect our every day life. I want to be knowledgable on the world and the people around me, and why and how everything is the way it is. My dad says his knowledge is “a million miles long, but only a few inches deep.” Meaning he knows a little bit about a whole lot. When it comes to science, this is the sort of knowledge I want to have. I don’t need to take a full course on physics and chemistry, etc. and learn the details of it like I did in high school. This is why I took this course, to broaden my knowledge of science in the most practical, beneficial way for my every day life. 
Below is a picture of me at Grand Anse Beach in Granada. I’ve traveled somewhat and seen some incredible natural places of the world. Something as simple as the blue shades of the Caribbean sea fascinates me and makes me wonder. 

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Time For Some Science.

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Whats up everybody!

 

1. Why am I doing this course?

I am doing this course because I need the Gen Ed credit and also I hear from the upperclassmen that it is a fun course to take. I like talking about questions that can’t be answered because what I think can never be wrong, and its always fun to listen to other people telling me their views on a topic.

2. Why am I not planning to be a Science Major?

I am not planning to be a Science major because I am nowhere near interested in Science enough to be making a career out of it. Also I don’t feel like I have the persistence needed in a Scientist.

 

For all you science lovers, check this link out for

<a href=http://scienceblogs.com/>Science!!!</a>

 

 

I look forward to listening and talking about science with all of you! Peace.

 

Initial Blog Post

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yeah science.pngHello SC200! My name is Kyle Jacobs. I am from the county of Westchester, NY, and I am a Junior at Penn State. My current major is MIS in the Smeal College of Business. The reason I am in this course is mainly because I need a GN, but also because I enjoy learning about everyday science. The reason I am not planning on being a science major is because I want to pursue a career in business. I think this class will be very interesting to me, and I look forward to the next 15-16 weeks.

I could definitely get used to this.

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    Hey everyone! My name is Kelly Gibson, and I am a sophomore planning on double majoring in Psychology and Public Relations. When I came to Penn State, a shy and clueless freshman who decided to spend their last free summer in the LEAP Program (best decision ever, by the way), I was dead set on being a psychology major to the point where I came to this school specifically for the Human Development and Family Studies program. 

Then I was introduced to writing. 
     The third day of LEAP, one of my now best friends Lauren dragged me to try out for the Collegian, and since then, all I do write everyday. So, when I somehow heard in passing that there was a “blogging science class”, I pretty much knew I would be enrolled at some point. The reason I took this course was to try to combine my worst subject, science, with my strongest point, writing. Hopefully blogging about something scientific will give me a bit of appreciation for the subject, considering I virtually have none. Maybe learning about gay animals or theories about the end of the world will change my mind about my most loathed subject.
      If you’re somehow wondering why I’m not a major in my most loathed subject, it’s pretty simple. I can’t do math. I can’t do numbers. I can’t tie my own shoes half the time, let alone do chemistry or physics or any other course that is required with being a science major. However, give me something to put into words, and I won’t shut up, so sorry for this blog being so long. Case in point, some people are born logical thinkers and problem solvers, and others are born to fangirl in public frequently.
 Speaking of fangirling, I am possibly the most obnoxious Glee fan alive, so because I need a picture, here’s a picture of me meeting Darren Criss this summer. If you know who he is, please cry with me. If you just rather watch me embarrass myself, feel free to follow me on twitter at twitter.com/donth8theberry. I look forward to interacting with you guys and reading your posts!
Xoxo, Kelly Gibson
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Initial Blog Post

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IMG_4295.JPGHi there! My name is Jennifer Lake, and I am a sophomore pursuing a fine arts degree. With that being said, I have always been a visual learner and creative thinker. For the most part, math and science concepts have always been a struggle for me to enjoy fully, due to my lack of analytic comprehension. Additionally, I feel like art and science have the potential to be intertwined, which has been a motivation in my studies.

 Firstly, I enrolled in this course to fulfill one of my GN requirements. Being a non-science major, this class really appealed to me because even though I don’t always have an understanding of scientific concepts, I do have an interest to learn new things and become a “better consumer of science.” I look forward to having a consideration for science on a more basic level. Secondly, with science having such a large role in today’s society, I find that it is important to have a literacy in a subject that effects each and every one of us on a daily basis.

 I am not planning to be a science major because of a bad experience with it in the past; in fact I have enjoyed most of the science classes I have taken! I decided to pursue art because it is an area in which I truly feel at home. I value the qualitative aspects of my artistic experiences, and I have found that art and its processes have a place in many areas of our lives. Throughout the course of our history, the arts have served a multitude of purposes, ranging from aesthetic, educational, social and vocational applications. I believe it is important for people to realize that artistic experience and development can be seen as a product of intelligence, much like that of math or science. 

I’ve added a link to an article that I find interesting and supportive of art in today’s society, check it out! 

http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development

Political Science is more my style..

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Hello fellow students!

My name is Jordan, and I am a junior this year at PSU. I transferred from PSU New Kensington, where I attended my first two years. Why am I taking this course you may wonder? I have struggled with all science courses as far back as I remember. I failed a human bio course my freshman year, and barely passed a meteorology course last semester. To fulfill my requirements as a Poli Sci major I do need to pass one more science course, and this is where SC 200 comes into play.

Why am I not planning to be a science major? Well actually, my major is Political Science so I am studying the science of politics, but science has never interested me much. Science is very fascinating, but you have to have a unique sort of mind to be able to grasp all that it contains. So I will be happy learning via ‘Andrew,’ and am thankful to be a part of his out of the box teaching style. 255563_10151054888770248_2023541039_n.jpg

“Insert Boring Introduction Title Here”

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Hello class, my name is Brennan Azevedo and I am writing this blog for the second time due to my stupidity. A little about myself, I am a 20 year old Sophomore studying Finance in the Smeal College of Business. I came to Penn State from a town outside of Philly (like most of you in this class) called Richboroo and I went to Council Rock High School South. I like to think that I have a very rich history, but I don’t actually know how “rich” my life actually is, because after all is my life. I was born and lived in a place for 8 years of my life where most of you will never go. Brazil. Yes, this is when you say “woah your life is rich” but wait, that’s not all! I also have an identical twin brother. So if you see two brazilian clones, its most likely us.

Now for the interesting part, why am I taking this class? During my freshmen year I took two very boring and dry science classes that didn’t interest me at all (CHEM 101 and EGEE 101). I heard from people that have taken this course that any person would find it interesting, hence why I’m here writing this blog for the second time… The reason why I’m not a science major is actually quite simple. In high school math and science were both my best subjects and when I came Penn State I had a question to answer, should I pursue a major with numbers or science? After my semester I knew the answer after all of my science-major friends told me how hard CHEM 110 was. My answer was become a Finance major. Either way, no matter what I picked I would have considered it a win-win. 

 I think my pictures on Instagram are… cool? You be the judge and let me know. There’s a picture of and my twin. Yes, we do have twin telepathy.

Caio Azevedo Intro

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My name is Caio… Not ciao (Italian greeting). Its like ky-oh. I am a student in DUS but I am pursuing a degree in Finance from Smeal and a minor in Economics. I am taking this course because I heard that this is an extremely interesting science course to take to fulfill the science requirement. I had always liked science in grade school but on a very shallow level. I was never interested in the deep explanations and tedious labs and experiments. Chemistry and biology were the most dreadful classes I took in high school simply because it went so deep that I lost interest. I never really cared much about how many atoms there are in an element or which genes cause a sperm and egg to be a male or female. There are many things that I would still like to learn about in science but on a shallow level. I understand that this may make me seem like a lazy person but I just want to learn many things and make sense of them, not master them. 
This is the same reason why I don’t want to pursue a science degree. There are other things that I am more interested in like finance and stock and other things. I don’t think I could have a career in science. First of all, I don’t think I could last through college. All the labs and tedious classes (like organic chemistry) would lose my interest in the first weeks. Then if by some miracle I do graduate and graduate again (you can’t do much with a bachelors in science) and get a job with science I would wind up going back to school for something else. I couldn’t have a job that I spend countless hours experimenting something that might not even have a real answer. I wouldn’t be able to handle all the rejections when an experiment goes wrong. I think I’ll just stick to something like finance where I could help people make the right financial decisions while being able to be up to date with current events and many other things. If you are interested  in knowing more about what I’m what I’m interested in check out one of my favorite websites I use to keep up.