Hey everyone! My name is Molly Arnay and I’m from Princeton, NJ. I’m currently in the Public Relations/ Advertising major, which is about as far of from science as possible. I took physics, chemistry, biology and environmental science in high school and never quite liked any of them. I typically try to avoid science and math at all costs, they are definitely not my strong suits. I do find science interesting when it is delivered in the right form and I am a pretty environmentally conscious person but these science courses were very dry and the information never stuck with me, so i guess that’s why I’m not a science major.

I chose this science course for a few reasons. My advisor said that it was a science course for people who didn’t love science, and that is definitely me. She said there was a lot of blogging involved which sounded interesting and new to me. And also this class fulfilled a requirement for my major, but nonetheless I’m happy I’m taking this course because the topics actually seem intriguing to learn about and I like the way the class is run.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3022942/work-smart/the-surprising-science-behind-what-music-does-to-our-brains

I chose this link because with my PR degree, I hope to go into the music industry. This article details what different kinds of music do to your brain!

Hi Class!

My name is Monica Powell and I am a freshman here at Penn State. I am majoring in Public Relations, which is nowhere near anything science related. Science and I have just never really clicked for some reason. I have always preferred my english and history courses to my science and math ones, probably because they came more naturally to me. My brain has just never quite comprehended the intricacies of science, therefore, I’ve always had to work extra hard in science classes. I decided to take this course because I heard that it involved more writing and critical thinking rather than math and memorization which sounded appealing to me.

When I was younger I wanted to be a pediatrician, but then as I grew up I quickly realized that I would not be cut out for that. I can not deal with anything medical and faint at the sight of blood. After helping my sister plan her wedding, I was pushed in the direction of communications. I then looked into all the job opportunities and decided that public relations would be a much better fit for me.

Despite my dislike for science, I do appreciate people who have the brains to understand all of sciences’ complexities. From finding cures to illness and helping people take better care of their bodies to learning about possible life on other planets, science is extremely necessary to our society and provides so many insights that help us better understand the world we are living in. I am extremely grateful that there are people who do enjoy science and who use it to better our world. Plus, science provides so many awesome experiments that are really fun to watch! I am excited to open my mind to a deeper appreciation for science through this course.

blackhamboys / Via blackhamboys.blogspot.com

Hey everyone, my name is Beza Yoseph and I am a sophomore from a Annandale, VA (about 5 minutes outside of DC). I’m currently pursuing an Economics major with a CAS minor in hopes of becoming a Lawyer, but I’ve changed my major four times already so we will see if Econ is the right fit soon enough. As my title shows, playing an instrument and science were just two things that I never got the hang of, BUT I can juggle so that sort of makes up for it…right?

I tried the viola, saxophone, and the trumpet and hated every second of it. Same goes for physics, chemistry, and natural science. All I really wanted to do was make things explode and play with beakers and test tubes like this. I read the description for this class and it had me very interested because of the idea of talking about how science is displayed in media when it comes to alien sightings and stuff. My passion lies with having constant physical contact and communication with people, and the world of science just doesn’t do it for me.

My name is Ashton Pinter and I’m from the Jersey shore. No, by Jersey shore I do not mean the type of shore portrayed on the MTv show. My Jersey shore is a lot less dramatic and party filled than the shore you may have seen on MTv. I’m in the college of communications and plan to major in advertisement. My major is one that does not have a heavy background in science or math, two subjects that I honestly have no interest in. Math has always been so confusing and frustrating for me. While I am very good at science, I find the topics I have learned about in the past to be extremely boring. Chemistry literally put me to sleep. I couldn’t tell you when in my life I will need to find the atomic mass of elements. With that being said that is exactly why I’m taking Science 200, and because I needed a science course. While making my schedule, I explained to the academic advisor that I am not someone who finds science to be an enjoyable class. My academic advisor told me that this class would be a perfect fit for me because it is for people who don’t necessarily enjoy science but instead enjoy deep conversation and understanding. After going to the first week of this class I feel more inclined than ever to learn about science. Looking at the class schedule, all of the topics seem interesting and exciting. Topics like “Are drugs better than teachers?” and “Do aliens visit Earth?” are things that I am eager to learn about. They are topics that a traditional science class would never look into.

I went all of my high school career with my heart being set on going to college to study sports medicine. I was a cheerleader in high school for my football team, which is how my interest in this profession started. I would see the athletic trainers on the sidelines, and think to myself, thats amazing how they can help someone get right back into the game after getting hurt. I kept thinking about sports medicine and decided that helping NFL players recover from an injury would be a goal of mine. My high school guidance cousoler told me that taking anatomy my senior year would look good on my transcript for colleges because it is a type of course I would indeed have to take again at college for being on the sports medicine major track. The first day of school my senior year I walked into anatomy very eager to learn and become one step closer to studying sports medicine. Within 10 minutes of the teacher explaining the class I knew that science was indeed the wrong major for me. I felt lost because I had only seen myself going into the profession, I had to rethink everything. That day I switched out of the class and have not thought about going into a major so heavily involved with science.

While on YouTube the other day I stumbled across a video called This Much Will Kill You. The title caught my eye and I decided to watch the video. In the video it talks about how much of a certain thing you body can handle before you die. Another interesting fact I learned from watching the video was that, for every 1 inch you are taller than 5 feet it takes about 1.3 years off of your life.

Hey everyone, my name is Alyssa Frey and I’m from a village (not even big enough to be a town) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I am undecided right now, but I am considering a major in marketing. All throughout high school, science was my worst subject. I dreaded going every day to science class whether it was Earth and Space Science, Biology, Chemistry, or Physics. Every year I had a new science class, I thought if I just study and do my work I’ll do well. I couldn’t be more wrong. It seemed that every single year I had a horrible teacher who made science even worse for me. I am clearly not majoring in science because I never understand it and find it incredibly boring.

When I was planning my schedule at NSO, I was told that since I will most likely be on a business path, I never have to take my most hated science classes. I found this course as a gen. ed and it automatically looked interesting to me. I think what really stuck out was “this is a class for non-scientists.” As much as I’d love to be good at science and really enjoy it, I just don’t and this class seemed like the right one for me. My older brother is also always watching the discovery network and loves learning about science related things that are going on in our world and outside of it. When I read this class description, I automatically thought of him and how he would have loved to be able to take a class like this. I can’t wait to share with him all the interesting things we learn and talk about in this class.

Music is a huge passion of mine. I play guitar, love to sing, and am constantly listening to music when I’m studying or going somewhere. I found this interesting article about what music does to our brains.

Hi everyone! My name is Avery Holland and I am from Mountain Lakes, New Jersey. I am currently a freshman in the College of Communications and I plan on majoring in Advertising/ PR. I have never been at good at Science or Math so majoring in either of those was never a consideration for me. I struggled with both of those subjects throughout high school so I knew being a Chemist or Physicist was not likely. I liked writing and English class so I decided to look into English or Communications. After researching majors in the College of Communications at Penn State, I liked the idea of Advertising/ PR since my mom used to work in that field. She advertised for Trident gum and would often give me little tips on how the advertising and branding of a product can attract a certain market of people.I found this idea interesting and so, decided to follow in her footsteps.

I had to take a science Gen Ed and while science is not my favorite subject, I was interested in taking this class to learn how it is apparent and relevant in our everyday world. Science has brought us so many technological and medical advancements as can be seen here http://http://www.importantindia.com/15495/importance-of-science-in-our-daily-life/ .

One of the biggest questions that I am looking forward to discussing in class is the uncertainty behind how long the human race will exist. It is said to be inevitable that all living organisms will die eventually but the questions of when or how they die are unanswered. Many have tried to come up with causes or events that could lead to the sixth extinction but no one is certain. While this extinction may happen anywhere between thousands to millions to billions years away, it is still an eerie thought to think that one day the human race will no longer exist.

I am excited to have this and many more potential questions discussed in class and I’m looking forward to understanding a little more about the world we live in today.

HI, my name is Devon Buono. I am a freshman here at Penn State, and I’m from Long Island New York. I am currently undecided, but my goal is to become a finance major.

It’s not that I do not want to be a science major, its just that there are other majors out there that can provide me a different and possibly more economically stable future. In other terms, I want to make as much money as I can. To be completely honest The Wolf Of Wall Street made me realize that a finance major could help me work towards that stable future. On top of that, my 8 an hour summer job simply was not cutting it. Both of those together really pushed me to learn a little more about the major, and the more I learned the more I knew I was going to be pursuing the correct major. In high school I really enjoyed science, but I was just never good enough at it. No matter ho much I studied, the classes never got easier. I was not gonna risk becoming a science major, if I did not fully believe I could  strive in that major, or flourish when I graduated.

With all of that being said, I have decided to take this class for a couple reasons. First, it was recommended to me a couple of different times. Secondly I enjoy science. I like learning about the world around me and understanding my surroundings. Lastly, I would like to stay up to date studies going on in the world right now. For example, anything to with cancer research like this article, would really interest me. And I hope that this class with provide me with knowledge on any current developments in the field of science.

Hey guys my name is Kayla Neiland. I am a freshman from Huntington, New York and have no idea what I am going to major in!!!! To be honest I am actually freaking out about this whole college thing but I’m sure everything will work out.

I had always wanted to be a marine biologist but that dream was shot down once I realized how much science and math was required. My mind is just not wired to learn in the way certain sciences need you to. I am an advanced scuba diver and absolutely love exploring ocean life. The link I have included is a question you all have definitely asked.

http://marinesciencetoday.com/2016/08/19/do-fish-pee/

I like science but I don’t love it which brings me here. What intrigued me the most about this class was that it is not limited to one topic, I am a girl who loves and needs variety.

Hey everybody, my name is Patrick Winch, and I’m a freshman from Silver Spring, Maryland- about 20 minutes north of DC.

Personally, I’ve had many bad experiences with science classes. In high school, I took biology and chemistry my freshman and sophomore years. I didn’t do too well in either, so I decided not to take a science junior year, but then had to take a sports exercise and health science class my senior year. So basically, I haven’t even taken physics, which might be an issue. In addition to that, my mom is an English teacher and my dad is a musician. The sciences don’t really run in my family, which is one of the reasons why being a science major is more or less out of the question. But with that being said, I’ve always loved space. I watched Star Wars religiously as a child, and that love was revived with the new movie. When I was little, I wanted to be an astronaut- but that ideal was crushed when I came to the realization that I wasn’t very good at math or science. At NSO when I was planning my schedule, my advisor recommended this class to me. I remember reading the description and immediately wanting to take the course.

Like I said before, space has always amazed me. I went to a Catholic middle school, and my eighth grade religion teacher taught my class syllogisms and proofs of God’s existence. He was a proponent of the idea that science and religion work hand in hand, and one of the proofs he taught stated the fact that the universe is expanding over time. He explained that if we were to go back in time, the universe would contract up until the point of non existence- the same point at which an external force would be needed for creation. In my opinion, religion and science are both very human in their own ways. Religion focuses on human connection with an intangible force or forces, and science focuses on the world around us and outside of us, and how we interact with those worlds. So, with that being said, I hope this course allows me to deepen my understanding of the role of science in our world and how it can relate to other areas of study.

I still watch Star Wars pretty often- in fact; I even joined the Star Wars club here at PSU. When I was younger, I never fully understood or appreciated the science behind the movies. The National Geographic article I found, which can be accessed HERE, explains some of that science that attracted me as a young boy and still amazes me today.

Hello everyone, my name is Jake Loffredo and I am from Toms River, New Jersey. I am a freshman who is currently undecided but have no intentions at all in being a science major.

Why am I not planning to e a science major? Well after taking all of the boring and much necessary(lol) science classes in high school such as biology and physics I was able to come up with one very simple conclusion…Science is not your friend it is your ENEMY, all of the memorization of formulas to calculate nonsense and in bio all of the repetitiveness of cells and more cells I finally decided science was not going to be the path I chose in life.

The reason I took this course is honestly because I needed a science. After only going to one single class of SC200 I shortly realized that I will be able to enjoy this type of science class. Believe it or not there are some things in science I do enjoy such as learning about nature and the the world around us, kind of weird but particularly the Amazon rain forest is just amazing on how it has so many species and plants that are not found anywhere other than there. Here is a link just to show how amazing the forest is.  Another aspect of science I enjoy which is a reason for taking this class is being about to think and reason about different types of problems and issues we run into everyday.

Hello everyone!  My name is Ahmed Mohamed and I am a senior studying Philosophy and CAS on a pre-law track.  As my majors kind of show, I’m not a science major nor do I have a passion for it.  In finding a science class to fulfill my general education classes, Science 200 was a class that kept popping up.  My friends really enjoyed the class so I figured I’d give it a shot.  I’m not doing a science major because it isn’t something that I am passionate about but the way Andrew is explaining it, I think I’ll come to enjoy this class. Here’s my live link: Puppies

Hi everyone, I’m Natalie Burns. I’m a freshman from Newtown Square, Pa which is about thirty minutes outside of Philadelphia. I was very excited to come to Penn State because some of my distant family has attended here. Besides hearing about their memorable football tailgate or THON stories, they have all acquired a highly respected degree and now have great jobs and, they’re actually happy! I plan on majoring in marketing and hopefully coming out of PSU with a job offer from a great company just as my cousins have.

Honestly, I really don’t have anything against science. I think it is rather interesting and intriguing. However, I like being around people. The thought of spending hours on end in a laboratory alone looking at microscope slides makes me want to stick pins in my eyes, not to be dramatic or anything. I do not want to be a science major because I would rather be interacting with people and traveling places. I would not want to spend all my time naming microorganisms because I have been deprived of real human interaction.

Despite my view on being the person behind the microscope, I do respect scientists. They are a huge reason why humans have been able to survive for so long. I have always found new research interesting and exciting. In my senior year english class, we had to write a research paper on the topic of our choice. I chose the correlation between colon and breast cancer because it is a topic close to my heart and I was genuinely intrigued. I came across some very fascinating research. I found this research fascinating and amazing because of how far we have come. However, I would like to keep being the person reading the information, not finding it.

My reasoning for choosing this course was because of the discussion and critical thinking aspect. I feel like this course will challenge me to think outside the box and not just copy down textbook information for the next four months.

What’s up everyone, my name is Matt Jacobs and I’m a freshman here at PSU majoring in finance. During high school I never had a problem taking sciences, was not a big fan of biology but chem and physics were pretty fun classes. Even though I thought they were fun, I really only took them because my HS required us to have 3 science credits to graduate. At NSO they told me I needed a science gen ed and that most business majors just took BiSci 003. Checked out this class and it seemed pretty shitty so threw that out of the option pile. About 30 minutes went by of reading the description for every single natural science course and I came along the word “non-scientists.” BAM, instantly added the course into my schedule. There were also some other key things about this course that appealed to me, I like the controversies aspect and applying science to real world events rather than just seeing, like Andrew said, what color would show when two chemicals were mixed together by following the directions.

There were many times I really enjoyed my science classes, especially when labs came around and most of the time was spent just talking rather than doing the lab (we actually did all the work with the lab, we were just given an obscene amount of time to do so). So I actually ended up really doing these labs whether it was dissecting an animal or  trying to make a water balloon swing through an area of nails without popping. But, science, to me, was kinda like wood shop; it was a fun class but it was not something I wanted to get paid to do for the rest of my life. I really always had a business interest and wished to pursue a business degree and career which is why I am choosing to not be a science major.

Here is a diagram that explains how Snapchat, currently worth $20 billion according to Forbes, makes their money.

Hey everybody! My name is Mike Mandarino and I’m a journalism major from Bedminster, New Jersey. I have two siblings: a twin brother and an older sister (pictured below – I’m on the right). My sister is currently a sophomore at the University of Georgia, and my brother is a freshman at Montclair State University in New Jersey. I love to watch sports, mainly ice hockey, and mainly the National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils, a team I’ve followed since I was five years old – more on them later.

(left to right) My twin brother Billy, my sister Emma, and me after my brother & I’s high school graduation in June 2016.

I decided not to be a science major here at Penn State not because I dislike science in any way, but because Journalism is something I hope to pursue a career in and have been passionate about for several years. I honestly didn’t even consider science as a possible major here, but that isn’t because I dislike it in any way. While I didn’t like sitting through a physics class and memorizing how to calculate the velocity of a tennis ball shortly after being hit by a racquet, I do find the more broader concepts of science interesting, and I realize that science applies to almost every aspect of our lives. Even if you hate science, you have to acknowledge the fact that there could be life outside of our own planet is really interesting.

I decided to take this class for various reasons. Admittedly, the main reason I took this class was to fill out a gen-ed requirement, but I could’ve taken any science class to fill out my requirement. I chose this one specifically because it covers the broader aspects of science, and it allows for more thinking and open discussion. I could sit through another chemistry or physics class like I did in high school, but those classes are more black and white and don’t allow for creative thinking. At the beginning of the year, the professor of one of those classes would say “we’re talking about this, this and this” and the schedule would be set. Science 200 is better in my opinion because although Andrew gave us a schedule for the semester, it isn’t final. If we as a class don’t find something interesting, then we can talk about something else and devote the class to another more interesting topic.

When I said science applies to almost every part of our lives I wasn’t kidding. This includes my favorite sport, hockey. Hockey is widely viewed as the fastest professional sport in the world, and its fast-paced nature is part of why I fell in love with the game at a young age. As time has gone on and I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate the game’s most important position – the goaltender. As a Devils fan, I’ve been lucky to watch arguably the greatest goaltender of all-time, Martin Brodeur and one of the NHL’s current elite goalies, Cory Schneider, play in goal for the Devils. While I may not think about it while sitting in a rink watching a game, the science behind playing goal in the NHL is truly mind-boggling. The reflexes required to effectively play goal in the NHL are truly ridiculous, and they are all detailed in this video. It really is, in my opinion, one of the most fascinating positions in all of sports

Martin Brodeur & Cory Schneider, who were teammates for one season in New Jersey before Brodeur’s retirement, skate off the ice together after a win against the New York Rangers

With all of that being said, I’m excited to get to know some of you guys throughout the course of this semester. Although it may be tough to get to know more than 300 people in one class I look forward to this semester and this class. See you guys on Tuesday!

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Hey everyone, my name is Corbin Miller and I’m from Towson, Maryland. It’s about a 10 minute drive from downtown Baltimore and also is the home to Michael Phelps, one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

When people ask why I’m not majoring in a science I just laugh, because why would I. I have taken both chemistry and physics, and with all do respect to the people that love those subjects, they are total wastes of times (at least for me). The best thing that came out of my chemistry class was that I learned how to make ice cream, and although I enjoyed the final result, it would have been much easier to go to the grocery store and just buy the ice cream. And in physics, I realized shortly after the class had started that in no situation in my life will I ever have to use math to calculate the speed of a swinging bowling ball attached to a rope. The only time that physics ever captures my interest is when it is used to analyze sports. A great example of someone using physics in order to analyze sports can be found through this link, examining just how incredible Lebron James is.

I’m taking this course because it combines the two best things about science, deep conversation and the science behind random and fun topics. I’m not going to lie, taking a science course at all was not my first choice, but if I have to I’m glad that this course was available. I look forward to discussing the interesting science behind our everyday experiences and the world around us.

Hello my name is Joie Nicole Nearn. I am from Philadelphia,PA. I am currently in the college of education studying to be a secondary education major with a focus in history. I miss living in the beautiful city of Philly, this is a very hard adjustment for me, too many trees.

I selected this class because science has always been a challenging course for me, and I have always struggled with this. However, I truly enjoy discussing the things that go on around me. Science 200 seems like a great choice for me considering the lack of passion I have for science ,and the enjoyment I have for talking about the world around me.

I choose an this article titled “Skinny and 119 Pounds,but With the Health Hallmarks of Obesity”. I choose because in the media you constantly hear about scientist finding new discoveries about obesity and weight gain. People often associate major health issues with obesity, unlike this article the person was extremely thin.

Hi class, my name is Derek Drotman and I’m from Long Island, New York. I’m proud to say I was actually named after the great New York Yankee, Derek Jeter. I am a freshman here at Penn State enrolled in the Division of Undergraduate Studies but I am planning on becoming a finance or an economics major from Smeal Business College.

In pursuit of finding a science class I stumbled upon Science In Our World and immediately caught my interest because I believed this could actually benefit me in the future. Science is involved in every aspect of the world and I believe it was important to take a class that I could learn about current problems and myths going on as we speak. I may not be the biggest fan of science but this class really makes you think outside the “box” and ask yourself questions most people don’t think of. I took this class not only because I needed to take a science general education course but it seemed to stand out from the rest of the courses and I am excited to think and learn about topics I never have before. From only two classes I can already tell Andrew is going to make me think harder than I ever have and I know he will challenge us throughout this course. Click here to find out how skittles actually make Marshawn Lynch a better football player.

My sister is a biology major and my mom is a science teacher so I think most people may have thought i was planning to be a science major.Yeah thats never going to happen. I think I realized I wouldn’t study science after freshman year, then after sophomore year and then again after junior year. My teachers were always boring and the material was dry and to be quite honest I could never see myself sitting in a lab all day or working in a doctors office.Another reason I am not becoming a science major is I actually want to actually enjoy my time here at Penn State and not be trapped in chemistry and biology class because that would be miserable. I am extremely fascinated by economics and business because they both reveal what drives people when making  financial decisions and using resources. Also keeping up with money and the markets in the world is extremely important because they are changing everyday.

Hello everyone,

My name is Erin Johnson and I am a sophomore Sports Broadcast Journalism major and I am pursuing a minor in International Studies.

I decided to take Science 200, because this class looked the least painful of all the science classes listed. It was also the only class that somewhat appealed to my interests. I think biology, chemistry, physics, human anatomy, etc all suck. I struggled through them all throughout middle school and high school. By struggle I mean that I did it well, but thought it was a waste of my time! This class appealed to me because of the structure of the class and what we were learning about. This class will discuss topics that I find quite interesting; such as, are aliens real?, Why is cancer immortal and we are not?, and could a zombie virus exist? And that is just to name a few. This class is about asking and answering questions that I would love to know the answer to and discuss. I am also taking this class partly because I need six more credits of science to get that gen-ed requirement out of the way.

The reason I am not going to be a science major of any kind is a very simple answer: because science is not my passion or my interests. The only time I was every interested in being a science major was when I was binge watching Grey’s Anatomy. Being a surgeon looked really cool, except body parts being cut open and mangled make me want to throw up. Also, a LOT of school is require to be a surgeon! Four years of regular college is long enough for me. But you can see the appeal of wanting to be a surgeon when the men on the show look this good!

Although I am not passionate about science, there is something I am really passionate about. I love sports. Sports have been a huge part of my entire life. I have played various sports from the time I was four years old and it has played a major part in who I am today. Unfortunately, I was never going to be the next Candace Parker or Katie Ledecky, but that never changed the love I have for sports. I may never be the one playing in the major game on t.v., but I hope to be that talking head that you watch one day giving you the pre and post game interviews with the players and coaches. Along with that, I have an intense passion for traveling and seeing the world. My dad is a government worker and has spent a ton of time seeing the world. After seeing Italy during Christmas break, I decided that I would like to add this to my major. In addition to being a sports broadcast journalism major, I am pursuing a minor in International Studies.

Here is a link to a really funny scene from my new favorite movie, Bad Moms.

Although I do not like Science, I am really excited for what this class has to offer!

Deuces… 

Hi! My name’s Emaan Ali and I’m an international freshman that just moved here from Saudi Arabia. Although I’m originally from Pakistan, I was born in Belgium and spent a lot of my childhood there so I’d like to think I’m prepared for the cold weather here! I’m majoring in Psychology and possibly minoring in French. I enjoy watching TV (love f.r.i.e.n.d.s), working out, baking and travelling. My family and I have been fortunate enough to have traveled to over 20 countries including: France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey!

Compared to my high school which had about 15 subjects to choose from, Penn State seems to offer everything imaginable including SC 200! I chose to take this course because it seems super interesting and I’ve never taken or even heard of anything like it. Just from reading the list of topics we might cover, I can see myself really loving this course.  I was never great at science during school (hence why I’m not a Science major) and I honestly find it kind of boring sometimes, I really think this will be different! My biology teacher once sent us this link to some cool facts that I think you guys might enjoy reading too 🙂

What’s good everyone!

My name is Casey Brennan and I am currently a freshman in the Division of Undergraduate Studies and I plan to eventually get into the Smeal College of Business and major in either finance or marketing.  I am from Ellicott City, Maryland which is approximately 30 minutes outside of Baltimore, and it was in that very place where I discovered the analogy of why science is like your in-laws.

I’m only 18 so I have yet to sign my life away by getting married, so I don’t per say have any real in-laws.  Although I do have plenty of cousins that have gotten married, and I therefore have been coerced into having to spend time with the families of their spouses on several occasions.

I can say first hand that the stereotype of people disliking their in laws is true.

In regards to science, I wouldn’t say I necessarily dislike it, but it is definitely not my favorite subject.  Growing up and going through k-12 my favorite subject was English as it usually presented the most opportunities to be creative or at least differ from the pack.  There is never one definitive answer in English, unlike math and science where everything is concrete and must follow a strict process in order to arrive at a correct solution.  This is the main reason I chose to not pursue science as my major.  Although there is plenty of critical thinking and new discoveries to be made within a variety of science fields, my primary education experienced only exposed to me to the concrete, step by step, extremely uninteresting area of science and I therefore did not want to enter a field where there is too much structure.  Through business I feel like I can change the world in a multitude of ways, while still staying true to myself, not following some 400 year old formula.

Alas, I couldn’t go to school everyday and just go to English class.  I still had to grind it out memorizing and regurgitating formulas and definitions along with my fair share of failed tests added to the mix.  In regards to in-laws, I thoroughly enjoy spending time with my cousins and other immediate family members, just like I enjoyed English class.  Although, a lot of times the in-laws would tag along and you have no choice other than to suffer through their undesirable presence, just like science.  Every school day I would enjoy spending time with English, but then I was forced to spend time with the subjects in-law, science.

The main reason a took this course, like most of you, was to fill a Gen-Ed requirement.  I went to orientation fairly late in the summer so the only available classes were intro to bio, chemistry, or physics.  Basically all of the subjects I despise.  Then I stumbled upon this class that seemed to defy everything I knew about science up to this point.  When I read that we will constantly be critically thinking and looking into subjects that really had no right answer I was sold.  After receiving the handout with all the questions we will be discussing, I immediately took a picture and sent it to all of my friends.  They quickly expressed their jealousy and I promptly rubbed it in their face that I found this diamond in the rough.  I found this article discussing one of the questions that intrigued me HERE.

Hello, my name is Jafit. I’m a freshman at Penn State, and I’m in the division of undergraduate studies. I just came from Taiwan so still trying to adjust myself into the whole new environment.

During my NSO, I was searching for a class that can fulfill my general education requirement, but I’m having trouble to decide a specific subject to work on. The adviser told me maybe I can try SC200 because this is a course that explore different topics related to science. Since I’m not really down to science and don’t know which field really interest me, it sounds perfect to me to know more about some scientific facts in our daily life.

The main reason I didn’t choose a science major is because I didn’t really do well on chemistry and physics when I was in high school. I actually did participate in science fair and I did a good job on doing some research about phase change materials. (Here’s a quick link of you like to know more about phase change materials.) I also enjoy the process of working on a project and trying to find out the answers or solutions. However, when it comes to all the paper works with formula and theorems, I often can’t understand how they work. Therefore I can’t really do well on tests and that is really frustrating. That’s why when the adviser asked me about which subject I don’t want to study, I answered chemistry immediately even without thinking.

Without chemistry, I think I still like science a lot, especially biology. I’m really interested in Alzheimer’s disease. To know more about attempts that scientists made to cure the disease and why is it still not curable.

Hello fellow inmates of SioWfa16! My name is Chris Tarantino and I’ll make my attempt to distract us from our imprisonment…except this class is great so far, very interesting and I’m looking forward to more!

I’m a sophomore here at Penn State, and undecided as of yet (the clock is ticking though.) I’ve always liked science, and growing up my role models were people like Archimedes and Louis Pasteur and Bill Nye (he made science seem so fun.) I wanted to be a scientist because they were cool and discovered awesome things.

This handsome fellow inspired a love of science in children more than anyone else.

Then I started taking science classes and learned that not only was I not very good at it, I also didn’t like it that much. Maybe it was a part of the way it is taught in schools, but I found it both boring and difficult. However I never lost my appreciation for science, and always enjoy hearing about new discoveries, although I might not understand exactly how they came to be.

I took this class both because I need science gen ed credits as well as being interested in the description. It was a science class that looked at science from a non-scientist viewpoint, one I recently started trying to do (and I can still tell people I’m taking a science class.)

Although the topics we (initially) will discuss vary greatly (Where does evil come from? vs. could a zombie virus exist?,) I can’t wait to actually get into this class and learn more from that great accent.

This article is just one of the many ways science benefits the world. A cheaper and more efficient way to get clean water for the poor is another step to making the world a better place, and science is the one taking those steps.