Assignment #3

Writing something about science? I was little worried about the research paper assignment because I had never written a 10 pages of essay. Also, I wasn't sure if my knowledge in science was enough to provide a creative argument or finding. But after given five topics to choose, my anxious was eased. The topics are all interesting!


I'm especially interested in "historical research on a scientists" and "science and technology: promise and peril."

Richard Feynman is my favorite scientist. I was inspired by his autobiography Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman! I was deeply intrigued by his character, full of enthusiasm, loving and compassion, that changed my stereotyped image of a scientist. He is a real humanity person who also happen to be scientist. While he is well known for a Nobel Prizer for quantum electrodynamics, I'm more interested in his great contribution to the improvement of atomic bomb. As I was born in Hiroshima, an atomic bomb is such a devastating technology. In fact, even today, it has still caused tensions between countries and destroyed nature and lives. Before reading his autobiography, I thought that the scientist who helped this evil invention must have no love and respect for life. So I was shocked when I learned that Feynman was a great humanistic person who loved people and life so much, and that his true curiosity for life just turned out to be an advanced atomic bomb. I would love to research how did he feel about his discovery later and stories behind it. 


The another topic,"science and technology: promise and peril," is something I really want to know. The topic is strongly related to our everyday life although we don't have much chance to see it unless we try. It is difficult not to take technology for granted. Since I was born, TV, washing machine and car were already there. Also, every time when a new device, such as I phone, was introduced, we were excited about a new cool technology for a second, and then next second, we were impatient of getting a newer and cooler one. Before making a line to buy a new I phone 4, how many people thought about the cost for it to come to our hands? As I benefit technology, my life stands on great sacrifices and exploitations. I think it's my responsibility or even obligation to know how my life affects other lives. Yet, we can't fully deny science and technology. We need to commute, travel and be connected people faraway. Science and technology are deeply embedded in our lives. I would love to learn how they have developed our lives. Today, so many parts of life are digitalized and mechanized, and it is almost overwhelming to keep up with all these changes. I'm especially very slow to absorb contemporary technologies, so I would love to research how much they offer, and obtain a motive to utilize them.


I found that above two topics are very interesting and beneficial to learn. At this moment, I'm thinking to go for the second topic that is about positive side and negative side of science and technology. For the Facebook and Twitter generation, we need to know both side of science and technology. This would give us an integrated perspective about science and technology to achieve a right attitude, not fully awed and not entirely believing, toward them. 

　　　　　　　　　　　  How much should the TV be thin?

Assignment #1

Many popular science fictions are inspired by the idea of extraterrestrial life, a life outside of the earth. The idea that there is creatures exist under alien conditions is advanced from Dawin’s theory of evolution.

“E.T.” directed by Steven Spielberg is one of the most well known films for extraterrestrial life. The movie is about a warm friendship between a lonely boy and a lost alien named E.T. The friendly appearance and personality of E.T. may not depict the truth of extraterrestrial life, but the humanized alien achieved to provoke audiences’ excitement and positive feeling about extraterrestrial life throughout the film. The alien life is simplified in the movie and following what most people typically think when they imagine it. E.T. came to the earth by UFO, and it communicates by using some sort of telepathy. E.T. can also use telekinesis to fly. These symbolic settings allow any audience, including me, to be drawn in the plot easily.

Although the film left me very warm feeling, I still feel threaten to think that there is other life exists outside of the earth. The scale of the idea is so huge that I feel overwhelmed. In fact, when I was a child, I used to be terrified to watch the NASA’s discoveries of extraterrestrials on a discovery channel. The provided monotone video was so real. An alien, which looked like a small human, was laid on the laboratory and surrounded by many recorders and equipment.

As technology has been advanced, science fictions became more descriptive and sophisticated. As “Avatar” attracted so many people, it’s obvious that Americans are even more fascinated by the concept of extraterrestrial life today. Science fictions should have a lot of humanities and should be entirely fiction in order to successfully entertain people. “E.T.” and “Avatar” contains human’s common emotions, such as love, friendship and grudge, so the audiences are able to feel connections although the characters look very alien to us. Even more importantly, the story should make people think that it would be impossible to happen, so that they don’t need to conflict their personal or religious beliefs.

Unlike science fictions, serious science may be difficult to capture many people.  Science terminology is difficult, and some concepts require some scientific backgrounds to understand. Besides, not every one is ready to know the fact. Knowing and understanding facts take so much energy because people may have to accept their unknowing or ignorance about life. This is especially difficult, as people became adults. Compared to children, adults are less motivated to learn about facts of life that don’t directly change their everyday lives. 

Hi, everyone.

I'm Mariko. I major in Liberal Arts; Math and Science, and after this semester, I'm planning to go on to four-year college to concrete a strong foundation to pursue my career in the medical field. The classes I have taken at LaGuardia greatly expanded my world. I love all subject, especially, biology. For me biology is an ultimate study of life. It can be very big subject like ecosystem or very small like cell engineering. Learning life from different scales develop my appreciation for life. Life is all about connection, interaction and collaboration, and I see all these qualities in biology.  

Although I have a sincere passion for science, I see science from a humanity perspective, so I refer to myself as a humanity person.

Science is ultimately the law of facts. However, life can't be explained only by sciences. People made mistakes and will continue to make mistakes, and this imperfection and uncertainness are what makes life unique and beautiful, and that’s where humanity comes in.

On March 11, magnitude 9 earthquake that people of Japan had never experienced hit Japan caused and have still caused thousands of death. While radiations of nuke plants, continuous aftershocks, and many other secondary disasters frighten the people, Twitter and SNS have saved and supported them. A great number of warm and supportive messages across the world on these communication tools impressed and encouraged the country. Technology is handy and useful, but it is human heart that determines the usage of technology.

I feel that today, most Americans accept science to live and understand life efficiently. Technology has become very simple, handy and quick for us to use. It’s not that overwhelming to learn how to use smart phones and electronic books. Also, people see this technology cool. This trend to accept rapidly advancing technology makes science indispensable for Americans.