#5 State of Your Research Prospectus (freewrite, 10 minutes)

My research question/topic is “Could Americans today live without the internet?” I plan on going into detail as to how deeply embedded the internet is in today’s society. I will give specific examples as to how the internet affects our everyday lives and how the world would be today without the internet. Honestly this is a very new topic, as I just thought of it a couple minutes ago. My previous research topic on the International Space Station was going nowhere so I had to abandon ship and ditch that topic. I think with this topic, I will be able to elaborate well on everyday life processes that involve the net, and I think I will be able to portray a detailed image of what life would be like without it. This would be intended for both people in the technical field that use the internet on a daily basis, and for those people who are casual internet users. Mostly it will be for the people who let the internet consume their lives, and are lost without it. As many people don’t know though, almost everything today is linked together somehow. Processes that you would never think require an internet connection use them for many purposes in which I will go into in the paper. I think this is a good topic, however I am unsure how technical I should go with it and if my audience should be focused on someone else.

Set #5, Freewriting #4

#2 Open Topic (freewrite, 10 minutes)

For this free writing exercise we are to write about anything we want for 10 minutes. That wouldn’t be too hard, but considering I just finished the last “write about anything you want” exercise I might have to think a little about this one. The cold weather is kind of getting old, and I can’t wait till it’s warm again. The winter has been fun though, lots of memories and good times. This summer is most likely going to be pretty exciting; I have a month of training in Ft. Lewis, WA and then hopefully I’ll be attending airborne school at Ft. Benning, GA. The Airborne slot is not guaranteed but I’m pretty sure I will be able to snag a slot. That will be awesome because I have always wanted to go Airborne and if I get that slot, then I will be double stacked because last summer I went to the US Army Air Assault School at Ft. Knox, KY. Air Assault is a lot harder than Airborne and also a lot harder to get, so I am glad that I got Air Assault last summer when I did because most likely you will not get a slot unless you are assigned to an Air Assault unit which there are only a couple in the entire army. I could talk for days about the Army, but my ten minutes is up so I think I’ll stop.

Book review of "The Essential Engineer," by Henry Petroski

By Thomas Hayden
Sunday, February 28, 2010

THE ESSENTIAL ENGINEER

Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems

By Henry Petroski


The Literature Review I read was about a book called “The Essential Engineer” written by Henry Petroski. The Literature Review was written by a man named Thomas Hayden. Reading this review was definitely a new experience for me. I have never read anything like it before, and it really did the job of convincing me that I want to read the original text. Hayden starts off by proposing an idea, and then by using the book as evidence he cites ideas from the book to back up the original point. He does this for several key points and I think it’s really effective the way he does it. I find it interesting how he offers his own insight in support of the books argument, and even though it is completely based off of his own opinion it still offers so much to the review. I think this is the idea of presenting an idea, then backing it up with evidence. In this case, Hayden gets the ideas from the original text, and then by using facts in the book he uses that as evidence to support his idea. I learned about this style of writing in my HIST 100 class, strangely enough. She is really focused on expanding out literary and research skills and less concerned about memorizing dates of battles events which is really cool. I think writing a literature review would be a great way to support my argument for my research paper. It would provide insight, and reputable evidence that would add a life of its own to my argument. It’s also a way to provide just the portions you need of a text, without having to summarize and re-state the entire paper.

Set #5, Freewriting #2

#2 Open Topic (freewrite, 10 minutes)

This is the last week before spring break, and honestly I can’t wait for it. I have three exams this week and once I am done with them, I AM OUT. My plans for spring break are going down to Myrtle Beach, SC for a week with about 20 friends of mine. It is definitely going to be a good time; I just have to make it through this week first. I have two exams on Thursday and one on Friday. The one on Friday I am really not worrying about at all, it’s for HIST 100 and it’s an essay test on pretty much any topic we want. The two on Thursday I am kind of freaking out about though. The week we get back, I have two exams also. The thing is, I really want to go to Myrtle and forget about school for awhile so I can recharge and drive on with the rest of the semester. This is my last semester I have to work like crazy because the Army only looks at your first three years of college. Once you become a senior your “profile” is already sent to Cadet Command and all you have to do is wait for your assignment, and graduate. Anyways, back to the original point, this week is going to be dedicated to nothing but studying and working. I have to do excellent on all three exams. I know when I am sitting on the beach drinking a virgin daiquiri; I will be glad that I worked extra hard because it will only make my relaxation time even more rewarding. I should probably start thinking about my essay topic for HIST 100 though, because if I am too complacent about it, it might backfire and I might end up not getting an A+ on it. Its classes like those, I feel I have to excel in because it’s one of the few chances I get to have interesting lectures about stuff that actually matters. The teacher is so into the class lecture, and she really gets the entire class involved which is something that engineering classes definitely lack.

Free Writing Exercise #5, Week 4

So these past couple weeks have been pretty interesting. They have been really hard, but also really fun. Last week I had to be at mason by 6 am every morning for Physical Training, and I definitely felt it by the end of the week. After 3 days of training, I could barely sit down I was so sore. Thursday was fun because we played dodge ball and everyone had a good time, but then Friday was followed by another smoke session. I guess you could say I am ready for this week, I have two major assignments to turn in but for some reason, I am really not stressing out about it. I guess ROTC and Engineering have taught me to not freak out, and to accept hard work as a constant in a successful life. I actually found that my weekly planner book that I picked up at a kiosk in the JC has been a lifesaver. I forgot it at a table this past week, but thankfully a friend of mine was there to hold onto it till I met up with him later. I realized how much I actually use that thing, and without it my life would be lost. I write so much stuff in there, whether its due dates, assignments I have to complete or things that I have to do, everything is written in that little book. When I am done with an assignment, I cross it out really hard to relieve some stress and have the feeling of closure and completion. I find that it really helps to write everything on your mind out because when you don’t it just feels like you have a cloud of things to do and you freak out about it because you can single anything out and do it, you just have the feeling of a lot of work. With the planner, you know exactly what needs to get done and when it is due. When you see each thing individually you can better plan your time out and meet time hacks and it definitely makes your life easier.

Free Writing Exercise #4, Week 4

On my trip here to school, I definitely was trying to drive as fast as possible. I have this problem I guess you could say, that I always want to pass people on the road even if they are speeding themselves. So that was a big part of my trip like always. For some reason I notice that if I catch one red light, I am plagued with red lights for the entire trip. If, however I pass the first light and its green, ill be good to go for the entire trip. I am really not sure if the lights are designed that way or what, but it seems to hold true every time. Sometimes I am really close, and ill have to speed through a yellow avoid the 15 reds that I get if I don’t keep going. I also notice the cemetery that I pass every time I drive by it. It always gets to me when I see people visiting, because of the mood that they must be feeling right then. I have to admit if I whipped around someone going to slow in the left lane, and looked at them angrily, and then I saw them turn into the cemetery, I would feel horrible. Whenever I pass by the cemetery I always feel sad/taken back/uncomfortable because I realize that one day I will have to bury the people I love, and if I am not lucky enough, they might have to bury me. After the cemetery there is a line of nothing but houses lining the street on both sides. Then comes mason, I enter mason where the electronic billboard is and always go as fast as possible around that curve that gets me into Lot A. I almost never park in Lot A, but for some reason I find myself entering mason at that entrance always. From there I either go to Lot J, or Rappahannock river which is the best on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I have my first and last class in the lecture hall which is right there so its perfect.

Free Writing Exercise #3, Week 4

The type of writing in my field is both very diverse, yet quite specific. I will go about explaining why. The reason I say very diverse is because “Engineering” is one of the most diverse fields out there. You can be outside in the field telling backhoes where to dig, or you can be in a lab with a lab coat testing silicon for new transistor technology. Of course Electrical engineering is a little more specific, but still has many different areas in which you can work in. When you Google search engineering, you will get 1,000s of results, and each one is a type of writing that an “Engineer” could write. You will get technical papers describing new technologies that they have just started using, to overviews of engineering departments that offer technical services to companies. The reason I say that the type of writing in my field is quite specific is because once you get down to the specific type of engineering, you are then looking at an area that specializes in something. For instance, once you get into the field of petroleum engineering, you will get very detailed work that is being done in the field of petroleum engineering.

Free Writing Exercise #2, Week 4

The strengths that I feel I bring to the table for my career are the ability to work with people well, a never quite attitude, physical ability and perseverance. From now until forever, we are going to be working with people, and the better you can work with people the more successful you will be. A caveat to that would be the ability to work well with very diverse kinds of people. I think going to mason is good for that because of the level of diversity that mason offers. Being in ROTC offers you invaluable leadership experience, and I think being a good leader is also being a good follower so in ROTC you get many chances to be both.
I think having to tackle both ROTC and Engineering has really taught me a lot about myself. I find that I am really self motivated and that all I need to do to start getting things done is to start executing the task. I am not saying that I am always super motivated to get work done, but I feel that I have a fire inside of me that just wont go out and that I can never stop working because of the constant struggle to succeed.
Being physically fit is most of the time not a trait that people would think of when talking about future career goals. However, in the Army it is essential to a successful career. In fact if you are physically fit in the Army, you will separate yourselves from your peers greatly. Your commander will always look at you in a different light, because he realizes that you work hard to stay fit. Being fit is not a gift or trait you are born with; it’s the result of hard work, dedication and perseverance which brings me to my next point.
Perseverance is another trait that I feel I am strong at. It takes a lot to keep going when the going gets tough. I live by the following saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. For some reason I really relate to it. I know exactly how it is to be in situation where I want to quit, but I keep going and in the end I am successful.

Free Writing Exercise #1, Week 4

My goals as a write and researcher are pretty standard. I want to be able to express my thoughts on paper, and be able to portray my ideas to the rest of the world. As far as for ENGL 302, I really want to be able to improve my research skills and be able to narrow down topics to specifically what I am looking for. I think I have a decent writing style, but I definitely need to be able to elaborate on what I am saying. I have been told in the past that the sentences I have are good, but I jump around from topic to topic and never really explain one topic fully. I definitely want to fix that, because I know exactly where my old English teacher was coming from. As far as engineering is concerned, there isn’t a whole lot of writing that is involved. The assignments we have and the work that we have to do, don’t involve essays or most of the time even a written explanation as to what has been done. One engineering professor once told me that engineers need to be able to express themselves well on paper, but he never gave us a chance to improve this, or even show this. For my career goals, I know that I will have to be able to write official documents using official grammar and verbiage. In fact once I get higher in the ranks, I will be judged based off how well I can communicate to people higher in command. This will hopefully not be to much of a challenge because I think with the job you gain invaluable experience that I cannot foresee at this moment in time. For myself personally I really just want to be able to express myself better and show the world what I am thinking. I have lots of crazy thoughts in my head, and if I could only channel them a little better, I think I could influence a lot of people. The program that I am in doesn’t lend itself to much writing so I have to take every opportunity I can to improve my skills. This class will hopefully be useful in my quest for writing effectively.

Observation and Description Exercise: One Hour of Uninterrupted Listening (250-500 words)

For this free writing exercise I chose to sit in McDonalds after my Friday morning Physical Training session. It was around 8:45 am when I got in and I had very nice breakfast with a bunch of Army buddies. Once they were done eating, I decided to stick around and do my free writing exercise. Once my friends left, I went to the corner and arranged myself so that I had a good view of the restaurant and prepared to observe. The first couple minutes were a little weird; I’m not going to lie. I felt this sense of wasting time, like I could be doing other things. I soon realized that this was part of the class and to do this assignment I was going to have to sit there for an hour. After that first thought, I started observing the people that were coming in and out of the restaurant. One thing I noticed was the fact that the crowd in McDonalds was very diverse. There was people was all sorts of people from every economic class. From construction workers about to head out for a hard days work, to upper-middle class people wearing suits and ties about to go sit in an executive office with an amazing view. It was pretty cool actually how many different types of people were in there. It’s one of the very few places that I can think of that can attract people as diverse as I witnessed. Whether you make $20,000 or $200,000, you could still be seen in the McDonalds line ordering a Big Breakfast with Hot Cakes and a Medium coffee, one cream, one sugar of course. I was actually quite taken back at the fact that I have never noticed this before. I guess I never really took the time to notice the people, places and things around me. McDonalds was a pretty busy place in the morning hour that I was there, and I can’t really imagine what my mind would be going through if there weren’t as many people that came in and out. One hour of complete segregation with no one there will have to wait till next time.

Article Summary #15

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100212172537.htm
Scientists Turn Light Into Electrical Current Using a Golden Nanoscale System
University of Pennsylvania. "Scientists Turn Light Into Electrical Current Using a Golden Nanoscale System." ScienceDaily 14 February 2010. 14 February 2010 .
At the University of Pennsylvania, materials scientists at the Nano/Bio Center have produced a new way to conduct electricity, similar to that of Photovoltaic Cells(Solar Panels) using nano-sized molecules of Gold. The result of experiments like this, provide a technological approach for nano-sized circuits that can power themselves through sunlight. A useful application that this technology could be used for is computer data storage, which currently uses binary data that is either on or off, that could instead use photovoltaic circuits in which you could store data corresponding to different wavelengths of light.
What researchers have done, is place these nano-sized pieces of gold, and lined them up. Then, they focused optical radiation. aka – light, onto the gold strips. What they found was that it created a huge electrical current that increased the current level of today’s standard by a factor of 400 to 2000 percent. The way that these levels can be increased by 2000 percent is because of light resonance. If the light is angled just right, it will reflect and bounce off other sheets of gold, and increase intensity every time it hits another piece of gold. Now of course there are limitations, but unless unforeseen limitations arise when further testing is being complete, scientists believe that they will be able to create a one-amp, one-volt sample that will be roughly the diameter of a human hair and an inch long.

Article Summary #14

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-02/ciot-cro021210.php
Caltech researchers obtain first brain recordings from behaving fruit flies
Kathy Svitil
In the past, it has been impossible to capture the activity of cells in the brain. At the California Institute of Technology, a breakthrough has been made and researchers have obtained the first recording of brain-cell activity from an actively flying fruit fly. Scientists discovered that during flight, parts of the fruit flies brain are in a different state. In the future scientists hope to be able to pinpoint how exactly neurons react when put in complex situations. It is very easy to manipulate the genes of a Fruit Fly, but the hard part is working with their size. The way that researchers measured the brain cell activity was by tying the fruit fly into place, and placing sensors on their skulls. Then, after secured shooting air at them to cause them to flutter their wings and measuring brain cell activity using diodes.
When scientists measured brain activity, they noticed that the neurons were sending signals to each other at a higher rate when the fly had to change its direction of flight. Scientists believe that there is a neurochemical release that causes the animal to sense its need to change direction, then the neurons communicate with each other to get the desired task complete.

Article Summary #13

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10451819-266.html?tag=smallCarouselArea.3
Wi-Fi rides to wireless networks' rescue
Marguerite Reardon
As technology advances, the need for a quicker and more reliable wireless network increases. The current 3G and 4G networks are being overloaded with an extreme amount of data needing to be processed. As more and more portable electronic devices are utilizing wireless networks, immense strain is being put on them. A short term solution to this bandwidth problem is the use of Wi-Fi networks. In places like New York City where thousands and thousands of wireless users are constantly trying to connect to the internet, Wi-Fi would be a more practical solution. Each block of NYC’s busy street corner could be emplaced with a Wi-Fi router.
AT&T is taking advantage of the Wi-Fi networks and currently offers its customers with Hotspot packages that allow their users to connect to AT&T Hotspots to connect to the internet. A recent survey done indicates that 43% of Smartphone users have connected to an AT&T hotspot at least once and in 2009 four times as many people used AT&T hotspots than in 2008. One of the biggest benefits of Wi-Fi is the fact that most recent portable devices have Wi-Fi capabilities. Almost all Laptops and Smartphone come with wireless network cards that allow them to pick up wireless network signals. Another benefit of Wi-Fi is the new release of the 802.11n technology that increases the range and speed of the current version, 802.11g, by over three times.
With the increase in wireless users, the need for networks that can handle the increased capacity is needed and Wi-Fi is offering a helping hand to the bogged down wireless networks.

Article Summary #12

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/02/slime-molds/
Searching for Network Laws in Slime
Brandon Keim
Dictyostelium discoideum is a single celled amoeba that is better known as “Slime Mold”. This amazing organism is currently being studied to solve several biological mysteries that scientists are eager to find solutions to. When this “Slime Mold” runs out of food, millions of these combine into one slug like creature and then they wander around the environment in search of nutrients. Once nutrients have been found, they form a mushroom like figure, scatter as spores and the process repeats itself. Researchers hope to find answers through unique and mysterious processes like these. Biologist Ted Cox thinks that the same dynamics that govern the Slime mold, likely explain how calcium levels during the beating of a heart are regulated. Also, the fluxes that regulate ones mood through transmitters are likely to behave in a certain way.
Cox also has a theory on how these amazing organisms find food. He says that before the slug-like organism searches for food, it has to form. Forming, according to Cox, “inevitably causes damage” to other organisms around and also other essential cellular systems. This process is called, “altruistic cooperation”, which is a current topic that fascinates Biologists today. Biologist Joan Strassman believes there are “social interactions” going on in the organisms in our skin. She believes that this can tell us how microbes interact with each other.

Article Summary #11

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/making-space-photo/
The Making of a Mind-Blowing Space Photo
Alexis Madrigal
One night in 2007 Rogelio Bernal Andreo and his wife were driving along the highway in California. When Ms. Andreo opened the moon-roof they saw a sight that they have never seen before. They saw a night’s sky that looked like the Milky Way was right on top of them. They pulled over and tried to capture the breath taking scene with their digital camera. When they got home, they downloaded the pictures onto their computer and from then on, have been obsessed with capturing pictures of the night’s sky. Digital cameras however are not nearly sensitive enough to capture the images that take peoples breath away. There is a science behind the capturing of these pictures and Andreo was determined to master it.
After two years and $10,000, Andreo has finally managed to come up with pictures that are truly amazing. I’m sure we have all seen those pictures with amazing clarity and detail, well those pictures not just simple snapshot of the sky. There are many steps that go into taking photos like these. According to Andreo, picking a good spot without any light pollution from the cities is the first step. Andreo, goes to the mountains of Northern California because of its high elevation and its level of darkness at night. After the location is set, Andreo takes a series of 11 pictures. Once all 11 pictures are taken, he then stacks them on top of each other to create the final image. Each one of these 11 pictures taken, has something unique about it. Andreo has different colored lenses that he used to make sure he captures images from all angles and wavelengths. The final product is a truly breathtaking picture that has amazing color and clarity. The picture is seen at the top of this article.

Research Prospectus

(*) Introduce the issue to be studied.
• Exploring the scientific experiments currently being conducted on the International Space Station.

(*) Introduce to background of the research area.
• The International Space Station was first put into orbit in 1998, and since then has been conducting experiments to further space exploration and experiments that could only be done in spaces zero gravity environment.

(*) State the key issue, the overall research problem, specific research question/s. There may be 1-3 separate questions connected to research problem area. Should be formulated in a very clear language in a form of a question.
1) What kinds of experiements are currently being done on the ISS?
2) Why can’t these same experiments be done on earth?
3) How many scientific fields have assets currently being tested on the ISS?

(*) Statement of relevance to the field. Define your audience of experts.
• My audience is scientists in the fields that which are currently being researched on the ISS. Also, it is intended for anyone interested in space exploration and the scientific advancements that are currently being done.

(*) Justify the research problem area with references to references to journal articles (and in some cases also popular articles) pinpointing the importance of the research area.
• http://www.nalusda.gov/awic/newsletters/v6n2/6n2borko.htm - A source that outlines NASAs research currently being done on live animals in space.
• http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news/news/releases/2002/02-216.html - Official NASA site that explores the research that is being done on Semiconductors. The zero-gravity environment makes it ideal for trying to make Semiconductor technology smaller and more efficient.
• http://www.latech.edu/ideaplace/nerc/lithographs/research_on_the_international_space_station.pdf - Tissue culture is being tested where cells are unaffected by gravity. In the future, these living cells may make breakthroughs in Cancer treatment, causing no harm to patients.



(*) Introduce your proposed methods of study, in brief, if you can at this time.
• I plan to mostly look at sources that are affiliated with NASA, as I believe these will be most accurate and credible. I plan to give an overview of several (3-4) specific areas of study that are currently being done on the ISS. I will also plan to relate each one to how they will affect life on earth. I believe that this can be done using websites like www.scirus.com to look for scientific sources, more specifically scientific articles.

(*) Introduce limitations of the study, if you can at this time.
• I do not plan to get into the technical aspects of each scientific field of research. My paper will be intended for a reader with interest in the specific area, not a background in it. So, therefore a basic understanding of what each field of research is and what the specific goal of each area is.

(*) Include bibliography of sources. Provide in-text citations where appropriate.
• http://www.latech.edu/ideaplace/nerc/lithographs/research_on_the_international_space_station.pdf
• http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news/news/releases/2002/02-216.html
• http://www.nalusda.gov/awic/newsletters/v6n2/6n2borko.htm
• http://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/1853/26420/1/125-137-1-PB.pdf

(*) Note scholarly publications (1-3 publications, by title) where you might be able to publish the resulting paper you would write.
• http://www.scientificamerican.com/
• http://www.sciencedaily.com/
• http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/resources/journals.shtml

Article Summary #10

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/24476/
"Melting" Drywall Keeps Rooms Cool
Developers think these phase-change materials could reduce the need for air-conditioning.
By Katherine Bourzac
Soon to be on the market in the US, these new building materials have the ability to absorb heat during the day and release it at night, reducing and possibly eliminating the need for Air Conditioning. A North Carolina company called National Gypsum is currently testing these new building materials in the form of sheets that can be used as drywall in buildings. The idea behind this technology can be compared to an ice cube cooling a drink; the ice cube absorbs the heat from the drink therefore cooling the drink. This new technology is part of an international push to be greener and consume less energy. In Northern Europe, applications similar to this are in use today and are using 20% less electricity than typical applications. Many companies have versions of this technology, including Americas own DuPont. They produce panels of the new material, and mostly sell it to European countries. Another company that produces materials like this is BASF, which produces ceiling panels, aerated concrete blocks and drywall. According National Gypsum, including this new material in a typical home will cost an average of around $5,000, which apparently can be recouped in around 5 years. National Gypsum is providing very thorough testing of this new product before it is released full speed ahead in the states. These tests will take 12 months; a full year to test because they want to see how this technology holds throughout all four seasons. Once testing has been completed, energy cost savings, and other field data will be released therefore informing the general public of its effectiveness. Once these results are out, companies will most likely begin marketing this technology and introducing into future construction projects.

Article Summary #9

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10447752-265.html?tag=smallCarouselArea.0
Tough calls ahead for Google's Nexus One plans
by Tom Krazit
Google’s new Nexus One debuted last month, and sales of the Smartphone had no chance at beating out the obvious competitor, the Apply iPhone. The Nexus one outranks the iPhone 3GS, which is Apples most advanced Smartphone, according to CNET Editors. The lack of sales doesn’t scare Google, because Google has a new and different objective. Google’s objective is to challenge and change the multi-billion dollar mobile phone business by selling its phones directly to the customer, without having to go through a service provider. Google hopes to one day create an open market for phones and carriers. This new way of trying to sell phones is something that Google hopes to be the leader of. According to Andy Rubin of Google, “revolutions take time” which means that it might take awhile for other phone companies to catch on to this new marketing trend. The phone is currently offered through T-mobile, and has customers sign a two year contract, or you can buy it directly from Google. Google has to convince customers that buying directly from them is beneficial because of the simplicity involved with transitioning to the Nexus One. So far, after the first month of its release, Google is overwhelmed by customer service issues involving shipping delays and glitches. Customer Service is something that Google is new to, because of the previous nature of Google products. We will have to see if Google can turn around their business model to produce a consumer product that can satisfy the public, while continuing to produce a profit.

Article Summary #8

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24475/
Brain Imaging Lets Vegetative Patient Communicate
After a brain injury, some patients are left in a state of “persistent lack of awareness” as stated by a researcher in the New England Journal of Medicine. After breakthrough experimentation, scientists believe that these brain dead patients, even though unable to communicate, can answer yes or no questions. Scientists can sense the response of the patient by looking at images of the brain. People in this condition are sometimes hard to diagnose, because of their lack of ability to communicate. With this new technology, scientists may be able to better diagnose patients with certain symptoms. Adrian Owens, a neuroscientist at the Medical Research Council in Cambridge, England and his colleagues discovered that a patient suffering severe brain damage from a car accident could mentally respond to a series of commands even while showing no signs of consciousness. Consciousness is a whole issue in and of itself, because of the difficulty involved with diagnosing brain damage victims. A lot of times, patients with these symptoms are said to be in a state of coma, even though in some cases patients were conscience but unable to respond. Recently, a test on a 22 year old man was done who was diagnosed to be “vegetative” after a car accident. This patient was told to imagine a game of tennis being played if the answer to a question was “yes” and to imagine his house if the answer was “no”. This patient answered 5 questions correctly, just based off the images that were created in his mind. This research proves to be promising for patients that suffer severe brain damage.

Week 2, Freewriting #6

This semester has been going decently so far. I am taking more credit hours than I ever have before, so it’s definitely proving to take a toll on me. I have to get up really early every day of the week and once I’m up, I’m ok but it’s kind of hard rolling out of bed at 5 am. I just have a lot of things on my plate and it’s hard to pack it all in my schedule. It’s weird, when I’m not doing anything I feel guilty like I should be working 24/7. I think I’ll be ok though. For the first time ever, I got stuck in the snow. It wasn’t as exciting as I thought it was going to be. After about 2 hours of trying to get unstuck I gave up. Its right in front my house, but it’s in the middle of the street so hopefully my neighbors don’t have any plans to go anywhere anytime soon because I’m not planning on digging it out again until the snow melts which might be awhile. I was surprised to see that most of the side streets haven’t been plowed yet, and the streets are pretty much impassable. I when on a drive this morning to get back home and I was driving through like champ until I got stuck in front of my house. This one guy, in a little Toyota was flying down the street and I don’t know how he was doing it because I was barely staying in control even with my Tonka Truck. Northern Virginia has been trampled by the most snow I have ever seen. I went out and played in the snow and it’s easily two feet high. I am thinking we will get at least a week of classes off. Fairfax County has already cancelled classes so we definitely should not have classes on Monday, or even Tuesday.

Week 2, Freewriting #5

I have never really been asked to talk about my learning styles before this class. I can’t believe I haven’t though, because it seems very important and I have been “learning” most of my life but never asked how I learn. From looking at the list, and taking the quiz I have been put into the categories of sequential and intuitive. I think I learn the best when teachers are organized, so I can linearly follow their train of thought. When teachers prepare for their lecture I can tell, and it helps me to go back over my notes and prepare myself. I also like concepts and theories rather than details and little things that mess me up. When listening to lectures, I really do listen for key points and the overall concept of the information that is being told. I tend to write down everything that a teacher says, but I don’t really get anything out of it until I sit and think about it either in class or after class. The problem is, in engineering we are tested on little details and not over all concepts which really messes me up. When doing problems on either homework or tests I try to focus on the big idea and underlying concept rather than the numbers and values. This gets me into lots of trouble because my field of study really does rely on accurate numbers and precise calculations.

Week 2, Freewriting #4

My research topic is uncovering the reason behind building the International Space Station. The International Space Station is an internationally collaborative effort that is focused on scientific exploration and advancement in the field of Space studies. My goal is to explore the reason why so many countries have contributed to this huge program. A possible question you could ask is
• Why do we even have the International Space Station(ISS)?
o The ISS is on the leading edge of scientific discoveries and advancements. Research is being done in materials science, plant biology and being weightless.
• Which countries contribute the most to the ISS?
o The United States and Russia contribute the most to the ISS.
• When was it put into space and when will it be completed?
o The first section of the ISS was put into orbit in 1998, and has been continuing to receive structural updates until 2003.

Article Summary #7

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2010/204/2
Can Thin Mountain Air Make You Slim?
Recently, twenty obese men have been a part of an experiment that tests whether or not thin mountain air has an effect on metabolism and weight control. These twenty men spent a week on top of Germany’s highest peak to try and record the effects of the altitude. The results were astonishing; all twenty men saw their metabolism speed up, their appetite fade away and pounds of fat melt away. Researchers have their own doubts about this experiment because it lacks a control group- for instance a group of people living at normal altitude under the same living conditions like the same amount of food and water and daily activity. Without a control group it is quite hard to draw a feasible conclusion; however the results that were obtained are surprising nonetheless. One of the reasons that thin air increases metabolism is because mountain air contains less oxygen than air at lower altitudes and this causes the heart to beat faster and causes the body to burn more energy. Gastroenterologist Florian Lippl of the University Hospital of Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich in Germany questioned the technique by wondering how the altitude would affect these men who are so inactive already. She wondered if it would have any affect on them at all due to this fact. The counter argument is that the altitude will be doing most of the activity and that inhaling thin air would be enough of an activity to do the job.

Week 2, Freewriting #3

-Nanotechnology
These days, engineers are trying to create things faster, cheaper, and most of all SMALLER. This is what the field on Nanotechnology is all about. Creating the devices we use today smaller, while keeping them affordable enough to be practical. Today, the NRI (Nanotechnology Research Initiative) is seeking new ways to change something that has been around for decades. Transistors technology, more specifically CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) is the biggest issue at the NRI. These CMOS transistors are used in almost all electronic devices and creating them smaller is a huge issue because they are so widely used. They have been making several breakthroughs, however the controlling factor is cost. You cant try and produce something that is to expensive that companies cant afford to buy them, and in turn wont be able to sell them because they are to expensive.
-Fiber-optic Technology
Fiber optics use light as the transmission medium to transmit data. Since light is the fastest known thing in this universe, it makes fiber optic technology ideal in areas where speed is desirable. Electric current travels only at fraction of what light travels at, so research is being done to implement this technology for a means of communication. National LambdaRail is currently working on trying to create a nationwide network of these fiber optic networks. This would speed up transmission rates greatly and connect the nation together. These networks are likely to find their way into the commercial sector, specifically in areas such as network management and security. There are many companies that are contributing to this project such as Cisco and L3 communications.

Week 2, Freewriting #2

I can’t believe I am writing about what I’m passionate about. Its not that I don’t know, it’s just that I have never been asked to say it before. I would like to say that I am passionate about a lot of things, but really there are only a few things that get my blood boiling and get me motivated. First is music, I am 100% passionate about it. I really don’t know why, its something about a good song that I just can’t get enough of. Tom Petty’s – “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” is one of the songs that could break me down. When I am playing guitar, I don’t have a care or worry in the world. When I am jamming hard to my favorite tune, its like all the problems in the world just go away and it’s just me, my guitar and the music. Music can influence and change people, and it really is some people’s lifeline. My second passion is working hard. I know cliché. But seriously, when I have a task or when I am working hard on a problem/issue/ anything really, I feel so alive. I apply this passion to every aspect of my life, engineering school, working out, running, doing well in ROTC and being the best person I can be. If you always have a drive to succeed then, you stay focused and stay on the right path. Working hard also provides you with the perfect excuse to relax hard. I firmly believe in work hard- play hard. You can be successful even if you do go out every once in awhile. I hate people who think that it’s bad if I go out on Friday or Saturday nights, because I should be inside alone in my room doing work. Hard work constitutes having a good time. I have been packing my life with so many activities and I have trying to be successful at all of them, and if I didn’t have this passion it would never work out.

Week 2, Freewriting #1

The most recent dream that I can remember having is unfortunately not a very pleasant one. I remember it like it actually happened yesterday. I remember I was riding in the passenger seat of my friend’s car, when all the sudden his phone rings. His facial expression changed immediately and I knew it was something serious. He was on the phone for a couple minutes and I knew something terrible had happened. When he hung up the phone, he said “Dude, friends name just died.” I was like whattttt? How? When? Why? All these things came into my mind. She has been one of my best friends since freshman year, and I couldn’t believe she actually died. I found out later that she died in a car crash going back home to MD. I couldn’t believe it, and I remember still being in shock for awhile while we were driving around. The crazy part was after a little while, we got back to campus and I remember running into her dorm room and trying to find her roommates, who also knew about the tragedy. Then I remember going to her boyfriend and giving him a big hug while he cried on my shoulder. She really was like the coolest girl ever and it was so weird, because even though it was a dream, it felt so weird. I remember actually shooting awake at 4:47 am, freaked out as heck and hoping she was ok. Then, the next morning I saw her and I was relieved to find out that she was ok and that it was definitely just a dream. It did freak me out how real it seemed and why she was in my dream out of all the other people I know. I hope the saying the dreams predict the future isn’t true because that would really suck if it did.