Racheal Devine                                                                                about 250 words

INTD: Science Writing

rmd20@geneseo.edu

Man vs. Nature

By: Racheal Devine

When the college was built, many things were torn down to make room for the buildings we now take our classes in. As the buildings settled in, workers planted trees, shrubs, as well as other landscape to bring the “nature feel” back to campus. It has become evident on many buildings throughout campus that nature has taken over. Not as in the animals have taken over, and the buildings are overgrown to where you can’t see them, but looking around at the unique vines that climb up the walls of Sturges and the Student Union bring back that sense of nature. I’m sure these vines have attached themselves around many other buildings that I have yet to see. Little by little, they have made this place their home. Whether they’re engulfing the sides of  walls, filling every crack, or making a walkway appear as so much more. Walking around campus, you may look at them as weeds that someone placed there, but looking closer you realize how beautiful and unique these vines really are. They represent the buildings age, beauty and character. Each vine has its own special characteristics and adds so much to the buildings they cover. Some are long, some are short, some have bright green leaves, while others turn brownish, preparing to shed for fall but always returning. As there are many different aspects in nature, one thing they all have in common is the fight to take back the land that was once theirs.

Aubrie Cross

INTD: Science Writing

ac46@geneseo.edu

About 250 words

Nature VS Human Habitat
By: Aubrie Cross

Every tree on Earth no matter the color, shape, or size, began with with a single seed. One tree on campus that caught my eye was the Greek Life tree. This tree in particular is known for being a competitive symbol between sororities and fraternities. The goal is to paint the tree at the highest point to reveal the group that stands above the rest. Before this was a tradition, the tree was just a simple plant that grew up from its roots and had only served its own purpose. Over time as this tradition began to take over, the tree changed from being a pure piece of nature into a humans work of art. From afar the tree appears to look as if it was just vandalized by a group of college kids. However, as you get closer to it you begin to see the artistic layers that have built up over the years. While looking at the tree I began to wonder as to how this obscure tradition began. Did a sorority or fraternity start this? Was it a joke to begin with? How long has this been a tradition? What has caused this to still be a tradition? Although I don’t know the answers to all these questions, I do know that this has become a landmark to Geneseo’s campus. The tree itself shows the boundary between natural and artificial worlds. Roots meet the soles of students, tree bark meets paint, mother nature meets humanity.

Paul Weissfellner                                                                    about 250 words

pw7@geneseo.edu

A Large Rock

by Paul Weissfellner

I see it whenever I leave my dorm to get to the main part of campus. Glistening wetly in the rain, gray speckled with red and brown, the rock marks a crossroads, both literally and figuratively; physically, it sits at the intersection of two paths, marking where residents of Onandaga split off from students who live in other dorms. It sits, sunken into the dirt, a silent observer. Surrounded by grass, it provides a focal point towards which to direct your attention as you walk back to South Village. Some may say that it is nothing more than a physical landmark, a natural reminder of the world within which we have built our structures, both social and physical, but they are missing the bigger picture. The rock is an testament to power, but it is ambiguous in its target. How did it get to where it is now? If it came to its place naturally, it is a monument to the persistence of nature, and a constant reassertion of the natural world’s power over this who live in it. If it was moved to this resting place, the meaning is flipped; it represents the success of humankind in reshaping nature, subjugating it to our will. It’s too big for humans alone to lift, so, if it was moved to it’s current location, it had to be by a crane or bulldozer. In this scenario, its very existence reinforces the authority, continuously sought but only recently found, of humans to shape the world around us.

Words: 246

Everyday as I return from my classes I pass a large boulder outside my residence hall. It is just a normal boulder but every time I look at it I cant help wonder if it was placed there for decoration or if it has always resided there. It seems as if it was always its home but then you look around and see the plants and dirt that has been dug up around it and start to second-guess yourself. Some people may see the boulder as nature and nothing more whilst others may see it as merely a decoration for the outdoors. The boulder also begs the question, what else is living around or because of this rock. There could be dozens even hundreds of insects living in the ground under this rock. For instance there could be an anthill under the rock because it provides protection from the rain or even a beehive under it. As unimportant as the rock may seem to some people it is these small integrations of the natural world into the artificial world that give a place its character and can make people feel at home whenever they see a landmark, even if it is just a boulder.  It is at this point where you realize that sometimes the natural world and the artificial world can be one and the same, they can merge together and show us that the boundary is not always as obvious as it may seem.

The Picture was too big to post.

Jason Gerbsch                                                             Approximately 250 words

jg33@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing

When most people view Sturges Hall, they just see another brick building, another one of the many buildings on campus, just one of the many structures people walk past everyday, either on their way to classes inside or just a landmark as they pass by.  I however, think of it as a simple, yet perfect example of the boundary between the artificial and the natural.

Not always has the building been here.  Ages ago nature claimed the entire valley.  Then one day, man settled here and cleared away nature for civilization, cutting and slashing and shaping the land to his liking, leaving in nature’s place roads and structures of brick and stone and eventually concrete.  The picture of the vine covered walls of Sturges Hall depict this boundary between man and nature, showing nature slowly taking back what rightfully belongs to it.

Standing and looking at the building from afar reveals nothing but a red and brown building with splashes of green covering large portions of it.  But upon closer inspection, one can see the sign of life clinging to the building, the beginning of the vine at the base of the structure, the plant stretching the entirety of the wall at some spots.  The individual branching vines hugging the the coarse brick, their leaves spreading out, covering the muddy red and brown in a coat of lush green.  The vine covered Sturges Hall is a prime example of the boundary between the wilderness and human habitation, the vines and building coexisting together.

Will Gerber                                                                    Approximately 250 words

10 MacVittie Circle

Geneseo, New York 14454

(315) 250-9687

wrg1@geneseo.edu

Greek Tree

By Will Gerber

In the center of a small university in rural New York, on the boundary of human creation and natural formation, stands a tree. Some local organizations have painted messages on this tree, most of which are ignored by the surrounding population. For the most part, the community doesn’t care about this tree, much like how they don’t care about the buildings they frequent, the pavement they walk on. No, concern for these objects pales in comparison to “larger” matters; studying, going to work, spending time with others, etc. Looking at humanity from the tree’s perspective might make it feel excluded or unappreciated, as if its labor and its functionality go completely unnoticed in the way of others’ self-interest. Why does the tree continue to provide as a medium for other people when no one takes the time to look at it? Because while contemplating its purpose the tree forgets life’s biggest motivator: its meaninglessness.

The tree was born one day, and the tree will die one day. The elapsed time surrounding these events infinitely outweighs the time between them, so what the tree does with its existence will never matter. It may feel limited, but that is the curse of existing with roots. To find comfort, the tree would do better to look at its blessings: living on a college campus with people that care enough to paint on it.

Emma Cooke                                                                                     about 250 words

erc8@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19 Science Writing

Sturges Hall

All too often natural beauty is lost as humans struggle with the need to expand and the want to protect the aspects of nature around us. The James V. Sturges building was constructed in 1938, and over the last 78 years the hall has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the SUNY Geneseo campus. The architecture of Sturges Hall is astonishing, the central clock tower of the main Sturges Quad is Geneseo’s signature building and contains the Alumni Carillon which chimes on the hour. What is truly fascinating about Sturges is the obvious reestablishment of the natural world to a frequently used, man-made structure. The presence of the ivy which winds and twists across the outer walls of the building is a reminder that the human and natural worlds can coexist.

We see the strength of nature every day as we pass Sturges on our way to class, to eat lunch, on our way home as we walk down cement paths poured to make our lives easier. But there are cracks, and in those cracks, nature fights back. The ivy on the walls of Sturges Hall is different, it doesn’t damage the walls. The ivy’s web of dark green leaves, does the opposite acting as a shield, insulating brickwork from the extremes of temperature and moisture that often cause cracks.

Sturges Hall reminds SUNY Geneseo students that while we have been established here for many years, nature has been here for longer. The beauty of nature and our human lives can coexist in so many ways.

Patrick Jones                                                           Approximately 250 Words

pwj2@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing

The Curb

By Patrick Jones

The beautiful campus of SUNY Geneseo appears to be a surreal blend of both the natural and artificial worlds, creating a paradise on earth for all of those who study upon it. Amongst the tall trees and unforgiving hills is an evident division between the subjective and objective domains that goes unnoticed by the students. A great example of this division is the lonesome curb block on the hill behind Milne Library.

From a distance this concrete block sits, cracked, with very little purpose. Everyday students march past, unaware of the strange object planted to the ground at their feet. Close to five inches away from the path, the block doesn’t act as good physical division. One could simply walk around the curb, mixing the artificial and natural worlds, but the separation lies in the ground surrounding it. On the side furthest from the path the grass is flourishing, symbolizing the relentless success of nature, while the side closest to the path is dead. The grass races towards the block with open arms, trying to scale the small concrete tower, but the second it hits the other side of the block, it dies.

The natural world, the farther side of the block, is full of life while the artificial world, the closer side, withers. The artificial world in which we immerse ourselves is fake, unfruitful, and unprosperous in comparison to the everlasting natural world.How are we supposed to proper as human beings in a world that can’t sustain life?

The Curb Block behind Milne Library

Daniel Biskup

Professor Jess Fenn

Chemistry Major

Class of 2020

Many would argue that mankind is only out for itself and has no concern for the rest of nature, based on the many environmental issues seen today. However, I would argue that mankind is very concerned about nature based on my object.

For my object I chose the greenhouse behind the ISC. From the outside it is a simple structure. A glass house with some vents and heating outside. However, form the inside there is a whole array of plant life inside. Large leafed palms form the tropics, cacti from desert climates, a fish pond with lily pads and flowers growing on the surface. Plants that could live for hundreds of years such as trees or plants with short lives. Plants that are tall, short, fat, and skinny from wall to wall. Sprouts under very close care and old plants that are dying. A microcosm of the world’s plant life can be found in one small room.

The plant life found in here drives me to believe that man is not selfish and truly wants to preserve nature. While many could argue that having these plants is only to serve the research of biology students, the greenhouse holds much more meaning than this. It shows man’s affinity for nature. Mankind refuses to live in the natural world, however that does not mean that it cannot coexist or even that it does not want to. For generations humans believed that their actions were merely a drop in a bucket, not effecting the environment at all. However, now they have become wiser and are striving to protect the natural world.

Juniper Tremper
Scientific Writing 105-19
Geneseo, NY
~270 words

The Absence of the Foliage
by Juniper Tremper

The curious bit about our interference as humans in the natural word is our constant efforts to remain connected to the way it was, prior to our meddling. The townhouses, built years ago, offer a beautiful view of the western horizon, but the entire stretch between the houses has been paved over, with the exception of a series of triangular plots filled with mulch. Each plot is identical: brown, woodbased mulch, roughly three footsteps from any corner to another, and most importantly, enclosing a stump. Not a tree, but a stump. We redesignated these sections of land as homes for college students, constructing the infrastructure to suit our purposes, and we cemented over any visible grass so no weeds could go through. But we planted trees evenly between the houses because we still wanted to feel like we were outdoors while walking across our human-made terrain from one human-made building to another. Then, for some unlisted reason, we cut the trees down. We severed the connection to nature that we so decisively planted, and somehow, even though the horizon glows unmatchably natural shades of orange, the stumps are a sad sort of reminder that as easily as we can let ourselves become a part of nature, so too can we distance ourselves.

No one seems to know whether there are plans to bring back the trees. To be fair, why make the effort, if no one notices the absence?

Perhaps the trees were growing up too close to the west-facing windows, and the foliage was blocking a resident’s view of the beautiful nature just outside their closed window…