Jason Gerbsch                                                             Approximately 315 words

jg33@geneseo.edu

INTD 105: Scientific Writing

Scientific breakthroughs throughout history have always been a doubled-edged sword.  For every discovery that has an initial positive benefit, others have found its negative or vice versa.  The discovery of nuclear power is one such example.  Nuclear power is itself a relatively clean and very efficient energy source.  However, this enormous power has also been used for destruction in the form of nuclear weapons.

When one is asked about who has been affected by American nuclear weapons, most would say the Japanese, as they are the only human population to have had a nuclear weapon used against them.  Many would not think Americans have been affected, Terry Tempest Williams argues otherwise.  She comes from a family where 9 women were diagnosed with cancer and seven had died.  Her family isn’t alone, nearly 1,200 others had been affected.  The common factor they all shared? They lived in the part of Utah deemed perfect for nuclear testing due to it being “virtually uninhabited desert terrain.”  While many tried to bring this to the attention of the American government and people, it was difficult due to the intense patriotism of the time (namely 1950s America) and the legal doctrine of sovereign immunity, a law that states that the government can do no wrong.  Do I think we should have never delved into the nuclear world? No.  Despite its destructive power when used in such a way, its benefits as a clean and massive source of power outweighs this negative.  Do I believe the US government was wrong in ignoring the fact that through the testing of nuclear warheads it was in fact hurting its own people? Yes I do.  Americans were suffering from these tests and the American government was too busy trying to get a leg up during the Cold War to care about these citizens; instead, relying on a ridiculous law that is centuries out of date and goes against the values of our Democracy.

Matt Klein                                                            approximately 200 words

mgk6@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19: Science Writing

“The Clan of One-Breasted Women” Response

By Matt Klein

            In “The Clan of One-Breasted Women,” Terry Tempest Williams calls attention to the power the US government is abusing. As a Mormon, Williams was taught to “not ‘make waves’ or ‘rock the boat.’” However, once her father told her she had witnessed nuclear bomb testing, she “realized the deceit [she] had been living under.” Williams describes the injustices done to her clan and her people, and how the government avoided most of the blame using the concept of “sovereign immunity.” Though practically all the women in her clan contracted breast cancer from the radiation of the bomb testing, they were not compensated by the government. Williams and her people thus turned to civil disobedience to advocate their cause.

Williams’ story is tragic, but is not very relatable. I understand her call to avoid blind obedience to authority, but I and many others have never experienced such injustice. There are, however, still environmental issues that affect us. When searching for the facts to problems such as pollution and climate change, sharing Williams’ desire for truth will let us to sift through the politics and mass media surrounding the issues, allowing us to find a solution.

Logan Steffens

Lts6@geneseo.edu                                                                                      160 words

INTD: 105-19

October 24, 2016

In “The Clan of the One Breasted Women” by Terry Tempest Williams she speaks about the dangers of nuclear testing and how it affected the people of nearby areas especially those in Utah. When she speaks about her family history she speaks about how nine women in her family had been affected by breast cancer from the nuclear testing and most had died from it. Williams expresses her discontent with the United States and how they would not compensate the families affected because the United States defended all war efforts such as bomb testing.

Williams piece really makes you think about how a country can do this to its own people. At first the government probably didn’t know better but even when they found out how the nuclear tests can cause cancer, it didn’t stop them. Also isn’t this the same type of thing that is going on right now with all the pollutants going into the air from major companies?

Sarah Lambert                                                                                 about 170 words

sel15@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing

History Repeats Itself

By Sarah Lambert

    Terry Tempest William’s piece written in 1991 about her experiences and family history involving breast cancer and the radioactive test site in Nevada. She points out the significance of the nuclear testing and the Jenkins decision in 1984 in our history and the need to question society in her own, personal history.

    It is interesting that Williams alluded to the idea of “sovereign immunity…from England,” that though we have tried, over the years, to eliminate cultural ties with Europe and prove ourselves to be a better, more democratic country, this idea is still present. Williams piece is moving in how she evokes emotion in her audience through the work of pathos and inclusion of detail. It is unbelievable that such tragedies exist and that people struggle with these hardships. Something that this brought to mind was the devastation that colonization has had on our world and older societies. The effect people have on other groups of people can be extremely harmful, even if it is not intentional.

Justin D’Souza                                                                                                                            About 180 words            INTD 105 Science Writing

SUNY Geneseo

Science has brought many advancements to our society, but sometimes it can go wrong if innocent bystanders are harmed. The Nevada nuclear bomb tests were such a mistake, as the harmful fallout and radiation deviated the Mormon clans what the government thought as a “virtually uninhabited zone.” Terry Tempest Williams describes how almost every woman in her clan had to have mastectomies due to breast cancer resulting from these tests. However, the government refuses to award damage compensation to the afflicted. Williams believes this is because the they hide behind the antiquated notion of “sovereign immunity,” and how the overly patriotic America defended all war actions such as the bomb testing.

I wonder how the nuclear testing affected men in the community. Williams portrays the afflicted as only women, but men can in fact contract breast cancer through radiation exposure. Did no men get cancer? Or did they just not act? Furthermore, I question William’s act of civil disobedience. I cannot see how trespassing on government land and spouting cryptic words about women retaking the desert helps the cause in any way.

Emma Cooke                                                                 Approximately 150 words

erc8@geneseo.edu

INTD 105 Science Writing

“The Clan of the One-Breasted Women”

            Terry Tempest Williams states that the United States of the 1950s was red, white and blue… If you were against nuclear testing, you were for the Communist regime” (Williams 5). This idea caused many issues for those living in the southern United States, particularly Utah, where Tempest grew up. She watch as nine women in her family fought and several lost their lives to breast cancer. Williams came to the realization that the nuclear testing was to blame for their deaths and the creation of the “clan of one-breasted women” and stated; “Tolerating blind obedience in the name of patriotism or religion ultimately takes our lives” (Williams 8). This statement seems to me the most important in her paper. As someone who was raised to question everything, I agree that family is the most important reason to stop tolerating and start asking. This shows that she has moved past her blind obedience in the name of her family and of the clan of women she has joined.

Rachael Natoli                                                                                                  10/23/16

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing                                         About 215 Words

In the epilogue “The Clan of the One-Breasted Women” by Terry Tempest Williams, she describes her family history. Nine women in her family were affected by breast cancer and most have died. She makes it clear from the beginning that her Mormon upbringing is an important factor in her story. Williams learned from her father after the passing of her mother that she had witnessed the nuclear weapon testing in Utah as a child while sitting on her mother’s lap. She goes on to describe how she cared for the women in her family in their final days of life and how she was too apprehensive to do anything about the United States Government’s irresponsibility toward its citizens and specifically her family. Growing up as a Mormon she was taught not to be disobedient but she soon realized she needed to question authority. Williams ideas about questioning authority and her realization that being disobedient is worth the repercussions if it is done for her family was very inspiring to me. I did not grow up in a religious family and was always taught to speak my mind when something seemed unfair and so I have always done that. Standing up for the safety of my family is the most important thing to me.

Patrick Jones                                                               Approximately 150 Words

pwj2@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19

October 24, 2016

“The King can do no wrong.”

In “The Clan of One-Breasted Women”, Terry Tempest William discusses the toll the atomic bomb testing in Nevada had on families in Utah. Williams, her mother, her grandmother, and six of her aunts have had mastectomies which she claims is caused by the radiation sent through Utah between January 27, 1951 to July 11, 1962. Williams, “… cared for them, bathed their scarred bodies, and kept their secrets.” while the United States Government claimed the tests posed no harm to the public. In 1984, damages were awarded to a few individuals affected by the testing, but the decision was overturned when the government claimed “The King can do no wrong.” Williams became a well-known defender of the people of Utah and is a naturalist-in-residence at the Utah Museum of Natural History.

This article caused me a lot of pain. The government allowed for the people of Utah to suffer and claimed that they could do no wrong while innocent people died. The same thing is happening today with pollution. Although not prominent at the moment, pollution could cause untold problems in the future, and the government is doing little to protect the people.

Alexis Baer                                                                                        about 200 words
anb8@geneseo.edu

INTD: Writing Science

One-Breasted Women
by Alexis Baer

 
Terry Tempest Williams main point in writing this essay was to show readers what exactly her family had to deal with and how they had been suffering all these years. Williams begins her writing with stating that the government is the only one to blame due to their nuclear bombing and testing which has been proved to be the main cause of cancer in women. With regards to her family; nine innocent women have been greatly affected, seven losing their lives, and this resulted in why she decided to rebel. Williams decided to join this Clan of One-Breasted Women in spite of fear, anger, inability to question, and personal violation. She wanted to strike against higher authority in order to bring about change for future generations of women. Although her experiences do not connect directly to myself, her ideas do make me wonder why the clan was only made up of women. During that time period, were men not allowed to join the clan solely based on the fact that only women got the cancer and fought the battle? I believe in Williams case, her father would be upset with the amount of women in the family being affected by cancer, but why would he not take action against nuclear tests as well?

Alexis Baer about 250 words
anb8@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD: Writing Science
Public-Facing Science Writing
by Alexis Baer

The essay, “Can We Learn How to Forget?” by Bahar Gholipour discusses how different parts of the brain work together in terms of memory function. This piece of writing is effective because it shows how memory could be influenced from past experiences which can ultimately be used to learn a lesson. For example, running as a child may have lead to serious injury in which we learned to walk slowly and be cautious. The hippocampus is the main structure where memories are “stored”, mostly dealing with long term memories, and the amygdala ties directly into this because it controls emotions. In the meantime, Neuroscientists decided to interfere with the hippocampus to see if few or all memories would be affected and how, this resulted in the poor ability to retain current or old information. I find it interesting that the article states, “…trying to actively forget a particular memory can negatively affect general memory”. This is significant because it shows the reader how purposely forgetting memories may have an overall negative impact on your brain and its memory system. In my own opinion, this generation cannot learn to simply just forget their memories. On a daily basis, without intentional purpose, one little thing can trigger multiple different memories at once. The constant reminder of past situations or events, whether it be positive or traumatic, can make it increasingly difficult for individuals to overlook their own past.

Found:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-we-learn-how-to-forget/