Justin D’Souza                                                                                            255 Words   Science Writing                                                                                                  Geneseo

Distinguishing the Boundary Between the Natural and the Artificial                                                          By Justin D’Souza

Often, signs offer crucial information to passersby: the location of something, facts, or simply the name of a particular place. Signs on campus are no different. The “Spencer J. Roemer Arboretum” sign, located in a quiet grove of bushes, provides information that gives readers a good indication of boundaries between the natural world and human habitation.

Walking across the pavement of lot J after I got out of the hot rectangular Onondaga Hall, I noticed the sign peek into view behind some neighboring green bushes, with a visible tree detailed onto it, and some words I couldn’t yet read. Close up, the letters designate that this area forms an arboretum, a small grove of trees perhaps being studied by scientists. Therefore, an interesting juxtaposition emerges – to the left, trees and tranquility, yet to the right, hard asphalt and loud rap music. In class, we study from man made textbooks and computers and chalkboards. Yet, the sign and arboretum, despite both obviously created or designated by humans, invites one into a world where both humans and nature can coexist…but only for so far, after all, roads eventually constrict the trees into this one nook on campus!

I wonder if this sign could be a metaphor for science. It is not a random black and white street sign or some flashing neon creation, but a green and brown “gate” that invites people to explore the wild. I believe that this is what science should be, a field driven a curiosity to discover more about the world we live in!