Alexis Baer
anb8@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD 105-19: Writing Science

Glenn McClure’s Skype Call
by Alexis Baer

 
Glenn McClure’s Skype session was based off his experience in Antarctica so far, he was also answering any questions from students and faulty members who were doing similar research. Glenn started off the conversation with Antarctica’s landscapes, how art and music can be found almost everywhere, and of course the terror aspect. In regards to danger; McClure spoke about the fog making the horizon disappear, getting completely lost due to every direction looking identical, relying heavily on a single GPS, and about one individuals memorial service. He continued to tell us that he travels in order to analyze different sounds of Antarctica. Some natural sounds he observes includes seals vocalizing underwater, the loudness of cracking ice, and of course music itself. McClure is able to use this audio to work on his own research with how music affects stuttering, he is waiting to see the data and should receive it by mid December. Glenn McClure is very inspiring and intelligent, I was extremely grateful to be able to listen to his experience.

Would long term sun exposure and global warming destroy or benefit the habitats of polar bears, seals, and penguins?

Besides glaciers, how does long term exposure to the sun and global warming affect the wildlife in Antarctica?

Alexis Baer                                                                                        about 150 words
anb8@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD 105-19: Writing Science

 
Appendix III, Section III: Effect of the Summer Sun on Different Varieties of Ice and Snow, in “The Heart of the Antarctic and South” by E. H. Shackleton caught my interest. The main points consisted on how the summer sun creates large granules of ice, different characteristics of thaw-water, and the snow that surrounds the boulders. Summer blizzards in Antartica caused some of the snow to melt, but it would create delicate “crusts” of snow that would be easily breakable. In regards to sea-ice in the summer, the thick crust can break causing individuals to get sucked down into negative temperatures of salt water. The summer sun affecting Antartica relates back to the arts and sciences due to the glaciers structure, temperatures at which they are formed, and recent studies by researchers. Researchers have been studying and obtaining results based off the suns affect on glaciers and the snow within the summer time.

Alexis Baer                                                                                         about 150 words
anb8@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD 105-19: Writing Science

Music and Stuttering Response
by Alexis Baer

Recent studies proved that being involved in music, either singing or playing an instrument, has helped treat certain medical conditions. The main point of this article is to help readers understand how singing contributed to a stronger motor production, muscle strength, and control within individuals who suffer from speech abnormalities. Researchers have tested several experiments based on different theories in search of answers, some of which involve the affects of vocal function exercises, pulmonary functions of sick individuals, and the different changes in systems. This article relates to the arts and sciences by giving individuals who face difficulty with Stuttering, Parkinson’s disease, Aphasia, or Autism a chance to actively learn, express their emotions, and increase their speech-motor skills. I found this article to be interesting because it is similar to my own experience where I worked with children who have different conditions, they participated in group singing, sign language, and crafts on a daily basis. Music is something everyone can relate to and although it does have multiple beneficial factors, the main one is to give each of them a voice.

Alexis Baer                                                                                       about 150 words
anb8@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD 105-19: Writing Science

“Whisper of the Wild” Response
By Alexis Baer

“Whisper of the Wild” by Kim Tingley is about listening to our surroundings and experiencing nature in Denali National Park. Within todays society, it is very difficult to only hear the sounds of nature considering the constant human interference with machines, aircrafts, and other advanced technology that we have become used to. Since it is hard to know what nature is suppose to sound like, ecologists and engineers have created soundscape ecology which is being tested on what these sounds are and how it negatively can affect the population or different species. Soundscape was one of the reasons that Tingley and Davyd Betchka’s decided to traveled to Alaska, in order to listen and observe the natural sounds that nature has to offer. Tingley’s article about soundscape is similar to my one of my own personal experiences where I camped out in the middle of the woods for a few days and based off only aural senses, I had to identify different animals based on their individual sounds.

Alexis Baer                                                                                        about 150 words
anb8@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD 105-19: Writing Science

“Land Divided, Coast United” Response
by Alexis Baer

Author, Josie Glausiusz was awarded for the article, “Land-Divided, Coast United” that exposed several issues Gaza faced. The polluted Mediterranean Sea has invaded into the populations drinking-water making the salt content high. As a result of this; humans have been experiencing illnesses such as single-celled protozoans, viruses, parasites, bacteria, and death. Humans are not the only ones affected, marine mammals are forced to live in this type of unhealthy environment and it also allowed viruses to continue growing. Gaza also has a shortage of electricity and needs hydrogen peroxide, Israel originally denied their request for help and would not let any chemicals pass the border due to past conflicts between the two territories. This case is similar to Long Island in terms of beaches being polluted; individuals realize they are damaging the waters and the life in it, but will not stop. Humanity must come together as one and begin preserving the environment that we live in.

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/

Alexis Baer                                                                                       about 200 words
anb8@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD: Writing Science

“Skeptics May Object” and “So What? Who Cares?”
by Alexis Baer

Writers begin to start their own literature solely based on ideas, connections, counterarguments, and personal views to support an argument. Essays and other forms of work are always being heavily reviewed by multiple audiences and critics as well. These critics may have a different perspective on the discussed topic, will analyze our work in full depth, and contribute their harsh yet helpful input. This method will often times help make our writing stronger and keep writers from straying off topic. Based on my essay about the gazebo and supporting it back to William Cronon’s arguments; critics might begin to notice grammatical errors, unclear sentences or thoughts, few examples, or inaccurate connections made between the text and the authors main point. Answering the “so what” question is mainly focusing on a group of individuals and getting them involved in the topic being discussed. By mentioning the significance of the gazebo and how it connects to the world around us, it hooks the readers on immediately and makes them genuinely concerned or interested in what is being said. The point of good writing is to accept and change the flaws throughout your work, being concise, and provide a good argument that individuals can gain knowledge from.