Do patients suffering from neurological disorders such as Aphasia and Parkinson’s diseases have access to musical therapy, and how effective are these forms of treatment?

Patrick Jones

pwj2@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19

November 7, 2016

Knowing that music has the ability to improve coordination of the voice, stimulate auditory-motor regions of the brain, and help individuals communicate and process emotions, should all hospitals be required to offer musical therapy to patients as a form of treatment?

Patrick Jones                                                               Approximately 200 Words

pwj2@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19

November 7, 2016

In The Heart of the Antarctic, Appendix I, Earnest Shackleton discusses the multiple life forms he encountered on his 1907-1909 expedition of the Antarctic. Under what was thought unlivable conditions, Shackleton and his team found a microscopic jungle of single-celled organisms and algae along that thrived in the freezing temperatures. Shackleton spends a great deal of time describing the colonies of penguins that lived near his camp. The researchers would constantly interact with these colonies, and learned a great deal with how the colonies functioned as a society. Shackleton even notes how elaborate these societies of emperor and adelie penguins are, and how research involving interfering with the natural routine caused chaos.

There are a lot of interesting topics covered in this small section of The Heart of the Antarctic. I found the idea of human research causing chaos in the penguin colonies the most interesting, though. When we try to learn more about animals, how are we negatively impacting their way of life? By simple moving one egg, Shackleton and his researchers saw the penguins fight for nest and offspring until the colony once again reached an equilibrium. Is our quest to better understand the world around us hurting ecosystems, and if so what can be done to preserve these animal’s way of life?

Patrick Jones                                                               Approximately 200 Words

pwj2@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19

November 2, 2016

In the article, “The Therapeutic Effects of Singing in Neurological Disorders”, Catherine Wan, Theodor Ruber, Anja Hohmann, and Gottfried Schlaug discuss the new research showing the positive effects of singing on patients suffering from neurological conditions. Recent studies show that singing strengthens the muscles associated with breathing, phonating, and articulating that allows stutterers gain cognitive function of their speech. The use of sustained vowel phonation during singing has also shown positive results on reducing the effects of Parkinson’s disease on speech. Singing has also shown positive effects on patients with Aphasia, a complication of a stroke that results in difficulty understanding and producing language, and autism. While singing, an individual uses both hemispheres of the brain and could result in structural adaptations in the brain that helps those suffering from aphasia and autism better understand language.

I have many friends perusing careers in the relatively new field of music therapy. Musical therapists would be the people who interact with the patients studied in the experiments mentioned within the article. The existence of this career proves there is a relationship between art and medicine, and it could be interesting to learn more about the research being done on the effects of the occupation.

Patrick Jones                                                               Approximately 150 Words

pwj2@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19

October 31, 2016

“Whisper of the Wild” Summary and Analysis

In her piece, “Whisper of the Wild”, Kim Tingley describes her expedition deep into Denali National Park in Alaska. Tingley joined Davyd Betchkal, the physical-science technician of Denali National Park, in an attempt to record the natural sounds of the area without human interference. Betchkal is one of many who believe humans are polluting nature with our constant noise. Studies have shown that many species of birds, including the great tit, have altered their songs as a result of living near humans. Many other species have not been able to adapt and are struggling to survive in such a loud world. Betchkal hopes to record the sound of nature to help preserve and protect it as we continue to grow louder.

While reading this piece, I was enthralled by Tingley’s discussion of the effect of sonar on porpoises. My family owns a small cottage on Seneca Lake, the location of a sonar test facility for the military. I’d be interested in researching more about the sound pollution this military base produces and its effect on the wildlife I’ve interacted with.

Patrick Jones                                                                Approximately 150 words

pwj2@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19

October 26, 2016

Response to “Land Divided, Coast United”

In her award winning article, “Land Divided, Coast United”, Josie Glausiusz opens the eyes of the public to the pollution “bomb” in the Gaza Strip. This small area of land is home to 1.8 million people and produces 150,000 cubic meters of sewage a day. Treatment plants like the Gaza City Wastewater treatment plant are at max capacity, causing floods that let polluted water enter the river banks and the Mediterranean Sea. Palestinians in Gaza know this is a problem, but don’t have the resources and power source to update of create new treatment plants.

This is an area where the pollution is causing illness and deaths, and there are still people who don’t consider pollution to be a problem in the modern world. I’ve never encountered such levels of pollution, but living near Lake Ontario I can see a similar effect. The lake’s state has been deteriorating for the last century, and there are still people who don’t feel we need to be altering are live styles to reduce pollution.

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.

Patrick Jones                                                               Approximately 250 words

pwj2@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19

Two Factors of Public-Facing Science Writing

There are two factors that make a piece of public-facing science writing good, and “Why a goat may stare at you with puppy dog eyes” by Nsikan Akpan is a great example of these two factors. Firstly, a good piece of public-facing science writing has to build integrity and data without losing the readers. Science writing can often get confusing and complicated due to the need to introduce multiple sources and figures, but most of the public doesn’t have the background knowledge or patience to read through paragraphs of numbers and results. Akpan does a great job of integrating important facts and figures without getting too confusing. For example, Akpan wrote, “The farm animals typically made eye contact within 20 seconds when the researchers faced forward, but then waited six times as long when the researchers had their backs turned.” Within this one line Akpan was able to share the results of the experiment without losing the attention of the reader. The second factor is the information must affect or interest a large group the public. For example, Akpan uses a quote by Narworth that says, “We are interested in the exact purpose of this human-directed behavior, for instance, if they use it as a direct request for help from humans,” which connects the experiment to a large group of animal loving readers by allowing the reader to think about how this information could change the relationship between humans and domesticated animals. By incorporating these two factors, Akpan’s piece qualifies as a good example of public-facing science writing.

Patrick Jones                                                                Approximately 150 words

pwj2@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19: Science Writing

When looking at the parking curb behind Milne library, I saw a paradox between the curbs purpose as a barrier and the green that surrounds it that shows the divide between humanity and nature is a fallacy. The ability of students to move around the barrier and enjoy the college greens it protects demolishes this divide by allowing individuals to enjoy the less sublime aspects of nature. Here, many environmentalists would argue that even though this barrier protects an area of nature, the pollution of the rainforest and the ocean is much more important and have more of an effect on us as a society then this area of grass. I agree that the pollution in the oceans is important, but allowing students to enjoy these areas of grass and trees teaches them to better appreciate the world around them and when they leave SUNY Geneseo, they will have more respect for nature that will allow nature and humanity to coexist.

Patrick Jones                                                               Approximately 200 Words

pwj2@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19: Science Writing

The Curb

When I looked at the parking curb separating the path and the grass behind Milne Library, I saw a clear division between the civilized and natural worlds. Cronon’s view, however, is that the division I saw is a fallacy due to the expectations society has created for what is considered natural. As Cronon himself says, “By teaching us to fetishize sublime places and wide open country, these peculiarly American ways of thinking about wilderness encourage us to adopt too high a standard for what counts as ‘nature.’”, meaning that the sublime and frontier aspects of nature has created high expectations for the wilderness that most of nature, including the grass on the other side of the curb, does not meet. I agree with Cronon’s idea about our expectation for natural and after reading “The Trouble with Wilderness”, my view of the curb as a divide has changed. I feel we’re starting to change our ways, and this curb is an example of us beginning to protect the less sublime aspects of nature.