The Crowded Greenhouse, 13SS
Dr. Eisner's lecture on the Greenhouse Effect
I took the Crowded Greenhouse honors seminar this past semester (spring 2013). I had just changed my major from anthropology to environmental studies, and I wasn’t able to take some of the basic environmental studies classes because of prerequisites and semester availability. So I really was lucky that this class was offered, especially since I hadn’t gotten in my honors experience for the year yet. Since it was such a small class and was seminar-style, we spent a lot of time discussing as a class, which is something I enjoy doing. The class was split into two topics. Seeing as it was called the crowded greenhouse, we learned both about climate change and population/demographic issues.
It was nice to take this course because Dr. Eisner gave an overview of what exactly global warming is. I didn't take any specifically environmental science classes in high school, so though I already knew the most basic definition of global warming, I didn't know terms such as "albedo" and... In a way I was lucky that I wasn't able to take some of the first environmental science classes yet because this means I'll have already acquired a decent amount of knowledge about environmental science before I take those classes in the fall. My favorite part of this class though was talking about population issues, and this is when I discovered truly how passionate I am about what I want to do with my future regarding the water shortage crisis and clean water/sanitation issues in developing countries. It was also cool how the course was designed to connect the two topics of climate change and population and to see how issues with population (poverty, rampant industrialism, birth/death rate) affect the climate and vice versa. Dr. Eisner also discussed some of her own research near the end of the semester--she is a paleoclimatologist--which I found fascinating as she focuses on how pollen can give us insight on what past climates were.
I got the chance to really research the problems that developing countries face with accessing clean water when Dr. Eisner introduced a presentation project. We were all to pair up and a pair would present each Friday, choosing to talk about one of Dr. Eisner’s three selected topics that related to what we were currently discussing in class. I had mentioned earlier in the semester in a blog post for the class about my interest in water and public health, and Dr. Eisner was kind enough to set aside a week where one of the three suggested topics was "water conflicts in the sub-Saharan Africa", so my partner and I chose to present that Friday. That week we watched a movie about cholera outbreaks in Mexico because of unclean water supplies, and I spent hours researching the problems in Africa. Needless to say, I was completely drawn in by the topic. Something clicked in my brain and all of these ideas began to flow through my brain. I don’t know how else to explain it, but after doing the project, I didn’t feel like my decision on a career was half-hearted anymore. I have attached the slideshow presentation to this page (below), and I encourage anyone reading this to glance through it.
I think anyone can tell that overall I really enjoyed this class, and I feel lucky to have taken it. It gave me both the introductory background I need as a new environmental studies student and helped me focus in on what exactly I want to do with my major.
It was nice to take this course because Dr. Eisner gave an overview of what exactly global warming is. I didn't take any specifically environmental science classes in high school, so though I already knew the most basic definition of global warming, I didn't know terms such as "albedo" and... In a way I was lucky that I wasn't able to take some of the first environmental science classes yet because this means I'll have already acquired a decent amount of knowledge about environmental science before I take those classes in the fall. My favorite part of this class though was talking about population issues, and this is when I discovered truly how passionate I am about what I want to do with my future regarding the water shortage crisis and clean water/sanitation issues in developing countries. It was also cool how the course was designed to connect the two topics of climate change and population and to see how issues with population (poverty, rampant industrialism, birth/death rate) affect the climate and vice versa. Dr. Eisner also discussed some of her own research near the end of the semester--she is a paleoclimatologist--which I found fascinating as she focuses on how pollen can give us insight on what past climates were.
I got the chance to really research the problems that developing countries face with accessing clean water when Dr. Eisner introduced a presentation project. We were all to pair up and a pair would present each Friday, choosing to talk about one of Dr. Eisner’s three selected topics that related to what we were currently discussing in class. I had mentioned earlier in the semester in a blog post for the class about my interest in water and public health, and Dr. Eisner was kind enough to set aside a week where one of the three suggested topics was "water conflicts in the sub-Saharan Africa", so my partner and I chose to present that Friday. That week we watched a movie about cholera outbreaks in Mexico because of unclean water supplies, and I spent hours researching the problems in Africa. Needless to say, I was completely drawn in by the topic. Something clicked in my brain and all of these ideas began to flow through my brain. I don’t know how else to explain it, but after doing the project, I didn’t feel like my decision on a career was half-hearted anymore. I have attached the slideshow presentation to this page (below), and I encourage anyone reading this to glance through it.
I think anyone can tell that overall I really enjoyed this class, and I feel lucky to have taken it. It gave me both the introductory background I need as a new environmental studies student and helped me focus in on what exactly I want to do with my major.