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 I have always found outer space interesting. When I am asked where I would visit if I could go anywhere, I answer, "space". In fact, one of the reasons I decided to study Mechanical Engineering was to further explore the pool of knowledge needed for space endeavors. The unknown beyond earth and the fact that there is only very little that we know as humans calls us to have imagination for what could be out there. It is with this curious mind that I can find space exploration a noble task. Copernicus, for example, was an astronomer and mathematician who first modeled the heliocentric theory in which the sun is at the center of the solar system (Vesna, Lecture 1). Copernicus was unique in his decision to delay publication of this theory, for fear of upsetting others. This type of choice is typically not seen in space exploration efforts. Rather, the common practice now has been to fight for the resulting fame, money, or power. Such incentives I would consider inappropriate, a

When scientists study genetics, are they just studying genomes, or is something else at play that challenges our established justice system? These are the questions that Dr. Jenny Reardon, a professor of sociology, studies. In her recent talk at UCLA, she explains that much of the data obtained through the Human Genome Project consists mostly of DNA from European descent, yet forming a project that would diversify this pool results in controversy because of potential implications. Photo of Jenny Reardon and Me after the Event Some scientists and laymen claim that race has an impact on genes, whereas others believe it does not. To Dr. Reardon, the solution is not through popular "talk," but through effective, artistic "speech." She says that there is a respectful way to discuss these controversies: to make time, bond with different people, offer a listening ear, and logically present one's ideas to the other party. Jenny's own respect for art in her st

It is typically said that people fear what they do not understand. With nanotechnology, such a statement can be applied especially when the subject in question cannot be seen with the naked eye. Today, much discomfort towards the field of nanotechnology exists. In The Nanomeme Syndrome, it is said that "as soon as we confront the scale that nanotechnology works within, our minds short circuit. The scale becomes too abstract in relation to human experience. Consequently, any intellectual connection to the nanoscale becomes extremely difficult" (Gimzewski and Vesna). However, nanotechnology has surprisingly made life-sized impacts in its small ways. In his lecture, Dr. Jim Gimzewski mentions several everyday products that utilize nanotechnology: medicine therapy/treatment, makeup, self-cleaning windows, silver odor-eliminating clothing, etc. (Lecture 3). Silver Nanoparticles Fighting against Smelly Bacteria Of course, these innovative products would not have been able to

The brain is arguably the most complex and mysterious aspect of the body. Despite the excessive amounts of scientific research performed on the brain and both its conscious and unconscious states, there is still so little that we know about it (Vesna, Lecture 2). This lack has attracted those with imagination, such as artists, to further explore and explain the brain. According to artists Giovanni Frazzetto and Suzanne Anker, the brain is described as follows: "Unlike other organs in the body, the brain is regarded as irreplaceable in its function to confer personhood. This feature of ‘being’, rather than ‘having’, a brain is what defines human beings as cerebral subjects." Surely, the brain has been attributed with defining the uniqueness of man.  Relationship between Science, Art, and the Media Unfortunately, this uniqueness is not always credited for the benefit of society. Carl Jung, the founder of  analytical psychology, has explained a deeper, more spiritual as

The concept of allowing an artist into a science lab is a hard pill to swallow (pun intended). One quickly conjures concerns for safety, professionalism, and ethics. Nonetheless, driven artists such as Eduardo Kac have entered the lab, unlimited by societal standards. Kac decided to perform transgenic experiments on an albino bunny by adding fluorescent genes, extracted from a jellyfish, to its fertilized cell (Vesna, Lecture 1). Controversy sparked immediately among animal activists who claimed the experiments were unnecessary and abusive towards animals. In his TED Talk that discusses his art endeavors, Kac argues that humans are innately transgenic and he as an artist is actually helping the public see the potential in creating new forms of life (Kac). The GFP Bunny Of course, with these new inventions come new questions: What if a species was inadvertently released into the wild and free to breed and pass down its transgenic self or what kinds of evil can surface with the po

Since ancient times, the human body and other biologies have been explored for artistic means. The famous Hippocratic Oath typically taken by medical professionals even acknowledges medicine as an art as much as a science. From detailed drawings and dissections to modern-day x-rays and CAT scans, doctors and artists alike have sought to advance the understanding of the self through such means. In "Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts," author Silvia Casini claims that "a question like 'what defines us as humans?' is believed to undergo a profound reconsideration because of research on the brain undertaken by neurosciences." Though this question is repeatedly under debate, it is not news that medicine technology has played a role in answering at least the physical. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, discoverer of x-rays, first tested the technology on his wife Anna's hand (Vesna Lecture). Upon seei