Today... whew.

I have been finalizing my ARP in the span of the last few days. After hours of teeth-grinding, eye gauging fingernail scraping, countless restless nights, grinding days, and fatal massive headaches... I finally got it done. This has been the most extensive research project that I've ever done, and by far the one that I could say I learned the most out of. Thanks for another semester of braingrinding Kev. Hope everyone has a great summer.

4/23/2009

I sent Kev my MGRW # 3 on this date. I expressed my beliefs and perspectives about the origins of life without any restrictions. Kevin recommended that I further develop this piece in the future and read it again years later so I can self-experience how my beliefs have changed and developed. This was a great idea, I intend to do just that.

4/15/2009

The research symposium took place from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM. I had class until 2:55 PM, so I made it for at least 30-45 minutes. I presented my project to a research observer as well as Dr. Ed Ajhar. Dr. Ajhar and I engaged in a conversation about creationism, evolution, the universe, the big bang, and the catholic church. I believe that the symposium was a success. The late-night stay-up to complete the board was worth it 100%.

4/13 - 4/14/2009

Most of my posterboard for the research symposium was put together during these two days. At about 4:00 AM on April 15th I finally finished with the cutting/glue/organizing process. Thankfully I had it ready to go for the next day, since the symposium was held on the 15th and not the 16th as we were all convinced to believe.

4/2/2009

Completed my second Multigenre Research Writing on this day. My writing consisted of a rap between a creationist and evolutionist. I'm not a big fan of rap music, but I thought that it would result in a unique piece of writing. It took some work, but in the end, I thought that it was worth the struggle.

3/31/09

Finished my Interview, Survey, and Observation results on this date. Between the interview and the survey, a large amount of information was gathered toward my research project. Doing the result section for my ARP was a lot easier having this information at hand.

The Faith of Scientists (Introduction)

Professor Bryan Froehle sent me an email which recommended a book titled The Faith of Scientists. I'm hoping that if time permits, I'll be able to locate this book and use it as one of my research sources. It deals with the different religious views and beliefs of twenty of the most famous scientists that have ever existed, such as Galileo, Johannes Kepler, Charles Darwin, Einstein, Newton, and Hawking. I believe that researching the beliefs of these brilliant minds and comparing their viewes will strengthen my entire research foundation.

Survey Results

Despite the fact that only sixteen people took my survey, I believe that the results and the feedback that I received was very relevant toward my research. Acquiring the different opinions of different college students about their beliefs and traditions was one of my main intentions for my research project. I received very diverse results from students who were both religious and not religious. The beliefs that were provided ranged from evolution, intelligent design, creationism, and individuals who were simply undecided about how everything came to be. Below are some statistics and quotes that were provided with the survey:

-- The majority believed in creationism (by one vote), evolution and “other” beliefs were tied with 25 percent apiece, and intelligent design was in last place with 18.8 percent of the votes.

-- A very minimal number of individuals stated that a science course influenced their beliefs. About 31 percent confirmed that a religion course had persuaded and 62.5 percent said that none had an influence in their personal beliefs or customs.

--> "I believe that religion and science, if understood correctly, could explain one another. The belief that there is a greater purpose in life for human beings helps students become stronger when faced with life's problems and uncertainties. With great knowledge comes great responsibility; with greater happiness and peace to the self in knowing that the knowledge can be used to become a piece of the puzzle in changing the world one day at a time."

--> "Religion is just beliefs, thoughts, traditions... etc. It is a nice way to go through life as it keeps you from doing "wrong" things and provides hope. Science, on the other hand, "tries" to explain the world."

--> "I think science and religion could work together, but the church needs to change some of its opinions. They fight against the theory of evolution, but it actually makes sense. Look at a virus that goes through mutations in order to change into something entirely unique."

Interview Results (more extensive)

I believe that Bryan Froehle was the best choice I could've made when it came to my interview on the "Religion" aspect of my project. He affiliated theology, religion, science, and society with reality, making the session more influential than actually informational. Here are some quotes from the interview that had an impacting meaning toward both my research and my life:

---> "We don’t exist as separate beings from one another. None of us could ever exist without other people. Everything that surrounds us was done by someone for us, with us, or in some connection with us. Everything that we’re surrounded by is a gift of being a part of a much wider human community. Someone created everything (computers, cars, etc.), but whoever created these, never created them fully by him/herself, he always had a preceder. There was always someone/something that came before. The work of science is a collective enterprise."

---> "If we truly appreciate our surroundings, we can both be humble about who we are as well as relational about who we are with each other and also in relationship with that which loves us into being."

---> "The key area that must be emphasized on is community. A liberal university can be pointing toward freedom as a free-for-all, leading ultimately to lose and forget ourselves and make us believe that somehow we’re better than tradition. A liberal understanding can also mean that we’re putting individualism at the very center. If we become people without a tradition, we become people without a story; people without a history; people who have rejected all wisdom that came before us, wisdom that humanity has struggled long, hard, and shedded blood to acquire. For us to lose that tradition is not only one of the most arrogant things we could do, but one of the most dangerous things we could do. A people without that kind of collective wisdom from our past will be doomed to be doing terrible things to each other in the future because we would’ve lost all of the wisdom that we’ve gained throughout history."

Daydreaming Observation

1. I chose to do my observations right outside Kennedy Hall, passing the glass double doors after the B.A.S.I.C. office. I chose to observe this place because I pass by there every day and there’s always activity going on. I also have a great view of the parking lot and the roadway that leads to the Science & Technology building.
2. I sat at one of the tables located at the spot that I chose to do my observations in. I had a clear view of my surroundings and I was able to change my position if I wanted to observe my surroundings at a different angle. I was mostly objective, but I was encountered by friends saying Hello and others who started a conversation. I brought a paper, pen, and a folder to be able to write on properly. I really don’t think I need anything else. I recorded my notes with bullets. I figured that I was going to be able to get as much information as possible this way, compared to if I chose to paraphrase everything. It is also an easier way to identify everything that I analyzed.
3. My observations:
- Rebecca talking about her education/lack of sleep/papers for Montes, Connley.
-Smell of nicotine (people smoking)
-JJ said Hello, he was on his way to class
-Cars passing by
-Students going to class, some seemed more tired than others
-Group of students talking about the economy
-Yellow butterfly circling the pine trees
-Dragonflies hovering over the terrain
-Students arriving from parking lot, most likely going to class/work
-Distant sound of the cars passing by in the highway
-Staff member took off in the golf cart
-The brief smell of fresh paint
-“German is so hard to learn…”
-Coach Carrington pulled into school
-I smell plantain chips
-Door screeching
-Bike Patrol
-Wasp nest, but no wasps
-Beautiful blue skies

Interview 1 (Part 1)

Last week on Thursday I interviewed religious studies professor Brian Froehle. Before the interview began, I prepared myself for the standard, 10 to 15 minute interview that would consist of the typical set of steps for an ideal informational interview. I couldn't have been more wrong. What started as a potential interview became more of a life's lesson than anything else. Our meeting lasted for almost an hour and I never used the question sheet that I had prepared; he answered practically all my questions without me asking them. It was truly not what I expected, but nevertheless, I'm more than grateful that I chose to interview Professor Froehle. I'll make a more detailed post about the interview once I begin the actual analysis (I recorded the interview, but since the interview was more like a conversation, I had no idea the point in which it actually began... so it didn't occurr to me to start recording until about 1/2-way through the actual session... haha.)

My Survey Link

Please don't take it yet. Instead, feel free to tell me anything that you feel I should improve/add/remove from it. I'll start sending it to everyone after I get the O.K. from Kevin.

Here it is:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=vnA6HRd6mdceI8Gte7b6Bw_3d_3d

Interview approved.

On Tuesday, February 17th, I sent Bryan T. Froehle, one of the Religious Studies professors at STU, an interview request. He approved of the request on the same day and stated that he would be delighted to assist me in any way that he can. I believe this interview will be extremely useful toward my research, since a lot of what I've already looked into has to do with the different opinions of college science/religion teachers. We agreed to schedule the interview on Tuesday, February 24th, at 1:40 PM in his office.

Research continuation

I apologize for not having posted recently about my research progress. Nevertheless, I have made a significant advancement in the research of my issue. The Annotated Bibliography assignment really assisted me in finding credible, interesting, and relevant sources that allowed me to further understand the influence of creationism and evolution in different aspects of society. I found very compelling articles that discussed evolution, creationism, intelligent design, religion, and the different perspectives that society has towards these topics and the influence that they have toward the teaching of science in the school curriculum. At this point, I'm trying to research how religion and an individual's personal beliefs affect the way they handle new ideas as well as impact the way they view science (especially the areas that can lead to controversy).

Interview Questions

Double: Do you take notes in class or drive home recklessly?

Wrong Choice: Are you pregnant? Congratulations! (And the answer is "No...")

Fuzzy: Do athletes frequently use performance enhancing drugs?

Cover the world: What are people's perspectives toward the subject of "religion"?

Kitchen sink: Please list all of the sports you've ever played, the years that you played them, and the influence that each had on your personal life.

Dreamer: What is your goal in life?

K6's Childhood Interview

At 10:55AM – 11:10AM, I had the privilege of interviewing K6 regarding the topic of “Where did you grow up?” K6 had a very interesting childhood. She grew up in Miami, but her family was born and raised in Nicaragua. K6 lived in an apartment as a child, so she had very limited play-space at home. A lot of her childhood revolved around taking care and teaching her younger brother, who is three years younger than she is. She devoted most of her time into her little brother, so he became her best friend as well as her younger sibling. According to K6, one of her most memorable childhood moments was when she was left in charge of babysitting her three-month old cousin when she was merely eight years old. Ever since K6 was twelve years old, she’s been interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice. As a child, she was influenced by films such as “Legally Blonde,” which is a movie that I personally enjoy, and I believe that a lot of people under-rate it, I might add. Although her parents were not too excited when K6 informed them of her career idea, they supported her with her decision. Until this day, K6 is still in pursuit of her degree in criminal justice. K6 said that her childhood life would have been extremely different if she would’ve grown up in Nicaragua like her parents did. I can understand where she’s coming from, seeing as I was born in a similar, third-world Latin country as well. As a hobby, K6 liked to sow on her spare time. She only had three Barbie dolls when she was a little girl and usually the doll’s clothes would get old or dirty, so instead of purchasing new ones, she would spend time sowing a new, custom-made attire for her dolls. Interviewing K6 had a very beneficial influence toward the development of my research toward my project.

Continues

After I finished my research proposal, I now have a more narrowed objective towards my research project. I realized that Lexis Nexis is an essential tool toward finding relevant information, but I can only access it when I'm logged in to the STU domain. As time allows, I'll find more documentaries, articles, and seminars on the different perspectives toward the creation theories, as well as information regarding the impact that religion and the teaching of creationism has on schools.

Research Topic in progress

I've been thinking a bit about my topic. I know it's last minute, but now's the only chance I have to start my Research Proposal. Based on the comments that Kev and Denise posted, I've been thinking about the influence that religion has towards college students in today's society and I'm hoping to start looking into the teaching of science/religion on a college/high school plateau and perhaps see the difference between college and high school teachings. I also plan to speak to some science/religion teachers at STU as well as high school instructors to compare their perspectives.

My Nebulous Research Topic

I've been sitting down and pondering about a lot of topics that would be interesting to research. The only problem has been that they are topics, not issues. Finally, I believe that I came up with a combination of the two. The issue/topic that I have in mind is still very broad, but at least I have some ground to put my feet on. Science has always been one of my main interests, and I've always had a firm belief that life (nature, the earth, the ocean, the universe) could not have turned out as perfect as it did without the help of a higher power. There are dozens of types of scientists in this word, but through my perspective, I only pigeonhole them into two categories: those who believe that the supernatural had an influence on life having been led to being the way that it is today, and those who postulate the alternative, being that no force beyond our understanding took a role in the shaping of everything that we're able to witness and study around us today. This could arouse different subtopics/issues, such as the discussion of science in schools (the study of evolution and that most public institutions are anti-creationism, prohibiting instructors to teach about the creation of the universe by an omnipotent being). I know it's a broad topic, but I'm just relieved that I have something to research and think about now. Best of luck to everyone with their research.

Research Madness

What's the problem with the standard college-level research paper? I believe that one of the many answers is this: students simply do not have the knowledge to do a full-fledged research paper without using an excessive amount of sources, especially if the instructor is the one who provides the topic. If a student is assigned a topic that he/she has no knowledge about, the most they could do is find a number of sources and elaborate on each one. Taking into consideration the average knowledge of a college student and the typical length of a research paper assigned by a college professor (10-15 pages), this leads me to the conclusion that quite the handful of sources have to be used.