Friday, July 24, 2009

What sort of careers use sampling techniques?

So we've finished our first class. In the future (like next week), here's the procedure to follow for each class:

  • Check this blog on Wednesdays to learn about what that week's Friday class will be about.
  • Be prepared at the beginning of class to complete any "pre-assessment" requirements posted on the blog
  • After each class will be a writing assignment, designed to help you with your final writing requirement concerning pursuing a career in science. You will save your work to the class wiki
For this class, I would like you to do three things:
  1. Post a comment to this blog concerning my summary of your interests in science we discussed two Fridays ago. Let me know if I should revise your summary in any way, or if I should add any additional interests.
  2. As a group, I would like all of you to describe how we reached a consensus that there are 11,215 tombstone in Trinity Cemetery. Post your reflections on the wiki page. Feel free to edit other students' text if you feel it is inaccurate or missing an important detail. The full set of instructions are listed on that page.
  3. Finally, I would like everyone to choose a scientific career that uses sampling techniques from the list of links below. I would like everyone to choose a different career path for investigation. If you have a burning desire to research a career not listed, email me a link with a description/example of the career you want to research and I'll make sure it's OK to research. Here are the links to the various scientific careers that use sampling techniques in the job:
Once you have read the information in the link, go to your wiki page, and answer the questions listed on the page. To edit a wiki page, click on the 'Edit' button on the top right side of the page, and type in your comments. Most importantly, please remember to click the 'Save' button on toolbar to save your comment. Clicking File | Save from the menu will not save your work, so don't do that.

Here are the summaries, so please post a comment at the bottom of this posting if I should change your summary in any way.

Jakob Layman


Expressed interest in "neuroeconomics." Additionally, how are space age "green" polymers different from their original chemical structures (e.g., biodegradable, create more efficient laminar flows).

Maritza Montanez


Selected as an area of interest language formation. Specifically, what are the effects when immigrants losing the ability to use their native language on their connection to their native culture. Along a similiar line, what are the contrasts between large city medical institutions, and small town folk remedies. Finally, what are the relationships between stress and not having health insurance.

Geraldine Diaz


Generally speaking, what is the relationship between criminologists and urban populations, focusing on the sociological aspects.

James Rini


Has an interest in the relationship between brain morphology and psychological disorders, such as neorogentica of schizophrenia, transgenic mutations, reverse engineering of the 1918 flu. Additionally, he listed some technological interests, such as cold fusion, batteries of the future, and opposing theories to global warming.

Kennesha Dickson


Offered a most generalist perspective. Her question was, "what is the relationship between (boring) research and (interesting) applications, such as social services and counseling?" She also mentioned interest in the relationship between juvenile delinquency and genetics and crime.

Dayna Heckstall


Addressed more ethical, rather than purely scientific concerns, Generally speaking, "what is the role of public health? What actions are ethically justified in a scientific investigation?"

Soulkya Agana-Woodbine


Has a personal interest in gentrification, specifically of Bedford-Styvesent. Maybe this would be a good place to have a GIS module.

Here's how you post a comment to this blog:

  • Scroll to the end of this posting, on the line that starts, "posted by terminus," and click on the 'comments' link.
  • On the right side of the screen, type your name in the text box.
  • Answer the questions listed above, under your name.
  • Below the text box, click on the 'Anonymous' radio button.


That's it! Please check back on Wednesday to find out what's up this Friday.

4 comments:

  1. I'm not interested in the relationship of criminologists and urban populations, but rather in criminologists with focuses on urban populations. My interest in this comes from a desire to better understand the populations with whom we deal. Furthermore, criminology is already a subset of sociology.

    Geraldine Diaz

    ReplyDelete
  2. My interest is not in "boring research" vs "interesting application". What I am trying to understand is the process by which information
    gathered in research is then translated into changes in counseling practices, social services tecniques and methodology, etc. Its the process that I am looking to understand.

    Thanks.
    Kennesha Dickson

    ReplyDelete
  3. I apologize for misrepresenting your interests. We will definitely have a class on your interests by the end of this month.

    ReplyDelete