Self-Assessment Survey

I really like hands-on learning. I know most people probably say this and then complain about going out to the Garden or doing Honors projects, but I sincerely love immersing myself and seeing the applicable, tangible side of what I'm learning. I definitely understand your passion for things like botany and the many facets of environmental science, but I can see that most of the class is not as enthused about the science as you are. In reality, their sentiments are unjust and from my conversations with the rest of the class I think the main complaint is that the workload is more than was previously expected. Unfortunately, expectations are powerful things when it comes to most aspects of life and when my fellow classmates and I realized we would have to work harder than we'd thought, well...it didn't go over too well. Nonetheless, as I've said before, I think that the pedagogy is good, the workload informative, and am personally grateful for the opportunities you've given me.

Contrary to the capabilities of the most competent teacher, it takes the interest and token effort of each and every student to achieve classroom goals like cleaning up and maintaining the garden, working on different projects, and creating an amazing exhibition. Luckily, at High Tech High Media Arts, despite the occasional grumblings and murmurs about certain homework assignments and classes, in the end I am confident that all of my classmates are giving a token effort and trying despite their distaste for some aspects of different classes (the specifics of which I'm not sure of).

My experience in Environmental Science has been awesome so far. Although I have not been able to go out to the Garden as much as I'd hoped and though sometimes it's hard to juggle class projects with being gone at my internship, I still have enjoyed what we've learned and the observational aspect of our work. In my lab, I'm performing experiments with bioluminescent organisms that have already been well documented and observed in their natural habitats. This means that although the results can be very intriguing, there isn't any field work involved. The Life in a Cubic Foot project makes up a little for the field work that isn't part of my internship. Of course, it doesn't involve documenting anything novel, just identifying and documenting what has already been discovered--nonetheless, it certainly is better than nothing and I've definitely had a fun time doing it.

Lastly, I would just like to say that the ability to go into my internship twice a week in the afternoons is an amazing opportunity that I would only be able to do in Lia's class at High Tech. Continuing my experiments and learning from the other research that's conducted is one of the best learning experiences I've ever had, and I'm grateful to continue my internship throughout the school year, or at least this semester.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: Style and Structure

How is the book organized? Which primary rhetorical mode does it employ, and
does that mode serve the author’s purpose? How would you define the author’s
style? Which rhetorical choices does the author use often, and are they effective?
Address the author’s point of view (1st, 2nd or 3rd person) as well.

The book is organized into three parts--Industrial, Pastoral, and Personal--which address processed food, big organic, and the ideal meal. Throughout he relates his personal experiences in his journey to find the natural history of four meals that he has: the McDonald's meal, a Big Organic meal, a Beyond Organic Alternatively farmed meal, and a meal hunted, gathered, grown, and prepared solely by him. His search for the truth is genuine, which allows the reader to come to the same realizations Pollan does as the book develops and gives a sense of connection and understanding when he puts his two cents in. His arguments are backed up by scientific data and supported by a comprehensive, if albeit biased, analysis of the benefits and detriments of American food culture. Through antithesis he compares the good and the bad elements of different food systems and places them in the context of society today. This method is very compelling, and he is never afraid to state his opinion loud and clear after arguing a point. Moreover, his 1st person narrative is equally compelling because, as stated before, the audience can relate and it makes for a more in-depth, thought-evoking analysis without letting the writing become dry and boring.

Life in a Cubic Foot Pictures

Pictures by Jackie and Noah

Mr. Tiddlywinks

Mr. Tiddlywinks is a prime young specimen of, presumably, the Sparganophilus genus. They are native to North America and characterized by their long thin bodies. These are true earthworms (segmented, slightly "hairy," and girdled) and they dwell in mud near a consistent supply of water. Naturally, due to an earthworm's complex vascular system they usually aim themselves downwards in the soil, eating the organic matter below and placing their posteriors nearer the surface where there is potentially more oxygen to absorb through their skin, which can range in color from dark brown to pinkish to even green and blue. Another interesting thing to note is that earthworms are hermaphrodites and some (not all) species have some amazing regenerative properties.



Bernard


There is a very strong possibility that Bernard is a Mythimna unipuncta larva; that is, a caterpillar that will eventually become a White-Speck Moth. These moths are common worldwide, except in Austalia and Siberia, and feed on a variety of grasses. The True Armyworms can grow up to 35mm and usually overwinter (cease activity and feeding and wait out the cold or dry conditions), metamorphosing in Spring.


Professor Pea Body

 
Professor Pea Body certainly has a body smaller than a pea, but this is typical of the often 3mm long dark Argentine ants that have invaded the Southern Californian landscape, far from their South American homes. Linepithema humile has become the predominant ant species in many Mediterranean climates over the past decade. In fact, these ants have spread to six continents and numerous islands. Argentine ants don't compete with other colonies of the same species, which allows them to quickly form "supercolonies," start new colonies with one queen and several workers, and bother the heck out of the humans that unintentionally spread them around the globe. The ants have chewing mouth parts with mandibles and even a tongue for liquid. They have distinct, elbowed geniculate antennae and two nodes behind their thorax, giving them a waist that many a female would be jealous of.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: Tone

Michael Pollan is very frank and forthcoming throughout the book, even if he does at times wax poetic. However, his digressions often consist of very moving analogies and motivate the reader to ask themselves those fundamental foodie questions: what am I really eating and where does it really come from? In a sense, he plays the food critic who, as a connoisseur of higher food culture, judges what we eat on its taste and aesthetic. However, as an investigative journalist he takes it numerous steps further to find out where our food comes from and how it arrives on our plate. Not only does he stop there, as some documentaries like Food Inc. did, but he goes further into the history of Western Civilization and American culture to examine why we have arrived at this unhealthy, unsustainable, possibly self-destructive yet convenient and carefree food culture.

The fact that Pollan's crusade is an attempt to re-attain a normal food culture in an American lifestyle makes for easier contemplating and less radical than other books that might outright condemn meat as murder, industry as evil, and money as the Satan that caused it all. Even if those things are true, they are often presented in a very radical manner that takes away from the credibility of the argument. In Pollan's case, he does wonders for his cause by showing, not telling. Of course, his audience is the American populace at large; more specifically, it is probably those who themselves are searching for the truth behind what we eat and those who are trying to answer the question of what to eat for dinner without compromising their values or their health for that matter. Because of this, Pollan presents arguments supported by many sources and personal experiences in order to make a reasonable argument on a very controversial subject. His argument ultimately attacks all of present-day American food culture and the industrial complex that has blossomed from the dirt, grime, and sickness of the processed food industry.  The Omnivore's Dilemma is supplemented by current events (at the time), supported by scientific fact, and compelled by personal experiences and shocking observations. When the author himself goes on a journey it makes the audience much more willing to consider his case than when it is mere speculation.