#andreaderflinger

Benjamin Campbell and Eric Walisko presented their project titled “Mobile Activity Recognition System”.  There presentation was centered on their concentrations of Information and Knowledge Management and Software Entrepreneurship.  The purpose of their project was to create a mobile application that could be used to track their activity data while performing tasks such as sitting, standing, walking, and running.   There were many scientific terms discussed within their presentation such as the accelerator is used to determine the intensity and direction of movement, while the gyroscope is used to determine the orientation of the device.  They were able to discuss the ideas of K nearest neighbor which is a non parametric method used for classification where input is matched to closet training point in a featured space.  Their merit and understanding of all the topics was clear, but they pointed out that they struggled with applying the different understandings to the project.  They were able to recognize that actually doing the project was a lot harder than just applying the information we had learned in class.

Anders Hasselquist presented on the topic of “Installation of a Photovoltaic Lighting System and Energy Monitors at Punta Leona Hotel and Club”.  This presentation was very interesting because the student had traveled down to Costa Rica in order to do his project at a hotel down there.  He related a lot of the scientific information in the presentation to the culture and climate of Costa Rica.  One of his projects was installing a TED for a sustainable butterfly garden.  His level of merit was very good as he was able to explain why he had chosen the certain spot based on how the sunlight hit the garden.  He also explained how he installed an eMonitor system, and what it was made to do.  He placed value on the eMonitor system because he showed how there is a 36% increase in energy from Costa Rica drug stores to US ones.  He showed the value on energy within our society and how dependent we were on it.  

             Martin Torres and Adrian Wos presented on “NatuRain: Inverted Sprinkler System”.  This project related to the concentrations of energy and engineering and manufacturing. The group members had received a patent from their professor, and they wanted to create an inexpensive, durable, and resistant to water sprinkler system.  They also wanted it to be portable and easy to assemble for anyone, and have the capability to water more than 100 square feet.  They had a good level of merit about how to 3D print their pieces, which they did.  They were able to explain scientifically how to 3D print and the benefits of it.  One of the things the found value in during their project was when they had learned more about business.  They had both taken a management class first semester to learn how to make a business plan, because if they were to plan to sell this they had to have some sort of business background on customer identification, market research, and finances.  The also talked about the value of their sprinkler system and the effects it could have on people’s lives.  

 Hector Galvan, Christopher Mihalkovic, and Jordan Palmone presented on the topic of “Assessment of a Biomass Thermal Water Heating at New Community Project in Harrisonburg, VA”. The group did not explain how biomass works, and instead jumped straight into how they created the biomass.  They did not have a scientific understanding of how biomass piles work, because during their experiment the first biomass pile did not work, and they had left it out over winter break causing it to get soaked from the weather.  I eventually understood how biomass piles work when at the end they discussed how as you go deeper into the soil the wood soaks up the heat causing it to heat up the water going to the shower used by the new community project.  They did have a scientific understanding of the types of aerobic bacteria living within the biomass pile.

 All of these presentations helped me learn more about the ISAT major and what types of projects majority of the ISAT majors complete.  I enjoyed a majority of the presentations. Even though I will not be continuing as an ISAT major I wanted to still see the presentations.  If I was still an ISAT major I would be interested in completing a project centered around the idea of cyber security in the IKM and Telecom sector.

 Alumni

 Maryan Sniezck graduated in May of 2013.  During her time at JMU, she was an ISAT major with a concentration in energy and environment.  For her senior project, she worked at a local farm in Waynesboro, VA with Dr. Teal.  She helped turn wood into soil, which could further be used as a fertilizer to spread on the land.  She currently works at HVAC and just recently switched her position to designing things with Solidworks.  She didn’t have a large background with Solidworks . She told us that if there was one thing she wishes that she had done while she was a student at JMU it would have been to gain experience through an internship.

 Brett Spencer graduated in 2014 from JMU.  He concentrated in biotechnology, engineering, and environment.  His senior project consisted of him working at a local owned farm buy building a bio char chamber in a greenhouse along side Dr.Teal.  He currently works at an environmental consulting firm.  His one piece of advice for us is to invite potential employers to your senior capstone project presentation.  This will show employers that you are active and interested in their company, plus make a good impression for yourself.

 Chris Borwn graduated in 2013 with a major in ISAT along with being pre-med, and also minored in environmental management.  He now works as a scribe in an emergency room. He talked with me about how he really enjoys the dynamic environment.  He said that the environment of a hospital emergency room reminds of ISAT because it involves many different members of different fields all working together to accomplish something.

To: The Board of Supervisors 

The Top Priorities for Madison County:

           I would like to inform you of the priorities and interests of the community are currently surrounding the issue of the pipeline being built.  The first priority should be to make sure none of the habitats are destroyed, for any of the populations of organisms.  This could potentially cause a major issue with the food chains.  The second priority would be to research the potential for a pipe leak, which could potentially cause water contamination.  The third priority would be to research the effects this could all have on the economy.

Major Arguments For and Against the Pipeline:

The major arguments for the pipeline are surrounded around producing jobs for Madison County.  These jobs will help stimulate the local economy.  Also, the government may give grants to Madison County, which could give them the opportunity to build new schools, new infrastructure within the town.  Another major argument for the pipeline is that Spectra, the company to build the pipeline, holds accountability.  They are a trustworthy company, and if anything bad happens Spectra will be held accountable for anything.  There are more arguments against the pipeline.  The environmental impact will be the greatest threat to the community. Through the pipeline constructions this could include habitat destruction, landscape destruction, and soil erosion.  As I said previously, there could be a potential pipe leak, which could cause water contamination, which could lead to a lack of crops.  Many of the residents in Madison County rely on selling the crops they produce.  This lowers the profits for families, who rely on crops as their source of income.    

Further Research:

 Andrea Derflinger, Section 001

 What possible effects (positive or negative) might the pipeline have on the well-being of the land and citizens of Madison County? What evidence is there that these effects are real?

The development of the pipeline will bring some of the “lowest rates of unemployment and highest rates of economic growth” benefiting Madison county (Jacquet). This will cause the “in-migration of specialized workforces, equipment, and materials” but will also bring along environmental degradation (Jacquet).  For example, water contamination may cause a lower yield in crops. Along with the pipeline will cause a “boomtown”, or an increase in the population causing an increase in infrastructure, traffic, education, and medical services, which can serve as a benefit to Madison County (Kriesky). The main issue with Madison County is due to it being a rural community it lacks “the capacity or desire to regulate or restrict building activity” because many old people live their and are resistant to changing things, and also can not fully understand the pipeline (Jacquet).

 What are the possible effects (positive or negative) of the pipeline or hydraulic fracturing on the well-being of communities beyond the Goodall family, or Madison County?          

The Goodall’s land could suffer from potential ground and water contamination due to the disruptions caused by machines, human impacts, and roads built or being used on the land.  This can cause a significant impact to the vegetation, soil (causing erosion), wildlife, and habitat impacts.  Once the company begins placing the pipeline on the Goodall’s farm it will no longer be able to sustain life like it once did.  Paul Goodall, son of 100-year old Culton Goodall currently has to deal with the situation due to the old age of his father. Although the situation is difficult for Paul because, as the heir to the farm he most likely does not want to live their, but he does have an emotional connection to it. One of the positive benefits is “Landowners can receive payments from energy firms for the option to drill on the property, and an additional royalty on the value of oil or gas that is produced” (Jacquet).  

 Why does the public distrust experts? What is the public interested in?        

Corrosive Communities are those where either there is “mistrust of public officials and agencies” or there is debate between those who want one thing versus another group who wants the opposite (Jacquet).  The public is not able to trust the authorities and science because there is a “mismatch between the knowledge that science generates and the knowledge society need”(Kinchy).  The public is worried because there is “nescience” meaning there is a “lack of knowledge about the unknown” (Kinchy).  They are interested in “how cumulative water withdrawals of the amount required for shale gas extraction will affect watershed quality” (Kinchy).

 Word Count: 394

  Works Cited:

 Kincy, Abby J., and Simon L. Perry. “Can Volunteers Pick up the Slack-Efforts to Remedy Knowledge Gaps about the Watershed Impacts of Marcellus Shale Gas Development.” Duke Envil & Pol’y F. 22 (2011): 303.

Kriesky, Jill. "Ocioeconomic Change and Human Stress Associated with Shale Gas Extraction." Physicians for Social Responsibility. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/20/science/nasa-spacecraft-get-a-closer-look-at-pluto-and-ceres-whatever-they-may-be.html?_r=0

In class recently we learned about the roles of credibilityand trust, and how they play a role in the history of science including the example of cold fusion.  Throughout history, scientists have previously been praised as the most believable on the topics of science.  They have been able to create inventions such as the light bulb and electricity that make a large difference in our world. As time has progressed, the general public have began to understand that scientists are just people too, who truly do not have all of the experience to make these large decisions. In the case of cold fusion, the two men could not prove how they preformed the cold fusion experiment, and many who tried to replicate the experiment could not find the accurate way to preform it.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/07/replication_controversy_in_psychology_bullying_file_drawer_effect_blog_posts.3.html

In the beginning of the year, ourclass discussed the issues behind experimental replication and the controversythat can come with it.  Experimental replication is the act of redoing an experiment done by someone else previously, which can be done with or without consent.  The example we used in the beginning of the year was the controversy over the discovery of DNA. Rosalind Franklin originally discovered the double helix structure but had not released any of scientific findings out to the public.  When Watson and Crick saw her at a conference talking about her findings they took what they had learned and used it to solve and discover the structure of DNA, and were later awarded a Noble Prize of Physiology or Medicine for contributing to the science world.  Rosalind Franklin did not receive anything, although she had first come up with it. Over the past 60 years this debate has stirred up controversy and is still occurring in the science world.