Sunday, April 29, 2012

For my final project.


Just an excerpt. This is in the voice of the old woman.

I graduated from Indiana University in 2012. That was fifty years ago.  At that time, IU and other universities in the Midwest were emerging as leaders in renewable energy. While some people at the time denied the immediacy of the threat of global climate change, I was inspired to make a difference. I earned a B.S. in Biology with a focus on environmental studies, and I moved to New York City to work for  Wilson Green Power, helping other universities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic make the change over to renewable sources of energy. During my 7 years with Wilson, we raised solar panels, improved insulation, and installed geothermal heat pumps in 72 universities from Maryland to Vermont.

But about 40 years ago, the most extreme heat wave to date devastated the Central and Southern United States. Over 50,000 people across the nation died of heat-related deaths—mostly the very young, the very old, or the very sick. Stroke. Dehydration. Crops failed and conflicts arose over precious water sources. Then, two years later, coastal cities experienced extensive flooding during one of the wettest spring seasons in ten years.

It was now about 8:45 am. Behind the wheel of my BioFuel-powered car I thought about far we had come since I started working with Wilson after college. My husband James was working in the yard as I pulled into the driveway. We retired to Vermont last year. “Tell me you’re healthy,” he said with a smile, the well-defined creases around his eyes and mouth revealing a lifetime of smiling.

Some things change, and some things don’t.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

It's Fun to Run.

Well, not ALL the time, but when the race involves breakfast obstacles or a zombie apocalypse it can be. Since my college soccer career ended, I've mostly been running to stay in shape. I enjoy it on most days, but on others going for even a three mile run seems like such a daunting task. This morning, I came across this article "Crazy Races that are Fun to Run." Now I have heard of the Tough Mudder and other obstacle course races, but these ones were pretty wild. They seem like they would be a blast! I think I'll have to add one of these to my bucket list. Maybe this one: Run For Your Lives.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

A glimpse of the future.

I've included an excerpt from the free-writing I have been doing for my final paper. The outline is this: A man is giving a speech at a science convention, describing advances in medicine, efforts that have been made to curb the effects of global climate change, etc. Simultaneously, I tell the story of an old woman--a day in her life. The goal is not to present a "dooms-day" view of the future, but to point out that things will change and give a glimpse of what could be. What I want to demonstrate is that we will eventually find ways to mediate the consequences of global warming, we may even find a way to stop it, but it is very likely that with things as they are now, we can experience significant changes in our world within our lifetimes. I want to make people aware of the immediacy of the problem. Here is what I have so far, though I have not yet gotten to illustrating the effects of climate change:


“Good afternoon leaders, innovators, and esteemed scientists. Welcome to the 12th Annual Conference of the International Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. For over half a century, technology has advanced at an ever-increasing rate. Due in part to this exponential improvement in technology, the past 50 years have seen remarkable advances in all fields of scientific study. Rapid drug development and testing, targeted gene therapy, and stem cell transplants have revolutionized the treatments for many cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and immune disorders. Breakthroughs in the delivery and control of RNA interference has allowed us to keep up with rapidly-evolving viruses. For the first time we can say, with confidence, that a cure for HIV/AIDS is on the horizon. Every newborn child can have their genome sequenced and examined for genetic predispositions to cancer, high blood pressure, psychiatric disorder, and this list goes on. We have the power to fight disease before it can begin to take hold of us. We are now exploring avenues in medicine that were previously unimaginable, and the future of biomedical research is bright. Our children can look forward to healthy futures, unencumbered with the burden of disease.”

I arrived at the medical examination center at 8:00 am, just in time for my mandatory annual health exam. I walked into Individual Exam Room 1. On the back wall of the small room was a wide, flat glass screen with a glass podium in front of it. “Please insert Personal Identification Device,” said the voice. I took out my phone—well it was so much more than that now—and placed it into a rectangular groove on the glass podium. Immediately, my information appeared on the screen before me. Name. Age. Medical History. Financial History. Family. Everything you needed to know about me. “Please step onto platform and look straight ahead.” I stepped onto the small platform at the foot of the podium. There was a soft whirring sound, and my hair stood on end. It always does when I know I am being scanned. In an instant a new set of numbers was on the screen. “Please press left your left index finger into the elliptical groove on the left side of the podium.” I did, and I felt a small prick. “Thank you for providing us with your blood sample.” You’re welcome. A new set of numbers. I did everything I was told, provided every sample I needed to provide. “Thank you, (NAME), your updated medical information has been uploaded to your Personal Identification Device and sent to your physician. You will be contacted if there are any abnormalities. In the meantime, consider adding supplemental calcium and iron to your diet. Your next appointment has been made for March 12, 2063 at 8:00 am. Thank you and have a healthy year.” I grabbed my phone from the podium, and the screen went black. As I was leaving the exam room, another man arrived for his appointment. It was 8:15 am.

“Our strides in medicine have been matched by great leaps in environmental management, conservation, and alternative energy. Fifty years ago, some refused to believe that human activity was accelerating the pace of global warming—that our robust industry and rapid advances in technology came at a devastating cost. Forty years ago, it was undeniable. Global climate temperatures had increased by 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit. China’s increasing use of coal-burning power plants and the melting of the permafrost released greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at an alarming rate. But we, as a global community, chose to do what was necessary to stave off the menacing threat of climate change, to save our planet. We chose life.”

My legs don’t move like they used to. Medical advances in artificial cartilage and joint replacements still can’t prevent aging or stop me from feeling it. I used to fly up stairs, skipping every other step, like they were falling out from underneath me as I climbed upwards. Now, it is a struggle, and each stair is a mountain of its own. Then again, things just aren’t what they used to be—old people always say that. I am old now. I can feel the eleven-o-clock sun beating down on the back of my neck as I walk inside to escape it. You can’t be out in the afternoons anymore.  

Every night I go to bed. I try to remember my life—what I’ve done, the people I’ve known, the joy, the sadness, the love I’ve felt. I think about how the world has changed around me as I’ve moved through life, changing in many ways myself. And I fall asleep thinking about what tomorrow will bring.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Had to share.

Someone posted this photo and I had to share it, since it relates somewhat to what I've been talking about on my blog. Enjoy!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Escape the heat.

In 2003, a record heat wave claimed 35,000 lives in Europe. Thirty-five thousand lives! Temperatures soared to 104 degrees Fahrenheit and remained unusually high for two weeks. In France alone, 14,000 lives were lost to the scorching temperatures.

99% of Texas suffers from severe drought conditions.
Unfortunately, the weather does not seem to be providing any relief in the near future. In fact, temperatures will likely continue to rise, and the number of extremely hot seasons experienced per decade will increase. August of 2003 was the hottest August on record in the northern hemisphere, but Texas just experienced its hottest summer on record in 2011. At the same time, drought conditions become all the more dire.

Heat waves have been called "silent killers." They claim more lives each year than hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods combined, often taking the elderly, the very young, or the chronically ill. Some predict that the worldwide annual death toll from climate change will reach 500,000 people per year by 2030. That's half a million!

Increasing temperatures are, in part, the result of human activity. And to escape the heat, people will resort to air conditioners, releasing even more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere...

What if we can't stop it? Instead of spending summer afternoons on the beach, at the park, at the pool--outside-- we will probably have to go indoors during the hottest part of the day. Instead of a welcome friend after a cold winter, the summer sun will become a threatening menace.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

On a more personal note.

Senior year (in high school or college) is probably one of the happiest, exciting, stressful, terrifying years of your life. You are caught in a strange place between looking forward to your future and trying desperately to hold on to the present--to live in the moment, to enjoy the last precious months-weeks-days in college you have left. 

I am planning on staying in school. I want to earn my PhD, which means I have a long, painful, fun, exciting, who-knows-what-to-expect road ahead of me. The tough part now is deciding where I want to go. I am fortunate enough to have been offered admission to very good schools, and I have narrowed my choices down to two. But choosing where I will spend the next 5-7 years of my life has been very overwhelming. One school is top-tier. Everyone has heard of it. It seems like the obvious choice. After being accepted I almost cancelled my last interview. 

But then I visited the second school. And I just had a good feeling. The school is good. The students do good science and the program is well-funded. Still, most people outside of science haven't heard of it, and those in science agree that it is not ranked as highly as my first option. But while I was there I was able to picture the life I could have outside of school, and I was happy with it. The problem with the first school is that I don't know what to expect. It is in a new city, slightly farther from home. Housing will be more difficult to find, and I am nervous about meeting new people. I tend to be very shy. Still, is fear a reason to turn down such a good opportunity?

This isn't an easy decision. It has been hard to focus on everything else with it hanging over my head. Still, I have managed to get my school work done and enjoy senior year with my good friends. It's just in the next couple weeks I have to make my decision (April 15), I have to give several presentations in classes and at outside conferences, and I have to register for senior week and start to really think about graduation. 

I have heard writing is therapeutic. So I thought I would give it a shot. And maybe sharing my experience will be a comfort to others who are going through something similar.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Scenes from our Future: Georgia Savannas


Image from  http://www.georgiamtnrentals.com/
The image above is taken from the mountains of Northern Georgia, which are presently dominated by red oaks, rhododendrons, pines and mountain laurel. However, if climate change continues Georgia may experience permanent drought by 2030, with a decrease of 20% in annual rainfall.

The consequence? The northern forests of Georgia may be reduced to grasslands, similar to those in Florida. And Florida may be a barren desert, with much of its coast slipping under rising sea levels. Right now Georgia boasts a diversity of wildlife, but much of this will be lost as the habitat is destroyed. Streams like the one in this picture will be reduced to a trickle.

If climate change continues, the landscape of the world as we know it will change dramatically. The sites we are familiar with--the coast line, lush forests, roaring rivers--may no longer exist. It is frightening to imagine such a drastically different world, but this is the world we may leave to our children and grandchildren. This may be the world we grow old in. What steps can we take now to prevent it?