Katie Eppley, Raisa Janke, Leah Schaffer, Kayleigh Sopko & Megan Taylor
“The cosmos would be understood, all difficulties pertaining to man’s beginnings, such as fear, war, and exploitation, would sink into the past… Science would bring about an era of the general good, and who could know if one day it might not even solve the problem of death.” From Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann
And that was the early 19th century, and here we are in 2008, a group of 17 Hiram College students set out on a 12-week journey still convinced that in this small sliver of time we can find some better understanding of this thing called science.
CHAT ROOM: Science Nerds United
The chatters enjoying a meal at an old palace in Jaipur, India, converted into a restaurant/hotel.
Photo: Troy Hottle
GassyGauss28: Science is a man alone at his desk. A sheet of paper in front of him, at most a telescope as well, and a clear sky outside the window. If a man didn’t give up before he reached an understanding, that, perhaps, was science.
Kaitums3.14: Some people think science is a compilation of facts and figures defined by measurements.
AlexVonHumby: Well, of course. These questions can be solved only insofar as they are directed by the actual state of things, that is, of facts susceptible of being verified by observation.
WriteITdown: But the modern day scientist knows differently. We have come to understand that science is no longer confined between a hypothesis and conclusion within scientific method, but it is a constantly evolving narrative. What we learn as truth today will have undoubtedly changed tomorrow.
GassyGauss28: Knowledge is painful. There isn’t a day I didn’t wish I had less of it.
Megalopteryous: However, Gauss, without your equation, I wouldn’t have been able to do my physics homework. Think of all you did to further the areas of mathematics and physics. Many people have built their life’s work upon your initial findings. Even though your areas of work do not interest me personally, your work ethic inspires me to keep on chugging until I find what I am looking for. As a student just beginning my scientific journey, I don’t just want the facts, I want the experience.
AlexVonHumby: I know nothing, but I have spent my whole life trying to change this and have acquired some knowledge and traveled the world, but that is all.
TexasRaisaN: But, having the works and opinions of previous scientists to help aid in my learning is an important tool as we embark on our journey. Although my findings are a mere stepping stone, I now understand their importance. Just as I am using the findings of scientists of the past, I understand that what I discover today will be stepping stones of an important bridge for other scientists to come.
AlexVonHumby: One should not overestimate the achievements of a scientist, a researcher was not a creator, he didn’t invent anything, he didn’t conquer lands, he didn’t produce bounty, he neither sowed nor did he reap, and he would be followed by others, and still others, who would know more and even more until finally everything was just swallowed up again. (250)
EXCELentK: However, one should not underestimate any achievements either. Raisa’s right, one thing does lead to the next, and the only way to get to the next idea is by building upon previous facts, observations, ideas—everything. Previous scientific information becomes the foundation for new ideas and thoughts. With time all things age, but with age comes wisdom.
Kaitums3.14: Yeah, we’ve always been taught that science is constantly changing. In lab, we ask questions, write hypotheses, make observations, and use our results to ask more questions. It’s a never-ending process but never stagnant. I’m going into science knowing that the “truths” I learn in my classes today can and will change in the future. I can hope to not only discover more for science in the present, but to also help pave the way for future scientists to take my work and use it to get further. I never want to stop learning, and with a life dedicated to science, there’ll always be more to discover.
writeITdown: Katie, I couldn’t agree with you more. Science is so much more than a series of data; it’s a way of life. As scientists, we are forced to take in our environments and make sense of them. We are forced to work together, define roles and accept responsibilities. It is more than a race to discovery; it’s a journey towards understanding—not just an understanding of science, but also of ourselves, because the changes we see are often the changes we inspire… sometimes for the best; other times, not.
The issue of global climate change has become a universal topic. As we travel the world, we have the opportunity to see first hand how whole habitats have responded and continue to respond to the changes that are facing this world. We carry with us both the understanding that it is our actions that have imposed this change, and also that it is our actions that can change this imposition.
Meet the chatters:
Megalopteryous Megan Taylor; SWF.
Megan Taylor standing outside the Wat of the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand.
Photo: Leah Schaffer
Megan is a senior Biology major and former member of the Hiram College Volleyball team. She is now applying for graduate schools in the field of Exercise Science. Megan is most looking forward to visiting Thailand and trying all the different exotic foods.
writeITdown: Leah Schaffer; SWF.
Leah mesmerized by the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.
Photo: Raisa Janke
Leah is a junior Biomedical Humanities and Creative Writing double major. She is also a member of the Hiram College Volleyball team. After Hiram, she is looking to combine her love for science and writing, and is planning on attending medical school. She is most looking forward to standing in front of the pyramids in Egypt.
TexasRaisaN Raisa Janke; SWF.
Raisa looking off at Bald Eagles in the distance in Juneau, Alaska.
Photo: Leah Schaffer
Raisa is currently a junior with a Biomedical Humanities major and she is captain of the Hiram College swim team. After Hiram she plans on attending graduate school to continue her passion of medicine with a degree as a Physician Assistant. She is most excited to return to Germany. This will be her second visit; her first time was with her family in 2003. The experience will be different but returning to the culture is what she is most anxious about.
EXCELentK Kayleigh Sopko; SWF.
Kayleigh atop Haleakala in Maui, Hawaii.
Photo: Leah Schaffer
Kayleigh is currently a Senior Biomedical Humanities major. After Hiram she plans to attend graduate school for public health and healthcare administration. She is most looking forward to a journey to the Taj Mahal, one that her mother longed to do and has never had the chance.
Kaitums3.14 Katie Eppley; SWF
Katie taping from the top of a Minaret in Jaipur, India.
Photo: Megan Taylor
Katie is currently a Sophomore Biology and Spanish double major. She is also a member of Hiram Majorettes and Cross-Country Team. She is most excited to visit Egypt and see the pyramids (as well as ride a camel!). After Hiram she is potentially interested in wildlife conservation in other countries where she can incorporate her studies in Spanish. Gracias!
All of the dialogue of Alexander von Humboldt and Gauss is courtesy of Daniel Kehlmann’s Measuring the World and Tomasina Ross’s edited translation of Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America during the years 1799-1804 by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland.
After studying these texts, we decided that one of the issues that face scientists is the understanding that your work will be proven incorrect and outdated, but that in order to achieve theories, we must pursue them as truths. Both Gauss and von Humboldt faced this obstacle as they matured within their respectable fields, and both seemed to come to the realization that new discoveries do not minimize achievement, but instead set in motion a chain of learning. We understand that through this study abroad experience, we too will come to face this obstacle, and that by finding the truest motivation for science and staying faithful to that motivation, we might compel a change in the way of thinking in the larger population.
Katie Eppley, Raisa Janke, Leah Schaffer, Kaleigh Sopko and Megan Taylor
sopkokj at hiram.edu
Last modified 28 Feb 2008
Banner Photo by Mathew J. Wilson