Reflection of Project One

For the first part of this three stage project, I had different feelings towards the whole thing. Although I did finish my project and think I did a darn good job writing it, it seemed like a few other people struggled. Now, I know you asked for my opinions about the first project but I'd like to tell about some frustrations I over heard from students during class time.

A few people were a bit bored with the whole idea. I personally loved it because I was so enthusiastic about my topic, but others seemed to not really care about their locations. Many picked the Rec Center, Memorial Union, or Palm Walk. Not that there is anything wrong with these places, it just seemed that people picked them because it was easy and general. Finding a location that I was so passionate about helped me write the paper and have a positive attitude about the whole project. Maybe next year narrow down the scope of options to buildings or locations that students only feel strongly about. This might help them become a little more excited and motivated about the project.

But, on a different note, there were certain things that I liked and disliked about the project. I disliked the realization that I didn't know how to work Microsoft Word on my new HP computer and that I had to ask my mom for help. Working with my mother can turn into a bad situation very quickly.  And as a student that was not taught how to use MLA heading or how to put the page number on at the top, I had a decent sized mental break down. Besides those few, but very stressful, personal problems that I had with the project I really enjoyed writing about my place. The analysis part wasn't that difficult once I understood what you were looking for and I'm sure there is something wrong with the my writing so I have no comment on that part.

ISTB4 is a building that I loved the very instant I walked in. Being able to write about it and even have the excuse to explore a little deeper in to the building was a lot of fun. I told my Geology professor about the paper and she actually took me to the "restricted" section of the building when no one was looking. Although some of you may not care, I got to hold very valuable rocks and it was awesome. My professor also told me about some of the research that was currently taking place in the building and how ASU is a large part of the sending Curiosity to Mars.

All in all, the good out ways the bad for this project. I had a mental break down (or two) but that was a result of my technology handicap not the project itself. I had an abundance of fun playing with so many things in the ISTB4 building and being obnoxious with stupid questions.

Analyzing a Place Worksheet

Project #1 Worksheet                                                          

Your Place: _____________________________________ISTB4_______________________

What are the intended functions of the place?                      

The intended functions for this building is research. Not any type of research, it’s not a library, but scientific research. It has laboratories and lecture halls for larger group. It also includes computers, study rooms, and enough equipment to conduct large procedures.

What overt messages does the place send (i.e., openly communicated through signs)?

This building sends out the message that science and exploring is fun. With the amount of artifacts, tools, diagrams, pictures, 3D exhibits and touchable objects in the building it gets your mind going. You get motivated just being in there. This building wants to show you that science is fun and that every day ordinary people push further and further into the unknown.

What covert messages does the place send (i.e., hidden messages)?

I don’t believe there are any hidden messages that lay in secret somewhere. This building has one purpose and that is to educate. There is no dirty motive lodged behind any of the words or photos stationed on these walls.

Have previous users left traces behind in the place?

Since this building is new, there are no traces of classes or students before us. No one has written there name and the name of their significant other on the walls or under a desk. Stains from spilt coffee or sticky black spots from gum don’t litter the floor. We are the first ones here.  We are the people that get to leave traces behind.

Has the place been re-appropriated (i.e., beyond its original functions)?

This place has not been re-appropriated. Like I said, this building is the newest building on campus, the purpose of it being built is still the purpose of it today. Maybe one day it’ll hold an important meeting for scientist or house a “one-and-only” artifact, but until then, it’s still innocent and unchanged.

What social or cultural customs did you observe (i.e., rules governing appropriate behavior)?

People treat this building like a library in some respects. It’s so clean and so new that you feel awkward if you happen to make too much noise. The only signs there say you can’t eat in the laboratories or in the lecture hall, but I haven’t seen anyone eat anywhere inside the building. And once I did eat inside the building and was glared at. Eating in the halls or the benches outside the rooms is allowed, but oddly still frowned upon because no one wants to see this place get dirty.

Who has access to the place?  Are there insiders and outsiders?

The beauty of this place is that everyone is welcome. Students, teachers, parents, homeless people (as long as they don’t leave a mess), fieldtrips full of little kids, and even random civilians that are just interested in what could be inside. Everyone is welcome.

Who owns the place?

The scientific community owns this place! But in reality, ASU does. Its run by a man named Rick who is in charge of the Astronomy classes (and more things that I don’t know of). But the people that truly own this place are the people that are willing to accept and use it for its entire purpose.

What is the place’s value (i.e., monetary or otherwise)?

This place’s value is knowledge. For me at least it is. To others, they might see million dollar meteors or a billion dollar dinosaur skull, but for me, its knowledge. And knowledge is a lot more than a billion dollars…kind of.

Are there official representations of the place (i.e., online, in promotional materials)?  Do they accurately capture the place as you experienced it?

There are articles written about this building because it’s the newest addition to the ASU campus, but no one will ever be able to properly describe what this building is truly like. You have to see it for yourself.

Is the place in transition, a changing place?

No, this building is completely finished and I hope it stays like that.

What conflicts or tensions are there in the place?

As of right now, there aren’t really any problems running around in this building. I sensed a little tension from the manager of this place before the grand opening but that was because he was under stress from the lack of time he had to prepare everything. Right now, no one really knows what is in this building or the equipment this building has. It’s quiet and kind of a sanctuary for the earth and space students at ASU. There aren’t any business majors or engineers commenting about how their science is better. It’s just us, it’s peaceful.

What is the place’s history?  Do you see evidence of the past there in the present?

Well, if by past you mean previous classes that have graduated. There is none. But, if you mean history, there is plenty. The first astronaut is standing tall on the third level. A dinosaur skull from billions of years ago is stationed by the door. Aztec pots and valuable stones lace the walls on the inside and outside. There is plenty of history here, just not ASU’s history.

How does this place differentiate itself from other places?  What other places is it similar to, but how is it different from those places?

I know I’m being redundant when I say that this place is new, buts its new. There is no other place like this on campus or anywhere that I am aware of in Arizona. Its unique.

What questions do you have about your place?

What can I achieve here?

What can I learn here?

Key Features / Profiles (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 165-166)

An interesting subject.  What is unusual about your place?  Alternatively, is there something ordinary about it that you can show in an intriguing way?

Everything is unusual about this place. It has an exact replica of the rover Curiosity stationed in the front of the building. There’s a huge globe that you can touch and have different planets pop up for you to admire. The only ordinary thing about this place are the windows, there’s nothing special about the windows. They’re big, clear and open.

Any necessary background.  What background information will you need to include about the place in order to situate readers?

Everything, this place has a lot going on. I’ll have to name and describe almost everything here in order to give readers a minimum understanding of this building.

An interesting angle.  Rather than trying to tell readers everything about the place, what angle(s) might you use?

I’m using two angles. One angle is from what a teacher might see upon entering the building. The other is what a student might see when entering this building. I think this will appeal to many people and help them understand the building’s exterior and interior.

A firsthand account.  Did you interact with people in the place or participate in some way?  What experiences did you have there that you can write about using “I”?  (Yes, first person point of view is encouraged, especially for this paper.)

I go to classes here so there are many stories and happy encounters that I can tell while in this building. My geology teacher, Julia Johnson is my favorite teacher. She’s like a Doctor Suess character, bubbly, rhymes, and always has a large smile on her face. I’ve met friends in this building and get along with everyone, even the people I don’t know are more willing to talk to me than the ones at MU where cliques and outsiders are abundant.

Engaging details.  What specific information must you include in your description of the place?  What potential does your place have for the use of sensory images, figurative language, dialogue, anecdotes, and showing rather than telling?  What do you want the dominant impression to be?

The dominant impression I want to have is that this building is here for students and teachers alike to advance in their education and research. Everything here is worth noting or describing. So, a more suitable question is what can’t I include from this building in order to make this project a little less descriptive?

Generating Ideas and Text (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 168-169)

Explore what you already know about your subject.  Why do you find this place interesting?  What did you already know about it?

I find this place interesting because the things in it interest me. It’s a science building, I like science. It has cool things in it, I like cool things that have to do with science. I belong here. I want to be here. This is where I want to learn about the things that are taught here. I know this building is amazing in every single way. I know it houses the largest meteorite collection in the US. I know it has created a underwater scenario of a remote-controlled submarine. I know it can sit up to 370 students in its lecture hall. I know it can show the time and location of any satellite or rover in the universe that we, or any other country, has sent out. I know a lot about this building because this building isn’t afraid to show what it knows.

If you’re planning to interview someone, prepare questions.  What would you like to ask someone in the place in order to better understand it?

What do you do here?

Do you enjoy your job?

How often are you caught daydreaming here?

Are you interested in the jobs of others in this building?

If you could be a part of any other job/internship going on in this building currently, what would it be?

Do additional research.  Does your place have an online component?  How else might you gather additional research?

This place has articles written about it, but that’s more for advertisement. I’m not sure how I would gather additional research on this building.

Analyze your findings.  What patterns, images, or recurring ideas or phrases did you use to describe your place?  What contrasts or discrepancies do you see?

I use the words: new, unique, amazing, perfect, dinosaur, rover, satellite, 3D, and laboratories a lot in describing this building. I see nothing wrong with this.

Come up with an angle.  What is most memorable about your subject?  What most interests you?  What will interest your audience?

I think this building can appeal to everyone person in some way. Maybe when you were younger you had a thing for dinosaurs or space. Maybe your dad or mom was some famous mineralogist, or your aunt believed that the Aztecs were taken into space by aliens. This whole entire building would interest any audience. They just need to know what part of earth and space that they’re interested in. The part that most memorable to me would be the replica of Curiosity. There’s something about that rover that gets me thinking.

Project 1: Notes

ISTB4

personal photor - rover

personal photo- dinosaur fossil

• outside of building is framed at all different angles, with red brick, steel bars crossing wide open windows.
• windows contain different artifacts
• dinosaur skull
• replica of rover
• precious stones/metals
• various astronaut tools/miniature replicas of spaceships
• Glass boxes hanging outside the building up against the brick wall contain fossils and rocks
• Inside are TV's varying in all different sizes. The larger ones show different outer space live-streaming clips from satellites, rovers, and old spaceship footage of launches
• smaller TV's are playing speeches from presidents, world famous scientist, and professionals on the topic at hand (earth/space exploration)
•  
• The medium sized TV's show a large global pictures with the various time differences around the world. There are also screens with times from places such as the moon, Mars, and Venus. 
• The walls inside the building as you walk in are made of rough edged rocks (sandstone) and at the bottom of the wall are ledges that stick out where you can sit and use the wifi. These benches are made of the same red brick from the outside part of the building.
• A receptionist/information desk sits on the right as you walk in, with two computers behind the counter and yet more TV's hanging around the desk.
• Past the receptionist desk there is your first large room. You can see straight in to the room through the clear glass walls. Inside of rolly chairs, a large meeting desk, TV's, projector, and various pictures with autographs. 
• On the other side of the rough sandstone wall (to the left as you walk in) there is the lecture hall. The only one in the building, it can seat 365 students and resembles a movie theater. 
• As you walk farther into the building there is a lobby - or a lobby soon to be museum. 
• There are two large exhibits in the center of the lobby. One is for Geology. It shows various parts of the planet on a touch screen pad that you can press and the picked destination will blow up in front of you on a large screen. There are interviews, comments, explanations, and even short movies that have to do with the minerals, fossils, and continental plate boundaries. 
• The second of the exhibits is the large of the two. This exhibit is for Mars and other various planet in our solar system. In the center of a small (but high with black walls) spiral it has a  dark orange circle thats suppose to resemble Mars. With this ball and a touch screen pad you can move your way across all of the galaxy that we have mapped out thus far. Visiting planet, the sun, and even the orphaned pluto.
• There are a set of stairs on the far right side of the floor. Although this building is 8 stories high, the stairs only go up to the second level before they are cut off by a ceiling that cuts the upper six floors off from the bottom two. These stairs have high stainless steal walls, so you cant see anyone if they were walking up or down the flight.
• The walls of the main floor aren't actually walls but mimic a sort of enclosure of "space" limit.
• On all side of the main floor are large class windows where you can see directly into lab rooms. 
• Two of these lab rooms are particle rooms. One contains 100,000 particles. This way the scientist can work in a clean, open spaced, environment and not have to worry about contamination. 
• The second of the two rooms is a 10,000 particle room. This room has even less stuff in it, a mere table, four chairs, a shelf and a phone are the only things occupying the room.
• All other rooms are lab rooms. With many different chemicals and machines that I can't even begin to name or even describe. There are white lab coats that you can see immediately through the windows (safety first!) and goggles hanging on coat racks. 
• On the second floor, there is a high stainless steel three layered bar barrier so you can't fall off the side.
• There are more labs up there only they are side-to-side, completely see through and all access where as the ones on the bottom floor are for the special people. 
• The floor is made of an orange/white marble that twists and turns in every direction so that it looks like your walking on polished lava. 
• Four vending machines filled with delicious candies and sodas that will make you fat, tired, and leave you wanting more. 
• Many many exhibit signs line the walls and are scattered around the floor trying to get your attention about different events or when certain locations/activities/events will start or be open. 
• The temperature essentially makes it a freezer, I'm 98% that you've be able to see your breath in there if you managed to get your lungs to create enough hot air.
• But the amount of extremely bright, natural sun light streaming in through all the windows makes up for it. They also have many many many lightbulbs that I have never seen go off. Which leads me to the recycling!
• Recycling cans everywhere. 
• I really hope this is two pages. Or at least enough to satisfy you. Keep in mind that I did originally hand write these and it was two pages.

Analysis of an Image: ESPN Cover

On the cover of my brother's old ESPN magazine are three, what I am assuming, popular basketball players but with gear from very notable superheroes. One of them is half Iron man, the other has the ax of Thor and the third carries the shield of Captain America giving the athletes a heroic image. 

                By giving the male athletes the accessories of very popular super heroes, it gives the readers a sense of trust and pride in the athletes. The three men are from all different teams, wearing their different jerseys and are intensely looking at the camera. Possibly the point of this cover was to give each fan an idea that their favorite team has a superhero or a “super star” on it. By doing this fans and readers can feel special with their team because they are unique and they have their own hero fighting their games.

                There are pros and cons to this depiction. On one hand you have the powerful super hero athletes who are getting kids to play and be more active. Yet on the other, you have a more twisted side. By placing these men on a pillar with certain symbolic weaponry, you give them a “close to godliness” vibe. When younger kids look at this all they will want to be is an athlete that plays basketball and gets money. By taking such well known and worldly accepted superheroes like Thor, IronMan, and Captain America the magazine is essentially targeting the younger generation.  Young kids are impressionable and easily manipulated which is why they are such a prime target for many different corporations. So, when little Johnny sees his favorite player is now depicted as a super hero  he’s going to believe it and he’s going to want more of that players merchandise. Little Johnny is going to want to see his superhero basketball player in an actual game, he’ll want to meet him, get his autograph and even chase after the dream of being like him.  

                It’s a warped world when it comes to buying and selling of products.  But for an old ESPN cover that was buried under a pile of newspapers, it still had a lot of value in it. Athletes are indeed superheroes to people of all ages but some could say they are undeserving of their titles.

Analysis of a Writing Situation: Gray Wolf Extinction

Earlier this summer, Wyoming state officials and environmental groups decided that it was time to take the Gray Wolves off the federal protection list. What was once a thriving population of two million gray wolves in Northern America became a tiny pack of thirty wolves after hunters and trappers in the 1930's nearly wiped out the species. In the 1990's the Wyoming government placed the species on the Federal Protection list and put fourteen of the wolves in Yellow Stone National Park to start breeding. Although the population is only up to 270 wolves, the government has decided to take the species off the protection list. Because of this action farmers, hunters, and trappers will be allowed to shoot the gray wolves once again.
Although the articles was written in a different country the obvious concern of the writer is what will be the outcome of this decision. Writing was a way of drawing attention to the US taking animals off the federal protection list even though the population of the animal is not strong.The writer was speaking out for two groups of readers. The ones that were against taking the gray wolves off of the protection list, and the ones that were for it like the farmer or hunter. Both groups would have learned that, although a deadly predator, its numbers are few and weak. The farmers might take pity on the species and let them go if seen on their property, and it might cause the animal activist to go out and do more for the species.

http://www.cosmosmith.com/gray_wolves.html

Both the Wyoming government and Wildlife Protection Agency were used in this article to show that both programs were working together on trying to figure out what was best for the species along with the human population. These two sources were used to support the facts given about the gray wolf and put light on a hopefully positive outcome for the species.