Public Speaking and Self-Awareness

Today students presented the natural phenomena they observed during our last class and researched at home. 

We started by reminiscing about the nature good and bad presentations we had witnessed in the past in order to get a sense of what specific techniques to shoot for in a presentation, and what to avoid.

As groups were presenting, every student took notes on it in order to give feedback to the presenters. When all groups were done presenting, we reviewed each presentation together and offered a constructive criticism.

Curiosity: observation of a natural phenomenum

- Students will observe a natural phenomena on campus, document it with at least one picture (to be stored on a flash drive), ask themselves as many questions about it as possible (what is it? why is it here? is it dangerous? is it beneficial? are the questions students came up with in class), and report on it in an informal manner during our next class.

Example of the Lilly Leaf Beetle found a couple of years ago in my backyard:

An invasive species, the Lilly Leaf Beetle was introduced on the American continent in the 1940s, first in Canada, and has made its way down through New England, all the way to NY state where it arrived recently. Unchecked, it will completely destroy garden lilies.

Perspective: the beginnings of plantet Earth

- When and how was the earth formed? How about the moon? Was it always friendly to life? When and how did life evolve? What was the environment like on earth at the beginning of life?

We'll answer those questions by watching and discussing the first episode of Prehistoric Disasters: Birth of the Planet from the Discovery Channel.

Observation: pond scum

- Class introduction. Defining citizenship, sustainability and leadership. Students' input.

- What natural phenomena have you observed this summer? 

The case of pond scum (aka blue green algae, aka cyanobacteria) found this hot summer in lakes and ponds all over NY state: 

(Photo A. Leclercq 2016, on Sandy Pond, NY)

Although seemingly not a worthy subject of study, we learned that blue green algae or cyanobacteria is possibly 2.7 billion years old, that through photosynthesis and the production of oxygen, it has contributed to the Great Oxygenation Event 2.3 billion years ago and the ensuing first mass extinction event (of anaerobic organisms). We also learned that as an endosymbiosic organism, it is a precursor to the chloroplasts found in plants and algae. We saw that it can produce dangerous toxins, which occasionally kill cattle, wildlife and pets. Finally we learned that it can be used in the production of ethanol, along with other worthy applications.