Many contemporary issues in society are discussed in the biology courses I have taken, but the ones that stand out to me the most are extinction and climate change. In BIOL 251, we discussed extinction and human contributions to extinction including pollution in our lectures. We also touched on these briefly during our lab meetings before breaking off into group work. In BIOL 342 (biogeography), we also discussed similar topics but went into much more detail. I was able to apply my basic knowledge from 251 to help understand these topics, but to also write my literature review for 342 which focused on tree kangaroo evolution. Through this paper, I was able to come up with the hypothesis that human impacts are what caused tree kangaroos to defy evolution and go back into the trees like their ancestors. It was crazy seeing everything come full circle and learn more about human impacts that aren’t talked about.
Both courses gave me more insight to evolution, extinction, and climate change. I feel that this knowledge mostly connects with me as a person and my community. As a Longwood scholar and a citizen leader, I feel that it is my job to inform the community about how they are impacting the globe and the areas around us. I have been able to accomplish this through social media platforms, speaking at my high school, and speaking with individuals about topics I learned in my classes. These classes allowed me to elaborate more on the scientific level but also present it in a way that makes sense to them, which is only possible because of BIOL 288. In this sophomore seminar class, we were tasked with turning our literature reviews into general audience papers. This helped me develop the skill of presenting scientific information to individuals who might not be able to understand it presented otherwise. I am definitely most proud of my ability to combine all three of these classes into discussions with peers and through social media to advocate for change within our community.
I feel that these classes and these experiences have changed the way I will approach my position as a citizen leader in the future. I want to incorporate this education in some form alongside my career as a physician, whether it be still advocating for change on social media, speaking in public meetings and forums, or just discussing these things with patients as small talk. I want to not only make a difference in the health of individuals, I want to make them more aware of the change they can make in the world!
Click here to view my BIOL 342 paper that discusses evolution and extinction of tree kangaroos.