Event 1


This past Friday I attended two different speakers at the “Eco-Centric Art and Science: Prophesies and Predictions” Symposium. I was able to listen to listen James Gimzewski and his talk on nano science and Ursula Heise, an author and environmentalist. Overall, this event was a great way to learn about so many different topics all in one place. I enjoyed how the speakers I listened to went into just enough depth for me to be interested, but not too much depth where I could have been really confused. I liked how this was a more low-key event, where we could walk in at any time and there were plenty of seats for people, at least that’s what I experienced. The one thing that I didn’t like was how hard it was to get a picture with one of the speakers. From my experience, the speakers sat right in the front in front of the podium and there was always somebody up there talking, whether it was a speaker or Professor Vesna. I felt like I would have interrupted the event if I tried to go up there and step aside with one of the speakers. I understand this may have been easier if I went towards the end of the event where I could have gotten a picture with someone while the event was wrapping up, but my schedule didn’t allow for that.

            Looking at the specific speakers themselves, I feel like I really learned a lot from James Gimzewski’s talk. He gave just the right about of information on nano science where I could follow along and I wasn’t overwhelmed. I liked the way he organized his presentation by defining and explaining what nanobubbles and biofilters were and then making it really personable by explaining this man's story and how he completely saved a lake in Japan. Not only was this presentation informative, but I also liked how he gave us an actual example of how it has worked and made it personal by explaining this mans struggle to accomplish it. All in all, I thought this presentation will help me a lot when designing my midterm and final because he did such a great job of getting information across as well as keeping me interested. I’m very interested in nanobubbles since he brought up all the possibilities of what these bubbles can do and clean by replacing harsh chemicals, I definitely want to look more into it.


            I had a different experience when Ursula Heise went up to talk. Although I am very glad I was able to hear her talk I feel like I didn’t walk away with as much as I did the other talk. I think I wasn’t able to connect with this talk as much as the other talk, because it didn’t seem like a topic I knew much about, and she wasn’t explaining it as in depth as James did in his talk. I felt like I learned a lot about extinction and the different species, but it didn’t entirely click for me. The one thing I did like about the talk was how she showed a little clip of a commercial, and here I was able to connect with the topic more because it seemed more real with the help of the clip.

James Gimzewski explained how the nano-bubbles that stay in the water/lake for a longer time helps the sun reach the bottom of the lake, aiding the cleanup of the lake. This also improving tourism and the economy because of the lake.

Here is the Nissan Leaf commercial that was shown in Ursula Heise's talk.

Please ignore the awkward face.

Obviously couldn't get the lighting correct.

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