My name is Ilanit Zada and I am currently a sophomore in Brooklyn College. As of now, my major is still undecided, however, I do know that I would like to be a pharmacist. The reason I have chosen this career is because it is a combination of the two subjects I enjoy most: math and science. I hope that by going into this field not only will I be able to help people daily, but also possibly come up with a drug of my own that could potentially change the world.

I have always viewed science as being the overhead of the different classes necessary to be taken in order to enable me to get into the pharmaceutical program I desire. However, the reality is that we are surrounded by science every day. I hope that this course will open my eyes to the different relationships people have with science and help me understand the other important aspects of science that I may have overlooked until now.

The Bioblitz was an activity conducted in Central Park over a 24-hour period. During this activity, Macaulay students were divided into different groups (birds, insects, fungi, plants etc.). I was placed in the plants group. My group went around the park  and documented the various plant species that we saw. Not only was this an enjoyable activity,  it was also important for us to document these species so that scientists can use it as a comparison in the future to see whether the biodiversity has expanded or not.

My group and I were privileged to have a botanist walk us through the park. The botanist was extremely knowledgeable and pointed out all the different plant species in the park with so much enthusiasm. In addition, we were fortunate enough to take part in pressing several plants which he told us would be sent to the lab for further investigation and to ensure that they were identified correctly. The botanist told us that he enjoyed walking through the park and sharing his knowledge with us. He also said that he actually walked through various parks daily and inspected the different plants to make different conclusions based on what he saw.

I believe that many citizens take all that nature provides for granted. Being surrounded by the same specimens all the time causes people to overlook the fascinating creatures and their importance to us. For example, being so accustomed to seeing plants and trees all around us, many people forget the important role they play in our lives. Plants provide us with oxygen, which is essential for our existence. I believe that the Bioblitz served as a reminder to citizens to take a closer look and not shy away from things that may be viewed as ordinary.

I really enjoyed the Bioblitz for several reasons; the most important one being that we were given the advantage of studying certain parts of the park that are generally closed to the public. I was extremely surprised to learn that in only two hours we were able to document over 30 different plant species in such a small area. I definitely feel that this activity was an eye-opener for all its participants and I would love to take part in a similar activity in the future.