Hello! My name is Claudia Zmijewski. Before coming to Brooklyn College, I had no idea what I wanted to major in. I must have changed my mind at least ten times before finally deciding on Biology and Children and Youth Studies. I am thinking of becoming a pediatrician because it is the perfect job for me since it combines my passions for science and working with children. Even if I don’t go to medical school, I am definitely exploring careers that focus on children and young people.

Even though I have a lot of experience with science and technology, I feel like this class will explore both fields from a different angle. I’ve taken courses like biology, chemistry, and physics, all of which focus on your own personal understanding of fundamental scientific ideas. But I think this class will be different. Instead of learning things such as what the electron configuration of Iron is, or where the hippocampus is located, or how many domains of life there are, we will examine how people perceive science and how it affects our everyday lives. I’m excited about this course because I have already studied specific fields in science and technology, but now I will be able to examine science through a broader lens.

During the Macaulay BioBlitz, I was a part of the Plants group. Our group was able to identify more than 20 plant species, and this was only in a very small area of Central Park. There was a new plant species every few steps. We pressed a few plant species in a large box made out of several pieces of cardboard to dry and preserve the species. These species would then be transported to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx for archival preservation. During the end of our shift, we discovered a species that was never before seen but believed to be in Central Park. Our group experts told us that we were making history!

At first, I thought being in the Plants group would be really boring because we wouldn’t be observing a living, breathing, moving object. But after a few minutes of listening to how knowledgeable and excited our group experts were about every single plant species we observed, I was fascinated. One group leader was able to tell us the scientific name of each plant—something that had my unquestionable respect. Another group expert told us that he had mapped out every single tree in Central Park, and knew which trees were recently planted. Our group experts definitely loved what they were doing, which is probably why they wanted to participate in the BioBlitz.

The BioBlitz was a great opportunity to learn more about Central Park’s environment. I’ve been in Central Park plenty of times, but never have I taken in its vast diversity. Collecting all of those plant species could one day prove to be very useful for future experiments and observations. As one of our group leaders said, it’s imperative that we collect as many specimens that we can so that others can also observe the exact same thing we did. The BioBlitz was also a good example of our symbiotic relationship with nature, even if it’s manmade. In a city full of buildings and cars and people, it’s nice to be able to walk through such a beautiful area; however, in order to keep that area beautiful, we, as New York City citizens, have to treat it with care and respect.

The Macaulay BioBlitz was a pleasant experience for me. It ended up being more fun than I thought it would be, especially because of our group leaders. My group had a great time learning about the plant species we found. The only thing I didn’t like about the BioBlitz was that it took a while to get started on our shift, but overall, the BioBlitz was enjoyable and interesting.