A) My name is Daniel Aksenov, although I prefer to be called Danny. I am currently a chemistry major with a minor in psychology at Brooklyn college. I am studying to become a cardiovascular surgeon, it has been my career goal for the majority of my life.

B) Science,in itself, is a vast summation of all its sub categories. It is through science that the human civilization is able to prosper and continue to develop. We have had amazing breakthroughs that have given us a better understanding of the world around us, giving us the possibility to reach new levels of adaptation. Even though this class does not focus on a specific branch of science, I expect to at least gain a new perspective on the way science helps us everyday and to obtain a new skill set, such as utilizing the the scientific method. All of this will definitely benefit me as I continue to strive towards my desired career path.

C) The importance of Bioblitz was to provide the students of Macaulay Honors a chance to work with actual scientists to measure and record Central Park’s vast biodiversity, which not only provided students with a new and unique skill set for identifying organic life, but also opened up a window into the world of science. I was assigned to the plant group, which is in my opinion the largest group, since roughly 90 percent of central parks biodiversity consists of plants. We had our work cut out for us, every few feet we had to stop and identify a new species of plant life. After three hours, we had only managed to cover 5 city blocks of space, length wise. You can only imagine how long it would take to cover the entire park,which stretches from 59th street to 110th.

D) My group leaders consisted of mostly volunteers, we did however have two scientists, who were quite excited for the prospect of a Bioblitz. From what they told us in their introductions, they have been studying plants for the majority of their careers. The female scientist was actually also a Biology professor at Baruch. She was especially excited about the Bioblitz, because it gave her a chance to study and hopefully find new species of plants that hadn’t originated from Central Park. To her it was more or less a kind of scavenger hunt, which I thought was quite interesting.

E) This activity is quite beneficial for it allows the average New Yorker to better familiarize him or herself, with their own hometown. We know of these different areas, such as midtown or the lower east side, but only on a surface-like level. Activities such as these, allow us to better learn and understand the area we live in, broadening our perspective.

F)  Overall, I was quite fascinated by what I saw at Central Park, even though the park was man-made, the biodiversity took a life of its own. I was astounded by how something so seemingly small, could adapt and evolve on a large scale. This entire experience definitely provided me with an opportunity to broaden my perspective and develop an appreciation for Central Park. I also managed to find this amazing cave that I definitely plan on visiting the next time I am in Central park. The only thing that I did not enjoy about my Bioblitz experience was the huge amount of bugs that were constantly pestering me. This was however my fault, because the event did recommend for people to bring bug spray, although it could have been emphasized a bit more.