Hello!

My name is Mohamed Adnan and I am currently majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Health Professions. Although I am a business major, I am a premedical student and I hope to apply to medical school. I hope to work in the field of surgery. Science is one of my favorite subjects, but my career goals are to open up various private practices, which will require a strong business background.

I expect the Science in the City class to explore the sciences of New York City that are often overlooked. Often times, I will study different fields of science, but not be able to fully apply the things I learned and connect with the environment. The class will help me develop the mindset necessary to observe what is going on in our environment in a scientific viewpoint. There is also the aspect of being independent. I will learn the skills to make my own decisions based on facts and information that is presented to me. I do not view New York City as a very scientific environment, but I hope that this class will change my mind and expose to me its scientific side.

During the bioblitz, I observed the environmentalist collect various samples of fish in the lake. Some of the fish we caught were small and were probably still babies. The three species we collected were called: Blue Gill Sun Fish, Large Mouth Bass, and Black Crappie. We collected the fish using a large net and using a special suit that allowed us to go into the water safely. The scientist noted that the water had the possibility of being poisonous because of the abundance of blue/green algae that has overtaken the lake. The objective was to gather enough data from collecting the various fish to produce a consensus of different species of fish in the lake. This is important because the parks conservation team needed to keep a record on whether or not new species of fish were being introduced or if there is a decline in the number of a certain species of fish.

The scientist is a professor in City College and volunteered because he loved researching about the environment. The scientist believed that the Bioblitz was a great opportunity for both the volunteers and students because they were able to get up and close to topics they’ve only read about in their textbooks. Hands on learning is the best way to learn and the Bioblitz gave me the opportunity to learn more about fishing and the aquatic ecosystem in Central Park. The Bioblitz expedition is a learning experience that I will probably never forget.

I think this activity benefits us by allowing us to appreciate the gold mine of knowledge that sits in the heart of New York and become more aware of our environment. When people think of New York, they associate it with tall buildings and massive amounts of car traffic, but the Bioblitz allows us to dig deeper into Central Park. We discover various species of animals, get exposed to various habitats, and observe plants that we have never seen before. I personally did not know that the Central Park lake had a massive amount of aquatic biodiversity. Each species of fish had a certain time period that they would mate and a time period that you would find more baby fish than adult fish. The Bioblitz truly opens our eyes to what we overlook and makes us notice the greener side of New York.

I initially was against going to Bioblitz and believed that it would be tiresome. However, I thought that fishing in Central Park was an activity that I personally appreciated. I have fished before using a net with my family in Rockaway Beach, so it was exciting to see the scientist emulate the same methods in Central Park Lake. The Bioblitz was also a learning experience, as the scientist had an extensive amount of knowledge about all the fishes he catched and the lakes aquatic ecosystem. The Bioblitz was fun, informative, and a once in 10 years experience.