Category Archives: Final Projects

Daniel Bibawy, October 27

Pharaoh and Dragons

Sunspots are dark spots that appear at times on the sun’s surface and can be observed through a telescope. We will report our findings to NASA to assist them in their studies of the sun through a CitizenScience project named Sun Lab.

We will drive to the Catskill Mountains and observe the sunspots on November 9th. At this time we will also complete a large portion of our deliverable, a documentary. We decided a documentary would be the best deliverable for our specific project because it is a visual project and it only makes sense to show our viewers what we experienced rather than to just tell them about it. Furthermore, we want to make our project as interesting and engaging as possible, so as to further the informal science learning process and I believe the more visual a project of this kind is, the more the learner will be engaged and want to learn more about the subject you are presenting before him/her.

We anticipate a wonderful and exciting learning experience at the Catskill mountains on November 9th and look forward to telling you about our experience!

Week 2

Final Projects, SMAS

This week has had some very interesting weather changes. Sunday still had some breezy and sunny weather. Monday also maintained that comfortable yet slightly chilly temperatures. Tuesday was a confusing day as far as the weather wen. The temperature was high 40’s to low 50’s. For the first few hours, it was cloudy. Then it got really warm and sunny. Then, just an hour or so later, it was cloudy again and began to drizzle. This back and forth went on for the remainder of the day. Wednesday through the weekend was met with typical fall weather- breezy cool days, with relatively sunny skies, and evening temperatures dropping to the low 40’s (and even high 30’s). It seems that a month late into the Fall season, Fall has finally arrived.

I think that at this point, I need to discuss with my group members what are exact take on weather in NY we wish to take. In this manner, I can then begin to look for some journal articles that may help us in our research, in an effort to organize all our data and information into a coherent piece.

Week 2 Reflection Team Boomer-aang

Team Boomer-aang

For this week, we congregated to discuss the planning of the citizen science cafe.

Some of the issues that arose were where exactly it would be held. We were conflicted between locations such as the Honors Lounge or renting a space. We decided that we would use the classrooms in the Macaulay Honors building. It would be cost effective and we would be able to draw in students from other CUNY schools as well.

Another problem that arose was how we would approach handling the cafe. We decided that we would bring up around three topics related to nuclear power, break people up into groups, do some icebreakers, and finally allow them to discuss these topics. At the end we would discuss as a whole of what we came up with and if there are any major conclusions that the majority agreed on.

Two (Team Boomer-aang)

Final Projects, Team Boomer-aang

For this week’s work, I sent out emails to the professionals Professor Adams had suggested.

I sent the following email out to Professor Ugoritz:

I am a Brooklyn College Macaulay student in Professor Adam’s seminar 3 class (science & technology of New York).  For our required community project, my group and I would like to organize a science café.  The café would inform participants about nuclear power, specifically the advantages and disadvantages of using nuclear power as an alternative power source.  We plan to invite professional to speak on the subject, as well as allowing open discussion amongst the participants.

My group and I would like to use the Macaulay Building’s lecture hall to conduct this event.  Would this be plausible, and if so, would we be able to host it one on the same day as one of the Seminar 3 presentation days in November?

Thank you for your time.  Hope all is well with you.

Professor Adams suggested using the cabaret space instead of the lecture hall for a more informal feeling, so I’m weight the pros and cons of the two spaces.  The lecture hall has a projector and a mini-stage, and we could set up tables to make it feel more informal.  Yet the cabaret space is definitely more informal than the hall, and also has a mini stage; however, I do not think there is a projector.  I will speak with Professor Ugoretz when he replies and figure out which space is available and times.

I emailed Mr. Charles W. Lowery II of the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History:

I am currently a second year student at Macaulay Honors College (Brooklyn College).  A group of classmates and I are organizing a citizen science café about nuclear science, and our professor, Ms. Jennifer Adams, recommended we contact you about resources for this project, including potential guest speakers.  We would very much appreciate you help.

Thank you for your time.  Hope all is well with you.

Hopefully Mr. Lowry will be able to provide some resources for us.

I also emailed several people who presented a panel on Citizen Science, and will be emailing more of them tomorrow:

I am currently a second year student at Macaulay Honors College (Brooklyn College).  My professor, Jane Adams, recently attended a science conference in which you presented on citizen science cafés, specifically for teenagers.  A group of my classmates and I are currently organizing a citizen science café about nuclear science for a similar age group.  

We was wondering if you have any advice or resources you would be able to share with us for organizing this event.

Thank you for your time.  Hope all is well with you.

Finally, I have decided to contact a bakery to see if they would be willing to cater for the event, and will be speaking with Professor Ugoretz to see if there are plans to cater for the seminar 3 presentations, in case they are done on the same day.

I posted a status about nuclear power on facebook, and it seems the prospect and dangers of nuclear power seem to interest my peers the most.  Three of my friends are very eager to attend.

Week 2 Update

SMAS, Uncategorized

I began posting onto the Almanac this week. The website is really interesting and also sends notifcations to others in the area, regarding your post and also about similar posts. This way we are able to see what other people are also saying about the change in weather and the weather patterns that they observe in their own neighborhood.

Regarding the weather, one major change that is extremely noticeable is the sudden drop in temperature. The air is much more crisp and the there is a cold breeze that reminds us that autumn has finally arrived. For many days it was warm and the weather was very unusual and unlikely for fall weather. But this week, the change in the colors of the leaves and the chapped lips, reminds us that it is now autumn and as we approach the end of October winter is very close-by. Furthermore, this weather change was very drastic and very unpredictable. Usually once October arrives the temperatures are in the high 40s to low 50s for most of the month. However, we have been experiencing really warm weather, very similar to that of spring, in New York City and Brooklyn, which is very unusual for this time of year. For this reason, this week of October came as shock as we were not prepared for the cold weather and sudden drop in temperature.

In addition, the days are much shorter and the nights are also very chilly as well. Sunset is as early as 6 nowadays, also expected as a result of the rotation of the earth around the sun. I think that the weather will remain like this for most of November and we can expect a very cold winter.

Paper discussing the effect music therapy has on cancer patients

Final Projects, The Therapeutic Trio

The paper entitled “The Effects of Music Therapy on the Quality and Length of Life of People Diagnosed with Terminal Cancer” by Russell E. Hilliard discussed an experiment conducted to observe the effect music therapy has on patients diagnosed with terminal cancer. In this experiment, all the subjects were diagnosed with various kinds of terminal cancer by at least two doctors and were only expected to live for an additional 6 (some less) months. All the participants were newly admitted to the Big Bend Hospice, they were all adults, and they all lived at home. These individuals were about 65 years old. Because they were not exactly the same age, they were divided evenly between the experimental and control group. In addition, the same held true for the gender of the participants; there was an equal amount of males and females evenly distributed between the two groups. However, the race was not controlled. The participants gave their consent and the experiment began.

In the control group, there were 40 participants who only received routine hospice services, while the 40 individuals in the experimental group received routine hospice services in addition to at least two music therapy sessions. The independent variables (the ones manipulated) were music therapy and routine hospice services. The dependent variables were quality of life, length of life (recorded in number of days), and relationship to time of death (in days) from the last visit of the music therapist. The null hypothesis was that there would not be a difference observed between the experimental ad control groups in relation to their quality of life, length of life, and relationship to time of death from the last visit of the music therapist.

The first tool was the Hospice Quality of Life Index-Revised (HQLI-R). The way this worked was that the participants filled out a questionnaire after the music therapy session (for participants in the experimental group) to relay their quality of life. The questions asked fell under three main categories: functional (daily enjoyable activities), psychophysiological (anger, pain), and social/spiritual. The higher the score they received, the better their quality of life. The second tool was the Palliance Performance Scale (PPS) used to measure the physical stature of the patients. This tool takes several factors into account, including intake, activity, ambulation etc. If the patient receives 0%, that is ranked as death, and 100%, ranked as normal activity and full ambulation. Between these two extremes there were 10% intervals to show any physical stature in between. The PPS was completed during all nursing visits. The final tool was the length of time which was measured by recording the dates necessary.

Results:

All participants had a chance to complete the HQLI-R at least twice and therefore the first two were the ones studied. The results showed that the quality of life for those receiving music therapy was higher than those who were not. In addition, for those who were in the control group, their quality if life lessened from the first to the second assessment. The first two scores of PPS were used as well. The results indicated that music therapy positively influences the patients quality of life even when death seems to be approaching. However, how long they lived was not effected by music therapy neither was there a relationship between time of death and therapists last visit. 

From the results, it is clear that the use of music therapy in a hospice care improved the quality of life of those who were diagnosed with terminal cancer. The scores measuring the patients quality of life showed an obvious increase for those receiving music therapy, while the individuals in the control group actually had lower scores following counselor’s visits. The results and data provided are a clear indication that music therapy is beneficial for those diagnosed with terminal cancer.

 

Project Update #2

Final Projects, SMAS, Uncategorized

This week I began posting on the website, thealmanac.org. Each of us are posting once a week. However, we can post more than once a week on the website. These were my posts for this week:

October 23, 2013

Fall is definitely in the air. The days and nights have gotten chillier. The sun seems to appear and disappear. First, I walk outside, seeing the sun and feeling that the temperature will be moderate, and then I walk out again and find that I’m not dressed properly for this cool fall weather!

October 25, 2013

The air is so cold in Brooklyn today! The sun is out, shining, yet the fall chill has settled in.

Aside from this, I have been emailing my group members every week to make sure that they remember to take pictures, to post on the website, thealmanac.org and to also remember to blog on this eportfolio page.  We are still in the works with trying to get our trips to places sorted out and will hopefully be visiting places soon. We have created a website for our group, but it is still underway and in the process of being used regularly. I have posted once and plan on posting again soon. I have asked the other group members for their input for what we should put on it as well. I will begin to start researching for our group paper and also will start to think about how to make our digital deliverable. I will also continue to observe the weather and will continue to blog about it.

Physical Engagement with Music Therapy

As part of the physical engagement component of the project, the Therapeutic Trio set out to perform live music to the patients of Beth Israel Medical Center. Adorned in our blue coats, we were ready to meet the musical needs of the bedridden patients. We teamed up with another volunteer in the Musical Department who served as the guitar accompaniment to Jennifer Mikhli’s vocalist lead. Before setting out to the patient rooms, we practiced and prepared a queue of about ten songs. After some practice, we were ready to go out and perform. We began on the first floor of the hospital and started entering people’s rooms asking if they wanted to hear some music. After performing for one room, we were more at ease and able to fall into a synchronized pattern as we traveled from one room to the next.
The reactions and emotions that were evoked on those two separate occasions of live performance have impacted us beyond our wildest imaginations. Elderly and foreign patients that were unable to express themselves with words were found humming along to the tunes, as the music spoke to them on a level that no language could. Patients that seemed skeptical upon our first arrival, barely agreeing to our request of performing for them, were thanking us profusely upon our exits. It seemed that we were speaking directly to their souls, as one patient was chanting to herself that we should be blessed for the “joy that we was bringin’ to her.” I even found myself stifling back tears as the same lady went on to pray that the “lord should bless and lift their spirits.” Upon exiting that room and hearing the shouts of gratitude and joy, I could not help but feel my own sense of gratitude for the joy that she had given me.
The music that we performed in each room created this removed shared experience where the patients could simply forget the dire medical situation that they were in and just enjoy themselves. The music was able to drown out the beeps and buzzes of the machines, the cries of pains emanating from other rooms, and the loud noise of their morbid thoughts. Patients that had been staring off into a dreadful abyss upon our entering were left with smiles on their faces and joy in their eyes. Music, had in a way revived them for just that short time and provided them with hope. One lady from Venezuela was so grateful for sharing that experience with her because it had “brought up [her] mood,” as she said. Although very few words were exchanged in these short musical interactions, it felt as if an entire dialogue had transpired throughout.
The live music component played an important role in the interactions, as we were able to modify the music as we saw the reactions it evoked from a patient. For instance, when we saw one patient was not really responding to the slow ballad of “Halleluyah,” we tried a more upbeat song like “Hey soul sister” and found the patient clapping her hands in a wild, enthusiastic way. The patients also liked that a guitar was involved, as this sparked a conversation with them about their prior preoccupation with musical instruments. Many of them had actually been very connected to music, one being a composer, another a professional piano player; thus, this music had brought back a little part of their youthful past.
Ultimately, those musical performances have allowed me to see what powerful impacts music can have on the minds and souls of patients. Although there is a myriad of rich experimental evidence to prove music therapy’s efficacy in the treatment of patients health, this experience allowed for that evidence to be solidified. If those short musical interactions could have such a profound effect upon those elderly patients, certainly a long-term musical treatment plan could bring amazing benefits to those same individuals.
The aforementioned musical therapy sessions could not be recorded, however, here a clip of a man conducting similar music therapy sessions on the cancer patients of Riverside Methodist Hospital in Ohio.

Weekly Update 10/13 – 10/19

Golden Niche, Uncategorized

My role for the group project will be to create the website and some other smaller roles in helping my team members, like proof-reading the final paper to make it cohesive. I will be responsible for making our website accessible to people of all kinds of technological proficiency, for making the website simple to use and move around, for making our work look attractive and professional (as it can be), and to make sure all our content is presented on their. I do not know how it will look yet, but I plan to make it uncluttered. There will possibly be a banner containing a wide shot of prospect park or central park.

Weekly Update 10/13 – 10/19

Assignments, Final Projects, Golden Niche

My role for the citizen science project will be to collect videos, photos, and data from my group members and my personal endeavors to compile a documentary, with Saul as the narrator. I plan to make a visit to Central Park with my group within the next few weeks, followed by a personal visit or two to Marine Park in the following weeks. While there, we will try to find various invertebrates that we will observe, photograph, and record. Hopefully the culmination of our efforts in Central Park along with our individual efforts in our assigned parks will result in our understanding of noticeable trends in the invertebrate world. We will upload our findings to iNaturalist’s “New York is Wild!” Citizen Science project. We might learn facts about the lifestyles and niches of various invertebrates as we observe them. Or we might learn about population growth and decline of certain species as the season gets cooler. Findings from other people on iNaturalist will be a useful tool for learning as well.

In the meantime, I prepared my camera to take pictures and video of invertebrates I find in my neighborhood. I created a basic layout for the documentary, and familiarized myself with the “New York is Wild!” page on iNaturalist. I found out that it’s easier to find wasps outdoors right before the fall season, since that is the time they do their last-minute food foraging for their colonies. During the colder weather, the colonies die off, leaving only fertilized queens to survive and hibernate in sheltered locations. We might find proof of this as we explore the parks. I also noticed that the amount of posts on the page was high during the summer, but weaned off toward the end of the end of the season, with very few posts for September and October. Could this be because cold weather kills off many of the insects people typically photograph for the webpage? Or are they migrating? I realized that many of the journal entries are regarding invertebrates that are easier to find in the summer, such as fireflies, bees, cicadas, horseshoe crabs, and katydids.

Another possible reason for the diminishing frequency of posts is that perhaps cooler weather is correlated to people going outside less often. Therefore, members of the project would have less opportunities to take pictures of invertebrates. A journal entry about mud snails on the beach was made in July, for example. I doubt there would be similar posts nowadays because people don’t typically go to the beach in late October.

It’s interesting how participating in a Citizen Science project can lead to discoveries in the social sciences in addition to the biological science the project is designed for. This realization goes to show how important for science metacognitive processes are, as described in Surrounded by Science.