A Tree Grows on Campus
That is a tree growing along the side of the Shepard Building on the City College campus. What’s beautiful about life is that it is an amalgamation of methods that necessitate the study of multiple sciences to know how this one goal of survival is accomplished. We can see biology, chemistry, biophysics, environmental sciences, biochemistry and a number I lack the understanding to name. A question I’d pose is how has this building impacted the growth of this tree?
Campus Science
The photo I took is of a little nook right outside one of the windows in Shepard Hall. It is of a patch of greenery which, as far as I can tell, contains leafy plants as well as moss among other things such as rocks.
The science this image represents falls under ecology, specifically plant ecology, which is the study of plants and their interaction with the environment and the other organisms that inhabit the environment. Being that this greenery grew on what is largely a bed of rocks, it is interesting to take into consideration the conditions and environmental interactions that enabled this growth. On that note, moss is able to grow in dark and moist environments. As evident in this photo, this corner is a shaded area, which undoubtedly contributed to the growth of the moss.
A question I would pursue is how this greenery, particularly the moss, has been able to sustain itself, especially in such a nontraditional setting surrounded by pebbles and rocks which are not organisms that can sustain life.
The science of spiderwebs
Caption: Although it is hard to see, the picture features an intricate and vacant spider web outside of the Shepard hall.
Science: Biochemistry (and architecture)
Spider silk is composed of a special polymeric protein that can be used to create a structure, that looks beautiful and shiny under sunlight (spider silk) , as well as has the ability to attract and trap prey for the host spider’s consumption. A lot can be learned from the spiderweb in terms of spider behavior as well as architecture. Observing this seemingly light and fragile web brave the hot and windy weather conditions makes me wonder how this material can be used or can inspire the manufacturing of a synthetic material that can be utilized for our benefit. In other words, what can me learned from the form and composition of spiderwebs that can be implemented to better human lives?
Science Around Shepard
Description: Stained Glass Windows in The Great Hall.
Science Behind It: Chemistry/Physics
Glass itself is made using science by melting sand at high temperatures. When minerals such as cobalt oxide are added to the melting process ordinary glass obtains its colorful hue. Stained glass has it roots in history, cathedrals and other buildings built in the past are decorated with such colorful panes. The glass obtains it’s color from the the light waves in the light spectrum that can be absorbed by the added mineral. To achieve the color, method to “stain the glass” include mixing the mineral into the sand prior its firing or painting on the mineral, for example silver, and then heating the glass. This latter method was utilized to create shading in a single pane of glass adding depth to these transparent canvases.
Science Question:
How does stained glass stack up to regular glass, strength wise? Does the addition of other minerals and materials change the integrity of the glass itself?
Science Photo
This is a picture of a fly. A fly, being a living organism, represents science, specifically the life sciences, because it is a living creature. Instantly, I thought of biology because of the way that biology analyzes the different aspects of life, including what the diet of the fly is, how it fits into the food chain, what role it plays in its environment, how its body carries out different functions, and so on.
If I had to think of a question that I could apply to the fly, it would probably be related to one of the observations that I have already made. For example, what is the fly population here like compared to somewhere else? What are the mating habits of flies? What attracts them? How do other factors in the surrounding environment affect the fly population?
Of course, many of these answers might seem fairly obvious already, but there is always more information to be found, and something as simple as a fly may be able to spark hundreds of questions and answers concerning the world around us.
Campus Science Kate Scherer
In this photo, I chose to focus on the soil and grass found here at CCNY. This selection relates to biology because biology encompasses the study of living things such as grass and other environmental factors. This could additionally be classified as earth science, because of the presence of soil and rocks, one could study the process of the creation of soil. A possible research question could be, what combination of soil and fertilizers would lead to the best growth of grass on the quad. 
Life after death
This shows a number of leaves grasping to the last few moments of life. After showering the campus, I came to notice this solely because of its vibrant signs of life, as if whether it is on a tree or not is non of the matter. The research behind this picture could ask, “how long do the leaves photosynthesis without a source of water” or “After how long will the leaves show the signs of decay (becoming brown, brittle, etc)?”.The science related to these questions would be in the fields of biology and chemistry.
Campus Science: Forces Acting on an Arch by Aidan Subrahimovic
Caption: An image of an archway denoting the northern border of the CCNY campus. The metal arch is suspended by two stone columns.
Newton’s Laws of Motion describe one of the fundamental bases of modern physics: forces. The most identifiable force on earth would be gravity, for which the concept is relatively simple: what goes up must come down. Everything on Earth is inherently held against its surface by the force of gravity due to the planet’s mass compared to ours. However, modern engineering and architecture have developed methods to seemingly defy the force of gravity through complex techniques that employ other forces. A heavy metal arch such as this one, which would in any other case have fallen to the ground by now, is instead suspended comfortably and safely above the ground permanently.
What physical forces are acting on this arch that allow it to stay suspended and resist the force of gravity due to its mass?
Cracked Concrete Campus Science
This picture provides a closer look of cracks in the concrete road. The specific type of science behind this picture is earth science. Throughout the years, multiple factors lead to the eroding and cracking of concrete roads. Some human-caused while others simply due to nature.
The questions that popped into my head as I saw the cracks included: What caused the cracks in the concrete? What factors caused the cracks to widen and enlarge over time? Why was this specific part of the concrete more prone to cracking than the rest of the road? How do the weather conditions have an effect on the condition of the roads? What causes the roads to lighten over time?
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