Asbestos in New York City
Because of its silicate makeup, which allows it to be divided into strong thin strands which are heat resistant, asbestos has long been a part of the history of construction, until now. Used to fireproof buildings, asbestos was mined through surface mining. The mining and use of asbestos has been linked to many health issues. Although the mining of asbestos has been banned in the United States and it is no longer used in building, it is still prevalent in many older building. In New York City, where we have the largest public housing program in the country, many NYCHA buildings still have asbestos.
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.
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?
Science Memory by Aidan Subrahimovic
One of my favorite space exploration events would likely be the Voyager 1 & 2 spacecrafts’ journey through the solar system. My younger self always seemed to think in superlatives, so I was initially interested in just how far we were able to go in terms of our scientific reach, and looking into a spacecraft that is currently well into the outermost reaches of the solar system had me in absolute awe. The most meaningful part of the whole experience was getting to see the Pale Blue Dot, an image of Earth taken by Voyager 1 from hundreds of millions of miles away, which taught me deep humility in terms of my place in the universe.
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