Science and Technology of New York City

Yee, Vivian. “A Robot Plumbs the Depths of the Gowanus Canal.” New York Times [New York] 14 10 2012, n. pag. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. .

This is an article that was published in the New York Times on October 14, 2012, by Vivian Yee. The author is a New York Times reporter who has written numerous articles for the newspaper. This article focuses on the advent of a few remotely controlled rovers, designed and put together by students of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, that will be placed at the bottom of the canal and will frequently monitor the conditions of the murky water. The author’s intended audience is those who live around the Gowanus Canal area, as the article is indirectly calling for everyone to take action. If a group of students, who might or might not be living around the canal in the future, are willing to go through the trouble of inventing such a machine, then it is only just that those who live in the area also start acting. The strength of the article is that it gives all the facts in a straightforward and elegant manner. However, since the article only has quotes from either the professor who was responsible for the rover or others who support the robot, a bias is introduced, as the opinions of those who might be against this are not present. Furthermore, the thoughts of nearby residents are not included, which is also another major weakness.