The Mug – Page 6 – a BIC student publication

What’s up, Jared?

QuickBIC Admin on April 4, 2016

This week, I sat down with my fellow BIC sophomore Jared DeVries for an impromptu chat about Baylor, life, and his goals for the future. I had Delia—my trusty laptop—and my usual battery of Deep, Soulful Questions© in hand and was anxious to hear what he had to say.

“Indiana Jones,” he said unflinchingly. “If I could have any job, Indiana Jones would be perfect.”

I had to take a quick break to laugh a little over my keyboard as he explained to me animatedly why Raiders of the Lost Ark was the perfect movie (“It’s got everything!”) while slurping his sweet tea from Starbucks (which was good, he said, but not as good as apple juice would have been). The rest of our interview was just as fun and light-hearted, with Jared making it clear that he tries not to take himself too seriously—an attitude we could all learn from.

“Do you have any quirky habits that you want to tell us about?” I asked after we had agreed that the Indiana Jones franchise was epic, although maybe Harrison Ford was getting a little old to take on the Nazi menace single-handed.

“I laugh a lot!” he said, surprising no one. “I think it’s one of the defining characteristics of who I am. Sometimes I laugh because I think something’s funny, but then other times if I don’t hear you, I laugh anyway, so it’s not awkward.” Maybe ironically, we both laughed over that, and Jared shrugged a little. “I like to laugh,” he said simply. “It’s fun.”

Goodness knows that we BIC-ers need all the fun we can get, and even amidst the fire and frenzy of school, Jared knows how to keep his spirits up. “Freshman year, I was in Dr. Hibbs’ class for World Cultures I,” he said when I asked him about his favorite Baylor memory. “And we got to dress up for extra credit one day, and I was Enkidu!” He had bought a long, hippie-style wig from Walmart (“The hair was everywhere,” he said) and had worn a cheetah-print loincloth, and not much else. “At first I thought it might be too risqué, but then I just decided to do it!” he said. “And then I got Chipotle afterwards.”

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” I asked him. “What would you like to be doing?”

“Hopefully I’ll have graduated,” he said, laughing. Other than the completion of his undergrad career, Jared hopes to be in some kind of a position to pursue history and teaching—an assistant-professorship, perhaps, like a real-life Indiana Jones. “I love learning, and teaching, and finding out how things work,” he said.

“How about in fifty years?”

In fifty years, Jared will be seventy, and hopefully living a well-established life somewhere with a family of his own and Washington, his beloved bonsai tree. “He’s been with me two years now, and he’s doing great,” he said about Washington. “He wants to travel more, and I keep him on my windowsill so that he can see outside.” Jared and Washington seem to like the simple life, and in fifty years they would be perfectly content to “just enjoy life and engage in what it has to offer.” That sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me.

Of everyone I have met in the BIC (or even in all of Baylor), I think that Jared is one of the only people I have yet spoken to that seems genuinely comfortable with himself—I mean, it takes a lot of gumption to dress up like an ancient Mesopotamian demigod. He sees the value in the small things and is constantly looking for opportunities to improve, even mulling over ways to make life easier for Waco’s citizens while he is out running. If BIC had any part to play in the kind of person that Jared turned out to be, then it is doing something right, and we can sleep tonight knowing that our education is in good hands.

Chelsea Teague is a sophomore BIC student majoring in professional writing.

Is the Declaration of Genocide Enough?

QuickBIC Admin on March 28, 2016

The United States Department of State recently declared that ISIS is committing genocide against Christians and other minority groups in the Middle East, including Yazidis and Shia Muslims. Secretary of State John Kerry stated that ISIS committed “crimes against humanity” and “ethnic cleansing,” arguing that the militant group’s actions meet the United Nations’ definition of genocide. This definition reads as follows; “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.” Thus, the declaration makes a bold claim and calls for action against ISIS. Yet, this statement is not as impactful as it appears, and it does not do as much as it should. There is more the government can be doing to combat ISIS.

Three months ago, Congress ordered the Secretary of State to make known whether or not minority groups are experiencing genocide in the Middle East. Kerry waited until the deadline, March 17^th, to announce that genocide is in fact occurring. His announcement came as a surprise, as a spokesperson from the State Department alluded the previous day that Kerry would not be addressing the order. Furthermore, a week prior to his declaration, the House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution with a unanimous vote declaring that the violence committed by ISIS in the Middle East is considered genocide. Hence, prior to Kerry’s announcement, the dominant belief was already that ISIS is committing genocide.

Additionally, this declaration does not mean that the United States is required to take action against ISIS. Perpetrators of genocide must be brought to justice in a court of law where a complete trial must occur, but Kerry stated that the United States would not be taking ISIS to trial or taking any action to hold ISIS accountable. In his declaration, Kerry urged someone else to lead the investigation against ISIS, suggesting an international criminal tribunal as a good candidate.

The United States has only declared conflicts as genocide in five situations since the United Nations Genocide Convention in 1948. Hence, there is no clear picture of what should precede such a declaration. The UN Genocide Convention does make it clear that the perpetrator should be punished for their crimes, although it does not clearly state who is responsible for enforcing the punishment. Therefore, Kerry’s decision is in compliance with the treaty.

Even so, ISIS is killing innocent people because of their religion, which is a huge injustice. While the United States is currently launching airstrikes and is partnered with Iraqi forces against ISIS, the increasing number of terror attacks makes it apparent that these measures are not enough. Declaring genocide is important, but punishing those who commit genocide is equally as important. Kerry’s declaration will help ramp up the fight against ISIS and brings awareness to an important problem. Nevertheless, it does not solve the problem. Our country cannot stand by the side and encourage others to act. We must lead the fight in not only holding ISIS accountable for their actions, but also in eradicating them entirely.

Brittany Gamlen is a sophomore BIC student majoring in international studies.

Remembrance

QuickBIC Admin on March 26, 2016

Memory storage and retrieval has long been one of the main puzzles of psychology and neuroscience. Who we are and how we think is deeply influenced by the memories of our experiences and sensations. Memory is far from perfect, however. We all struggle with corrupted memories and blockages that stop us from retrieving information. For many people, however, especially those of an older age, memory is much more complicated and problematic. For decades, medical researches have tirelessly looked for answers to Alzheimer’s, brain degeneration that causes severe memory loss. It is a devastating disease that eventually renders loved ones unaware of even the simplest facts of their existence. They slip further and further from reality as their memory becomes more and more distorted. Alzheimer’s, as with many things in the brain, has proved very difficult to truly understand.

Recently, however, a group of researchers have made a breakthrough working with mice. They have engineered these mice to develop a form of Alzheimer’s. Using a flash of blue light, they were able to help the mice recall memories that had become distorted (1).

Before I explain how they pulled that off, I should explain some of what we know about how memory works. Memories first enter the short-term memory, which can hold around seven items. These items can then be specially encoded and stored in the long-term memory, where they await retrieval. When we recall a memory, it is taken out of long-term memory for a period of time. Whenever this occurs, however, we tend to modify that memory with what we are experiencing at the current moment. Thus, the reason all those lovely memories you have of your ex are now soured. There is a lot more to the psychology of information which I encourage you to look into if you want to improve your studying.

There is also another neural level of memory. One possible and fascinating explanation of memory is long-term potentiation. This is thought to happen in the hippocampus. Basically, memories are created by strengthening connections between neurons. Two neurons communicate with each other by releasing neurotransmitters across the synapse upon stimulation by an action potential (a change in charge). If strong enough, a summation of these action potentials can create a conformational change in the neurons. A greater number of receptors can build up and more neurotransmitters are released upon excitation in the future. This makes the connection between the neurons stronger and more easily to excite (2).

If you are struggling to make the connection between this explanation and the psychological explanation, you can join me. It is complicated, but that is why I find neuroscience so fascinating. We take our ability to think and experience for granted, but it is actually allowed by many incredibly complicated and sensitive processes.

1111 — Image courtesy of Learningwiki.com

Unfortunately, that is what makes a disease like Alzheimer’s so difficult to understand. The cause of the memory degeneration is the buildup of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (3). These developments are build-ups of potentially toxic substances intracellularly and extracellularly. These are thought to cause damage and death of brain cells (3).

Over time, these patients lose episodic memory and eventually many more memories, and then face a continuing loss of cognitive function, which often leads to death (4).

This group of scientists set out to discover exactly what part of the memory process AD affects. The scientists first “marked the memory” by tagging specific neurons related to each memory (1). They used a virus to implant a gene into these neurons that associated with flashes of light. This blue light was fired through an implanted optic fiber. The scientists marked the memory of the fear the mice felt when shocked in a cage. It was not until stimulated with blue light that the mice recalled the fear they had originally felt (1). To relate to earlier ideas, they are optogenetically stimulating the process of long-term potentiation at specific pathways (4).

So, why do people looking for a cure for Alzheimer’s care about mice with optic fibers in their brain? What these researchers have been able to determine is that Alzheimer’s is a problem with the retrieval of information, not with the storage and maintenance of that information (1). This gives the scientific community a better understanding of what they are facing. Think of it as a maze, and they have finally found where to start on a new level of research.

It is easy to believe that our memories are permanent. We treasure some, but take many for granted. The brain is, however, in certain ways, quite fragile. There are currently more than 5.4 million people in American alone with AD. The number is thought to triple in the next few decades (5).

Imagine being unable to access your memories. Imagine being unable to remember your name or your children. As a human society, we put great import on such details. We are defined by our names, our past, and the people who surround us. As they lose their details, they lose their identity. It is terrifying and isolating, both for those suffering from the disease and their caregivers.

There are answers, hiding with in our own brains. We just have to find a way to understand those mysteries.

Katherie Estep is a sophomore BIC student majoring in neuroscience.

Sources:

(1) https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lost-memories-retrieved-mice-signs-alzheimers?tgt=nrhttp://neuroscience.uth.tmc.edu/s4/chapter07.html

(2) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673610613499

(3) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v531/n7595/full/nature17172.html

(4) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-laclair/how-alzheimers-caregivers_b_9460712.html?utm_hp_ref=science&ir=Science

4 Reasons Why Turning into Your Parents is Okay

QuickBIC Admin on March 23, 2016March 23, 2016

While many of us may go through a “rebel” phase, when we do not listen to our parents and roll our eyes at everything they say, at some point we realize they are right the majority of the time. I do not know about you, but my mother always knew what foods, books, movies, and rollercoaster rides I would like and overused, “I told you so.” Even if you do not want to admit it, we are all turning into adults, and this means that we are going to act more like our parents, and it is okay. It just means you are getting wiser and more careful.

1. YOU ARE MORE AWARE

Just a year ago, I went to the Grand Canyon with my mom and I thought it was hilarious to get close to the edge to scare her. Looking back on that decision, I am sort of horrified. I would never do that now because I am not nearly as reckless or careless. I have only been in college a semester and a half, but I am already more aware of what could happen if I get too close to the edge.

See, when I was 16, my legs were dangling off the canyon while my mother was screaming at me to be careful (this is when I went through my “rebel” phase). At 18, I was just a little too close to the edge and my mom is still yelling at me to stop. Now that I am almost 20, I am with my mom, a reasonable distance away from the edge, enjoying the beautiful view of the Grand Canyon.

2. YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

I do not like to admit it, but there was a time I rarely washed my hair because I liked the way it looked greasy. I know. Okay. I am four years away from that phase, moving on. I know when I do not need the cupcake, and when I do. I wash my face (and hair) every night. Sometimes, though, it takes a learning experience (other than realizing greasy hair does NOT look good).

I was never really scared of gaining the “Freshman 15” because my mom always told me she never gained weight in college. We are very similar, so I thought the same would apply to me. In high school, I danced 8-10 hours a week, and ate a bagged-lunch everyday. I should have known that getting fries, a dessert, and a root beer at every meal with little exercise was going to affect my body. I did not realize until I could not fit into my high-waisted jeans in December.

This semester, I have vowed to eat healthier (and to only eat a cupcake when I have had a bad day), and exercise three times a week. I have actually kept up with it. Though gaining weight made me realize I need to eat better and exercise, it is not the reason I continue. It is because it makes me feel better about my body and myself. So, when you are 6 and your mom tells you not eat cookies and ice cream for dinner, it is because she knows it will make you feel bad.

3. YOU VALUE SLEEP

Every night my mom lays on the couch and watches TV until she falls asleep at nine. Yes, she goes to bed at nine. However, when my family would go to Walt Disney World, get there when it opened and left when it closed, she would say, “You can sleep when you’re dead.” Yes, the same person who goes to bed at nine every night.

I think part of turning into your parents is knowing when to stay up, and when to value sleep. It is closing your computer or turning off Netflix to get an extra hour of sleep. It is not going to the party because you stayed up the night before studying. My mom values sleep, but is also able to stay awake when she needs to.

4. YOU ARE MORE PREPARED

You know when your mom used to tell you to bring a cardigan? I am now the person who always has the extra pen, cardigan, and granola bar. Why? It is nice to have that one thing someone needs. It is nice to be there. I keep everything I need in my purse. Through experiencing many instances of not having what I need, I have got it down: hand sanitizer, tissues, lipstick, ibuprofen, headphones, and a mirror. In my dorm, I have everything imaginable. As a kid, you were able to rely on your mom or grandma to have whatever you needed, and now it is up to you.

Though we fear dressing like our parents or inheriting their odd mannerisms, our parents give us the tools that we need to be more self-reliant. As we grow older, out of the “rebel” stage, we start to realize our parents are not so bad. We may even realize we strive to be more like our parents; I know I do.

Bethany Dickerson is a freshman BIC student majoring in journalism.

What’s up, Dr. Hibbs?

QuickBIC Admin on March 21, 2016March 21, 2016

Dr. Stacey Hibbs' famly — Dr. Stacey Hibbs’ famly

Although every BIC professor is fantastic, there are a handful of names that stick out in most students’ minds as intrinsic to the BIC machine—teachers that, were they to suddenly pack their bags and move to Slovakia or some other obscure place (like Montana or something), would take with them a special part of BIC legend. Dr. Stacey Hibbs, famous around BIC circles for her enthusiastic appreciation of Aristotle and for giving out candy on test days, is one such professor.

“Everything begins and ends with the students,” she said when I asked her what part of her Baylor career she was most proud of. Not just influencing students who go on to achieve amazing things, she clarified. Dr. Hibbs is most proud of being in a position to help the students who come to her with their problems, who want to talk to her about their “rough patches.”

“That’s great,” I said. I meant it too. In a world that puts so much pressure on academics to be the very best in their fields and that pushes them to compete with their colleagues for any kind of recognition, sometimes professors can put their obligations to their students on the backburner. It is obvious that Dr. Hibbs’ students have nothing to worry about.

“Do you have a favorite Baylor memory?” I asked her.

“All my memories involve my students,” she said, true to form. She told me about one student of hers a few years ago that began selling contraband t-shirts when Baylor beat Texas A&M in football. “I bought one from him and then watched him get chased down the street by BU security,” she said, laughing. “And two of my other students a couple of years later, on the last day of class, dressed up as a banana and a gorilla and chased each other around my classroom!” They said they wanted to make sure that she would remember them, Dr. Hibbs told me.

I broached a new topic and asked Dr. Hibbs about her hobbies or if she had any quirky habits that she would care to share. With more excitement than I could understand, she said, “I love to do yardwork!” Not gardening or anything like that, she said, but real pioneer stuff, like cutting down trees and landscaping—stuff so that you can see the difference between when you start and when you finish. There was an outdoorsy glow in her eyes as she said this—the same kind of glow my parents got whenever they used to tell me that it was yard day and that I should find some work gloves and get ready to sweat. It made me nervous just thinking about it.

“My parents love yard work too,” I told her. “It’s hard for me to see the appeal, though.”

She laughed and said that it was probably a generational thing. “Sure,” I said as I clung nervously to my smartphone and my privilege.

Finally, I asked Dr. Hibbs to explain Baylor to me in three words. It is the shortest question on the list that I ask my interviewees, but it is consistently ranked the most difficult, and Dr. Hibbs told me she thought long and hard about it.

“Warm,” she said, not meaning the weather. “And rising, and engaging.” And with that, she left to go leap tall buildings in a single bound or to put out forest fires or to do whatever it is that BIC professors do in their free time.

Thanks, Dr. Hibbs, for taking time out of your busy schedule to give a few words to all of us trying to live the examined life, and thanks for putting your whole self into your teaching. We all really appreciate it.

Chelsea Teague is a sophomore BIC student majoring in professional writing.

Required Reading: An Excuse to Explore

QuickBIC Admin on February 24, 2016

This is for the reading assignments and the class discussions that follow. Here’s to our BIC reading.

I know I may have just lost you all. What? We’re going to miss our mountains of assigned reading?

Ok. It may be hard to appreciate the literature when you find yourself reading Monkey in the library at 3 a.m. Maybe you will not miss all of it. But can you really tell me that you have not been grateful for a single reading?

Think about the essence of assigned reading. People who care about the engagement of your mind took the time to create a list of novels and articles which they think will benefit you. Some you will enjoy reading, and others benefit you in some other way.

Still not following? I do not blame you. Had I been talking to myself two years ago, I would have the same reaction. But one day, you are going to miss this.

Here I am sitting in Capstone, and I cannot help but be grateful for the class which makes me read books and articles that I enjoy, pieces of literature that make me think in ways I do not expect.

Not only do our beloved BIC professors present us with a list of reading which will benefit us, they provide the space for our minds to digest that material, and even lead that process in our classes.

We are approaching midterms, and many of you may not be at a place where you can hear what I am saying, but I will ask that you store it away for another day because one day this will make sense.

My time in the BIC is coming to an end. Gone will be the days that I simply show up to a classroom at the right time and get handed a reading list which a trusted guide has selected to lead us on a journey into new perspectives and new ideas. I will no longer automatically find myself surrounded by peers who have read the same material I have and share the desire (or willingness) to explore it.

Our time in the BIC is unique. Where else would we find a community dedicated to understanding new perspectives and engaging different cultures together? While we cannot stay in the BIC forever, we can take our experiences with us.

Long after our time in the physical community of the BIC is over, we can carry the spirit of academic exploration and openness with us, wherever we may find ourselves. After graduating from Baylor, this particular community of professors and colleagues will not surround us on a daily basis, but this does not mean that we must learn in solitude. Soon, it will be up to us to continue our education, to create our own reading lists and find peers willing to dive into them with us.

But right now, we have the BIC. We have impactful readings built into our day-to-day lives and communities that are encouraged to congregate and discuss those readings. This is a gift, friends. Let’s enjoy it.

Kara Blomquist is a senior BIC student majoring in linguistics.

The Importance of the Supreme Court Vacancy

QuickBIC Admin on February 22, 2016February 22, 2016

Photo courtesy of SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

By now you have probably heard that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a man known for his conservatism, died last weekend, leaving a vacancy in the Supreme Court bench. Yet do you know exactly what this means?

This is a big deal, especially for our generation. As justices are appointed for life, whoever fills the vacant seat will serve for many years to come. The appointee will serve as we enter into the work force and start our families.

Therefore, at a time when our nation is divided on many issues, the Supreme Court will play a large role in the policy that will define our futures. Sometimes we forget how much influence the Supreme Court has over the laws of our country, and it is important to remember that they hold one third of the governing power. This means they are just as powerful as Congress.

Scalia is seen as on of the most prominent conservative justices in history who upheld the principles of the Constitution and embodied Reagan’s beliefs. His death is a huge loss to the country, and it means that the Supreme Court’s political alignment could undergo a major shift, thus changing the core principles of our nation.

The court is set to review a greater number of controversial issues than usual this term, including medical regulations of abortion clinics, President Obama’s immigration orders, and non-member fees for unions. This means that Scalia’s death comes at a particularly unique time. Prior to Scalia’s death, the court was composed of five right-leaning justices and four left-leaning justices. Consequently, the new appointee will have immense power over the outcome of these decisions.

If a liberal justice were to fill the vacancy, the balance of the court would be eliminated in favor of the left. Similarly, until a new justice is appointed there is a strong possibility of four-four decisions on some or all of these cases, meaning that the decision is split. If that happens, the ruling made in the lower court will be upheld.

Furthermore, his death occurs just months before President Obama leaves the White House. This is essentially the only time in history that the death of a justice has coincided so closely with the final months of a president’s term. Hence, there is no protocol for this situation, although it seems that it would make the most sense for the next president to fill the vacancy. Even so, President Obama is attempting to fill the seat before leaving office in hopes to create a liberal majority on the bench.

However, it is unlikely that the Republican controlled Senate will approve of any of President Obama’s nominees. If that is the case, it will be up to the next president to appoint a new justice.

Assuming that President Obama is unable to appoint a justice, it makes the presidential race more important than ever. When the nation chooses a new executive in November, this executive will have the power to define the legislative branch. This means that when selecting a presidential candidate in the current primaries, it is crucial that voters look at candidates’ stances on the role of the Supreme Court, their views of the Constitution, and potential nominees. Your vote will directly affect two branches of government, and it is important to understand this fact. It is also worth noting that the next president may also appoint other justices if the situation arises, giving him or her even greater power over the judicial branch.

The future of our nation will be defined by this presidential election and Supreme Court justice appointment. Please carefully consider each candidate’s view of the Supreme Court before you vote. Moreover, please, please vote in the primary!

As a younger generation, the policy interpretation emerging from the Supreme Court is going to have the most significant impact us, especially when our country is at such a defining turning point. This means that it is up to us to vote for our convictions this election and ensure that the next leader we elect will use the immense amount of power he or she holds to create a brighter future for our country.

Brittany Gamlen is a sophomore BIC student majoring in international studies.

The Genius of Einstein Continues

QuickBIC Admin on February 19, 2016

Image courtesy of Mirror.co.uk

A Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) near Livingston, Louisiana:

A laser sends out two perpendicular beams about 4 km long. These two beams should cancel each other out. However, if hit by a gravitational wave, one is squeezed and one is stretched leading to a detectable change.

In 1905, Albert Einstein came up with a physical theory called the “Special Theory of Relativity.” In 1915, he finished an expansion upon his theory and created the “General Theory of Relativity.” For now, I will put these ideas into layman’s terms. Normally, relativity works like this: if I am judging the speed of a moving car, the speed will appear differently based on whether I am standing still or moving. However, things change when we are talking about light. Light moves at speed “c” (3.00×10⁸ m/s). If I were looking at a beam of light while standing still, it would appear to be moving at speed “c.” Special relativity says that if I started running and then looked at the beam of light again, it would still be moving at “c.” However, for this relationship to hold true, space and time must bend. Distorting space and time? That may sound like a line from Dr. Who, but it is a very legitimate physical phenomenon. Einstein said that an object could dent the fabric of the universe. If the object were big enough, the dent would pull objects towards it. As objects move, they could create gravitational waves, ripples in space itself (3). Theoretically, if these ripples were big enough, the right machine would be able to detect them. However, he struggled with this aspect of his theory for a long time, at one point even revoking it (1).

That was over 100 years ago. For decades, scientists were looking for these waves. The math said they were there, but no instrument had been able to record them (5). If someone could find these waves, it would open up a whole new section of science. Gravitational waves could be used to recorded data in a similar manner to light, but they are unimpeded by gas, dust, and even black holes (3). This reduces anomalies in data. At times, researchers such as Joseph Weber believed that they had found the waves, but the scientific community always disregarded such claims (5). In the 1990s, Congress approved a budget of two hundred million dollars to build two gravitational wave detectors in Washington and Louisiana (5). There was an entire discipline for studying the mathematics of gravitational waves. All the evidence suggested that they existed. Someone just had to find one.

On September 14, 2015 at 4:50 AM, everything changed. Two LIGO observatories, the ones Congress had approved many years before, recorded a small blip (1). This small blip was the first legitimate detection of these gravitational waves that Einstein had spoken of one hundred years prior. That blip was infinitesimally small in comparison to the humongous machines that detected it. The event this blip signified, however, was no small feat. At some point in the distant past, around 1.3 billion light years away, two humongous black holes collided. One black hole had the mass of twenty-nine of our suns and the other of about thirty-six suns. If that does not seem more powerful than the human mind could every really comprehend, keep in mind that the mass of one single sun is 1.989×10³⁰ kg (6). When these two black holes collided, they combined and released energy equivalent to ~3 suns. I don’t have words to describe how big of a cosmic event that was, so I will let the science speak for itself. Energy was released in the form of gravitational waves, which traveled all the way across the universe to those LIGO detectors in Washington and Louisiana. The data directly matched Einstein’s predictions of relativity (7). A century later, there was finally data to back his ideas.

The science is amazing, awe-inspiring. I cannot help but go back to a quote from journalist Tom Siegfried. He said, “There’s a deeper sense in which both discoveries have something in common that reflects an even more outstanding realization: the power of the human mind to discern deeply hidden features of physical reality” (1). He goes on to say that, “Gravity waves will forever stand as a sign that the math conceived in the human mind coexists in some sense in the fabric of reality” (1). For a century, gravitational waves had never been detected. They were an idea thought up in someone’s mind and understood in the minds of others. However, no piece of technology had ever been found. There was no direct observation. Gravitational waves were just an idea. That idea was right, however.

I believe our greatest scientific tool is our own minds. There is nothing more powerful than a human’s ability to make connections and to turn numbers into ideas, which drive hundreds of millions of dollars of research. Einstein once doubted himself, just as we are likely to doubt ourselves. The human mind is an amazing thing with the immense power to persevere. Let your ideas be heard. Who is to say that the next Einstein, the next person who will change the world, is not here at Baylor University, sitting quietly on an amazing idea?

Katherine Estep is a sophomore BIC student majoring in neuroscience

Resources

https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/context/gravity-waves-exemplify-power-intelligent-equations
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/black-hole-heavyweights-triggered-gravity-wave-event?tgt=more
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gravity-waves-black-holes-verify-einsteins-prediction
www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html
Gravity’s Shadow: The Search for Gravitational Waves by Harry Collins
http://www.space.com/17001-how-big-is-the-sun-size-of-the-sun.html
Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger by B.P. Abbott
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s06_jRK939I
Potarf, Jordan. Personal interview. 18 Feb. 2016.

5 Things to Start Doing as a College Student

QuickBIC Admin on February 17, 2016February 18, 2016

The transition from high school to college, from your teens to your twenties, can be really daunting. You might feel like a new person! Your twenties are meant for exploring your options, growth, and change. You have likely gained responsibilities and freedom since being in college and it is easy to lose balance in your life. In order to help you pursue the balance that we all desire, here are five actions that will help you to make the best out of your college experience!

CARE LESS (ABOUT LESS IMPORTANT THINGS)

When I say this, I mean start caring less about what other people think of you, NOT to start caring less about school or your responsibilities. Since you have been out of high school for a couple years, it is time to let go of the negativity that comes with comparing yourself to others and thinking you have to dress a certain way. If you do not like what you ordered, send it back! If you no longer like your hair, change it! If you want to redecorate your room, do it! It is time to be confident in yourself, and realize that nobody in their twenties knows what they are doing.

In high school, I never did anything alone. I would not eat lunch alone, I would not go shopping alone, I would not even go through a drive alone. When I first realized I had to eat breakfast by myself, because none of my friends had the same schedule as me, I was terrified. Since I specifically asked for my parents to pay for the dining hall breakfast (because I love breakfast food), I knew I had to just do it. When I got to Penland, almost everyone was sitting alone. Since being in college, I have become more confident and comfortable with myself. I have started caring less about what people think of me because this is not high school. I realized that everyone is doing their own thing. If you do not like something in your life, you have the ability to change it. If someone is taking the time to judge you, then he or she is just not ready for the responsibility of analyzing his or her own life.

GO OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Now that you are living on your own, you have the opportunity to expand your horizons. This means you should do things you have never done before! Take these opportunities and make them into experiences you will not forget. You should do everything you are going to do to your fullest potential.

I love trying new things, and I know that doing those the things that seem scary will come with a great result. However, I’m the type of person who would be fine with lying in bed all day. This split in my personality makes me eager to try new things, but I am scared of actually doing them. Again, college has forced me to go through with things when I would have rather just stayed in bed. Yet when you are looking back at your college experience, I doubt you want to only remember naps. Get out there. Do something different!

PAY ATTENTION TO THE NEWS

It is time to start paying attention to the world around you since you are technically an adult now. Since our generation is so technologically advanced, it’s really easy be updated on the news constantly. If you just want to get a quick dose of the news, Twitter is probably the easiest way to do this. Publications have started tweeting most everything that happens in the 140 characters, and if it catches your eye, you can always read the full article. You can also have breaking news and live updates come up as notifications on your phone.

My favorite way to read the news is by getting “Morning Briefings” from the New York Times to my email. Every morning I wake up with an email that tells me what happened last night and what’s happening today. Waking up early enough to enjoy reading these emails leads me to my next point.

GET UP EARLIER

I know this is not what you want to hear. I am not saying to take 8am’s either. Simply getting up earlier can help you reduce stress and comes with health benefits. When you wake up with the sun, it leaves you with more time to be productive. When you wake up and get ready twenty minutes before class, you just do not feel prepared to learn. However, if you have time in the morning to read the news, drink coffee or tea, and not rush when you get ready, it can make a big difference in class. Read this article to learn how to become a morning person (I promise it works!): http://thelala.com/becoming-morning-person/

REALIZE THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE TEMPORARY, AND THAT IS OKAY

In your twenties, you will meet a lot of temporary people. That girl in your chemistry class you studied with last semester, that boy you hung out with a few times who never turned out to be anything, that friend you lost touch with over the years. It could even be your significant other or best friend from high school who you never thought would be temporary. It is difficult to deal with, knowing that your friendship or relationship could have turned into something amazing. It is hard not to caught up in the “what if’s.” There will be people, however, that will stick by your side forever.

Bethany Dickerson is a freshman BIC student majoring in journalism.

What’s up, Tirzah?

QuickBIC Admin on February 15, 2016February 15, 2016

Everyone already knows that Baylor bears are smarter than the average bear, but they are often brilliant and multi-talented too! This week, I spoke with a bear that wears so many different hats, she has to duck when she enters a room so they do not get knocked off.

Tirzah Reilly is a senior English major with a minor in studio art. She is originally from Waco, and she liked it so much that she decided to stick around for her college years. “I like Waco,” she told me. “It’s got a bad rap, but it’s a nice town.”

It’s certainly true that the Wack has a particular artsy charm that would appeal to anyone with an artsy bone in his or her body, and Tirzah has at least fifty artsy bones. Honestly, she probably has some artsy muscles as well. When discussing her hobbies, she mentioned that she draws and paints like a pro, and she also plays the mandolin and the ukulele. As a studio art minor, she is also required to dabble in photography, woodcutting, and a plethora of other artistic media. Truthfully, she is brilliant at all of them. Her other hobbies include watching BBC (I’m right there with you, T) and torturing her cat with hugs (“He hates them!” she said).

Tirzah is a fantastic poet as well. In fact, when I asked her about what she feels has been her greatest accomplishment at Baylor so far, she mentioned that her work was first published at Baylor in the Phoenix Literary Magazine, a compilation of the best of Baylor’s undergraduate poetry and prose. She has also won the The Poetry in the Arts, Inc., Dr. Robert G. Collmer Prize associated with the annual Beall Poetry Festival student literary competition (which, for everyone not familiar with it, is a pretty big deal). I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to sit in a couple of poetry workshops with Tirzah, and if her accolades were not already enough to prove her talent to me (they were), then hearing her poetry read firsthand sealed the deal.

For all her great literary achievements, however, Tirzah told me that she felt her greatest Baylor accomplishment was her continued involvement with Kokernot Residence Hall. Kokernot was where Tirzah spent her freshman days, and she served as a CL there during her sophomore year. These days, she works as an OA at the front desk. “I am so glad that I got to be a CL there, and I’m proud that I can continue to work there in a different way!” she told me. The fact that Tirzah considers working in a place she loves to be a more significant accomplishment than all of her prizes and awards is pretty telling her sparkling personality, if you ask me.

Towards the end of our talk, I asked Tirzah what her best Baylor memory has been so far. She told me all about her study abroad trip to the UK last summer, about becoming so close with all the bears that went with her, and about all the new and different places they visited. “We took a weekend trip to Scotland,” she said. “To Edinburgh, and there’s this mountain there called Arthur’s Seat. The first day, we climbed all the way to the top, and I looked down at the city, and it sank in for the first time where we were.” But the best part of that trip was the next day, she told me, when she and some of her friends climbed up the mountain again to sit and write and just enjoy each other’s company on the Scottish mountainside. “I’m so glad Baylor brought us together!”

In the future, Tirzah wants to study library sciences at the graduate level. “At Baylor?” I asked.

“We’ll see!” she said.

Chelsea Teague is a sophomore BIC student majoring in professional Writing.