BIOL3081:"What's in the Water?" - Fall 2014
This fall, I was enrolled in an honors course entitled BIOL3081: “What’s in the Water?” This course, which focused on exploring the biology and methods of transfer behind a plethora of waterborne diseases, truly opened my eyes to an entire realm that I had previously been ignorant of. Alongside my tight-knit class, we had the privilege of hearing from dozens of guest lecturers who provided us with an all-encompassing basic knowledge of everything related to the microbiology, transfer, testing, and prevention of waterborne pathogens and the diseases they cause. We embarked on several field trips, including visits to Cincinnati water treatment facilities to better understand the filtration systems that protect us, and a tour of Spring Grove Cemetery, a beautiful cemetery filled with remains of wealthy Cincinnatians who were lost during the Cholera epidemics that plagued the city in the 19th century. We did special research on the spread of Cholera throughout the United States during the 1800s, focusing specifically on the history of Cincinnati and the effect of cholera on the city (this presentation can be found below). However, not only did we learn about the history and evolution of epidemiology, but we also launched our own study, using modern technology to determine whether social media can help us identify disease outbreaks as they are occurring.
I chose to take this particular seminar because as an Organizational Leadership major with limited Science course requirements, I wanted to be sure that the science courses I take are practical and useful. While I knew this course would be out of my comfort zone, I knew that I would be able to glean much from a course about diseases that effect the world today. This course exceeded my expectations in the way that it didn’t simply provide information about various diseases, but rather provided an all-encompassing education relating to epidemiology as a whole.
This seminar was meaningful because it allowed me to connect to a subject outside of my major and find ways to apply it to myself. I now understand what a large role water and specifically, its filtration, plays in urban development. Most remarkably I was affected by the study we performed using social media. The tools we used to track tweets were fascinating, and the methods of tracing social media traffic regarding a specific subject each day are procedures that I intend to utilize going forward with organizational leadership.
This seminar was meaningful because it allowed me to connect to a subject outside of my major and find ways to apply it to myself. I now understand what a large role water and specifically, its filtration, plays in urban development. Most remarkably I was affected by the study we performed using social media. The tools we used to track tweets were fascinating, and the methods of tracing social media traffic regarding a specific subject each day are procedures that I intend to utilize going forward with organizational leadership.
spread_of_cholera.pptx |