AnnaSofiaGuerraDESMA9

    For the last module of the quarter we looked at the intersection of space and art, the “final frontier”. What immediately caught my eye in this module was the video on the Powers of Ten. It is so incredible to see how tiny we are in the grand scheme of the universe, but also how grand we are on a cellular level. It was interesting to view the video and go from feeling so small to so not-small, as if we are mini galaxies ourselves. It was particularly interesting to note how the visual depictions in the powers of ten portrayed periods of relative inactivity followed by activity, almost like an artistic pattern. I think the video itself can be seen as an artistic expression of the natural world, space and cellular alike.       Lectures 3 and 4 in particular gave a great history lesson on the space race and mankind’s space curiosity. I have definitely heard more of the positive accomplishments of space exploration, so I was saddened to learn about Lai...

This week we focused on nanotechnology and art, which was very interesting because I am not really familiar with the concept of nanotechnology and its implications on society, it has always been more of an idea I’ve heard of. The lecture introduction says that we have to reinvent even how science works in nanotechnology, a statement which I find fascinating to think about. It was also helpful seeing the scale of nanotechnology in lecture one, because I find it easier to understand the visual presentation of this concept (nano is so small!!) Parts 3 and 4 of the lectures went into examples about how nanoparticles are being used in products and medicine. An example I found really interesting was how silver nanoparticles have an antimicrobial effect, so they are put into socks and such to lessen odor and elongate wear. The behavior and properties of our everyday elements change when nanosizing materials and allow this – this means that solid materials can be liquid at the nano scale or in...

[Eyes in the Sky] For Event 2 I virtually attended the Cosmological Elements 3 event that took place on May 5th, 2023. This exhibition examines cosmology through an interdisciplinary lens, and is divided into three main themes: Hidden Dimension, Cosmic Ecology, and Floating Civilizations. This particular event was presented on the Floating Civilizations aspect of the exhibition. The focus of this section was largely on human visions, aspirations, and accomplishments in space, including future space inhabitation and further space journeys. I found this topic very interesting as I feel like so much of the media covers space exploration arcs, and there has always been an obsession with life existing outside of Earth, or inhabiting Mars, for example. Eyes in the Sky by Anna Hoetjes was a piece from Chapter 3 that especially stood out to me as I viewed it, because it really emphasized the need for the insertion of the female narrative in space and cosmologic discourse. This is especially t...

Being a Psychological and Brain Sciences major, I’ve been looking forward to this week’s content the most ever since I read the syllabus. I really enjoyed the Brief History of Neuroscience slide in lecture 1 because it encompassed so many things I learned in my career so far about psychology and neuroscience, and even more things that I’m excited to specifically learn more about. For example, I was just learning about Broca’s area in the first few weeks of my Cognitive Psychology class; The midterm that I took today was on working memory and long term memory. Psychology is so fascinating because it attempts to understand our very being, our own consciousness. As detailed in lecture 2, Sigmund Freud paved the foundation for studying consciousness. We may disregard some of his sexually outlandish theories today, but much of his work still retains a purpose today, such as the idea of the unconscious mind. Speaking of consciousness, one item that I was reminded of while watching the lectur...

Week 6 we delved into the world of biotechnology and art, and as noted by the first few lectures (with examples), a highly controversial concept. Creations of biotechnology are already controversial on their own, such as the use of GMOs and other unnatural additives as demonstrated by the McDonald’s Food Experiment video. I actually remember watching this video when I was a little girl and being horrified at how I put that in my body. It brings the same emotions watching it now. It can be argued that using biotechnology towards issues such as GMOs can also be helpful, however, as it works to solve food crises in impoverished areas by way of mass production, or the tweaking of certain food traits. This is of course where the controversy arises, as there are valid concerns from both sides. Combining the already controversial existence of biotechnology with expressing art through biotechnology makes way for even more controversy. We saw many examples in the lecture, especially when it cam...

     This week we looked the intersections of medicine, technology, and art. We started off in lecture one we discussed how the acceptance of human dissection made way for not only a succession of medical advancements, but for the representation of the human body in art as well. Perhaps one of the greatest medical outcomes of the taboo removal regarding the study of the human body was the Human Genome Project. The Human Genome Project which determined the entire human DNA sequence, base pair by base pair. The first working draft of the human genome sequence was actually assembled at UC Santa Cruz, one of our sister campuses! An impressive feat that was largely made possible by the study of the human body which showcases the subject in an artistic form is the Body Worlds exhibition, which celebrates the human body using authentic specimens. I actually had not heard of this exhibition before this course, and was surprised, yet intrigued, when learning about this exhibition....