Class Journal Week 1
Mihir Samdarshi’s Response
Before reading the Denning articles (on your honor), answer the following questions:
- When you hear the term computer science, what comes to mind?
- When I hear the term “computer science” I think about the study of coding a computer, and the various algorithms, data structures, and basics of programming. I also think of the various tools and technologies that encompass the entire field.
- When older relatives or friends hear the term computer science, what do you think comes to their minds?
- When older relatives or friends hear the term computer science, they think that it entails learning all the bits and pieces of a complicated codebase, and are often lost by the intricacies of the algorithms and data structures used in computer science.
- When younger relatives or friends hear the term computer science, what do you think comes to their minds?
- When my younger friends and relatives hear the term “computer science” they generally think that I am always coding websites or apps for their phones.
Before reading the Janovy chapter (on your honor), answer the following questions;
- When you hear the term biology, what comes to mind?
- When I hear the term “biology” I think of the study of life. I believe that this encompasses the entirety of everything related to life. I specifically like to think abou biology through the lens that even the tiniest disturbance in even the smallest part of a living system can have a larger effect on life in general.
- Do you consider yourself a biologist? why or why not?
- I consider myself a biologist. That is my major, so I feel that it is very much appropriate for me to call myself a biologist. My current research also focuses on various ways of analyzing and visualizing perturbations in organs and cells in living systems. I therefore feel that since I study life, I am a biologist.
After reading the Denning articles and the Janovy chapter, answer the following questions:
- What was the purpose of these readings?
- I believe that the purpose of this readings was to inform us that the disciplines of biology and computer science are far more expansive than we may assume. Janovy believes that being a biologist is not necessarily esoteric, but rather is open to the broader population. Dennings is making a similar point, that we cannot pigeonhole computer scientists, but that a large segment of the population is actually involved in the science
- Which of the voices in the Voices of Computing article seem to appeal to you the most?
- Apply one of the seven principles from the Computing is a Natural Science article to something as "non-computer-science"-y as possible, either from other subjects or your daily life.
- What did you find most interesting or provocative about the Janovy reading?
- What does it mean to be a biologist? Do you consider yourself a biologist? Why or why not?
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Msamdars (talk) 15:40, 3 September 2019 (PDT)
David Ramirez's Response
Before reading the Denning articles (on your honor), answer the following questions;
1. When you hear the term computer science, what comes to mind?
Computer science to me, makes me think of the study and understanding of computational technology or techniques and procedures. Being able to create or use programs on a computer to analyze or complete complex tasks that are too complicated to do by hand.
2. When older relatives or friends hear the term computer science, what do you think comes to their minds?
I think older relatives would think that computer science is understanding how a computer works so that the person is able to construct computer components or create programs.
3. When younger relatives or friends hear the term computer science, what do you think comes to their minds?
Younger friends may think that computer science is to build computer skills and have the intention for technological growth. Computer science, they may think, is for nerds who work on a computer as their job and try to fix problems that have anything to do with a computer.
Before reading the Janovy chapter (on your honor), answer the following questions;
1. When you hear the term biology, what comes to mind?
When I hear the term biology, I think about the function with how life is able to exist and the study of organisms that work together to keep the world stable.
2. Do you consider yourself a biologist? why or why not?
I do consider myself a biologist because I have taken multiple learning courses and have had experience with different aspects of biology. I also have a passion for learning more about the body function of animals and discovering new information that helps humans understanding how certain animals are able to thrive in specific environments.
After reading the Denning articles and the Janovy chapter, answer the following questions:
1. What was the purpose of these readings?
To show what the terms computer science and biology actually mean and how there are misunderstandings of the two career paths. In the Voices of Computing article, people who have different focuses in computer science explain what they actually do and their impressive diversity in work. In Computing is a Natural Science, an argument is made that computation existed long before computers
2. Which of the voices in the Voices of Computing article seem to appeal to you the most?
The Scientist because I believe that I can also apply field research data to computational analysis so that I may conclude the research question much faster with the support of statistical proof. Being able to use an algorithm or command in the computer to understand my data will cut a great amount of time.
3. Apply one of the seven principles from the Computing is a Natural Science article to something as "non-computer-science"-y as possible, either from other subjects or your daily life.
For the principle of Communication, it is very important to stay in close contact with a research group so that each person knows which data set or portion they are in charge of. The data that they obtain needs to be shared with the rest of the research group so that when the time comes for data analysis, all the data obtained will contribute to the findings made once statistical analysis is complete.
4. What did you find most interesting or provocative about the Janovy reading?
That college students from the University of Nebraska had no idea how to program a computer, but a 12-year-old did because he took an elementary level course in computers and was already able to do so much more than those college students. Its very interesting and amazing how computers and programing them are such a big part in scientific research, even if it has to do with animal research. Being able to mix multiple career skills together like computer science will be very useful for biologists in the long run.
5. What does it mean to be a biologist? Do you consider yourself a biologist? Why or why not?
To be a biologist means to be a person who is able to study life through the scientific process, which includes the questions, data collection, data analysis, and a conclusion. Being able to fully complete this scientific process requires skills that extend to different careers other than biologists. I consider myself to be a biologist, but more specifically, a practicing biologist, who is currently learning how to develop the skills to professionally conduct my own research and analyze the data that I obtain in order to share my findings with the public so that they may be more educated and appreciate nature a bit more.
Dramir36 (talk) 15:58, 3 September 2019 (PDT)
Naomi Tesfaiohannes's Responses
Class Journal Week 1 Tesfaiohannes Ntesfaio (talk) 20:15, 1 September 2019 (PDT)
