One of those big picture days

One of those “big picture” days A preview, courtesy of todays MIT homepage: It was 2:03 pm when I ripped out the carbon record of my experimental results and dashed out of the 5.310 (Experimental Chemistry) lab. Though the lab period is scheduled to end at 5 pm, today was the end of a four-day experiment and we had finished early. I had two minutes to get to Kresge auditorium, where Julie Gerberding, the director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), was scheduled to give a talk titled Health System Transformation: Getting Our Moneys Worth of Healthness.' What is healthness (not a typo)? I had no idea, but ever since elementary school I have dreamed of working in the Biosafety Level 4 facilities of the CDC, and I wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to hear an infectious disease expert speak, let alone someone who is basically in charge of protecting the health of our country. President Susan Hockfield gave an introduction to the talk, citing Gerberding’s experience in medicine and public health and that she was named #12 on Forbes Magazine’s “100 Most Powerful Women” list in 2005. Gerberding was also apparently involved with setting up the Novartis-MIT Center for Continuous Manufacturing (a 10-year partnership between MIT and one of the biggest pharma companies in the world. ) The main problem that Gerberding and the CDC are trying to address is the fact that the U.S. is ranked #37 in the world for its health system (according to the World Health Organization.) This is appalling; we consider ourselves to be a world leader and we spend the most money on healthcare, yet our health outcomes are dismal! The current system spends an inordinate proportion of the money on people who are already sick, instead of preventing sickness from happening in the first place. Gerberding believes that protecting health is a strategic national investment, and that we’re at a tipping point where we can greatly increase the value of the healthcare system if we just invested a little more. Her vision is a “value-based health system.” She also emphasized that we need to find better measures of “healthiness” and we also need to reward good results in the healthcare arena. (If this interests you, consider taking 17.315 (Health Policy) or 17.317 (U.S. Social Policy). I’v e taken them both, they’re great!) For those of you who think that changing the healthcare system is impossible, she gave the example of Kennedy’s 1961 space challenge. Even though sending men to the moon seemed utterly unattainable to most people, including NASA scientists, the challenge was met eight years and 59 days later. Gerberding hopes that by May 30, 2016 (the same # of days from today), America will become “a healthiest nation” (again, not a typo. She emphasized that all nations need to be healthy, we shouldn’t be the only ones.) How does this apply to MIT? The end of the talk focused on “translating health discovery to health.” She emphasized that bench research (done at places like MIT) ends up becoming clinical practice. We need to use our knowledge of systems to evaluate the health outcomes of these clinical practices. Finally, we need to combat problems like obesity by examining a person’s environment. Otherwise, Gerberding warns, our children may have shorter life spans than we do (!) I saw President Hockfield slip out of the auditorium at around 3:00, and the talk ended at about 3:05. A friend and I made the decision to skip the QA session and see if we could make it over to Tom Brokaw’s talk, which was scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm in the Stata Center. Off we went to follow Hockfield! Of course, the line outside of the Stata lecture hall was very long (as opposed to Gerberding’s talk, which had plenty of seats to go around.) The MIT news page introduces the event best: “An internationally respected journalist, Brokaw served as the NBC anchor for 21 years. He was the NBC White House correspondent during the Watergate scandal, advancing to lead NBCs coverage of primaries, national conventions and election nights in 1984, 1988 and 1992. Brokaw, 68, is the author of The Greatest Generation (1998) and A Long Way from Home (2002). The Karl Taylor Compton Lecture Series was established in 1957 to honor the late Karl Taylor Compton, who served as president of MIT from 1930 to 1948 and chairman of the Corporation from 1948 to 1954. The purpose of the lectureship is to give the MIT community direct contact with the important ideas of our times and with people who have contributed much to modern thought.” I got fourth row center seats and couldn’t wait to hear his familiar voice bellow from a few feet in front of me. Again, President Hockfield introduced the distinguished guest, and then Brokaw took the stage. He is the most poised speaker I have ever seen. With a pen in his right hand, he delivered his speech in a way that nobody else could. His pauses were perfectly placed, he emphasized just the right words and captivated everyone’s attention. I have to admit that I was so caught up with thinking about his gravitas that my mind wandered and I didn’t pay all that much attention to what he was saying =) I also didn’t take notes because I wanted to focus on watching him…just like on TV but better! He began by making a joke that giving the Compton lecture was the only circumstance in which he would be admitted to MIT (according to Wikipedia, “Tom Brokaw dropped out of The University of Iowa, where he says he majored in beer and co-eds before receiving his B.A. degree in Political Science from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion in 1962.”) He also joked about how he was afraid that he would also have to speak at Harvard (which he referred to as something along the lines of the’ lesser institution up the street’, which drew much applause) and how he has commiserated with Harvard dropouts like Bill Gates over not being accepted to the college. Anyway, he described how he grew up in South Dakota and then talked about some of his experiences as a journalist. He has met every president since Kennedy, conducted the first American TV interviews with Mikhail Gorbachev, Vladimir Putin, and Yevgeny Primakov, reported the collapse of the Berlin Wall, covered the September 11th attacks, and so much more. He’s been in the midst of almost every conflict that you can imagine and he told some heartbreaking and inspiration stories. Basically, he’s the kind of person that you’d die to have dinner with (incidentally, some MIT students got to have lunch with him earlier today. They said it was amazing!) The directly MIT-relevant part of his talk was about the role of information technology in our lives. He described the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet as a media outlet, and the advent of the 24-hour news cycle. He warned us that we have to be careful about where we get our information and that, as consumers, our decisions can affect what is covered (like car chases vs. world conflict.) There was more that he discussed… but I’ll leave it to Bryan to fill in the gaps =) I still can’t believe that they scheduled these lectures back-to-back. What happened to spreading the love? I should have added this to my “10 reasons why I love MIT”: the lectures! We get to hear some of the most amazing people in the world, it’s really a privilege. Incidentally, our graduation speaker will be Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace prize. I can’t wait! P.S. Thanks for the Brokaw pict, Bryan! P.P.S. An example of Brokaw in action:

Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Responses to Warm Whirlpool Treatment Free Essay Example, 2750 words

Literature Review: Several studies have been undertaken to evaluate the possible risks associated with hot water tubs and produce evidence in support of the risk warning that have stemmed from the hemodynamics involved in the environments of saunas, spas and hot tub baths. Boone Westendorf and Ayres, 1999, provide information on a limited exposure of young subjects to a hot tub bath. Based on a study of five young subjects, who were exposed to a fifteen minutes immersion in a hot tub bath maintained at a temperature of 39 degrees Centigrade, Boone, Westendorf, and Ayres, 1999, found that at fifteen minutes there was an increase in heart rate, and cardiac output, while there was a decrease in mean arterial pressure and systolic blood pressure. The increase in cardiac output was attributed to the decrease in systemic vascular resistance and this increase in cardiac output along with the increase in heart rate was the response to the increased metabolism that resulted from the immersion in a hot tub bath. In the opinion of the others exposure in a hot water bath for the limited time of fifteen minutes posed no health risks to young subjects (Boone, Westendorf, & Ayres, 1999). We will write a custom essay sample on Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Responses to Warm Whirlpool Treatment or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Support for increase in heart rate and decrease in blood pressure is found in the study of Miwa, et al, 1994, which provides a comparative picture of cardiovascular responses in the case of hot tub bath (40 degrees Centigrade) and normo-temperature tub bath (34.5 degrees Centigrade) over an extended time of sixty minutes for healthy young males. Findings from the normo-temperature bath showed that besides a decrease in heart rate all other variables demonstrated no significant change, while findings from hot tub bath showed that after ten minutes from the entry in the bath the mean blood pressure decreased while there was an increase in heart rate and skin blood flow, while at the same time it was observed that there was an increase in the core temperature. This rise in core temperature during immersion in a hot tub bath for more than ten minutes has been attributed as the cause for the cardiovascular changes observed (Miwa, et al, 1994). The Katoaka and Yoshida study, 2005, on a y oung healthy adults, comparing the effects of hot tub immersion at 38 degrees Centigrade and forty one degrees Centigrade give support to the evidence that there is hardly any significant increase in heart rate and blood pressure in hot tub baths where the temperature is maintained at near normal temperature level of the human body.

Why Minnie Wright Has Murdered Her Husband - 1021 Words

In the play Trifles, the reader is led to an understanding on why Minnie wright has murdered her husband. This revelation can lead the reader to understand why Mrs. Hale defends Minnie so vehemently. If the reader analyses the environment, the factors, and the theme of this play one can come to the conclusion about why Mrs. Hale defended Minnie. The environment of the play takes place in the early 1900’s. The roles of the family members were much different then than they are today. The Husband would often times do the hard work that would take place outside, and the wife would simply take care of the house and children. This system was actually pretty efficient, but some men saw themselves more powerful than the woman, and often would discriminate against the woman. While investigating the house in the kitchen the sheriff states, â€Å"Nothing here but kitchen things.† And the County Attorney says, â€Å"Here s a nice mess† in reference to the sticky substance on the shelf. Mrs. Peters makes a statement on Mrs. Wright’s fruit preserves and after this statement has been made the sheriff and the County Attorney make remarks to even further degrade the position that woman held by stating, â€Å"Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin about her preserves.† (Sheriff) And also, â€Å"I guess before we re through she may have something more serious than preserves to worry about.† (County Attorney) This moment is significant, because when these men made this statement theyShow MoreRelated The Danger in Susan Glaspells Trifles Essay799 Words   |  4 Pagesbring it to a close. It is easy to see that Mr. and Mrs. Wright live in a society that is cut off from the outside world and also strongly separated by gender. Three of the key symbols in Glaspells play are a simple bird cage, a quilt, and isolationism. Anna Uong of Virginia Tech and Karen Shelton of JSRCC share these same ideas on symbolism. These three symbols are the main clues that help the reader decide who killed Mr. Wright. The bird cage that was found is one of the most profoundRead MoreThe Women In â€Å"Trifles†. The Play â€Å"Trifles† , Written By1658 Words   |  7 Pagesproves that Minnie, the unstable housewife, has killed her husband, John Wright. The women initially tag along behind their husbands simply because they were told to. However as they progress through the house their sense of duty becomes curiosity with the desire to discover what happened in this quiet home that caused Minnie to snap. It is the women’s focus on causation that allows them to discover clues that show Minnie is in fact the murderer, and why she has decided to kill her husband. Yet whenRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Miss Brill And A Jury Of Her Peers 1672 Words   |  7 PagesPersonal Response to â€Å"Miss Brill† and â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† Through direct characterization each story directly gives the reader what a character’s personality is like through the narrator. Indirect characterization is what the character’s behavior is towards themselves and towards the other characters throughout the story. A symbol in each story can tell the reader more about an object or more about the story. The main characters in two different stories can surprisingly have a connection, eitherRead MoreEssay on Feminist Themes of Susan Glaspells Plays1558 Words   |  7 Pages Susan Glaspell was one of the first great American female playwrights. Her plays are often short, one or two acts, but they tell a story greater than just what appears on the page. Three of her plays, Trifles (1916), Women’s Honor (1918), and The Verge (1921), have feminist themes that show the consequences of the oppression of women, as is the case with many of her plays. All three plays were written during the first wave of feminism, during which there was a push for women to have jobs and opportunitiesRead MoreThe Deception of Trifles: Gender Roles in the Play by Glaspell1550 Words   |  7 Pages Trifles is based on real life events of a murder that Susan Glaspell covered during her work as a newspaper reporter in Des Moines and the play is based off of Susan Glaspell’s earlier writing, â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers†. The play is about a wife of a farmer that appears to be cold and filled with silence. After many years of the husband treating the wife terri ble, the farmer’s wife snaps and murders her husband. In addition, the play portrays how men and women may stick together in same sex rolesRead MoreTrifles In Shakespeares Othello And Susan Glaspell And Shakespeare1075 Words   |  5 Pagessymbolic messages. It is fundamentally used to prove Desdemona’s faith to Othello and no one else. His demand for â€Å"some proof†(3.3.412) proves that he sees the handkerchief as an example of her dedication and fidelity to Othello. This small object is so powerful it convinced Othello that Desdemona is worth killing over her faith to him: â€Å"By heaven, I would most gladly have forgot it. Thou saidst—O, it comes o’er my memory As doth the raven o’er the infectious house, Boding to all—he had my handkerchief†(4Read MoreSusan Glaspell s A Jury Of Her Peers And Flannery O Connor s Good Country People Essay1696 Words   |  7 PagesThe oppression of women has occurred all throughout hist ory across the world in the thousands of years that patriarchy has existed. During recent times as social standards have progressed, the voices of women are heard more often than long ago. Nonetheless, it is often overlooked that women of decades before used their voices in other ways in order to speak out against oppression. One of the ways these women did this was in their literary writing. Despite the progress made today to stand up againstRead MoreTrifles And The Women Who Worry Over Them1037 Words   |  5 Pagesan abandoned farmhouse previously owned by the recently murdered Mr. John Wright and his killer, and wife, Mrs. Wright. The men’s dominance over the situation and the women is clear from the initial understanding of their individual roles. The men all seem to have important tasks to perform. The sheriff and the county attorney are investigating John Wright’s murder by searching for evidence of his wife’s guilt. Mr. Hale, a farming neighbor, has bee n requested to give his testimony of the morning heRead MoreSusan Glaspell s Trifles Essay2025 Words   |  9 Pageswomen were possession of the husband. The division between men and women in the play not just mentally or emotionally but it was also physically , and that symbolizes the different between genders at this time. Susan Glaspell shows that through her characters in this play. Glaspell uses the characters (Mr. Wright and Mrs. Wright) to prove how men were so dominant and how women were suffered a lot. Glaspell’s play presents one drastic women rebel. Mrs. Wright, who goes to the extreme to freeRead MoreCharacter Analysis of Susan Glaspells A Jury of Her Peers1027 Words   |  5 Pagesfeatured in â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† Written by Susan Glaspell has the storyline of a mother who has intense apologetic regret over allowing her life to push things aside, of being a dutiful homemaker, and of unseen rational processing to the truth of the crime. Martha is mixed with regret in an apologetic manner for the lack of social outreach. Her first quote â€Å"I ought to go over and see Minnie Foster† (Insert Cite) after feeling as if she could not cross the line into Minnie Foster’s home because

Person Free Essays

What makes a person attractive to others? Looks and personality – these are the usual attributes which defines an attractive person. Most people have either looks or personality but not many people have both. I have a childhood friend called Julian Lee. We will write a custom essay sample on Person or any similar topic only for you Order Now He Is very good looking and he has a heart of gold. He is quite a heartthrob. With raven black hair, long eyelashes, an aquiline nose and a strong Jailing, It Is hard not to be mesmerism by his good looks. As added bonuses, he has a towering frame and a gentle voice. As the captain of the school basketball team, his skin spots a golden tan from the hours of tireless training under the sun. He exudes a boyish charm which makes not only girls fall for him but also a favored student among teachers. His looks aside, what makes Julian highly attractive is the fact that he has a superb personality. Julian is very kind and helpful. Whenever the teachers need help, he will be the first to render his assistance. When there are school events, he will also be the first to volunteer his services. There was a time when there were a few younger boys torturing a hapless cat. They were tying its paws with rubber bands. Julian immediately went forward and stopped the boys. Frightened by his stern persona, the boys stopped what they were doing at once and ran away quickly. On another occasion, there was a group of students who were bullying another student. Even though the boys were older than Julian, he went up to them and chastise what they were doing. The boys threatened him to mind his own business and beat him up. However, Julian stood firm and replied calmly that he would report the matter to the teacher. The boys instantly backed away and left. He even helped the student who was bullied to the sickbay. Julian is also an exemplary leader. He is the chairperson of the class. During class work, he will organist everybody into groups. He ensures that no one gets left out and everybody gets a fair share of work. Our class enjoys working with Julian and we always give our best under his leadership. Last year, our school organized a carnival to raise funds for charity. Each class had to set up a booth. Being ever systematic and resourceful, Julian assigned work according to our strengths. He Is also someone who alas the talks – often doing more than his fair share of work. In the end, our Ice- cream booth raised the most money for charity. To me, this Is a fine example of an attractive person. An attractive person Is always humble and would never dream of relying on his looks, or anything short of hard faces) dirty and who treat others with kindness and respect are the beautiful ones. Some may be physically attractive, while some may not. But these are the people beauty does fade eventually but people who have been touched by our inner beauty will find it unforgettable. How to cite Person, Papers

Keeping Shakespeare Moving free essay sample

This paper discusses the differences between William Shakespeares works on screen or in print. The following paper attempts to show that people enjoy Shakespeare for a variety of reasons. It shows how some people are used to enjoying the amount of Shakespeare a filmmaker can fit into a two hour film, while others enjoy reading it in full. In this essay the writer attempts to show that, whether on film or in print, anyone who enjoys Shakespeare knows that imagination is key to enjoying it. From the paper: But there are differences between the choices of experiencing Shakespeare. With a book, you can pause and come back to it later; you can digest it at your own pace. You can also reread certain passages and study the text more intensely than you can actors in a film. A lot of Shakespeares speeches state the same thing several ways, so that the audience at a live performance can catch whats going on. We will write a custom essay sample on Keeping Shakespeare Moving or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When reading that speech, you can enjoy the entire thing without worrying about keeping up.

Who was Heinrich Himmler essays

Who was Heinrich Himmler essays Heinrich Himmler was Reichsfhrer-SS (Reich SS Leader) and Chief of the German police. In this capacity, he was responsible for the implementation of the Final Solution - the extermination of the Jews - as ordered by the Fhrer, Adolf Hitler. He was born in Munich on October 7, 1900. His father was the son of a police president, a former tutor to the princes of the Bavarian court, and a headmaster by profession. Himmler originally intended to be a farmer and in fact acquired a degree in agronomy. He fought in World War I at the every end, and afterwards drifted into one of the many right wing soldier's organizations that were so prevalent at the time. It is here that he came into contact with Hitler. He took part in the Hitler Putsch (the attempt to overthrow the government) of 1923 as a standard-bearer. He married Margret Boden in 1926. In 1929, Hitler appointed him head of the SS, which at that time numbered about 300 men and served mainly as a bodyguard for Hitler. A superb organizer, he had already expanded the SS to 50,000 men by 19 By 1936, he had consolidated police power in Germany and was named Chief of the German police on June 17 of that year. With all organs of the police, especially the Gestapo (secret state police), now under his control, his power was virtually without limit. In addition to his other responsibilities, he was also responsible for the security services (Sicherheitsdienst) and the concentration camps, which up to that time housed prisoners of the state. Himmler's men staged the phony border incident that Hitler used to justify the invasion of Poland at the outbreak of World War II. As the war went on, the armored portions of the SS - the Waffen SS - began to rival the Armed Forces for power in the military field, culminating in Himmler's being named Minister of the Interior in 1943 and chief of the Replacement Army in 1944. Right up to the end, he was one of Hitler's most loyal men. Hit...

50 Important Facts You Should Know About Teachers

50 Important Facts You Should Know About Teachers For the most part, teachers are undervalued and underappreciated. This is especially sad considering the tremendous impact that teachers have on a daily basis. Teachers are some of the most influential people in the world, yet the profession is continuously mocked and put down instead of being revered and respected. A large majority of people have misconceptions about teachers and do not truly understand what it takes to be an effective educator. The Silent Majority As in any profession, there are teachers who are great and those who are bad. When adults look back on their years in school, they often remember the great teachers and the bad teachers. However, those two groups only combine to represent an estimated 5% of all teachers. Based on this estimate, 95% of teachers fall somewhere in between those two groups. This 95% may not be memorable, but they are the teachers who show up every day, do their jobs and receive little recognition or praise. Misunderstood Profession The teaching profession is often misunderstood. The majority of non-educators do not have any idea what it takes to teach effectively. They do not understand the daily challenges that teachers across the country must overcome to maximize the education their students receive. Misconceptions will likely continue to fuel perceptions about the teaching profession until the general public understands the true facts about teachers. What You May Not Know About Teachers The following statements are generalized. Though each statement may not be true for every teacher, they are indicative of the thoughts, feelings, and work habits of the majority of teachers. Teachers are passionate people who enjoy making a difference.Teachers do not become teachers because they are not smart enough to do anything else. Instead, they become teachers because they want to make a difference in shaping young peoples lives.Teachers do not just work from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with summers off. Most arrive early, stay late and take papers home to grade. Summers are spent preparing for the next year and at professional development opportunities.Teachers get frustrated with students who have tremendous potential but do not want to put in the hard work necessary to maximize that potential.Teachers love students who come to class every day with a good attitude and genuinely want to learn.Teachers enjoy collaboration, bouncing ideas and best practices off of each other, and supporting each other.Teachers respect parents who value education, understand where their child is academically and support what the teacher does.Teachers are real people. They have lives outside of school. They have terrible days and good days. They make mistakes. Teachers want a principal and administration that support what they are doing, provide suggestions for improvement and value their contributions to their school.Teachers are creative and original. No two teachers do things exactly alike. Even when they use another teacher’s ideas, they often put their own spin on them.Teachers are continuously evolving. They are always searching for better ways to reach their students.Teachers do have favorites. They may not come out and say it, but there are those students, for whatever reason, with whom they have a natural connection.Teachers become irritated with parents who do not understand that education should be a partnership between themselves and their child’s teachers.Teachers are control freaks. They hate it when things do not go according to plan.Teachers understand that individual students and individual classes are different and tailor their lessons to meet those individual needs.Teachers do not always get along with each other. They may have personality conflicts or disagreements that fuel a mutual dislike, just as in any profession. Teachers appreciate being appreciated. They love it when students or parents do something unexpected to show their appreciation.Teachers generally do not like standardized testing. They believe it creates added unnecessary pressures on them and their students.Teachers do not become teachers because of the paycheck; they understand that they are usually going to be underpaid for what they do.Teachers dislike it when the media focuses on the minority of teachers who make mistakes, instead of on the majority who consistently show up and do their jobs on a daily basis.Teachers love it when they run into former students who tell them how much they appreciated what they did for them.Teachers hate the political aspects of education.Teachers enjoy being asked for input on key decisions that the administration will be making. It gives them ownership in the process.Teachers are not always excited about what they are teaching. There is usually some required content that they do not enjoy teachi ng. Teachers genuinely want the best for all of their students: They never want to see a child fail.Teachers hate to grade papers. It is a necessary part of the job, but it is also extremely monotonous and time-consuming.Teachers are consistently searching for better ways to reach their students. They are never happy with the status quo.Teachers often spend their own money on the things they need to run their classroom.Teachers want to inspire others around them, beginning with their students but also including parents, other teachers and their administration.Teachers work in an endless cycle. They work hard to get each student from point A to point B and then start over the next year.Teachers understand that classroom management is a part of their job, but it is often one of their least favorite things to handle.Teachers understand that students deal with different, sometimes challenging, situations at home and often go above and beyond to help a student cope with those situations.Teach ers love engaging in meaningful professional development and despise time-consuming, sometimes pointless professional development. Teachers want to be role models for all of their students.Teachers want every child to be successful. They do not enjoy failing a student or making a retention decision.Teachers enjoy their time off. It gives them time to reflect and refresh and to make changes they believe will benefit their students.Teachers feel like there is never enough time in a day. There is always more that they feel they need to do.Teachers would love to see classroom sizes capped at 15 to 20 students.Teachers want to maintain an open line of communication between themselves and their students parents throughout the year.Teachers understand the importance of school finance and the role it plays in education but wish that money was never an issue.Teachers want to know that their principal has their back when a parent or student makes unsupported accusations.Teachers dislike disruptions but are generally flexible and accommodating when they occur.Teachers are more likely to accept and use new technologies if t hey are properly trained on how to use them. Teachers become frustrated with the relatively few educators who lack professionalism and are not in the field for the right reasons.Teachers dislike it when a parent undermines their authority by denigrating them in front of their children at home.Teachers are compassionate and sympathetic when a student has a tragic experience.Teachers want to see former students be productive, successful citizens later in life.Teachers invest more time in struggling students than any other group and are thrilled by the â€Å"light bulb† moment when a student finally starts to get it.Teachers are often scapegoats for a student’s failure  when in reality it is a combination of factors outside the teacher’s control that led to failure.Teachers often worry about many of their students outside of school hours, realizing that they do not always have the best home life.