Blog 11: Lesson 1 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?

The thing I am most proud of is the fact that I didn’t under or over time. I was so stress out and scared because of the fact that I might go under time and lose some points after all the hard work I did.

2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.

I think I’ll give myself a P because I did all the basic things required. Also my lesson didn’t have very much props to show to the class.

3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2?

I think the thing that I’ll change about my lesson is the wording of it and the pace I was going at. I knew what I needed to talk about for the most basic things in astronomy, but I felt as though the way I described it made it hard for people to understand. This will help me in lesson 2 because I can do somethings to help me teach a bit better, like having a second opinion on my lesson.

Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7vfamCjNJQ6Nk1BVV91bmdYVjQ/view?usp=sharing

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)

The way I am spending mentorship time is by shadowing the classes he teaches at Mt. Sac. Usually I just sit in the classroom and observe what he is doing as well as take notes in his class. By doing so, it definitely helps me learn new things about astronomy as well as understand what I’m learning.

2.  How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?  

I found my mentor by research what astronomy professors are close by, and emailing a letter asking to do so. It didn’t really take much to convince my mentor to say yes, all I did was ask.  

3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person

Right now, I’m pretty comfortable around my mentor. I don’t get nervous at all when I ask him for help, or for questions, etc. It kind of relates to the time I spend with my mentor, but usually I just shadow his class and go on the class field trips.

4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?

What went well was the fact that my mentor was able to give clear and on - topic answers to my questions. He didn’t waste any time trying to comprehend what I was asking, which was a great time saver. I’m not sure about what i need to improve on; if it’s about the interview I think I just need to write more questions to get the most out of my interview.

Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).

I do currently have a mentor; his name is Michael Hood. I have not scheduled an interview yet.

2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.

Light - The reason why I am gearing more towards light is because there is a lot of information on it, yet it still remains a huge mystery.

Gravity - The reason why I am looking into gravity is because not only does it affect Earth, but it affect the entire universe. Its an interesting topic with a ton of examples and information.  

3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?

I am thinking books and videos will help me get into more depth on these two topics. I am planning on asking my mentor for help to find good information on it.

4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.

What are the possible fates of us humans and the universe?

Blog 8: Independent Component 1 Proposal

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

What I plan to do for my first independent component is to stargaze using my telescope. I want to look at stars, comets, planets, etc and identify and document what it is without outside help. After, I will look up what I’m actually looking at and do a side by side comparison. If a special astronomical event would occur, I will document that as well.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

I will show my evidence by doing logs, online scrapbooking, and a powerpoint.

3.  Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

I’m basically doing what astronomy is based around, stargazing. By doing so, I will understand what and how astronomers do what they do.

4.  Update your Senior Project Hours log.

Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

Mentor: Michael Hood

Work: Mt. Sac Astronomy Professor

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1. Where and how did you get your physics Ph.d?
2. What research/projects did you do in your past years?
3. Why did you choose astronomy as your field of interest?
4. Can you explain what the environment surrounding you felt like when you were working on your research?
5. What were some important events you would like to mention that happened to you through your work experience?  

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  

What worked well for me is the fact that I’m am gaining a lot of knowledge about my topic whenever I go to mentorship. Every time I go to my mentorship, I learn a ton of new things that spark my interest. The experience, I think is okay. I’m satisfied with it.

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

The thing I am finding difficulty in is finding a sub-topic in astronomy to focus on. There is so much to learn and so little time that I can’t possibly talk about everything. I think the only thing I really need right now is time, time to look over everything and figure out what I what to focus on. I don’t see a way the senior team can help me on this situation.

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

Who: Michael Hood

Date of Interview: 9/14/15

City/State: Walnut, California

Employer: Astronomer Mt. San Antonio College

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

The most important thing I learned in the interview is learning how he got his master’s degree in a year and a half after undergrad school. On top of that, the advice he gave on entering the field was very useful.

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

I was able to get additional contacts from him. The contacts he has given to me can help me get some more hands-on training with the telescope, as well as potential interviewees. I didn’t get that much resources from him because science astronomy is such a broad topic, it is hard to find a book that talks about everything in astronomy. But, if I do find a focus in astronomy, he will  be glad to help me look for some useful resources.

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me?

The reason why he is qualified to help me is because he is an experienced astronomer who worked in the astronomy field for years. He has done research and projects plus he teaches astronomy to people everyday at Mt. Sac, Since he has a lot of experience, he was able to help me understand astronomy as a whole, as well as help me understand some of the steps to get ahead astronomy/physics.

Link to the audio interview

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7vfamCjNJQ6R2t3cDhJTW5JX1U/view?usp=sharing

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep 1

What I’m hoping to get through my senior project is a better understanding of what astronomy is and why we need it. I want to learn as much I can about the topic, which I hope will help me later on in the future. It’s a simple goal, but it’s something I want as a goal.

Blog 3 - First Interview Questions

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  Why?

I plan to interview my mentor, Michael Hood, because he is the person I am the most comfortable asking right now to interview. Another reason why I want to interview him is because this will give me a chance to get to know my mentor a bit better

2.  Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask.  What additional questions do you plan to ask?  Ask open-ended questions.  

1. What inspired you to study astronomy?
2. Why do you think astronomy is important in our society?
3. What do you hope to achieve through your profession?

Blog 2 - Summer Mentorship

1. List the contact name, phone number, and organization of the person with whom you volunteered.

Name: Michael Hood

Phone: (909) 274 - 4767

Organization: Professor Mt. Sac

2. What qualified this person as an expert in your topic choice?     

Michael Hood is qualified to be my mentor because he is a professor in astronomy and teaches people about it everyday.

3. List three questions for further exploration now that you've completed your summer hours.    

1. What are some other things I can do by myself to help me gain experience in the astronomy field?
2. Why is hard to find a clear border between astronomy and other science fields?
3. What are we, as a whole, hoping to accomplish with astronomy?

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

I actually haven’t gained much experience yet since I have barely started on my mentorship. hopefully later on I will gain some valuable skills and experiences that I can use later on in life.

5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did mentorship help you make your decision?  Please explain.

My senior topic is going to be about astronomy. The reason why I choose astronomy is because my mentor, Michael Hood, works in the astronomy field and was the only one who would accept me as a mentee.

Blog 1 – Senior Final Lesson/Interview Reflection

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1. What three lessons were most helpful for you to see, and why?

The three lessons that were the most helpful to me was Domestic Abuse from Hannah Leonard, Astrophysics from Emaan Ahmed, and Editorial Publishing by Elijah Garcia. The reason why I choose these three is because all of them kept me engaged on the subject they were teaching. So, I took the pros and cons of each of their presentation to learn from their mistakes and apply pros onto my presentation.

   2. List one thing that you learned about the senior project in interviews that will help you get off to a good start?

I was in fact absent when senior interviews happened, actually I didn’t even know it happened. Although, if I were to conduct an interview the question I would ask is what were some of the most difficult tasks you had to overcome in the senior project.

3 . What topic(s) are you considering, and why?

I am considering astrophysics because it is a field I want to pursue later on in life. It is literally a topic I have been interested in ever since I was a kid (even though I didn’t realize I was learning about astrophysics). Whenever I talk about astrophysics I just become really happy, giddy, and I basically turn into a massive nerd.If I am unable to do that I am thinking about human rights, but I don’t necessarily know what sub division I should make my topic on.  

4 . What EQ do you think might be interesting to consider in guiding a project like this? (Please don't worry about any sort of formula...we want this question to come from your genuine interest).

Astrophysics: What is the best possibly way to explain how the beginning of space and time itself started?

Human Rights: Why is it that humans have lived for more than 200,000 years, yet we are still facing issues on inequality?

5 . What are some ideas you have about finding summer mentorship?

Some ideas I have for finding a summer mentorship is by emailing or calling professors who study astrophysics and see if they are willing to take me up as a mentor. The same goes with the human rights subject, although I am actually unsure as to how well this method actually is and if I will find a mentor.