It's crazy to think that the third week of my work is already complete, especially when I'm only just feeling comfortable with and skilled at my position. Unfortunately, I have still not been able to interact with children, as last week's scheduling was canceled. I cannot help but feel somewhat guilty for my lack of exposure to the community and its issues. When talking with others, I realize how engaged in and moved they are by their experiences. This in no way means that I am disappointed with my agency-this is an amazing opportunity that I am grateful to receive, and I am learning a great deal-just that I am experiencing something with a different focus than I had anticipated. I am applying to medical schools this summer, and this research is amazingly appropriate for these applications. However, I have not been 'moved' by any particular event that has caused me to take a moment and reflect or to consider wholly some aspect of social justice. It was relieving to discuss this in Friday's session, and I received helpful feedback. I think discussing this with my direct supervisor is feasible, and I'm confident he would be receptive to my concerns. Moreover, part of research is reading MANY articles to familiarize oneself with a relevant topic. I am going to try and locate articles that relate to my research objectives, but also address the implications of the research and provide the social context in which the research is being conducted. I do believe the research being conducted is related to social justice, but that it is on a much longer time scale than is readily visible in a summer internship.
I really am enjoying my internship! It's a great opportunity to learn the ins and outs of a world-class research institution and it is an experience that will serve as an asset in my medical goals.
Friday's visit to Fortune Society was a great experience, especially after feeling removed from CUSP's focus. I was immediately impressed with the facility and its operators. The discussion prompted a series of thoughts, the overwhelming two of which were frustration and privilege.
The first source of frustration lies in policy, and to better illustrate I will mention my specific concerns with drug laws. It is ridiculous to think that the enactment of drug laws is making a community substantially safer. This is because - the way I see it - the use of drugs falls into two categories. The first of these involves the naivete inherent in adolescence. Children are bound to make mistakes. It is virtually impossible for them to recognize the consequences of trying a hard drug and, as a result, abstain. They are more absorbed in their curiosity and are in all honesty quite likely to come across something. This can be compounded with compromised situations of all sorts, causing them to 'sample' a particular substance. That doesn't mean they are a criminal who should be locked up; they didn't harm society in using the drug. The only argument I would support in the enforcement of drug laws is the avoidance of drug dependency. However, it is silly to presume that by sending a person to prison the problem is fixed. I found that Barry illustrated this idea well when talking about the drug accessibility in prison, as well as a person's unresolved addiction when released from prison.
In writing on drug laws, I am immediately reminded of many other issues mentioned in the discussion, including the removal of rights (ie voting, student loans, etc.) and the horrible conditions on Rutgers Island. It's as if policy is itself catalyzing the falling apart of people's lives once they initially make a mistake. While I could go on, I will save these thoughts for verbal discussions and move on to discuss privilege.
Dr. Kiely discussed once the idea of social networks and how his personal network would prevent him from ever having a social collapse. This is something that has stuck with me, because I couldn't decide whether I completely agreed with or utterly disbelieved him. After listening to Barry and the discussion on Friday, I decided that he was indeed right in his argument. My life hasn't been the easiest to handle at times, but I realize now that my privilege over the years has connected me to more people than I care to approximate. A result of this is that, even if I've REALLY pissed some of them off from time to time, I recognize that they're not going to sit back and watch me fall to the floor. Because of this privilege, people usually do one of two things. Some take advantage of the privilege, knowingly make mistakes and get away with inappropriate actions, and others take comfort in and feel grateful for their privilege. I like to believe I belong to the latter category, but I won't be the judge of my own case! What's important though is that many people don't receive this privilege, and it is unfair. What's worse is that by not receiving the privilege, they are already at a disadvantage and I can only imagine that they feel as though they're bound to make a mistake and will be powerless to the consequences. It is unfortunate and unfair that people in the facility most likely got to where they are today largely because they didn't have the privilege others have, not because they are intrinsically bad people. It is this point that brings me BACK to the frustration, because I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it seems pretty clear to me that policy is addressing the wrong problems. Why, then, are the policymakers facing the wrong direction?
Barry stated that it is a matter of public safety that conditions for previously incarcerated individuals be improved. I think that is one of the most accurate points I've heard made in a long time, because it is true on so many levels. I'm not going to describe them HERE though-so you can just sit back and think about that!
I hope that the upcoming weeks are just as influential as Friday's session was, and I look forward to these possibilities.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
First Reflection
Well the second week of my internship is well under way and I am having a comfortable adjustment to the work environment. It turns out that there are four other interns at the Sackler Institute, one of whom is also in CUSP. The others hail from Cornell, the University of Puerto Rico and Brown. All are nice, and we seem to be getting along well in this first week. I have been personally assigned two direct supervisors, both of whom are great people and clearly know a lot about their field. It's great to be under their guidance, especially because of their enthusiasm and genuine interest.
The details of my role at the Sackler Institute were a little obscure at first and continued to be so through my first couple of days. I was aware that I would be working closely with eye-tracking software and tools that together shed light on the brain's struggle to make a decision based on sounds, but wasn't sure as to how, why or with whom I would be completing the specified tasks. Moreover, there seemed to be a lot of 'down time' initially, because when I wasn't physically running experiments (or practicing, as is all I have done so far!) or ATTEMPTING to analyze the data there wasn't much I could do besides read relevant articles, which I finished into the third or fourth day. In the past two days, however, things have really come together. I am much more aware of my responsibilities in the lab, and have been able to work on areas needing improvement.
To this date my biggest concern lies in my ability to carry out a procedural step in the analysis of the data I will be collecting. The step requires fundamental knowledge of computer programming, and to be honest I don't even know if this is the correct term! Let this be a clear illustration of my previous experience in the field! Regardless, I am told (and do believe) that once I have this down the analysis will run much more smoothly and quickly, but it is really difficult! I am having trouble understanding the nature of the command programs, let alone the different codes. In time, however, I feel that I can figure it out. At least I will hope so!
My only other concern to date has been my lack of exposure to New York City area children--though it is clear that this is merely due to the timing of the summer. My work thus far has solely been to figure out how to operate the various computers and programs, and so my contact with community members has been relatively nonexistent. I recognize, though, that I should be grateful, because if I was interacting with children while simultaneously learning my responsibilities I would have quite a difficult time managing! Next Monday will be our first child to come in for testing, and I look forward to meeting and spending time with him. I am excited to get to know all of the people coming through the doors, and learn a little about their backgrounds.
In short, I am only just getting a feel for my position in the lab and the work it entails. It has been an exciting and interesting week, and I am confident I will get along well with my coworkers and supervisors. All have the best intentions, and the dynamic is already strikingly sound. I look forward to the upcoming two weeks, during which I will better develop my skills in the lab, begin to work with community members and have the opportunity to tie the many aspects of the Sackler Institute and the Cornell Urban Scholars Program together.
The details of my role at the Sackler Institute were a little obscure at first and continued to be so through my first couple of days. I was aware that I would be working closely with eye-tracking software and tools that together shed light on the brain's struggle to make a decision based on sounds, but wasn't sure as to how, why or with whom I would be completing the specified tasks. Moreover, there seemed to be a lot of 'down time' initially, because when I wasn't physically running experiments (or practicing, as is all I have done so far!) or ATTEMPTING to analyze the data there wasn't much I could do besides read relevant articles, which I finished into the third or fourth day. In the past two days, however, things have really come together. I am much more aware of my responsibilities in the lab, and have been able to work on areas needing improvement.
To this date my biggest concern lies in my ability to carry out a procedural step in the analysis of the data I will be collecting. The step requires fundamental knowledge of computer programming, and to be honest I don't even know if this is the correct term! Let this be a clear illustration of my previous experience in the field! Regardless, I am told (and do believe) that once I have this down the analysis will run much more smoothly and quickly, but it is really difficult! I am having trouble understanding the nature of the command programs, let alone the different codes. In time, however, I feel that I can figure it out. At least I will hope so!
My only other concern to date has been my lack of exposure to New York City area children--though it is clear that this is merely due to the timing of the summer. My work thus far has solely been to figure out how to operate the various computers and programs, and so my contact with community members has been relatively nonexistent. I recognize, though, that I should be grateful, because if I was interacting with children while simultaneously learning my responsibilities I would have quite a difficult time managing! Next Monday will be our first child to come in for testing, and I look forward to meeting and spending time with him. I am excited to get to know all of the people coming through the doors, and learn a little about their backgrounds.
In short, I am only just getting a feel for my position in the lab and the work it entails. It has been an exciting and interesting week, and I am confident I will get along well with my coworkers and supervisors. All have the best intentions, and the dynamic is already strikingly sound. I look forward to the upcoming two weeks, during which I will better develop my skills in the lab, begin to work with community members and have the opportunity to tie the many aspects of the Sackler Institute and the Cornell Urban Scholars Program together.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The first blog of my life
Hey everyone,
My name is Tyler, and I'm a rising senior at Cornell University. I'm majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in molecular and cell biology. This summer I'm working at the Sackler Institute at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and I have just finished my first week there. The institute's summer project is to collect data on a number of children from the New York City area that will ultimately identify relationships between brain development and language attainment. My focus area of the research will be to run eye-tracking experiments linking eye movement to brain processing and speech perception. I will be running these experiments with monolingual children between ages 6-18, and look forward to working with them! After much of my data collection, my aim is to find correlations between (ab)normal development of the brain, its effect on speech perception and the differences in socioeconomic status. Moreover, this research will provide insight into various reading disorders such as dyslexia and their relation to socioeconomic status. For instance, in families with compromised financial situations, time and resources spent on reading and other learning experiences may be jeopardized. This will adversely affect the brain's development at a young age, compounding one's disadvantaged status at a very young age.
I'm looking forward to my summer experience!
My name is Tyler, and I'm a rising senior at Cornell University. I'm majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in molecular and cell biology. This summer I'm working at the Sackler Institute at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and I have just finished my first week there. The institute's summer project is to collect data on a number of children from the New York City area that will ultimately identify relationships between brain development and language attainment. My focus area of the research will be to run eye-tracking experiments linking eye movement to brain processing and speech perception. I will be running these experiments with monolingual children between ages 6-18, and look forward to working with them! After much of my data collection, my aim is to find correlations between (ab)normal development of the brain, its effect on speech perception and the differences in socioeconomic status. Moreover, this research will provide insight into various reading disorders such as dyslexia and their relation to socioeconomic status. For instance, in families with compromised financial situations, time and resources spent on reading and other learning experiences may be jeopardized. This will adversely affect the brain's development at a young age, compounding one's disadvantaged status at a very young age.
I'm looking forward to my summer experience!
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