Posts tagged with resources.
Resources outside classes
Back in high school, when I thought about university, I pictured all the obvious stuff. Crowded lecture halls packed with hundreds of students eagerly taking notes. A table in the library filled with laptops and textbooks, as panic-stricken students crammed for exams.
Both of those mental pictures turned out to be more or less true. There are over 300 students in my organic chemistry class, which is way bigger than any high school class I've ever had. Except, uh, not everyone is eagerly taking notes. At the back of the lecture hall, people aren't using their laptops to speed-type and record everything the professor says. They're probably updating their Facebook. Or playing Tetris.
Looking back, I realize that I didn't anticipate some of the coolest parts about university. There are tons of resources that are available to students outside of formal classes. Like the Earth Sciences Museum at the University of Waterloo. It features an amethyst tunnel, a gigantic obelisk of stone that reaches from the basement to the second floor, tons of gemstones, and even dinosaurs. There's also a granite water feature that represents the Great Lakes.
I was thrilled when I found out that there's even a place for indoor rock climbing at Waterloo, with two 16-foot long sections of walls and a cave. I first went indoor rock climbing on a field trip in grade 11, and I've loved it ever since. A bouldering wall within five minutes of my chemistry class? I couldn't believe it.
Recently, the University of Waterloo announced it will be hosting a free public lecture and panel to explore the science behind H1N1. Despite my germaphobic fear of mingling in huge crowds right now, I was thrilled.
Christine Dupont, my genetics professor from first year, will be giving the lecture.
I'm pretty sure two of my younger brothers have had the swine flu.
Neither of them were ever diagnosed by a doctor, but about 90% of all flu cases in Canada right now are actually H1N1. This means that, statistically, either one or both of my brothers had the swine flu when they were sick last week.
Although I haven't been able to get the H1N1 shot yet, I'm pretty sure I've already been exposed to the virus. Especially after my four-year-old brother coughed right in my face a couple of weeks ago. I haven't felt sick yet so I'm crediting my (so far) perfect health to my awesomely superior immune system.
And the fact that, like a lot of people these days, I've become a germaphobe who washes her hands a bazillion times a day.
The free public lecture, organized by Waterloo's faculty of science, is entitled, "The Science Behind H1N1: Evolution, Pathology, Vaccines and Adjuvants." (For those in the area who are interested, it's tomorrow, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. in the Theatre of the Arts in the Modern Languages building.)
This lecture will include an opportunity to ask questions in a panel discussion. There are so many questions that I can hardly wait to ask. For instance, the obvious question that lots of us are wondering about: why do otherwise healthy young Canadians sometimes become gravely ill and even die from swine flu? Have any commonalities been identified among these youngest victims of H1N1 yet?
Despite the inevitable exposure to all the door handles and arm rests (not to mention those wet sneezers at the back of the room) that could be teeming with H1N1 germs, it's going to be interesting to hear from some experts why this flu is different from the regular seasonal flu.
Biology is my favourite subject, especially genetics. But I don't think you have to be a science nerd to feel excited about this event. It's one of the things I love about university life. You get to attend lectures and panel discussions on events with immediate real-world relevance.
Some of the best parts of university life are beyond the classroom.
Tagged with
university,
lecture,
h1n1,
resources
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