Hopkins Interactive Guest Blog

So, You Think You Can Run a Business?

Name: Luke Kelly-Clyne

Year: Class of 2010

Hometown: Wilton, CT

Major: Political Science

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Not all Hopkins students are pre-meds. Let me say it again: not all Hopkins students are pre-meds. Once more for the people in the back: not all Hopkins students are pre-meds. After three years on campus, I have come to realize that JHU kids really only share one thing in common and that thing is the capacity to think innovatively and critically … NOT the desire to don a stethoscope.

It is a well-known fact that Hopkins is situated among the world’s best in the fields of medicine, public health, engineering, music, and international relations. Soon, business may be added to that impressive list. With the newly opened Carey School of Business and the just-added major (and minor) in Financial Economics, Hopkins has begun to position itself to contribute to society a new class of businesspeople. Knowing the ferociously curious nature of the average student here, and hearing definitive life plans that include “changing the world,” I would bet that many in this “new class” will be entrepreneurs.

When I arrived on campus in 2006, the Carey School was not around and the Center for Financial Economics had not yet been conceived. Luckily, the Center for Leadership Education had already begun to shape Hopkins as a business-friendly campus with the W.P. Carey minor in Entrepreneurship and Management and with a program called Hopkins Student Enterprises (HSE).

Hopkins Student Enterprises, started in 2005, became the school’s student business incubator. We all have “ideas for businesses”. Few of them end up coming to fruition, though, as soon as we realize that we also need... money. That’s where HSE comes in. Students can submit a business plan through the website or by coming into the HSE office. If the idea is a good one, HSE will fund its development and will put the student who submitted the plan to work as an “Enterprise Manager” so that they can call the shots for their new venture. Managers hire and oversee a staff, market their business to the wider community (often Baltimore at large), sell their product, and get the invaluable experience of learning through actually doing.

I started as a consultant for one of HSE’s businesses called Hopkins Technology Commercialization Agency (HTCA) in 2007. Since, I have moved into an administrative role as Vice President and have been lucky enough to help start our two newest businesses Hopkins Delivery Enterprises (HDE) and Hopkins Student Creative Services (HSCS). Next year, I will be stepping in as President.

My time with HSE has been one of my most rewarding experiences at Hopkins and, if you are interested in the process of entrepreneurship, I would strongly recommend thinking about joining the team (whether you start your own business or work for an existing one). The organization’s faculty advisers are incredibly supportive and are always there when you need them, but make a point of being hands-off on a day-to-day basis. This is a space for JHU kids to very realistically put their money where their mouth is, to take the things they’ve learned in the classroom and to be put in a situation where they make or break their own path. It is an opportunity for students to learn a tremendous amount about themselves and to channel, in an extremely exciting, creative way, the fierce ambition that seems to permeate every wall of this campus.

Please e-mail hse@jhu.edu if this sounds like something you may want to be a part of. You do not need to be majoring in a business-related field to work with us, so don’t worry. 

Guest Blog on Summer Vacation 2009

It's finally the season of more sunshine and less schoolwork!  With Johns Hopkins undergraduates scattered throughout the world relaxing at home, conducting research or an internship at a university, volunteering at various organizations, or simply working to save up money, the next three months will be unique and exciting for every student.  

Although the beloved Guest Blog will be hibernating during the heated months of summer, there is much to look forward to in August as a number of incoming members of the Class of 2013 will be submitting entries!  Until then, check out the fabulous entries featuring current undergraduates posted throughout the latest semester: 

04.06.09 - Tasmin - "50 Things I Will Miss About Hopkins"
"It is amazing how time flies. I was surprised when senior year snuck up on me so quickly, and now it is almost finished. It feels like only yesterday I was moving into the AMR’s as a young freshman, but since then four great years have gone by. I have an infinite amount of great memories that I will take with me and cherish forever, but below are 50 things that I will sadly leave behind when I graduate in May."

04.02.09 - Tabor - "Merging Art with Engineering at the DMC"
"When I first got to Hopkins, I really had no idea what all would be offered here, in terms of extracurriculars. I knew the school was excellent in academics, but my only knowledge of stuff outside of academic work was a list of “Look at All These Clubs We Have!!!” Coming in, I had no idea how much art and media would be a part of my life here, especially since I am an Engineering Mechanics major."

03.30.09 - Anne - "Doggie Date Auction" 
"On any given day, you're likely to see tons of dogs running around the Hopkins. Families bring their children and puppies to frolic on the The Beach, older couples walk joyful golden retrievers along the brick pathways and a pair of adorable black and white Pomeranians are always chasing each other around the Decker Quad in front of the Admissions Office. However, despite the abundance of canine energy that tends to pervade the Homewood Campus, most students never actually get to hang out with a furry companion outside a perfunctory snuggle of someone's friendly beagle on the way to class."

03.26.09 - James - "Coming Out With DSAGA"
‘Coming out’ is a different process for everyone. For many it is the hardest thing they have ever, or will ever have to do in their life. The biggest thing is getting past the fear. While still in the closet, it seems that once you ‘come out’ your life will never be the same, and in many ways it will not. However, ‘coming out’ and telling the world who you truly are, helps you become that very person… (It is kind of circular, I guess)."

03.23.09 - Tabitha - Class-A-Holic
"Hi, my name is Tabitha, and I am class-a-holic. I have no control of this disease and end up attempting to take far too many credits every semester. Let me explain what I mean by describing my semester so far…"

03.19.09 - Natalie and Jai - Epidemic Proportions
"Epidemic Proportions is the Johns Hopkins undergraduate public health research journal, and one of the oldest in the country. It provides students with an outlet to publish their work, learn how to edit, and contribute to layout. Epidemic Proportions combines journalism with public health, and is comprised of a team of devoted, intelligent, and talented individuals who represent a variety of majors."

03.16.09 - Katie-  "Interning for the Johns Hopkins Sustainability Project"
"I've worked a lot of odd jobs in my life.  I’ve been a waitress, an intramurals referee, a telemarketer, and even a kennel cleaner at a veterinary hospital.  When I got to college, I became very interested in the environmental movement, so naturally when an internship involving sustainability and environmental advocacy became available right on campus with the Johns Hopkins Sustainability Initiative, I was excited to apply." 

03.09.09 - Lauren - "Johns: Food for Thought"
"As a Maryland resident (I’ll say I’m from D.C., since the suburbs here are difficult to explain), I’ve visited Baltimore many times. Each of these visits (usually with the pretense of going to the aquarium) had one unifying element: my parents made fun of Johns Hopkins. Not the institution itself, but the name. Every Hopkins student has had the experience of correcting someone when they call the university “John” or some other variant of Johns (people can be pretty creative)."

03.02.09 -Neha - "Intersession in India"
"Through the Johns Hopkins Woodrow Wilson Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, I spent this past winter break assessing neonatal and maternal health in Pune, India. An ancient city home to over five million people, Pune is ranked the third city in India with the greatest slum population, right after Mumbai and Meerut. According to a December 2007 Times of India article, “Pune Growing into City of Slums”, the city’s slum population has grown 176% since 1991. Born in Maharashtra India myself, it was of personal significance and concern to me that the first and third rank cities were located in my birth state."

02.23.09 -Sydney - "Summer in China"
"I’m really good at charades. You think I kid, but you try living in Beijing, China for a summer with not-so-hot Chinese language skills and let me know how talking without your hands goes for you.  I was completing 2nd year Chinese at Hopkins when I somehow got the idea into my head that I wanted to be in Beijing for the Olympics, and that’s how I ended up in an 8 week intensive Chinese language program where I had to sign a pledge that I would speak Chinese, and only Chinese, at all times." 

02.16.09 - Claire - "When Worlds Combine"
"I had always envisioned college as a place where my interests in life would become what I was learning at school. Where at last school wouldn’t feel like “work,” but where I would immerse myself in learning about things that interested me. My passions have always been film and creative writing, and unfortunately they’re two subjects that don’t get a lot of attention in high school."

There you go!  Eleven separate glimpses of what a single semester at Johns Hopkins can hold.  Another semester has passed, and countless lessons have been learned and growth through change has run its course.  Until next time!  

50 Things I Will Miss About Hopkins

Name: Tasmim Anwar

Year: Class of 2009

Hometown: Germantown, MD

Major(s): Applied Mathematics and Statistics / Biology

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It is amazing how time flies. I was surprised when senior year snuck up on me so quickly, and now it is almost finished. It feels like only yesterday I was moving into the AMR’s as a young freshman, but since then four great years have gone by. I have an infinite amount of great memories that I will take with me and cherish forever, but below are 50 things that I will sadly leave behind when I graduate in May.

1. Late night snack runs to Charles Street Market or the 24-hour University Mini Mart for ice cream and other healthy snacks.
2. Taking the Collegetown shuttle to Towson Mall to go shopping as a reward after an exam.
3. Free food or cake given out almost every day by various clubs at various events.

4. Eating at FFC with roommates and classmates.
5. Using freshmen’s meal cards to get into the FFC for free as an upperclassman.
6. Going into the library to study, but instead spending time catching up with friends who also are avoiding studying.
7. Pulling all-nighters at the HAC lab, with occasional small naps on the lab couches.
8. Listening to the All Nighters a capella group, as well as other superb JHU performers.
9. Going to the Lighting of the Quad ceremony in the cold weather just to see everyday Christmas lights while enjoying free cocoa.
10. Sometimes eating Chipotle 2-3 times a week.
11. Free shirts given away before sports games or at the Commemoration Day celebration every year.
12. Watching TV shows in different dorm lounges and making random TV friends.
13. Eating at Cold Stone all year long.
14. Enjoying the one snow day we have a year by having snow ball fights with friends
15. Telling yourself you will work out since the Recreation Center has everything you need, but hardly ever doing it.
16. Skipping class to have a 2 hour lunch with a friend.
17. Hanging out at the Interfaith Center for wonderful dinners and early morning breakfasts and free ice cream all day long.

18. Having covered grades freshman year first semester.
19. Watching the freshman orientation comedy show every year.
20. Giving tours and interviews to prospective students by being involved with admissions.
21. Doing dances with friends at culture shows in Shriver Hall.

22. Getting a chance to meet celebrities like Will Ferrell, Bill Nye and Kal Penn.
23. Going to the bookstore to buy books and coming out with a new pair of Hopkins sweats.
24. Eating dinner at 12 am at Subway.
25. Having my friends throw me a surprise birthday party in my room at midnight.

26. Eating freshly rolled sushi at Nolan’s Dining Hall.
27. Having class outside when the weather is good.
28. Buying Girl Scout cookies on the breezeway.
29. Being here to witness the amazing new changes at Hopkins (Charles Commons, CSEB, Mason Hall).
30. Participating in Hopkins Top Model, and getting eliminated in the first round.

31. Admiring the blossoms in the spring.
32. Downloading TV shows and movies off of DC++.
33. Going to Fells Point for Halloween.

34. Going to the Inner Harbor for lunch, dinner, shopping and the aquarium.
35. Seeing bunnies randomly around campus come out at night.
36. Attempt to become a real cook, and end up eating more frozen dinners instead.
37. Walking around the beautiful campus.
38. Buying Einstein Brothers Bagels with dining dollars.
39. Going to graduation at the lacrosse field to congratulate and say bye to your upperclassmen friends.

40. Doing homework in study groups with friends where you laugh more than you work.
41. Living with my roommate for all 4 years.
42. Enjoying South Asian Society at Hopkins (SASH)’s after parties at Baltimore clubs.
43. Visiting a friend’s dorm randomly whenever you want.
44. Passing notes and texting during class about cute upperclassmen.
45. Helping each other move out when you somehow have double the stuff you moved in with.
46. Saying hi to all the security guards that know my name.
47. Sleeping, tanning, eating, or studying on the Beach.
48. Being able to sleep in on days that I don’t have an early class.
49. Making new friends freshmen year first semester.
50. Reminiscing with old friends senior year second semester.

Merging Art with Engineering at the DMC

Name: Tabor Barranti

Year: Class of 2011

Hometown: Sunnyvale, CA

Major: Engineering Mechanics

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When I first got to Hopkins, I really had no idea what all would be offered here, in terms of extracurriculars. I knew the school was excellent in academics, but my only knowledge of stuff outside of academic work was a list of “Look at All These Clubs We Have!!!” Coming in, I had no idea how much art and media would be a part of my life here, especially since I am an Engineering Mechanics major.

I have been working with digital art since about 2003. I had a blog for two years, which was before blogs were really popular and people started to visit them. But my main interest wasn’t the blogging per se, but the sharing of art, most of which I had poured a lot of time into. In 2003, I came across a new type of artwork that I hadn’t ever seen before, called Vector art. It caught my eye right away, because it seemed to take a digital photograph, and almost make it into a cartoon-like image. I was intrigued immediately, and had to learn how to do this myself. Many, many months of practice later, I was making these vectors myself, and I continued to do artwork for whatever school project I could in high school through the computer.

I knew, though, that Johns Hopkins had a very academic atmosphere, and I was not sure how Art (I use this as a collective term. Art, music, theater, anything expressive is art.) would play into life on campus. But I was prepared to let art become a project on the backburner while academic life at Hopkins marched on.

But then I found a gem. The Digital Media Center was exactly what I was looking for. I had actually discovered them (well, us, now) at the Student Career Fair, and I knew that was the job for me. I was fascinated by the number of things offered by the DMC, and even if I didn’t get the job, I knew I’d be there a lot.

But as fate would have it, I got the job, and here I am. I have learned an extraordinary amount from working here. I may have already known Adobe Photoshop, website coding, and 3D modeling, but that pales in comparison to the sheer amount of other stuff there is out there to learn. When I was learning about computer software, the only equipment I ever had to use was a mouse. Sure, I knew how to use a digital camera, and could find my way around a camcorder, but I still remember the awe of looking in the Audio Studio for the first time and seeing the ridiculous amount of buttons and the lights that look almost sinister when looking in at night. And now, I’m happy to say, I do have authorization to use the Studio, even if I claim to have a phobia of it.

Just looking at all the equipment we, the DMC, have to offer, it’s a little overwhelming. Digital Cameras, Camcorders, and microphones, oh my! But we’re a friendly lot, and we’ll help you with whatever project you want to do. Whether its poster printing or video editing, jam session in the audio studio or making your very own website, we, the DMC, are here to help. As it turns out, art and engineering supplement each other, and that they do not have to be exclusive of each other to be worthwhile.

I mix art and engineering every day, and the Digital Media Center helps me along the way. Stop by and check us out!

Doggie Date Auction

Name: Anne Mumford

Year: Class of 2010

Hometown: Barnstable, MA

Major: Pyschology

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On any given day, you're likely to see tons of dogs running around the Hopkins. Families bring their children and puppies to frolic on the The Beach, older couples walk joyful golden retrievers along the brick pathways and a pair of adorable black and white Pomeranians are always chasing each other around the Decker Quad in front of the Admissions Office. However, despite the abundance of canine energy that tends to pervade the Homewood Campus, most students never actually get to hang out with a furry companion outside a perfunctory snuggle of someone's friendly beagle on the way to class. Hopkins PAWS, the university's first and only animal welfare group, is looking to change that. After all, everybody could use a big, wet, sloppy kiss... even if it isn't from another human.
 
This March Hopkins PAWS (or the Pet and Animal Welfare Society) put on their second annual Doggie Date Auction in the Glass Pav. The concept is simple: one Hopkins hottie and one adorable dog dress up as a themed couple (such as Nancy Drew and her Detective Doggie, or Obama and his Presidential Puggle - see attached picture) and a date with the duo is auctioned off to the highest bidder, along with a picnic basket full of goodies.
 
The auctioneers, popular campus improv comedy troupe The Buttered Niblets, kept the audience entertained by cracking jokes and taunting the bidders to go higher. The offbeat group also performed a brief "half-time show" complete with acoustic guitar and bubble-blowing, and even went as far as to auction off one of their in-characters MCs (sadly, the painfully awkward "Franklin" sold for less than two dollars). All the proceeds from the event were donated to BARCS, the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, a downtown shelter where the PAWS students volunteer several times per week.

In addition to the Buttered Niblets, a number of Hopkins student groups and sports teams contributed to the success of the event, mostly by providing the human halves of the date pairs! Many of my sisters from Kappa Kappa Gamma both attended and were auctioned off at the Doggie Date Auction, including Sarah Mae, who represented the softball team as the "Sweet Slugger" (see attached picture). Another sister, Lydia, was not only auctioned off but played a large role in organizing the entire event! "President Obama" is actually a brother of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. The true stars of the event, however, were the hard-working students of Hopkins PAWS, who raised over $1,500 for BARCS animal shelter through the evening's events including the silent auction, date auction and sale of event t-shirts emblazoned with "Bitches Love Me" and a picture of... a dog, of course! The dates were undoubtedly the most popular hot-ticket items: most pairs sold for around $60, and the most expensive date of the evening, the letter-clad Doggie Dominatrix (also known as Heather, the group's vice president) sold for over $200! 

Outside of the Doggie Date Auction, PAWS members help BARCS by promoting on-campus awareness about issues like the importance of spaying and neutering pets, as well as adopting instead of buying when looking for a new animal companion. During Spring Fair, members set up a booth on the Freshman Quad where adoptable shelter dogs greeted passersby and student volunteers collected donations. Students also help out at events around the city like the SPCA's Walk for Animals, the World of Pets Expo and BARCStoberfest. A small group even left Maryland this March to spend their Spring Break caring for homeless pets in Puerto Rico!
 
Though Hopkins PAWS was only founded a few years ago, they have been enormously successful in supporting and promoting their cause since 2005. The Doggie Date Auction is their biggest event of the year and was more successful than ever this Spring, bringing in more than twice the donations of last year's event. I guess it just shows that even in shaky financial times, everyone could still use a date!

'Coming Out' with DSAGA

Name: James DiCarlo

Year: Class of 2010

Hometown: Columbia, MD

Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

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‘Coming out’ is a different process for everyone. For many it is the hardest thing they have ever, or will ever have to do in their life. The biggest thing is getting past the fear. While still in the closet, it seems that once you ‘come out’ your life will never be the same, and in many ways it will not. However, ‘coming out’ and telling the world who you truly are, helps you become that very person… (It is kind of circular, I guess).

Like I said before everyone’s coming out story is different. For me the Diverse Sexuality and Gender Alliance (DSAGA) was a big part. The first person I ever came out as gay was actually my resident advisor’s boyfriend during the fifth day of orientation. He mentioned to me that a friend of mine was “totally into me”, to which I awkwardly stated, “I don’t roll that way…”. After repeating that cryptic phrase three or four times, he finally ‘caught my drift’. After that moment I knew that my life would never be the same.

The next day I called my best friend from high school and told her the news while teary eyed. That night my resident advisor (RA) took me to my first DSAGA meeting. I was terrified, while at the same time it was exhilarating feeling so free. Not hiding such a big part of myself anymore, I could finally speak freely and feel so many things I could not before. That first meeting will always be with me.

We did the traditional ice breaker type things, as it was the first general meeting, and then there was a discussion about ‘coming out’ oddly enough. I didn’t end up speaking and I didn’t even stay to chitchat long after the meeting was over, which is also traditional in the first, and most other, DSAGA meetings. I came back the next week, and I started meeting people. That same group of people has become my some of my closest friends, and best confidants at Hopkins. Infact I met my boyfriend at DSAGA that year and we have been together since. Over the next year DSAGA was my favorite weekly activity. The people and activities were always so fun and intriguing; from capture the big gay flag, to discussions on life experiences with homophobia.  The next year I knew I wanted to be a part of the DSAGA executive board, and I have been involved ever since.

Since becoming a member of the board I have been able to help plan and organize many events. DSAGA’s programming has truly become as diverse as its members.  One of the biggest events we organize is National Coming Out Day in October. To celebrate the iconic ‘coming out of the closet’ DSAGA members, last year, constructed and colorfully painted a shaky frame of 2x4’s to symbolize the closet. The closet is then set up on the Breezeway (an area of with a lot of traffic on the upper quad) and each passing person is asked to ‘come out’ as whatever they are in exchange for a piece of candy and/or a cookie. The event is a lot of fun, everyone that participates gets a treat, and people become generally more aware of the ‘coming out’ process. By far, however, the largest event that DSAGA organizes is the Awareness Days Symposium, which takes place annually in the spring (usually during the month of April).

The symposium is full of a multitude of events and guest speakers, many of whom are quite well known. Past speakers have included: Judy Sheppard (mother of Matthew Sheppard), George Takai, and Dan Savage. One of the most popular events during Awareness Days is the fabulous Drag Ball. The Ball is a Hopkins’ tradition and people from all backgrounds attend in their best of Drag attire. Overall Awareness Days is extremely popular, both within and outside of the Hopkins’ community.

Experiencing and helping organize so many DSAGA events has helped me, I feel, become a more well rounded person. The people I have met through DSAGA have greatly shaped me into the person I am today. In a way, I guess that relates to the importance of ‘coming out’. Since coming out as yourself, helps you become yourself, in my case ‘coming out’ helped expose me to people and experiences that helped form myself. While as corny as that sounds, for me, I believe it to be true. 

‘Coming out’ in college has taught me that being myself is the most important and life changing choice I could ever make. One of my favorite quotes is by Dr Seuss and I think it completely sums up the entire ‘coming out’ sentiment. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”

Class-A-Holic

Name: Tabitha Moses

Year: Class of 2011

Hometown: Oxford, England

Major: Cognitive Science

Previous Blog Entries: What's up in Wolman 3 East, Fall Break

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Hi, my name is Tabitha, and I am class-a-holic. I have no control of this disease and end up attempting to take far too many credits every semester. Let me explain what I mean by describing my semester so far…

So, this semester began very stressfully for me, but in a good way if that’s possible! I started off the semester with a first week schedule of 28 credits, and not because I really needed any of those classes they just all sounded fun. This is my problem. My friends call me crazy, but I can’t help it, I have too many interests, and there are so many classes I want to take!

I am not sure if it is a good thing or not but Hopkins caters to my addiction very well. Every semester there is an add/drop period, which allows you two weeks from the beginning of the semester to change classes and add more, after this two weeks you can still drop classes, you just can’t add them.

So, at the beginning of this semester I made myself a "first week schedule" which contained most of the classes I wanted to take that didn’t clash in times by too much. My plan was to go to all of the classes, get syllabi, see what the work load was like, and if I was interested in the course material, and then drop down to a reasonable number of credits for the second week. But here’s my problem: I liked all the classes I showed up to. For most people this is a good thing, but for me it wasn’t because I could not cope with taking 28 credits (I’m not even sure it’s allowed if you’re not a engineer!) Well, okay, I am lying a little, there is one class I didn’t like—Statistics—but it’s the only pre-med class I’m taking this semester so I have to take it.

So, what do I do about the rest of the classes?! Well, if you’re me you whimper pathetically at your friends and ask them to decide for you, which sadly (and very meanly in my opinion) they don’t. Then I was stuck. This is a mean school with too many good classes, I can’t believe that I am turning into the sort of person who wants to take 28 credits…that is not me, I am lazy, and very proud of my laziness! Anyway, I finally came up with a plan, which was to go through each class and decide which had the most work required of it, and then drop that class, well, those two classes. It was terrible! (Yes, I know I am melodramatic, I think everyone around me does after they had to deal with me for those two weeks!)

Anyway, the two classes I dropped, I am very sad about, so would like to mention them, I also plan on taking them again, I just hope they are offered again.

* Theory of Knowledge – this class is with Professor Michael Williams who is a great professor, and the subject matter is really fascinating to me, you learn all about different theories of the mind and how we acquire knowledge. However, it is a 400 level class, with a lot of difficult reading, so I decided to drop this one.

* Sleep, Dreams, and Altered States of Consciousness – this class is so cool, I really loved the subject matter, and the professor is great, he teaches you how to read EEGs one weekend instead of a class. However, this class is normally taught every year, and had a lot of work associated with it: 2 quizzes, a midterm, a final, a paper, and a group research project with presentation, so I decided to drop it.

While I did drop these two I did continue going to altered states of consciousness for the second week just because I wanted to learn about it. I am definitely taking that course next year, and I can’t wait!

As I no longer have a copy of my "first week schedule" I thought I’d share my revised "sensible" schedule with you here.

Okay, so I need to stop focusing on what I dropped, and look at what I’m taking, so here are my classes for this semester.

Language and Mind

Well, I’m taking this class for two reasons, the first is the fact that it’s required for my major (Cognitive Science) and the second is the fact that it sounded really interesting. I actually didn’t know I had to take this class when I signed up for it, so that shows that I actually do want to take it. Now I have to be honest, the class is not the most interesting of classes right now, but that has nothing to do with the topics, I still find the topic to be fascinating, and I just hope this class picks up a bit over the semester.

Statistics 1

Okay, this isn’t exactly a class I was looking forward to. I have to take it at some point if I want to do anything in psychology or cognitive science research, and for pre-med, but I have done some stat before. It’s not too bad so far, and hopefully it’ll stay that way!

Introduction to Moral Philosophy

I have only one fault with this class…it’s a 9am. I am not a 9am person, and I am having a little bit of trouble getting up for this class, but JHU_Mandy is in it too, so we’re able to tell each other what we miss! This is a required course for a bioethics minor, which I might be doing, and it’s also an interesting course, especially because of my TA (teaching assistant). A lot of the big classes have TAs that you meet with in a smaller seminar form for one class a week, and they go over what you’ve been doing in class that week and we have discussions about the material. I have had this TA before for another philosophy class and he’s really good because he knows how to keep a fun discussion going while explaining the material.

Philosophical Implications of Clinical Neuroscience

I’m not sure whether this class has ever been offered before; it’s a 400 level class out of the philosophy department taught by a doctor at the hospital who was originally a philosophy PhD student. I really love this class. We essentially spend all of our time discussing different bioethical and philosophical issues in neuroscience and how people try to deal with them, as well as our thoughts on them. The course was really over-subscribed but the professor insisted on keeping the class small so discussions would be good, so I’m really lucky I got in as a sophomore as there are grad students in the class as well. I would really recommend this course to anyone interested in psychology, philosophy, cog sci or neuroscience: it is great.

Social History of Languages

I would say this is my second favorite class. We meet once a week on a Friday afternoon in a seminar style class and discuss various aspects of different languages and social issues surrounding language. What I really enjoy is that part of our home work is every other week we have to write a couple of questions and comments on the reading, which is basically a chance to ramble about our thoughts on the reading for a couple paragraphs, and I think it’s fun that doing that counts as work!

Organism and Machine

This is a kind of weird class that I almost didn’t take because it clashed with one of the many other classes I almost took! I ended up taking it because not only did the topic sound fascinating, but also one of my friends recommended it because she had the professor last year and really liked her. It’s a weird class, and meets once a week for 2 and a half hours, so it’s sometimes hard to focus but it is fun. There are 9 of us in the class and the class is based around looking at different people, mainly philosophers, and their views on humans and organisms, and how they relate to machines. Are we all really just complicated machines?!

Also, if you are wondering what the picture is, it is a mosquito-machine, I thought it was kind of cool!

Careers in Psychology

This course was added just before the add deadline. It is a one credit course from the psychology department which is going to meet once a week on a Thursday evening after spring break and bring in speakers from different areas in psychology to talk about their jobs, how they got there and what they do. It sounds fun!

And that’s it. That’s all the classes I’m taking this semester. There were a couple other classes I almost took (and turned up to the first class of) but I won’t bore you with those details, I am sure you have had enough of my class shopping by now.

As I am sure you can tell, I was not joking when I said I was a class-a-holic. I know, I know, it’s a very sad thing to admit to, but I really can’t help it…honestly! Last semester I tried to do more extracurriculars, research, and a job thinking it might force me to take less classes, but that didn’t work very well, so I had to cut down a bit!

I won’t bore you with any of the other things I do around campus now, but if you want to know more feel free to ask me on my personal thread on Hopkins interactive and I’m happy to talk to you.

I want to leave you with one last plug for my favorite little café near campus: Carma’s Café. It’s just off campus on 32nd between North Charles and St Paul, and a great little place to sit and eat and do some work. If any of you are visiting campus you should go there and get some great food and listen in on many of the undergrad and grad student conversations going on around you.

That’s it for me, good luck to you all in whatever you’re doing!

Epidemic Proportions

Name: Jae Kim 
Year: Class of 2011 
Hometown: Lewis Center, OH 
Major: Neuroscience   

Name: Natalie Draisin 
Year: Class of 2010 
Hometown: Closter, NJ 
Major: Public Health Studies    

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I can still remember my first impression of Epidemic Proportions.   

Impressive.   

The staff. The quality of the journal. The discussions.
  
I had come to Hopkins with spectacular hopes for public health and however clichéd this may sound, I wanted to make a difference in the world. The problem: I was terribly intimidated by EP and its commitment to excellence. As a freshman, I had minimal exposure to journalism and experience with the process. Did I mention I was a freshman? But my doubts and worries quickly melted. At the first staff meeting, I saw first-hand the high level of respect among fellow staff members and their passionate dedication to this journal. Over the year, I gained an appreciation for the journal and learned quite a few things along the way.  Now, as a sophomore and current co-editor-in-chief, EP continues to be a major part of my Hopkins experience.  (-Jae Kim, Class of 2011)

So, you’re probably thinking: what is EP exactly?       

Epidemic Proportions is the Johns Hopkins undergraduate public health research journal, and one of the oldest in the country. It provides students with an outlet to publish their work, learn how to edit, and contribute to layout. Epidemic Proportions combines journalism with public health, and is comprised of a team of devoted, intelligent, and talented individuals who represent a variety of majors. Our audience includes students, professors, and faculty from not only Homewood campus, but also the Bloomberg School of Public Health and other Hopkins-affiliated institutions. We are widely revered and this journal is the face of JHU's prestigious public health major.       

The goal of EP is to capture the breadth and depth of the Hopkins public health experience. By highlighting valuable and interesting public health work of Hopkins undergraduates, we hope to inspire others to contribute to the vast field of public health. Our journal is composed of four main sections: research, perspectives, features, and editorials.       

Research is a central component of our journal because we understand the importance of supporting our good intentions with solid evidence. We only publish Hopkins research because we are confident in the caliber of our undergraduates, who may very well solve tomorrow’s ailments.     

The perspectives section showcases professors and faculty within the Hopkins community, who have taken giant steps in the field of public health. Through personal accounts and Q-and-A interviews, we hope to engage and encourage our Homewood campus to pursue research and fieldwork in public health.       

The features section highlights the exciting experiences of our undergraduates, both locally and abroad in the form of research, volunteering, and internships. In previous years we have received features pieces from students who pursued tuberculosis research in Iran, interned at the World Health Organization (WHO), and volunteered at an eye clinic in the Philippines.       

Last, but certainly not least, is our brilliant editorials section, which is written by staff members with strong opinions on current public health issues and controversies. We also welcome contributing authors who wish to publish their op-eds and share their voice with the Hopkins community.       

At every meeting, we have food to fuel our staff members. Recently, we began having potluck dinners in the hopes of bringing  together our staff members and so far, the food has been amazing and it has become a new favorite tradition. At our first potluck, Dr. Goodyear (advisor for the public health major) and his wife, as well as Susan Vazakas (our editing advisor), joined us as we brainstormed for ideas. Our latest meeting, on Friday, February 27 was also a potluck dinner. We had a great time together and made a list of potential articles for the coming issue. Not only did we meet the quota we set for articles, but with the hard work of our devoted staff, we exceeded it! On April 23, we will have an EP family party to celebrate the completion of this issue. (-Natalie Draisin, Class of 2010)

There is an opportunity for everyone to be involved in Epidemic Proportions. Anyone, from any major and year, can join and there is no need to have seniority to be an editor. We have two editors-in-chief, a secretary, a treasurer, four section editors, about two to four assistant editors for each section, and a layout staff. However, we constantly revise the organization of the staff to streamline the production process. Elections will be held on April 23 for our next staff, who will begin working in the Fall of 2009 while the current staff finishes laying out our issue. Once the staff is established, interviews for new staff members will be advertised. If you are interested in joining, please e-mail us at ep@jhu.edu, and check us out at http://www.jhu.edu/~ep/. We hope to see YOUR FACE on our staff next year!

Interning For the Johns Hopkins Sustainability Initiative

Name: Katie Chekan

Year: Class of 2010

Hometown: Raleigh, NC

Major: International Studies

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This is my first shot at writing a blog entry, so I hope you guys find it entertaining and useful!

I've worked a lot of odd jobs in my life.  I’ve been a waitress, an intramurals referee, a telemarketer, and even a kennel cleaner at a veterinary hospital.  When I got to college, I became very interested in the environmental movement, so naturally when an internship involving sustainability and environmental advocacy became available right on campus with the Johns Hopkins Sustainability Initiative, I was excited to apply.  I had been working as an intern with Environment Maryland (a non-profit group just a block away from Hopkins) previously, but I decided that I wanted to get more involved with the environmental movement right on campus.   The JHSI, established in 2006, is an entire department at Hopkins devoted to making our campus more sustainable.  That’s what’s so great about the “green” scene here; not only do we have a wide variety of student environmental advocacy groups, but there’s also plenty of job and volunteer opportunities around campus that can contribute to the environment and to sustainability.

I started my internship here at the Sustainability Initiative in June of 2008, and it’s definitely one of my favorite jobs that I have held so far.  This is not your average “make-copies-and-seal-envelopes” type of internship (trust me; I’ve worked some of those!)  This is much more engaging; the staff here is very welcoming, and you are treated like an adult and given real responsibilities, as opposed to just being “the intern.” 

One of my favorite projects that I worked on was planning and coordinating our first annual “Green Week” here at Hopkins, which was a week of events and campaigns that encouraged students, faculty and staff to not only reduce their carbon footprint through everyday actions (such as taking the stairs more often than the elevator), but also to share their ideas about improving the infrastructure on campus and reducing the school’s greenhouse gas emissions as a whole, an event we like to call the “Green Idea Generator”.  This year, students came up with a number of great ideas, which included more water efficient showerheads in the dorms, motion-sensor lighting in hallways, and solar-powered trash compactors.  Their ideas were taken very seriously; we are currently in the process of working with the grounds and facilities crew to get a number of these ideas implemented.  Other events scheduled throughout the year range from informational tours of the campus’s power plant to a “sustainability at Hopkins poster contest,” where the winner received a new iHome! 

In addition to planning exciting events on campus, an internship with the Sustainability Initiative has also taught me a lot about what the Hopkins administration is doing to green our campus.  I have had the privilege of sitting in on a number of Climate Change Task Force meetings.  The President’s Climate Change Task Force, established by former President Brody in the summer of 2007, is made up of four separate working groups, who meet regularly to discuss steps that Hopkins can take in various areas to bring us closer to carbon neutrality.  These meetings cover a wide range of topics, from new approaches to energy and electricity use to forming coalitions with environmental groups in the Baltimore area to raise awareness both on the campus and in the community. 

While I am working more in the communications and event planning arena here, there are three more interns who are working on a type of “building audit.”  They are going around the entire campus, building by building, and looking for opportunities to decrease each building’s energy and water consumption (look for future guest blogs by the “Green Building Auditing Interns”!)

I can say for certain that my experience as an intern here has been eye-opening.  At Hopkins, students’ ideas are taken seriously when it comes to “greening the campus,” and it’s nice to know that kids my age are making this kind of an impact on the Hopkins administration.  If you choose to come to Hopkins in the fall and decide that saving the environment is your calling, don’t hesitate to get involved, we are always looking for more brainpower to help make Hopkins more carbon neutral!

Johns: Food for Thought

Name: Lauren Melissa McGrath

Year: Class of 2010 (junior)

Hometown: Rockville, MD

Major(s): Writing Seminars, Anthropology

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As a Maryland resident (I’ll say I’m from D.C., since the suburbs here are difficult to explain), I’ve visited Baltimore many times. Each of these visits (usually with the pretense of going to the aquarium) had one unifying element: my parents made fun of Johns Hopkins. Not the institution itself, but the name. Every Hopkins student has had the experience of correcting someone when they call the university “John” or some other variant of Johns (people can be pretty creative). I’ve had the pleasure of this experience for as long as I can remember. There was “Bob’s Hopkin,” which became “Jim-Bob’s Hop Skins,” which at some point became “Joe Hopkins.” Had I not been careful, I may have written a cover letter to Joe along with my admissions application, which thankfully, I did not. I feel as though after all of this verbal roughhousing, Johns and I are finally on a friendly first-name basis.

Aside from having an excellent time inventing new names for my university, I had no idea what to expect when I arrived in the fall of 2006. I had come from an all-girls college prep school, where I had spent 10 years in a plaid skirt. Imagine my surprise when there were boys living on my floor in Wolman (I hate to admit that on seeing them, I asked my parents if maybe we were in the wrong place). Eventually, I got used to the male presence on campus. I fell into my activities, my majors (Writing Seminars and Anthropology) sorted themselves out, and I began to finally have fun, to enjoy the thing I had been for which I had been “preparing” for a decade.

The Modern Dance Company became my release on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and as a member I formed some lasting friendships over late rehearsals, bad blisters, and last-minute costume mending. I continued my hobby of writing, which I channeled through the News Letter, and helped edit j.mag, one of Hopkins’ literary magazines. My weeks were full, and days were long, but I fell into a rhythm. The summer between my Freshman and Sophomore years, I took a JHU Art History course in London, which was an incredible experience. During the trip I met two wonderful friends, who convinced me to give their multicultural sorority, Delta Xi Phi, a try. The beginning of my Sophomore year I joined the sorority, and found some friends and sisters who have since become like family.

From experience, it is always the times when you’ve set a pace, when extracurriculars, classes and friendships are going well, that a tough situation comes barreling toward you. Inert, you’re thrown into something entirely unexpected. Sometimes, it’s just the jolt you need to realize the joys of the things you have. For me, this inertia-busting train came last summer, when I was diagnosed with a cyst in my brain. I emailed my sorority sisters, who sent me postcards, letters, and emails from places as far away as Germany, and as close as my own hometown. The dance company sent me a stuffed bear and words of encouragement, and my friends vouched to visit me at home and in the hospital. Their words and messages were healing, and I was headed for surgery.

Now comes the ironic twist (I’m a writing major, so there’s got to be an ironic twist somewhere): I had neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Now, when I came to college, I expected to experience new things, but neurosurgery was not on my List of Fun Things to Do in Baltimore. I should point out, however, that because the hospital is dangerously close to the Cheesecake Factory, an undergraduate should be careful not to wander there on a whim after reading this (and consuming large quantities of cake) and ask for the “College Nite Neurosurgery Special.” 

Unfortunately, cake did not factor into my decision to have surgery. The institution that exercised my brain (in sometimes-frustrating ways) was now working IN my brain, to save my balance and hearing, among other things. In essence, Johns saved my life. For this, I made a quiet promise to myself not to make fun of his name again, although I’m sure he’d grant me the occasional term-paper induced slip-up (“30 pages? Why me, Jim-Bob? Why me?”). I’m pretty lucky though, to have a brain that works well enough to write a term paper, drive a car, or type a blog.

I can’t help thinking it was a stroke of fate that brought Johns and I together. Regardless of its name, or its educational merits, a university exists primarily for its students. I have been lucky enough to find the university whose missions, research, and education have benefitted me intellectually and physically. To be a Johns Hopkins student is to be inquisitive, self-starting, and slightly eccentric. If you are passionately interested in what Johns has to offer, he will be passionately interested in you.

I have found a place here over the course of the past three years. I feel positive that my appetite for learning about fiction, cultural taboos, Latin American politics, 18th century literature, psychological schemas, John Updike, and many other things, will be fed. As I’ve said, Johns and I are on a first-name basis, and like any good old friend, he is more than willing to give me his last penny to buy me food for thought.