Jake+Louw

__**1/29/2015**__
-NOAA Flower Garden Banks Marine National Sanctuary-History of http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/welcome.html

-Fracking: Is it good or is it bad?

-Beach Protection on Long Island and can it be maintained with human intervention? without?

__**2/2/15**__
-Emailed uncle about Flower garden banks. Probable interview to follow.

-religion and ecology is a cool topic too.

__Annotations__
 * "Values are a good thing"**- Through this article it makes it almost clear, at least to me, that scientists in most fields need to have certain values that help guide them through their research. If a biologist is researching how one species of birds are rapidly dying off because of certain toxins in the air he/she needs to report that to the proper policy makers. Another interesting point that was made in the article was the authors suggestion that, "...it tis more useful for sciences to essentially say "'For the record, in order to reach policy goals a and b, we recommend you select option c of the alternatives we analyzed.'" I agree with this point and i believe that it should be required when ever EPA reports and delivered to the lawmakers up on capitol hill. I believe that conservation biologists and scientists in these fields should maintain a core of values that should be concurrent throughout the field. These scientists should all reach the same conclusions, similar to how physicists all agree upon the theory of gravity, that aim to grow their field that our planet ever so needs.


 * "NSF Advisory Committee"-** Although I only read the prologue and executive summary the most important fact for me was how interdisciplinary any action must be. There are so many fields that interact when it comes to dealing with this beautiful planet of ours it is hard to nail it down to one specific branch of science. The NSF has, "...already provide[d] broad support for the disciplines that are critical for environmental science, including the behavioral and life sciences, the earth and atmospheric sciences, the social sciences, and the mathematical, physical, engineering, and information sciences." These are just the broad definitions of these major categories that does not include all the sub-fields with in each that has its own brand of scientists and theories. The fact that there are so many different cogs in the giant machine of "environmental science" must have something to do why it takes so long for any new idea or breakthrough to become so widely accepted.


 * "Religion and Ecology; Christianity and Environment"**-Reading only one chapter from this publication I can not speak about the entire piece. But being the atheist that I am I did enjoy reading about how religion, specifically christianity, influences the environment and peoples views on the environment. The one interesting point that the author discusses is how a masculine or feminine translation of god can determine how one sect can look at the environment and mankind's interactions. Each and every religion and religious sect and religious leader have different interpretations of the same work of literature. Since I was talking about christianity I will stick with the bible. One preacher might say that earth is gods creation and nothing we do can effect, while another may say that it is our godly duty to protect the greatest gift mankind will ever receive. Climate change is not a religious issue, nor is it a race issue, national issue or state issue. It is a human issue and every single human must be held responsible for helping to protect this delicate planet that we all call home. Religion should not dictate whether or not you care about keeping the planet clean.

MF: 8/10 Good that you are reading over everything but try for more depth in any one.

__2/9/2015__
__Annotations__
 * "Welcome to Postnormal times"-** As an introductory article this piece did a decent job at laying down the foundations of what postnormal science is and gave many good examples that help define its meaning. From what i gathered from the article, postnormal science is a field of study that researches all the interdisciplinary connections in many aspects of our global lives. Ziauddin Sardar characterizes the current times as an epoch of, "...uncertainty, rapid change, realignment of power, upheaval and chaotic behavior." When the author discusses the concept of the three c's I would almost have to disagree and say it should be more of two c's. From the explanation and descriptions given i this article I would have to say that complexity and chaos should be considered under the same branch. Chaos is such a huge factor due entirely in part to how complex our society has become. As stated in the article, "nothing is simple" any more and because of that chaos theory has so much room to traverse and intoxicate varying aspects of our lives. All that technology that has infiltrated our lives is more complex than what was even imaginable 50 years ago. I don't know how true it is but I have seen around the internet a fun fact that there is more computing power in a high school level graphing calculator than there was in the Apollo moon landers. That is crazy.....how fast we have been able to advance these stunning and brilliant pieces of equipment. My last comment of this piece is that there was a lack of connectivity between what postnormal science is how it interacts with our ecosystems. I am not denying that there is a major connection but this article failed to use many examples to show how the two are connected.

MF: 8/10 Again, I'd like to see you take on recounting in more detail some of the author's/article's main arguments, so that if there's a question on the take-home final like "What is postnormal science according to Ziauddin Sardar? What do Turnpenny et al. add to that definition?" -- you will be pretty much all set...

**__2/12/2015__**
__Annotations__
 * "The Anthropocene Review"-** All of the graphs and data and figures that appear in this article all can trace their origins to one word, Overpopulation. Human overpopulation of course. After taking Environmental Sciences class in high school and two other STSS classes at RPI it has become my opinion that humanity's greatest threat to this planet is overpopulation. It is striking how rapid the population, and all of the factors that this article organized and graph for us, has increased since the last century. They call it the "great acceleration" and that is exactly what it is. Everything today is moving faster then ever before and the planet is trying so hard just to catch up. The true effects of our actions today will not be seen until tens maybe even hundreds of years from now but they will be cringe worthy, at least in my opinion and i am sure i am not alone, and humanity will look back on this time with disgust. This "great acceleration" whether it be of GDP or fertilizer use or Nitrogen emission or human population needs to find its brakes and need to find it fast. Another interesting point made in this article is the lack of differentiation between soci-economic classes in the graphs. They bring up that population has grown rapidly in certain parts of the world while others parts of the world are still lacking in GDP but are surpassing other nations in population. The effect of more wealth in a country is a tricky one, do more well off civilians have less children even though they can provide for them more? Or is it just that developing countries have less means of birth control or even a lack of knowledge about it? It is another interesting point that also ties into my comments on over population and should be researched on its own platform.

MF: 8/10. Closer more detail reading will help avoid overgeneralized overstatements like "All of the graphs and data and figures that appear in this article all can trace their origins to one word, Overpopulation." Nothing in sustainability is ever reduced or traced to one word; here'e one statement from the article that shows why population growth is not the "origin" of all the graphs and data and figures: "In 2010 the OECD countries accounted for 74% of global GDP but only 18% of the global population." So clearly there are other origins to the great acceleration. And the article says population growth is projected to peak soon; I don;t think that means the end to these problems, though...

__**2/17/2015**__
__Research Topic Statement__ For my Research paper I am going to research the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary; it’s history, current activities and future projects. I will also look into how this sanctuary can be a model for other ecosystems in how to exist sustainable in our current global climate of rapid consumption of fossil fuels and pollution. I will also look at if the BP oil spill in 2010 impacted the sanctuary at all and if so how and what lessons can be learned from this unique ecosystem. Located in the Gulf of Mexico, the Flower Garden Banks Sanctuary is home to three coral reefs where thousands of different species of marine life coexist in harmony .Its discovery was recorded in 1936 but was rumored to have been discovered earlier by local fisherman. This National Sanctuary is maintained by a lab located in Galveston, Texas and has been apart of the Nation Marine Sanctuary system since 1996. My Uncle, George (GP) Schmahl is the current superintendent of the entire sanctuary and I will be interviewing him for his own personal knowledge of the site. Along with the interview I will be doing research on the Flower Garden Banks and their history with the National Marine Sanctuary system as well as the impact that the BP oil spill had on the sanctuary. My two main sources for this project will be the interview and the Internet and I will use the library as a source for any books I need to read.

MF: I love this project; it will still need some focusing eventually but for now what you describe is the way to go. The NOAA page has more info than you could ever hope to get through, so figuring out an angle and doing a lot of reading even before you talk to your uncle will be crucial, so you know what you want to talk with him about most. Here's an interesting dissertation written on this sanctuary that I found:

A couple of other articles, more generally on anthropological approaches to the study of marine protected areas:

__3/1/2015__
__Update of Research Project__ My uncle had to postpone the interview so I will get that done this week and have a lot more research done then. Besides that interview though I will be using the following sources as well;
 * http://flowergarden.noaa.gov
 * Has multiple annual reports where information of all the scientific research from the past year is organized into an east to read format. In this annual report there was study on lion fish infiltration to the site and how they plan to mediate this invasive species. Also has images and descriptions of what the FGB look like as well as some background history on them.
 * [[file:blount.pdf]]
 * [[file:BELKNAP-DISSERTATION.pdf]]
 * [[file:Foundation_OculinaReportFinal.pdf]]
 * All of these were suggested by you but have a lot of detail and information that I can and will use in my project.
 * The interview.
 * here is another copy of the initial question I have for the interview.
 * Background of the FGB?
 * o Founding?
 * o Facilities
 * What do you do in capacity as superintendent?
 * What is so special about reefs?
 * Does tourism (scuba diving) have an impact on the sanctuaries?
 * o i.e. 2012 Summary Lion Fish sightings
 * What are some of the ongoing research products?
 * o Any connections to sustainability/climate change?
 * What goes into an annual review?
 * BP Oil Spill
 * o Were there any effects on the FGB?
 * o What was/would have been your response?
 * o Do you plan/predict for such events?
 * o Any protocol shifts because of it?
 * Climate Change
 * o Any tangible evidence in the FGB?
 * o How are reefs worldwide affected?
 * o Can reefs help remediate certain “symptoms” of climate change?
 * Water runoff from US, does it have impact on FGB?
 * Can the FGB be used as a model for planet-wide sustainability? IF so in what capacity


 * http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/10168/AAUS_2009_91-4.pdf?sequence=1
 * Another peer reviewed paper from researchers at Texas A&M University that details how the FGBNMS is connected to its community and what implications that holds.

__3/4/2015__
__Annotations__
 * "Reflections on Gaia-Lovelock"**-
 * Gaia “Greek mother of all, mother of universe” equivalent to roman terra
 * Not all one science can explain the earth’s systems. Scientists who think this are stubborn
 * I think its silly that all these scientists got caught up on a name. Have they ever heard of the expression “don’t judge book by its cover?”
 * Prior to reading this I never had the thought that evolution of life impacted the environment. Now that I’m thinking about it its pretty obvious though. Paragraph 2 end.
 * o Humans are best example
 * § Deforestation, roads, cities, CO2 production, climate change, etc…
 * o Plants giving off O2 as byproduct paving way for other forms of life
 * Global systems that were able to regulate climate and chemistry have been ignored for a while (1925) Paragraph 3
 * Its funny that his breakthrough about global system of earth was altered when he was doing research about space
 * Seeing earth from afar for the first time must have been a huge shakeup for many people. Altering the way they perceive our place in this universe.
 * Humans look for other planets that hold life by looking for clues in the atmosphere that are known byproducts of life.
 * o Can the existence of life be recognized from the knowledge of the chemical composition of the planets atmosphere?
 * o What if life on other planets has evolved to perform different chemical cycles and reaction that lead to a different atmosphere?
 * Astrobiology is taking Gaia theory to space.
 * Organisms don’t evolve on their own. Neither does a atmosphere of planet. They evolve together. One shaping the other.
 * Disciplinary boundaries are outdated and need to be thrown away. Our knowledge of the world and how it works have vastly improved since the time of science run by the catholic church (when the earth was still flat)
 * Is Gaia theory the new evolution? Rejected at first as ludicrous and then accepted as fact by future generations? I Hope so.

__3/7/2015__
__Research Update__ The interview with my uncle went very well. We talked for over 30 minutes and almost all of the questions I asked were answered to some degree. Right now I am in the process of listening to the interview and taking down important quotes that both answer my questions directly and are relevant to my project. I still have not come up with a thesis statement or a overarching question that would be answered by my project. After reflecting on the interview and rereading the articles you proposed again I project to have one by then.

__3/30/2015__

 * Outline Version 2.0 3/30/15**
 * **__Introduction__**
 * o Nomenclature
 * § MPA, FGB, NOAA
 * o What is the FGB
 * § What is a MPA?
 * //[]//
 * //[[file:sciencesofsustainability/blount.pdf|http://sciencesofsustainability.wikispaces.com/file/view/blount.pdf/542312768/blount.pdf]]//
 * § Facts about FGB
 * //1.b.i//
 * //1.b.iv//
 * //2.a//
 * //[[file:sciencesofsustainability/BELKNAP-DISSERTATION.pdf|http://sciencesofsustainability.wikispaces.com/file/view/BELKNAP-DISSERTATION.pdf/541344704/BELKNAP-DISSERTATION.pdf]]//
 * //[]//
 * § Facilities
 * //1.b.iii//
 * § What makes it special?
 * //1.i//
 * //1.iii//
 * //1.b.ii//
 * //2.b//
 * § What is NOAA?
 * //[]//
 * § Other sanctuaries
 * //1.ii//
 * //[]//
 * o Who is GP?
 * § Relation
 * //Uncle//
 * § Schooling
 * § Career
 * //Florida Keys//
 * //1.b.ii//
 * § Job as a superintendent of MPA
 * **__ Body __**
 * o Tourism
 * § // 3.b //
 * § // [[file:sciencesofsustainability/BELKNAP-DISSERTATION.pdf|http://sciencesofsustainability.wikispaces.com/file/view/BELKNAP-DISSERTATION.pdf/541344704/BELKNAP-DISSERTATION.pdf]] //
 * o Oil Spill
 * § //5.a.i-iv//
 * § //5.b.i-iii//
 * o Climate Change
 * § //4.a.i-iv//
 * § //4.b.i//
 * § //6.a.i-ii//
 * § //6.b-c//
 * § //7.a-b//
 * o Sustainability
 * § //2.a-b//
 * § //3.a.i//
 * § //3.b-e//
 * § //6.d//
 * o Connection to Community
 * § []
 * § 4.a.ii
 * Conclusion
 * o FGB as model of sustainability.
 * § Connect all findings to suitability and what we have learned in class
 * o FGB as model of sustainability.
 * § Connect all findings to suitability and what we have learned in class

All numbers refer to the interview with my uncle. Some may be quoted directly while others may be referenced. I will include the entire dialogue with him along with the paper in the works cited section.

__4/5/2016__
__Annotations__
 * Ecological Paradigms Lost: "The Paradigm of Narrative" -** The most interesting part of this chapter for me was the contrast the authors established between humanitarian research and "hard"-scientific research. Prior to reading this article I had to knowledge of the differences between different forms of research methods in humanitarian and scientific fields. "Paradigms say what is in it, Commonplaces say where to start" is a quote from chapter 15.2.2 that the authors repeat multiple times. It is important that one understands this point and how it relates to the two methods of research mentioned earlier. What if each field were to try the others method for a short time? What is anthropologists or social scientists used collaboration and paradigms to drive their ongoing research projects? What would happen if chemists and physicists were just given a starting point and said work alone to find the answer? What new discoveries would these people make? What would they miss? All questions that could be answered with a multitude of responses but who knows which one is more correct than the next. The example of how two different authors wrote the Dust Bowl. Bonnifield is described as writing the Dust Bowl as a time of heroism and human accomplishment of science and technology while Worster labeled the time as a tragedy due to the loss of ecosystem services and the disruption of the formerly enduring environment. The reason the authors describe the same event as complete opposites is due to their own personal views undoubtedly and also the way in which they conducted their research.

__4/15/2015__
Here is the first version of my paper. It includes the introduction and first body topic. What else that is to be included is the body topics of the BP Oil Spill, Climate Change, Sustainability and connection to community. After these body topics I will also included a conclusion that will connect my paper to my overarching thesis.

__5/11/2015__
Final Research Paper Submission.

__5/13/2015__
Final!!!!