Space Poster :)

Hello, and welcome to my last action project at GCE for my S.T.E.A.M core class, "Frontiers". In this unit, we reviewed different styles of presenting and condensing research papers into poster presentations similar to a science fair format. For this action project, I was challenged to create a poster that I will use to make my previous research paper on the further advancements in space technology and instruments more attractive to read and understand. Below is my poster with a link and QR code to my most recent research paper. It's been a long journey finishing this senior year and I'm excited to be moving on to a new adventure. I hope you enjoy the poster and research paper!

N.L. "Space Instruments and Technology Poster" 2022

You can find my research paper here: 

https://nlgcelabschool.blogspot.com/2022/06/better-tech-further-space-exploration.html

Works Cited:

Hall, Shannon. “Venus Is Earth’s Evil Twin — and Space Agencies Can No Longer Resist Its Pull.” Nature, vol. 570, no. 7759, June 2019, pp. 20–25, https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01730-5. 

mars.nasa.gov. “Mars Exploration Rover Instrument Diagrams – NASA Mars Exploration.” NASA Mars Exploration, 2017, mars.nasa.gov/resources/mars-exploration-rover-instrument-diagrams/.

“Why We Explore.” NASA, 2013, www.nasa.gov/exploration/whyweexplore/why_we_explore_main.html#.YpoaLXbYrrc.

Better Technology For Further Space Exploration

 Hello, and welcome to my first action project for the second unit, "Space" of my S.T.E.A.M core class, "Frontiers". In this unit, we learned about the history of humanity's understanding of space, how people in ancient times looked to the stars to guide them with directions and record events, and the history of space exploration. We also read Astrophysics For People In A Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson which helped us understand the many variables and components within space. For our field experiences, we meet with An Li over zoom. She presented us with her research from her observation program with NASA in 2020. She was a part of a group that studied the Mars rover "Perseverance" and focused specifically on the X-ray spectrometer of the rover called "PIXL". From this field experience, I was able to further research instruments and technology used for space observation and exploration. For this action project, I was challenged to write a research paper based on a grand challenge to space exploration and to describe the future of space exploration according to modern research. I choose to focus on how advancements in technology can result in more accurate and higher resolution of data collection and observation in space. During the process of drafting and finalizing this research paper, I felt that this project was important to learn about space even though the majority of humanity won't physically reach space anytime soon. I hope you enjoy my project below and thank you for visiting my blog!

Better Technology For Further Space Exploration

How can further advancements in technology contribute to a more accurate and higher resolution of data collection and observation in space? 

Space exploration has become a more common and eye-catching topic throughout the 21st century. Though most of humanity won’t reach space within the next few years or decades even, we invest billions and trillions of dollars into space exploration. I often ask myself “Why is it important to explore space? “Why do we invest so much money towards space exploration if we won’t be able to physically go there yet?” Throughout my research, I found the answers I was looking for and I hope this paper helps you understand the importance of space exploration. According to Nasa, “Human space exploration helps to address fundamental questions about our place in the Universe and the history of our solar system. Through addressing the challenges related to human space exploration we expand technology, create new industries, and help to foster a peaceful connection with other nations.” 

Humanity started studying space in ancient times. From using the stars as directions and guides to documenting an idealogy of perceiving the stars as higher beings to humanity. According to Northern Arizona University, “The ancient Babylonians viewed the Universe as a flat disk of land surrounded by water. They were the first people to keep detailed records of the paths of planets. Like most ancient people, Babylonians believed that studying planetary movements could help them predict the future.” Before recent advancements in technology,  human space exploration was limited to the instruments and tools such as telescopes to see the stars and our imaginations to dream of what could exist beyond the stars in the sky. Human space exploration started in the 1950s when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth. The “Space Race” was a competition between two Cold War adversaries, the Soviet Union and the United States, to achieve superior spaceflight capability from 1955 to 1975. NASA was founded and opened for business on Oct. 1, 1958, following the launch of the Sputnik satellite.  Since then technology has been ever-growing and evolving to solve problems on a micro to macro scale. “NASA’s first six decades of discovery have benefited our lives in many ways. Numerous tools and technologies for solving seemingly impossible challenges in the harsh and unforgiving environment of space have been adapted for Earth-bound use. NASA makes sure that these alternative applications, or spinoffs, are made available to the public. The benefits are making an impact worldwide in better health and medicine, transportation, public safety, consumer products, computer technology, environmental and agricultural resources, and industrial activity.” 

Some of the most notable and most known space technologies are the international space station, space and land rovers, telescopes, satellites, and spacesuits.  “Spirit and Opportunity are the two successful Mars rovers that helped us with many discoveries on Mars and were advanced enough to be controlled from the Earth. They each landed on almost opposite sides of Mars. Their purpose was to conduct field geology and make atmospheric observations. They ended up providing the US with the first, color and clear images of Mars’ surface, as well as discovering the intermittent flow of water on Mars in 2015. Both of the rovers exceeded their 90-day expected lifetime by several years making them one of NASA’s most successful inventions.” The Kepler space telescope was low-cost and was only expected to last three to four years but ended up lasting almost ten years. It was built to find planets outside our solar system that are similar to Earth. “The Hubble space telescope was introduced in 1990 and resided 569 km above the Earth’s surface. It’s responsible for explaining most mysteries of space. Its technology avoided atmospheric distortion, which allowed it to bring thousands of jaw-dropping images back to Earth. It has helped explain many of the greatest space mysteries such as determining the age of the universe, showing us the existence of dark energy, discovering planets, quasars, and 6much more. The antennae on the telescope send and receive information to the Goddard Space Flight Centre. Using satellites, the engineers are able to communicate with it by sending commands.”

With the 21st century’s progress in space exploration and space technology, the talk of colonization of Mars and space has come up in conversation and conceptualization. Ever since we found traces of water on Mars back in 2015, the idea of living on Mars has erupted into countless ventures of technology and experimentation of what it would be like for humans to possibly inhabit Mars. Private and public space exploration companies are now figuring out how to travel to Mars and how laws and regulations about space exploration and colonization should be constituted. I believe that space exploration is important to a degree but I don’t agree with trying to colonize an area or entire planet just for the sake of it because who knows what other life existence can be out there. One very popular spacecraft engineering company is “SpaceX”. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk who is also the owner and founder of Tesla Motors, an electric automotive and clean energy company. SpaceX specializes in spacecraft manufacturing, providing space launches, and satellite communications. SpaceX was founded with the goal of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars. SpaceX’s mission is, “You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great - and that’s what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It’s about believing in the future and thinking that the future will be better than the past. And I can’t think of anything more exciting than going out there and being among the stars.” -Elon Musk As exciting as the study of and imaginable possibilities are, space exploration is a tremendously lucrative market and field. 

Here’s a chart reflecting the water mysteries of different planets: 

Comparison of Water on Different Planets

Space exploration and observation have cost more than trillions of dollars since we started in 1958. “NASA's budget in the fiscal year 2020 was $22.629 billion which represents 0.48% of all U.S. government spending. This is a 5.3% increase from the previous fiscal year.” The International Space Station is the largest and most expensive technology that has ever been built. It weighs almost a million pounds and costs an estimated $160 billion to date. A spacesuit weighs over 300 lbs and costs $22 million to create. They’re very technologically advanced and allow us to exist in extreme temperatures and conditions that humans would normally not be able to survive in for more than a couple of seconds. While space exploration and technology are very expensive, there are companies, engineers, and scientists that are working on more inexpensive technologies that will continue to further advance space technology. According to NASA, “By utilizing smaller craft – those that could fit inside the trunk of your car versus being the size of your car – the agency opens more opportunities to conduct ambitious deep space missions at a fraction of the cost.” Advancements in technology such as small spacecraft electric propulsion and 3D printed mechanical parts for things such as rocket engines are steps closer to keeping costs for space travel less expensive and more efficient. “For decades, innovators at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have been developing large, high-power electric propulsion (EP) systems that harness the power of the Sun to energize inert gases and turn them into extremely efficient thrust. Higher fuel efficiency means less propellant is needed, lowering launch costs while allowing spacecraft designers to reduce overall spacecraft weight to carry more payload mass, like technology demonstrations or more powerful scientific instruments.” Recent advancement in technology is the introduction of 3D printing in engineering. “Future lunar landers might come equipped with 3D printed rocket engine parts that help bring down overall manufacturing costs and reduce production time. NASA is investing in advanced manufacturing – one of five industries of the future – to make it possible.”

In conclusion, space is an awesome place to learn about and hopefully a place we’ll be able to visit and interact with in future generations. I was able to answer my research question through my research. Further advancements in technology will in fact contribute to a more accurate and higher resolution of data collection and observation in space by creating opportunities for further human space exploration and space tools and instruments such as drones and other robotic technologies to study space and planets at first-hand experience.

Works Cited:

 “Early Astronomy.” Nau.edu, 2022, www2.nau.edu/~gaud/bio301/content/erlast.htm. 

“Extrasolar Object Interceptor and Sample Return.” NASA, 2021, www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2021_Phase_I/Extrasolar_Object_Interceptor_and_Sample_Return/. 

Hall, Shannon. “Venus Is Earth’s Evil Twin — and Space Agencies Can No Longer Resist Its Pull.” Nature, vol. 570, no. 7759, June 2019, pp. 20–25, https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01730-5. 

‌“NASA: 60 Years & Counting - Technology.” NASA, 2022, www.nasa.gov/specials/60counting/tech.html. 

“NASA’s FY 2020 Budget.” The Planetary Society, 2020, www.planetary.org/space-policy/nasas-fy-2020-budget. 

Rabie, Passant. “Two Military Satellites Just Communicated with Each Other Using Space Lasers.” Gizmodo, Gizmodo, 19 May 2022, gizmodo.com/military-satellites-communicate-with-space-lasers-1848944526. 

“Small Spacecraft Propulsion Opens New Deep Space Exploration.” NASA, 2022, www.nasa.gov/feature/glenn/2022/small-spacecraft-electric-propulsion-opens-new-deep-space-opportunities. 

“The 5 Most Innovative Advances in Space Technology.” FDM Group, 17 Apr. 2019, www.fdmgroup.com/the-5-most-innovative-advances-in-space-technology/. 

“The History of Space Exploration | National Geographic Society.” Nationalgeographic.org, 2022, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/history-space-exploration. 

“3D Printed Rocket Parts and the Future of Spacecraft.” NASA, 2020, www.nasa.gov/image-feature/3d-printed-rocket-parts-and-the-future-of-spacecraft. 

‌“Why We Explore.” NASA, 2013, www.nasa.gov/exploration/whyweexplore/why_we_explore_main.html#.YpoaLXbYrrc. ‌

Environmental and Ecological Engineerings' Impact on Land & Water

Hello, and welcome to my first action project for the first unit, "Oceans" of my S.T.E.A.M core class, "Frontiers". In this unit, we learned about the animal and plant ecosystems and foodwebs underwater, the layers of the ocean and Earth, and the ways the ocean has been discovered and destroyed over time since the 1900s. We watched a movie called "Becoming Cousteau", which was about a French explorer and sailor. He ended up helping oil companies unintentionally pollute the oceans due to the discovery of fossil fuels and crude oils underwater. For our field experiences, we visited Phil at Urban Rivers to explore ways he and his organization are playing a role in maintaining the health of underwater ecosystems through ecological engineering through floating docks and plant islands to stretch a mile on the Chicago River. From this field experience, I was able to further research different threats to bodies of water and different ways of restoration of water ecosystems. For this action project, I was challenged to write a research paper based on a challenge that the ocean faces. I choose to focus on physical and chemical pollution impact the ocean and how can environmental and ecological engineering can help solve the issue. During the process of drafting and finalizing this research paper, I felt that this project was very important to approach because the planet Earth we call home is dying and we need to step up very soon before this planet becomes even more uninhabitable. I hope you enjoy my project below and thank you for visiting my blog!

Environmental and Ecological Engineerings' Impact on Land & Water

How can environmental engineering be implemented into water ecosystems to help clean and filter dead zones as well as reduce the amount of physical and chemical pollution in our bodies of water globally?

Most people on Earth don’t realize how valuable and detrimental the health of the oceans and land on Earth is to our daily survival and health.  The ocean itself produces between 50-80% of the oxygen on Earth. “The world’s oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth containing 97% of the Earth’s water. They currently absorb about a third of the carbon dioxide that is produced by human activities such as air pollution from burning fossil fuels and chemical pollution from fertilizers and pesticides from farming. Carbon dioxide from human activity gets released into the atmosphere, dissolves into oceans, and creates carbonic acid also known as “ocean acidification”. Ocean acidification causes disastrous effects on underwater life and their ecosystems. As ocean acidification continues to worsen, dead zones start to be created in the ocean begin to rise in temperature and areas become uninhabitable for any living organism underwater. We call these areas, “dead zones”. Another major problem associated with pollution is physical waste pollution in our oceans. “There are increasingly high levels of man-made pollution in many of the world’s seas and little actually disappears. By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans.” - Future Agenda

So, what exactly are dead zones you ask? According to Sarah Preheim at John Hopkins University, “Dead zones are caused primarily by excess nutrients that run off the land from fertilizers or wastewater overflow. The nutrients trigger blooms of algae that spread across the water's surface before sinking and decomposing in the water. As hungry microbes feast on the organic matter, they consume oxygen, resulting in less oxygen in the water.” Bodies of water are made up of layers determined by temperature. Dead zones can exist in all bodies of water no matter the layer of the ocean which means underwater life is on the brink of extinction if we continue to pollute our oceans and land. 

Physical pollution has been getting worse than ever in human history. From oil spills in the ocean to offshore island landfills of physical waste such as “unwanted” clothes, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans. Oil spills horrifically impact sea life and disrupt ecosystems. According to the World Economic Forum, “In the immediate aftermath of an oil disaster, the effects on fish, sea birds, and other marine animals are often very visible. Coated in oil, animals can be killed by poisoning or suffocation. Those living close to or on the surface, like sea birds and otters, or those who come to the surface to breathe or feed, like whales, dolphins, and turtles, can be among those most affected.” As far as ecosystems being disrupted, oil affects food sources for sealife by making it less available or of very poor quality so animals that survive the initial environmental hazards may still suffer for long periods of time after an oil spill. “Oil impacts breeding and reproduction, for example contaminating bird or turtle nests on shore, affecting viability, and suffocating unhatched chicks. Females affected by oil may lay eggs with thinner shells, more prone to breaking.”

Here is a visual that represents how potential oil spills will impact the sea turtle’s life cycle. 

This visual relates to my research through oil spills being a form of physical and chemical pollution that directly impacts the ocean and land later on.

Here is a visual of how much plastic is in our oceans as of 2021.

This visual represents the relation of plastic pollution to the oceans. This relates to my research because it provides context to physical pollution equally negatively has been impacting our oceans as much as chemical pollution from events such as oil spills.

What is an ecological and environmental engineering and how can it contribute to helping reduce chemical and physical pollution? First I must give context to the words “environment” and “ecology”. The environment refers to the interaction between the physical, chemical, and biological components. Ecology is the study of the relationship between organisms and their environment. Environmental issues include pollution, deforestation, global warming, and other broader issues. When engineering intersects with the environment and ecology, developments, instruments, and technologies are created with impacts on nature in mind. According to Nature, “Building with maximum efficiency and minimal materials is increasingly urgent in our resource-strapped times. Many of today's structural engineers and designers are looking to natural forms and materials as the tried-and-tested guide. Today's engineering is too full of 'tree-trunk' buildings: underdesigned and over the whole planet. Astonishingly, the materials used in every three buildings designed in this lazy way could make at least four buildings — and with intelligence, even six.” Ocean engineering is a prime example of ecological engineering. According to MIT, “Ocean engineers are discovering new ways to use acoustics to reveal vital facts about the interior ocean and the behavior of undersea life. 

We are also developing floats, robots, tethered devices, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that can survey the ocean while communicating with one another and with computer models.”  Urban River’s “Wild Mile” is a prime example of environmental engineering. The Wild Mile is the first-ever mile-long floating eco-park in the world. Through reclamation of the North branch canal and turning basin, referred to as “Wild Mile Chicago,” gives the opportunity to create accessible public open space for the community and new plantlife floating islands for wildlife inhabiting Chicago’s river to inhabit. 

Our world is pretty much coming to an end due to the lack of solutions being provided by authorities of countries around the world to combat climate change. Even though a lot of federal governments and state governments aren’t specifically targeting climate change and pollution, many companies and organizations are. Throughout my Frontiers class,  I was able to meet with Phil Nicodemus from Urban Rivers, an organization that focuses to transform city rivers into Urban Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Kevin Kerrigan, a Restoration Ecologist at Lake Forest Open Lands organization. Some things that stuck with me the most from our discussion with Phil are that in urban environments, cities are responsible for most of the carbon sinks in local water sources and the destruction of ecosystems that already existed before the on-shore developments such as condominiums and high-rise buildings, at the end of the day, nature will reinvent itself to grow around and over manmade structures. As Urban Rivers works to build urban wildlife sanctuaries along bodies of water such as lakes and rivers, an innovation of theirs is a robot created to help combat physical waste pollution in the Chicago River. It’s called “Trashbot”. According to Urban Rivers, “First, we tried cleaning it up by hand. Every other day someone would kayak out to the habitat to remove garbage, but that was not enough. Trash appeared at random times and in large quantities. Sometimes we would remove every piece of trash in the morning and by the afternoon more had reappeared. So, we created at Trash Task Force and went to the drawing board – this project could have never gotten to the level of sophistication that it is at today without the hard work of our task force. Our team prototyped a remote-controlled boat that was capable of herding trash to a safe location where it could then be removed. This proved not only effective...but very entertaining.”  In an interview with Kevin Kerrigan, he had reflected on how he had been experimenting over the last 10 years with very “low tech” charcoal logs ( well burnt 3+ foot logs) across drain ways and channels in hopes of capturing all sorts of environmental toxins and pollutants. He has noticed some minor changes such as clearer water and a small increase in plant life around the waterways throughout the marsh.

To conclude my research, ecological and environmental engineering must be implemented into our on and offshore ecosystems in order to help filter dead zones and reduce the physical and chemical pollution in our bodies of water globally or we won’t have an Earth to call home for any much longer. We should not plan on leaving these life-changing issues up to the next generations and youth to be responsible for solving them with little to no support. We should rather approach these issues together regardless of ethnicity, class, gender, and age. I chose this topic to research because I always wanted to learn more about ecosystems on and offshore. My biggest challenge throughout this research has been understanding the differences and similarities between ecological engineering and environmental engineering. After understanding the relationship between ecological and environmental engineering, I was able to identify various examples of both types of engineering taking place in our world. The topic of pollution and climate change is imperative to our lifestyles and health as humans on Earth. We need to continue developing solutions to help the naturally Earth replenish itself and efficiently clean our environments on and offshore to ensure the life and longevity of the human race and the planet Earth.

Works Cited:

Admin. “Important Difference between Environment and Ecology.” BYJUS, BYJU’S, 28 Jan. 2020, byjus.com/biology/difference-between-environment-and-ecology/. 

“Ecologist Sarah Preheim on Dead Zones, Algae Blooms, and Working on the Chesapeake Bay | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 24 June 2021, publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/ecologist-sarah-preheim-on-dead-zones-algae-blooms-and-working-on-the-chesapeake-bay. 

Edmond, Charlotte. “How Do Oil Spills Affect the Environment?” World Economic Forum, 12 Oct. 2021, www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/oil-spill-environment-ocean/#:~:text=The%20effects%20will%20be%20long,malnourished%20or%20poisoned%20over%20time.

McCarthy, Niall. “Infographic: Plastic Items Dominate Ocean Garbage.” Statista Infographics, Statista, 11 June 2021, www.statista.com/chart/25056/waste-items-polluting-oceans/. 

“Plastic Oceans - Future Agenda.” Future Agenda, 18 Mar. 2019, www.futureagenda.org/foresights/plastic-oceans/#:~:text=There%20are%20increasing%20high%20levels,three%20quarters%20of%20the%20Earth. 

Urban. “Urban Rivers.” Urban Rivers, 2014, www.urbanriv.org/trashbot. 

This visual represents the relation of plastic pollution to the oceans. This relates to my research because it provides context to how negatively physical pollution has been impacting our oceans.

Gender, Race, and Society: "I didn't raise you that way."

Hello, and welcome to my blog. This is my second action project for my Humanities course called Rhetoric. In this class, we studied the elements of the rhetorical situation and using rhetoric devices and appeals in writing and speaking. In this second unit of "Challenge", our guiding question was, "How can we use rhetoric to challenge the status quo?" Due to Covid-19, we weren't able to physically attend many field experiences. The only in-person field experience was at Marquette Park on Chicago's South-west side. There in the park, we gathered at the "Living Memorial" which is a reflection of the historical march and uprising against housing discrimination and racism towards black people in Chicago in the late 60s. 

 As preparation for this action project, we spoke with Ugo Okere, a twenty-three-year-old candidate who ran for Alderman of the 40th Ward in Chicago. We learned more about him and how he used rhetoric throughout his campaign by reviewing an article based on a debate between him and his opposing candidate, Pat O’Connor. We also watched the presidential and vice-presidential debates and studied rhetoric between recently elected Vice President Kamal Harris and former Vice President Mike Pence. We reviewed Troy Lariviere, who play an important figure not only in rhetoric but in Chicago's education system. He is known across Chicago for writing an Op-ed that spoke out for the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association.  For this Action Project, we were instructed to use rhetoric in an op-ed about a topic that was relevant in today's world.  I chose to write about gender and racial norms in American society. 

Song of Solomon Should Not Be Banned

Hello, my name is Nakiya'h and welcome to my final action project for my Humanities course, Forbidden Books. Overall I have really enjoyed this hands-on course focused on literacy and literature  In this unit, we discussed books in America that might have been controversial and surprisingly have been banned. For my action project, I re-read Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. I researched the reasons behind the banning and censorship of one of her most popular novels. I hope you enjoy reading my research paper!

Toni Morrison, 2006. Oil on canvas by Robert McCurdy

Prostate Cancer

Hello and welcome to my blog. This is my very first action project for my STEAM course, Disease. In this unit, Body, we studied different diseases that are very common in our world and country. In class, we thoroughly learned about the 11 body systems of the human body and what's in blood along with other topics. We went on a field experience to the Museum of Science and Industry where we ventured their YOU! exhibit. The exhibit helped us dive deeper into the human body while having an engaging experience. For this action project, we were instructed to interview a family member or friend that had been diagnosed with a disease. We had the choice of who and what disease we wanted to do. I chose to interview my grandfather who once had prostate cancer. I chose this because my grandfather has been negatively impacted by this cancer. While I learned more about the disease, I have become more aware of the seriousness and risks of it.

My grandfather's name is Willy. He is an African-American in his mid-late 60s who lives in Chicago, Illinois. Grandpa Willy began experiencing noticeable symptoms of prostate cancer when he was 62. He started to have pain in his lower back, pelvic area, and knees. He was very active years prior to cancer. He used to shoot hoops with my older brother and me while at the same time living with his asthma. Ever since he was diagnosed with cancer, he has noticeable fewer amounts of energy at times. This disease is included in SDG 3 because the goals focus on influencing healthier lifestyles and advocating for access to health resources such as medical evaluation and immunization in order to catch diseases before they possibly become lethal. Some prevention methods for prostate cancer are maintaining a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, consuming foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals over vitamin supplements, and sustaining a healthy weight. These prevention methods aren’t applicable to areas that have food deserts and are experiencing malnutrition and food shortages.

I interviewed Willy and asked him 5 questions to get his perspective on the disease and its impact on him. My grandfather was 62 in October of 2015 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He will be 67 years old this year (2020). This year will make his 5th year mark after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Some of his initial questions were, “Is the disease serious meaning life-threatening, will I need surgery for prostate cancer? Grandpa Willy decided to seek treatment the same year he was diagnosed with it. A couple days after his 63rd birthday in late-October of 2015, he started treatment in November. He attended External Beam Radiation Treatment (EBRT) for one year. According to the American Cancer Society, “In (EBRT), beams of radiation are focused on the prostate gland from a machine outside the body. This type of radiation can be used to try to cure earlier stage cancers, or to help relieve symptoms such as bone pain if the cancer has spread to a specific area of bone.” They compare each treatment to getting an x-ray. The radiation becomes stronger in each procedure but is typically painless. Treatment only lasts a few minutes, but preparing for it takes a while. Prostate cancer occurs when malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the prostate. The exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown. It is a multifactorial disease with genetic and environmental factors involved in its make up. It is a non-transmittable disease.

Willy from the interview; “I would usually go for radiation therapy treatment out of a 5 day per week limit. I received treatment in an outpatient center. I had to go for 30 days which was 6 weeks of radiation therapy.” At first, he was terrified after hearing the news, but after getting treatment and good news from the doctor, he was relieved of the burden. Willy was aware of the risk of the disease of killing him. It’s been a couple of years since he beat prostate cancer. It has negatively impacted him because he goes to the doctor once every 6 months to participate in a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. (PSA) is a substance that's naturally produced by your prostate gland. It's normal for a small amount of PSA to be in your bloodstream. In the test, they examined his blood sample and he received his results in two weeks' notice. They look for a test reading between 1-4. It can vary within an increase or decrease in change of the reading which is relatively a red flag of cancer. If a higher than normal level is found, it may indicate prostate infection, inflammation, enlargement or cancer. His symptoms from this disease were the urine flow being stopped at times and having trouble releasing urine from the bladder, and the bladder not feeling emptied or feeling full. I feel that prostate cancer can be considered hereditary in our family because Willy’s grandfather died from it and his uncle currently has it. Prostate cancer is one of many diseases that appear in unpredictable patterns within older black men.

The body systems affected by this disease are the lymphatic, urinary, and skeletal body systems. The lymphatic body system is made up of a network of lymphatic vessels, organs, and tissues. Prostate cancer may metastasize (spread) and form tumors in nearby organs such as the bladder, or travel through your bloodstream or lymphatic system to your bones. Signs of metastatic prostate cancer can include swelling in legs or pelvic area, numbness or pain in the hips, legs or feet, and bone pain that doesn’t go away. The symptoms of prostate cancer often differ from patient to patient. The most common first sign of recurrent prostate cancer is a rise in the PSA level in the blood. Medical organizations recommend men to consider prostate cancer screening in their 50s, or sooner if they fit the risk factors for prostate cancer. Willy says men should get tested for it in their early 40s to be safe.

The risk factors of this disease are your age, family’s history of the disease, race, hormones, folic acid in the body and obesity. Older men, African American men, in particular, are more susceptible to prostate cancer. Women very rarely get this disease. It’s a widespread disease across the United States and common outside the country. Scientists don’t know why black men have it more than white men worldwide. According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), “African-American men are nearly 1.6 times more likely to develop prostate cancer than Caucasian men. They are also 2.4 times more likely than white men to die from the disease.”


Diagrams

N.L. Anatomy of Prostate Cancer. 2020.

N.L. Lymphatic System. 2020

Conclusion
I was interested in learning about this disease and the possibilities it holds for me since I am at risk by being an African-American male. I’m not scared but more aware of the importance of my health as I age. I was able to connect with my grandfather and enjoyed the interview with him. I have stored much of my research on this specific cancer in my memory for future references.


Works Cited

“Symptoms of Advanced Prostate Cancer | Cancer Research UK.” Cancerresearchuk.Org, 2019, www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/prostate-cancer/advanced-cancer/symptoms-advanced-cancer. Accessed 31 Jan. 2020.

“Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test.” National Cancer Institute, Cancer.gov, 4 Oct. 2017,
www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/psa-fact-sheet. Accessed 1 Feb. 2020.

“Prostate Cancer In African Men | Prostate Cancer For Black Men.” Spaceoar.Com, 2018, www.spaceoar.com/patients/prostate-cancer-resources-and-articles/prostate-cancer-in-african-american-men/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2020

‌“Prostate Cancer - Diagnosis and Treatment - Mayo Clinic.” Mayoclinic.Org,  , 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prostate-cancer/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353093. Accessed 1 Feb. 2020.

“Prostate Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version.” National Cancer Institute, Cancer.gov, 12 June 2019, www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/patient/prostate-treatment-pdq. Accessed 31 Jan. 2020.

Housing Discrimination in Chicago: A History of Injustice

This is my action project for my workshop, "Writing Workshop". In this class, we looked at many different examples of writing and reviewed some basic and advanced writing skills. We took the time to either write a research paper about a topic we were interested in, write a personal narrative about ourselves, or write a summary response essay. This workshop challenged me by introducing me to more styles of writing. I chose to do a research paper because I wanted to challenge myself for this last project of my Freshman year. I have spent a lot of time researching housing discrimination. I even reached out to the director of Human Rights Compliance/Fair Housing at the Chicago Commission On Human Relations. I hope you enjoy my research paper.

Global Hunger and Malnutrition

In the second unit of "Death" in Food for Thought, we learned about global trade and "fair trade" history and colonialism. We learned about how agriculture influenced greed in people, how foods from different countries got imported to where they are today, and how resources impacted the behavior in people. For our Field Experience, we went to S.K.Y restaurant in Pilsen where we met a sommelier named Charles Ford. He talked to us about his job as a sommelier and the history behind his restaurant. For this action project, we were asked to look back on the past, literally. We looked back at our first Humanities course, SDGs & You. We focused on SDG 2 and decided on a specific target of the SDG. I wanted to focus on a target that is a symptom of hunger so, I chose malnutrition. This target on malnutrition was challenging when it came to the history of malnutrition. The most difficult part of this project was filming the video. Overall I think that I completed a great project.

Food For Thought -AP2 NL from NL on Vimeo.

“1 out of 2 children in Guatemala suffer from malnutrition. People from Central American countries such as Guatemala are coming to the United States’ and Mexico’s border seeking asylum because of issues like malnutrition plagues. Sustainable Development Goals are a set of 16 goals that we should achieve by the year 2030. These goals were created by the United Nations. I will be addressing target 2.2 of the goal Zero Hunger. This target is a global priority because due to malnutrition, people and children in third world countries are on the edge of dying. Malnutrition in pregnant women and children 2 years old or younger can affect a child for the rest of their lives and the conditions can’t be fixed as they get older. Some of the conditions are stunting in growth, being underweight for one’s age, and wasting; being dangerously thin for one’s height. A solution to achieving this target is food fortification in staple foods and condiments. The purpose of this paper is to advocate for the issue of malnutrition and bring awareness to this issue.

I chose Target 2.2, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons. According to UNICEF, “Malnutrition develops when the body does not get the proper amount of calories, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients required to keep the organs and tissues healthy and functioning well. A child or adult can be malnourished by being undernourished or overnourished.” Undernourishment is when someone can’t acquire enough food to meet dietary energy requirements. Overnourishment is when someone gets too much food that exceeds their dietary energy requirements. “More than one-third of all child deaths every year around the world are attributed to malnutrition.” The United Nations has identified hunger as a global priority because global hunger and malnutrition affects the lives of millions all over the world, but mostly “underdeveloped” countries. According to Global Goals, “Hunger is the leading cause of death in the world. Our planet has provided us with tremendous resources, but unequal access and inefficient handling leaves millions of people malnourished.”

Malnutrition isn’t just a recent issue but has major issue been for many years. Malnutrition dates far as back to the existence of the ancient Egyptians. A civilization that faced malnutrition like we do today were the ancient Mayans. They were argued to fell as an empire and civilization due to drought, warfare, disease, or even political instability. Today we think that all these things played a role and were only symptoms in the fall of the Mayans. According to NASA Science, researchers used classic archaeology techniques to find that human bones from the last decades before the Mayan civilization’s collapse shows signs of severe malnutrition. The root cause was a chronic food and water shortage, due to some combination of natural drought and deforestation by humans." Their agriculture was based on slash and burn and clear-cutting methods which resulted in deforestation for fertile land to grow crops. According to Empires of Food, “A sustainable food empire can only exist if most of its farms are smallish, diverse, and serving customers not too far away.” We can learn that unsustainable methods of agriculture lead to negative impacts on land over time.

Malnutrition and hunger have both resulted in the death of millions and billions of people in our world throughout history. The Mayan civilization’s population grew in masses which led to a demand for more food. They addressed this problem by replacing their neighboring jungles with maize fields by using deforestation methods in order to get more land for agriculture. The result of these deforestation methods was that they trapped themselves into a broken hydrological cycle which caused their fields to dry up and crops to die. They also suffered from relying on and growing crops such as maize, beans, and squash together. Something we can learn from this history is that malnutrition can be prevented with sustainable practices of agriculture and food productivity.

If these global issues of malnutrition and hunger continue in the future masses of people and children around the world will continue to suffer and die. To achieve this target of ending all forms of malnutrition, some contributions would be food fortification in staple foods such as bread and potatoes, food security in poverty-stricken areas, and an increase in the prices of unhealthy foods since they are cheaper to buy compared to healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. Large scale food fortification is the process of adding micronutrients to foods or condiments consumed regularly by the population. If we did this in “developing” countries, more people will have access to the food and nutrients they need. Poverty in areas also affect the diets of people within a poverty-stricken area. According to Global Citizen, “donors should increase long-term funding for the prevention and community-based management of acute malnutrition. This will stray away from the current short term, emergency only funding approaches.” Long term donations would help bring this issue of malnutrition to an end by giving aid to areas where there is a lack of food and resources. Malnutrition can be eradicated overtime with these solutions.

These global issues of malnutrition and hunger might not affect me but they affect people living on this planet just like you and me. My main argument is that we need to think about all the people on this planet and not only people around us where we live. Ending all forms of malnutrition should also be prioritized just as much as the issue of hunger because it affects children in their early lives. My recommendations will help achieve this goal of Zero Hunger and target of ending all forms of malnutrition by helping areas with food insecurity get the food and nutrients they need. How will you help contribute to eradicating this global issue of hunger?

Works Cited

“Feeding a Family, Nourishing a Community - United Nations Development Programme | UNDP.” Exposure, 2017, stories.undp.org/feeding-a-family-nourishing-a-community. Accessed 3 May 2019.

“Goal 2: Zero Hunger.” The Global Goals, 16 Sept. 2016, www.globalgoals.org/2-zero-hunger. Accessed 6 May 2019.

‌Nations, United. “Goal 2: End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture — SDG Indicators.” Un.Org, 2018, unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2016/goal-02/. Accessed 6 May 2019.

Roser, Max, and Hannah Ritchie. “Hunger and Undernourishment.” Our World in Data, 2018, ourworldindata.org/hunger-and-undernourishment#definitions-of-measures-of-hunger-and-undernourishment. Accessed 7 May 2019.

“The Rise and Fall of the Mayan Empire | Science Mission Directorate.” Nasa.Gov, 2019, science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/15nov_maya. Accessed 7 May 2019.

“Underlying Causes of Malnutrition - Action Against Hunger.” Action Against Hunger, 2017, actionagainsthunger.ca/what-is-acute-malnutrition/underlying-causes-of-malnutrition/. Accessed 8 May 2019.

UNICEF/NYHQ2006-0081/Noorani. Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health Child Development and Early Learning Breastfeeding Nutrition and Growth Immunization With Advice on: Diarrhoea Malaria HIV Child Protection and More Facts for Life Fourth Edition. 2010.

“10 Ways to End Malnutrition.” Global Citizen, 2019, www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/10-ways-to-end-malnutrition/. Accessed 6 May 2019