Ap Environmental Science Personal Statement

Growing up, most kids in my generation had Disney Channel or Barbie Dolls. As I was raised with 6 siblings and cousins and having just emigrated from England, my family did not have ample money to expend on cable or fancy toys; subsequently, I resorted to books. As I read more and more, my interests began to broaden, and my keen admiration and curiosity for how and why things work in certain ways progressed. As I grew older, I realized that science could be used to answer many of life’s most complex questions. Once I was accepted early into The University of Georgia, I declared my major as Biology with a pre-medical intent, deciding to further pursue my curiosity about living organisms. I soon realized that I needed to achieve more, and decided

On October 6th 2015, the students of Mattawan’s AP Environmental class took a trip to the local stream of the Mattawan Consolidated Schools area. The purpose of this trip was to conduct a stream study to determine the health, conditions, and pollution levels of this small body of water. A multitude of factors came into play when making a judgement on the stream’s health, and making sure to take all of these essential points was crucial to the study. A variety of thorough experiments were conducted to help make this overlying conclusion, as many students adopted many roles in the study. Students used a physical survey form, water test data sheet, and taxa recording sheet to record their findings. Teamwork was essential in making sure all of this information could be found accurately and efficiently. The combination of all of the final results allowed the class to make a judgement of the stream’s state.

Ever since I was younger, science has captivated my interest and has molded me into the person I am today. When the rain would come crashing down on my elementary

My passion for science became prominent in my freshman year of high school. That year, I was introduced to Pre-AP Biology, and I enjoyed it beyond measure. We learned about living beings and how they worked from the most general of ecosystems they lived in all the way down to the insides of their cells. My teacher made sure to push our limits of what we could learn, and although many people despised it because of this, it helped my knowledge of science grow stronger. One of the most memorable moments from that class was when we dissected a pig. Although most dissections during high school just end with a mangled pig and little to no knowledge from the encounter, we went through each and every organ and made sure we knew the function and relative

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What inspires someone is often revealing of who they truly are through the exposure of their values. For instance, I am inspired by people who are highly dedicated to achieving their objectives as I too take pride in reaching my goals both academically and otherwise. In particular, I am committed to studying diligently towards my goal of earning my Bachelor of Science degree. Likewise, I focus the same level of concentration towards mastering choreography within my dance and color guard performances. Both fields, academics and art, contribute to who I am as an individual.

My earliest memory of science in elementary school was in first grade. I remember walking into the classroom early in the morning and seeing plant pots lined up in the back of the room. Of course one of us asked, Mrs. Denny, what are those for? She answered like any experienced teacher “We will get to those after lunch. Thank you for noticing though.” As a young student, I was more interested about taking the plant home to my mom and showing her what I did. After lunch, we went on a walk to the atrium in the center of the school. Mrs. Denny pointed out the different kinds of plants that were in the atrium like flowers, and other small plants. We walked back to our classroom and talked about what a plant needs to grow and finally got to make a plant ourselves. We each had a cup of water, a cup of soil, a pot, and a plant. I also remember in third grade learning about the weather by creating a big picture of the water cycle with the clouds and why there is lightening and thunder. After we made the picture, we each got to write down a question about weather and Mrs. Heffernan went over each one. I loved science when I was little because I was able to explore and try new things. I struggled in math and reading because they were very black and white but science allowed creativity. I enjoyed science in elementary school because it was very hands on so I didn’t have to sit in my seat. I would define science has a content area that allows the individual to research and develop

In the world today, there is a gap between science and policymaking and civil society. Different perspectives and, different in a way, “languages” have prevented solving dilemmas that transcend these boundaries like global warming. Throughout high school and college, I have attempted to bridge this divide and combine both science and policymaking lenses in order to use my skills and knowledge in each area to have an impact on the world. This is the reason I have chosen to major in environmental science and political science. I fundamentally believe that an interdisciplinary approach is the only way that we can handle these multilayered and complex problems that pose the greatest risk to society.

In 9th grade, I began tutoring every Tuesday after school and this continued through 10th grade. During that time, I discovered that my students had a negative disposition towards science. Many saw science as "boring." I wanted to change that idea, to help them realize the wonders of science, to prove that science is fascinating and entertaining. The following summer, I prepared my proposal and pitched my ideas to Mr. Terrence Davis, Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Hopkinsville.

Since we lived in such rural area, my mom decided that it was best to teach us science and interact with the outside world instead of just doing basic learning. During the summer in our blue house in the middle of nowhere, my mom would have us actually do science experiments when we were a young age. Setting up experiments on the sturdy kitchen table we would often do things like the volcano project, or study different types of rocks. If there was nice weather out we would open up the window and do experiments based on temperature and how fast something can lose heat, how to take care of plant life, or to see how condensation works in real time. So ever since I was young, I was known to be best in a science project as long as it was a hand on experiment. Never been the best in a written way, but want me to jump in a creek to we can look at specimens? I have done that, and I would so do it again. So thanks mom for setting me up for being a potential biologist. If course, you have to have curiosity when it comes to science. It was seven a.m. in farmland country, and the sun was just now rising over the treetops of the tiny woods behind the school. Being late fall we fourth graders were saying how cold it was in the late fall. Our science teacher guided us to a part of the creek that was easy to get in and out, today we were supposed to go into the water to collect samples to see if the water of the creek was

(claim of fact) Among the many challenges we face in society, environmental degradation and the exhaustion of resources is one of the challenges that will have the most impact on not only our future generations, but the future of the earth. The human population across the globe is degrading both the terrestrial and marine biomes through means such as deforestation, the emission of greenhouse gases, improper disposal of waste, and other forms of pollution. As the global population continues to rise, the way we use our energy and our resources continues to gain importance. “These changes are down to human activity, not natural variability,” says Professor Will Steffen of the Australian National University to The Guardian.

I signed up to take AP Environmental Science this year because I was more interested in taking it than expanding on solely biology or chemistry. This course includes several different fields of study which is why I thought it would be very interesting and I would learn about several subjects compared to just one. Before completing any work for this course, my definition of environmental science would have been, the study of elements of the environment such as climate, soil, and water. I also would have thought that the term environmentalism meant simply protecting the environment. The difference between environmental science and environmentalism is that environmental science is the study of the environment which runs more tests and experiments

In my schooling, I studied subjects that include science along with mathematics which helped me to develop awareness in the above courses.

Many see scientific lessons as being a gateway into mimicking real world science to students, some feel that science is a way to gain a better understanding of the workings of the world around us while others believe that science educates outside of that understanding, helping children to see things from a different perspective. Being in the world but also understanding from an objective viewpoint can only help to expand a child’s knowledge of what is around them. Science, as an ever expanding field, changes constantly, moving with society’s demands for constant explanations and better methods of doing this. For instance illness and technology. Science is developing new ways of detecting and treating illnesses in a constant search for cures that are less and less intrusive. Where biology may uncover the illness, chemistry will provide the interactive possibilities whilst physics and technology will help to develop methods of treating it. The education pertaining to middle school and high school science means different things to different people. As an educational researcher in science education I am often disappointed with the lack of consensus that exists in our community. Some researchers argue for skill building tasks and projects in the classroom in an effort to mimic "real" scientists and introduce "real-world" science to students; others argue for the expansion of content knowledge; and, still others look at science education as a gateway for students into the raw

Having taught General Science to primary and middle school students (ages 9-11) and Chemistry to secondary section students (ages 13-15), I have observed a change in the students’ approach towards the study of Science. As the students progressed to higher grades, they started losing their interest in science. Applying scientific concepts in practical scenarios became a challenging process and yet, many continued to study science simply due to the pressure of choosing a career in the field of medicine or engineering.