I am hoping to study Human Factors Psychology with a focus on environmental design within community colleges in urban areas. These colleges often do not have the resources to secure, design and construct their own campus buildings, so they are left to work within the confines of a structure that may not lend itself to a comfortable academic setting. My commitment is to asses classroom sizes, acoustics, administration, temperature settings, and overall pedestrian flow to find problem areas that contribute to a negative college experience for students and professors, and find methods to improve these problem areas.
Because of my career path, I would have to impress the idea that I am both a science and humanities person. I wish to help students and faculty in community colleges, but I wish to do so through scientific means. I feel this is a natural union, and hold science and humanities both in high regard. My love for science may stem from my fascination with logic. I enjoy cohesion. As a silly example, I will offer this: in my childhood I was always more attracted to Star Trek than Star Wars. I felt the Federation had better ships than the Rebel Alliance. This is because the ships in Star Trek were always symmetrically proportioned while the ships in Star Wars had port thrusters that looked nothing like the starboard thrusters. It's a small complaint but it was enough for one franchise to win the loyalty of a terribly geeky child.
You might now be wondering if I have toys of the starships from the Star Trek universe displayed throughout my home. The answer is 'hell yeah' and they are model ships, not toys, though I do play with them from time to time, making whooshing sounds as they pass by. Yes, I am fully aware that in space there can be no sound and that FTL (faster than light) travel is impossible through the accepted Einstienian model (Geek!), but I enjoy having fun as much as I enjoy reading books on String Theory. Sometimes you have to be a kid. There is a refreshing psychology to that.
In space no one can hear you 'whoosh'
I feel that many people today are looking towards technology and science to answers just about all of our questions, even the philosophical ones. The intrinsically human question of 'why are we here?' seems to have been reduced to 'whatever, were all gonna die when that sun goes out'. Even the concept of God has been pitting as the polar opposite of science. One can witness this in the countless individuals who exclaim 'I believe in science, not god'. I have yet to understand how this statement works, as having an unwavering faith in an imaginary being can sometimes be akin to having the same type of faith in an ever illusive graviton particle. While this argument has many rebuttals, I'm sure, it is enough to say that science, in many ways, has become a new sort of god to people.
Is that you God?
The humanities may be seen differently. Through historical record, one can see the humanities as being an intricate part of our intellectual evolution. Lately though, it seems that the field has lost some steam. When speaking of Psychology, there are those who immediately correct the notion of its scientific properties by clarifying it to be a 'social science' (as they roll their eyes). One can only assume that the 'social' in front of the 'science' makes it that much less of an actual science. This is an argument that is difficult to refute, as a great deal of the science behind it comes from basic observation and testing. There is little math involved and it is unlike mapping the properties of atoms. My issue is that there often seems to be an incredulous attitude attached to the professional evaluation of many aspects within humanities. Philosophy is no exception. Try quoting Plato in a bar with some friends. You will almost immediately hear the sound 'blah blah blah' as your very supportive friends mock you for being snooty. Honestly, there seems to be very few places where one can quote philosophical work outside of an academic environment. It has almost become a subject for a more privileged pallet, which is terribly sad, as Philosophy is for everyone.
I think (with Philosophy as my tool), therefore I am (human).
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