DESMA 9 Maya V

  This week I learned what nanotechnology is and what it entails. Before this week, I was completely unaware of the definition of nanotechnology and how it is used. As nanotech scientist Jim Gimzewski stated, the word “nano is Greek for dwarf”, and is basically the science and study at the nanoscale which is “1 to 100 nanometers”  (Gimzewski, “Nanotech for Artists Part 1 - Dr. Gimzewski”). Multistate Research Fund Impacts Program. "Nanotechnology in Agriculture and Food systems" National Institute of Food and Agriculture, May 24, 2022. https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/impacts/nanotechnology-agriculture-food-systems An additional source that enhanced my overall understanding of how nanotechnology relates to life was Paul Rothemund. His Ted Talk helped me comprehend the ways that nanotechnology relates to evolution and how human characteristics come about. Rothemund related nanotechnology to life and evolution because it is an element of “computation” (Rothemund, “DNA foldi...

  I really enjoyed the lesson this week because psychology and the way the brain works is something that really interests me. More specifically, my favorite lecture video was #2 about the unconscious mind and dreams. As professor Vesna stated, “95% of dreams are forgotten” which is something I wondered about all my life. A theory I have been hearing lately is that the “ fine tuning” of your unconscious mind is the key to having more controlled thought processes and higher productivity in your conscious state. I wonder if this is true? Based on what neurologist, Sigmund Freud, wrote about the unconscious mind, I believe that this theory could very possibly be correct. He believed that “significant and psychic events take place below the surface in the unconscious mind … [and] he interpreted such events as having both symbolic and actual significance” (Vesna, Freud, Lecture II).  Yakoubian-Kara, Mane. "The Fascinating Neuroscience Behind Dreaming". PsyPost 2023 Swiss psychiatri...

  Leonardo Da Vinci was an amazing artist who enhanced his art through the use of science. In an effort to make his artwork as accurate as possible he worked to learn “the geometrical center of gravity of a triangle” and general centers of gravity (Farago, 2023). This relates to the overall theme of our class which is the incorporation of both art, math and science fields. Leonardo Da Vinci is a great example of how each of these fields intertwines and comes into play. During this event, something that I found I can definitely relate to is the way that leonardo “did not always get [it]” right (his calculations and balancing of levers). He used trial and error by “putting the lever in a different position on the beam” to find his answers (Landruss, 2023). I can definitely relate to this process and not succeeding every time. Proof of attendance  The British Library, "page 143 The Codex Arundel Notebook"  https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/17/science/leonard-da-vinci-grav...

  According to Oxford languages, biotechnology is defined as “ the exploitation of biological processes for industrial and other purposes, especially the genetic manipulation of microorganisms for the production of a ntibiotics , hormones , etc” (Oxford languages). The materials that really influenced my understanding of the subject this week were BioArt video part III (Kathy high), the synopsis of Soylent Green, and a question from Ruth West. Solon, olivia. “ White blood cells pitted against each other in ‘Blood Wars.” Wired, September 2, 2011, https://www.wired.co.uk/article/blood-wars-art-science-exhibition . I really understood the topic of biotech after learning about Kathy High’s art and experiments. As explained in Professor Vesna in BioArt part III, High created “Blood Wars”, in an effort to help “audiences… come to have a better understanding of the processes of blood cell division, cell staining, immune cells, and immune system functioning” (Vesna, 2013). I enjoyed the ...