Bridge to Teamwork

Chemistry or Biology.  This was one of the questions I asked myself my senior year of high school.  I tossed and turned these two majors over and over again in my head, trying to decide which one was for me.  In the end, biology came up on top, but none of that really matters now, because I switched to a Biobehavioral Health major a week before I started.

My reason for changing this was because I liked the idea of having an interdisciplinary major.  Now, it may sound like this has nothing to do with buildings, at night, and it might not really, but I think it is truly what is meant by the bridge between the Chemistry and Huck Life Sciences buildings.

The life science bridge is a two-story tall enclosed, bridge that goes between the Chemistry Building and Huck Life Sciences building.  It is well lit even at night, and it completely made out of windows.  There is lots of seating within the bridge, which allows for view up and down Shortlidge Road. 

 

From the life science bridge, you can look straight up Shortlidge , toward the Forum building, or down right at the names of all of the different colleges that make up Penn State.  This small grassy area, with all the college adorned marble benches, just add to the idea of interdisciplinary work.  All these colleges, may be very different, but together they become one, the Pennsylvania State University.  Although, this is more of story for another time.

This scenery may add to the ideas represented by the life science bridge, interdisciplinary work and teamwork, but the bridge itself can also show this.  The bridge at its simplest is a way to "bridge" the gap between the two buildings.  These two buildings being the ones for completely different majors, but yet the majors that seem to be the most closely related.

It is impossible to truly have biology without chemistry.  This is because everything, including living things, is made up of atoms.  At the same time, it is hard to have chemistry without biology, because an important part of chemistry is organic chemistry, the chemistry of carbon, the basis of life.  Without each other, both of these fields cannot be complete, but when they team up, anything great discoveries can be made.

That is why this bridge personifies the importance of teamwork.  Whenever any group join together, be it two majors, many countries, or just two people, they are able accomplish much more than if they were alone.  That is also why it is important to put aside differences to work toward the greater good.

The chemistry and biology departments probably both think they are the best departments, but they are both wrong, it's the BBH department.  That's actually a lie, no department is better than any other, but anyway, the departments are many times able to put aside these differences for the good of their research and the lives of people.

The life science bridge is truly a bridge across, not only a gap, but differences.  It is also a bridge toward teamwork, and interdisciplinary studies, to make the world a better place, together.

We Are...a Sculpture

We Are...Penn State...We Are....Penn State...We Are...Penn State...Thank You...You're Welcome.  The "We Are" chant was one of the first things that we learned when we came to Penn State.  As we know, this saying is very important, so important that there is even a sculpture commemorating it.

The WE ARE Sculpture is a made entirely of mirrors that reflect the world around it.  It stands upon a large stone pedestal.  This sculpture was a gift from the Class of 2013.  Beside the sculpture is an information board that tells about the statue, the saying, and the history of the Alma Mater.  You can see this board below.

This chant, along with the Alma Mater are what bring Penn State together as a family.  When the Alma Mater is sung, everyone sways together, as one.  This lets us know that we are not alone, and that beside us there is always someone else who has our back, literally when the Alma Mater is sung. This feeling of community goes on with the "We Are" Chant.

The "We Are" chant continues this feeling of community.  According to the information board, the "We Are" chant can be said anywhere around the world, with the size of the Penn State community, someone will answer it.  This goes to show just how powerful the feeling of community is here, at Penn State.  This power of community can be seen symbolically in the WE ARE Sculpture.

The WE ARE sculpture is a reflection of one's self, both figuratively and literally.

Literally in the sense that we can see our reflection in it.  The shiny mirror quality of the sculpture lets you look into the "A" and be looking right back at yourself.  This is one of the things that makes this sculpture so interesting, the color of it is never exactly the same.  The surroundings around the  sculpture are constantly changing, which means that the WE ARE sculpture is constantly changing.  This can also be seen figuratively.

Figuratively, it can be see that since the color of the WE ARE sculpture is constantly changing, so is the people who make up our community.  All of us are growing into ourselves all throughout college, and are changing each and every second of every day.  This is one of the two ideas in the reflection of the sculpture.

The other idea is that when you look at your reflection in the WE ARE sculpture, "you" become a part of the "we."  The WE ARE sculpture shows us that we are all part of a community at Penn State.  This means that the community could not be the same without you, or anyone else.

The WE ARE sculpture is a holistic view of Penn State.  By this I mean that we believe strongly in our power as a group.  When all of us work together, as one big community, we can help all of the members of our community as a team, because "We Are" nothing without each other, but together "We Are" able to do anything.

Millennium Imagination Complex

It's a bird.  It's a plane.  No, it's the Millennium Science Building.  This building may be one of the biggest research buildings, it is also one of the most interesting buildings on campus.

The building, in its simplest terms could be described as an "L" shape, if you're an English kind of person or two perpendicular lines meeting, if math is your thing.  At the back of the building where the two "lines" would meet, the building slopes upward into a point.  I truly don't know how to describe the back of the building better, so here is a picture of it instead.

The true interest of the Millennium Science Building, to me, is its unique shape.  Its unusual look can perk the imagination of any person who looks at it.  The first thing that I ever was told about the Millennium Science Building when I arrived at Penn State is that it looks like a boat.  I didn't really understand this statement until I saw it for myself.

The building looks to me a lot like the Titanic, or a cruise liner.  The main part of the building is the ship, with the two towers being big smoke stacks. Sadly, it appears that if this was a boat, it would no longer be seaworthy, due to the giant hole and bend in the middle, which sadly also reminds me of the Titanic.






The back of the building also can take on a second, or even a third life in the dark.  From the back, this part of the building can look like the prow of a boat sailing through the night.  Another idea is that the building looks like one of the aliens from space invaders.  I'm not sure if you can see it, but I can see two eyes and a mouth, but that's also coming from the guy that can see a face in the headlights and grill of a car.  If you don't believe me look at the pictures below, and if you still don't believe me then, I may just have an overactive imagination.

(I would like to take this moment to apologize for the poor quality of the drawing, but it was much better than my first attempt.)

A final part of this building that invokes lots of imagination is the garden at the back entrance.  If you stand in the middle of the garden, surrounded by plants, it is like standing in the middle of a jungle.  It is weird to think of being in the middle of a jungle, in the middle of a college campus, but you truly feel alone when all you can see is leaves all around you, and the bright lights from the building.

Many people would never expect a science building on campus to be a symbol for imagination but it truly makes sense.  It is because of the creativity and imagination of scientists and researchers, and their thoughts and questions that lead the world toward new discoveries.  It is also because of this creativity that Penn State is the research college that it is.

Maybe next time you are strolling around campus, you will take a second and use your creativity to see not just a building but something much more.

Main Inspiration

Ringing can be heard across campus.  Every hour, on the hour, Old Main comes to life with its music. In between every hour, on the half hour and quarter hours, it presents quick serenades of inspiration to those who are listening.

Old Main is truly my inspiration here at Penn State.  Along with this, it was my inspiration to begin writing this blog.  On one of my very first nights here, as I was walking back to my dorm, right as I was passing Old Main, I heard its chimes for the very first time.  I was in awe of the of the sounds that a building had brought to life.

In the daytime, Old Main stands out at the end of the long grassy lawn.  Students can constantly be seen racing by it on their way to classes or playing games along this grassy lawn.  The single bell tower spire of Old Main juts into the air, which can be seen from many different areas around campus.

In the night, Old Main stands alone at the end of a long pool of shadows.  These shadows are broken only by the lights of Old Main, occasional street lights, and lights rising from the ground, unseen in the daytime.

The front of Old Main is lit up and gives off a warm and inviting feeling.  This is felt even though the doors are firmly shut, and most likely locked, although I did not check.  These lights are what gives old main its power, and its beauty in the night. 

The bell tower still rises into the night as birds and bats, circle it in flight.  These are the only things that break the stillness between the chimes.  From Old Mains vantage, it can see to the busy town, but in the proximity to Old Main itself,  the bustle is gone.

Old Main does not sit alone in its world, but is joined by two flag poles.  One flying the flag of Pennsylvania while the other flies the American flag.  These flags, along with Old Main, create the feeling of inspiration that surrounds the area.  This is a place where a person can not only pull inspiration from their college, but also their state, and our country.

The inspiration that this building alone creates can be see all around it.  Old Main rallies people to service as well as to give back to their school.  One example of this repayment can be seen in the form of the sundial.  

The sundial is directly in front of old main, but can barely be seen in the shadow that lies before it. This sundial was a gift from the class of 1915, and on it are the words, "Grow old with me.  The best is yet to be."  Nothing can sum up the inspiration of old main more than these ten words.

This sundial shows that even with Penn State's rich history, there is still more stories to be told and greater deeds to be done.  This sundial also inspires me to start looking toward what my class, the class of 2020 can do to repay our school.