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| Ocey Holland Class of 2018 |
As a natural and social science student at the University of Louisville, I have been given the opportunity to appreciate the connections and respect the functions of the two. I have learned that everyone has become accustom to some form of relationship in his or her life. Whether it is with a person, an animal, or an object; we all have a sense of what relationships mean to us. What we fail to realize, however, is that relationships also apply to the world we live in. Relations can stretch from one inanimate object to another or from one belief to a full-blown religion. These bonds we have become blind to, follow us daily as we turn on our televisions, and as we take our dogs out for a walk. This year has allowed me to grasp the concept that relationships stem from many facets of intellectual disciplines such as: social sciences’ interactions between social behavior and criminology, humanities’ expressive culture between visual arts and performing arts, and natural sciences’ experimental advancements between biology and physics.
Social Sciences:
Social behavior and criminology fall into a very distinctive category within the social sciences. In my search of disciplines, I came across two professors at the University of Louisville that both showed interest in the study of mankind’s interaction with society. One of the professors, Deborah Keeling, is most notably known for her research on criminal behavior along side government organizations such as the Metro Police Department, New York State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. From Dr. Keeling’s perspective, human cooperation with the law and the mindset behind that idea is the most important aspect to human interaction in her discipline. Dr. Keeling has to analyze these correlations in order to keep others safe from those who act with poor judgment. This particular emphasis on human behavior has presented itself very productive and relevant in today’s fight against crime. Dr. Keeling united her knowledge of human interaction with the intellect of her peers to initiate special projects that lead to cessation of domestic violence in China, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Panama. Professor Lee Dugatkin, while studying the same relationships of social sciences, applies interconnections between humans and society to the theory of evolution. He inquires about the ideology for generational qualities and how those qualities are affected due to time. Some of his most acclaimed research has rendered many new ideas on the quality of life such as evolution of aggression, resistance, risk-tasking behavior, and cooperation. Professor Dugatkin is an author of several books including Cooperation among Animals: An Evolutionary Perspective in which he explores the partnerships within the community of the animal kingdom through the viewpoint of reciprocal altruism. What makes this book so interesting is that Professor Dugatkin uses the same connections as Deborah Keeling to make his discoveries valid.
When you analyze these two aspects of social science you may find them to be closely related. That criminology is rather a part of social behavior, henceforth not a separate study in the slightest. After my research on the matter, I would beg to differ. These two disciplines are only connected by the idea that human’s influence each other. Professors Keeling and Dugatkin both exemplify the correlations between relationships and research.
Natural Sciences:
The natural sciences are necessary to the understanding how things function within our bodies’ and the world we live in. This field is constantly curious about matters in which we know nothing about, but would want to know more about. Professionals in this field implore evidence through experiments and exercised theories. They approach rising issues by examining relationships between subjects and identifying the interactions between these subjects. This process usually yields a result which scientist can use to form ideas and discoveries.
Dr. James Alexander and David Brown, biology and physics professors at the University of Louisville respectively, explore the unknown in their fields using the procedures of known reactions. Both professors show that natural sciences use prior scientific knowledge in order to find a way to advance society or the world, as we know it.
There is a huge difference between these two disciplines when it comes to what they investigate. Dr. Brown, professor of physics, searches for the answers in the theoretical branch of natural sciences. His main initiative is to seek understanding for the nature of space and time. Dr. Brown looks solely to understand the matter in which he researches while Dr. Alexander looks to understand, explain, and predict the matter. Dr. Alexander is extremely accomplished in his pursuit of inquiry in the biology field. His main interest is in how the relationship of distribution and density affect behavioral responses, ecological interactions, and physiological adaptations. His ongoing research only supports the fact that natural science studies relationships just as closely as all the other modes.
These past few months that I have spent immersing myself in the different sciences and evaluating these modes of inquiry, I have found that relationships are so much more than love stories. I have come to realize that relationships guide our daily lives’ and impact us unknowingly. I am always curious, what science are you in love with?
Ocey Holland is a freshman McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He studies biology and political science.