One aspect of the semester that I would like to highlight is the end of week discussions that the class would have on each paper we read. This discussion really helped me learn how to communicate my ideas effectively, and in an interesting way.
As a chemistry major, I understand how intimidating chemistry and science in general can be. However, I also know and have learned the benefit of understanding how things work. Having knowledge of the natural world around you allows you to make better, more informed decisions. In my mind, chemistry, biology, and neuroscience should not be intimidating topics. Yes, they are notorious for being confusing, but with practice we can be better at explaining them. This is why the discussions are so important because they allow us to explain things to an informal audience. I hope that in my future as a scientist that I will have many science communication opportunities. I have discovered that I adore public speaking when it comes to science communication. I would not have known this if courses like this one and other courses at Concordia had not pushed me to communicate effectively.
In almost every discussion we had for this course, we brought up the idea of how to educate the public on this topic. Although this was just a thought experiment and will not lead to actual implementation, we talked a lot about educating children early on topics such as diet, mental health, physical health, etc. I think it is very important to have scientists who understand science to be the ones to create the educational materials to be presented to these boards of education.
Additionally, I became better at listening to others. That statement makes it sound like I was not listening to others before, which I believe I was, just not in the most effective nor helpful way. Before, I would have the urge to rapidly jump into a conversation whenever I had something to say. Usually, this was me trying to relate to a person and their thoughts/ideas/emotions, however I realize now I was unknowingly interrupting them. These weekly discussions have taught me that even when someone finishes a sentence, it can be best to wait and let the words hang in the air. This allows for them to add on or clarify their thoughts, or just allows for deeper contemplation of the topic.
While I was listening more to my peers, I was learning more about them than ever before. Concordia has many goals and policies to promote multiculturalism which I believe are invaluable. However, the most value from having people from different backgrounds and cultures meet is when they actually listen to each other. While we were discussing neurochemical topics like schizophrenia, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease; I was simultaneously learning about how the school system works in Norway, or the ordinary diet in Nigeria, or how people access mental health care in rural North Dakota. Learning about the background of my peers gave me their own personal context. It allowed me to see the reasons why they think the way they do.
