Entry 6: Reflection

Over the course of this Colloquium class we discussed certain topics and what they meant. The following were focused on the most:

Sustainability: the ability for something to be kept in it's initial condition without using depleting resources.

Eco-literacy: Awareness and understanding of the environment and its inner workings.

Sense of place: Knowing your place in a specific environment.

In the beginning of the term I had a basic understanding of these terms, but over the course of the semester my knowledge has become more in-depth. Before Colloquium I could give basic definitions of these terms whereas now I can discuss and elaborate on them in detail as well as connect them to my area of study, mathematics. 

Math connects to everything, if you hadn't noticed already. Certain algorithms and equations can map and model ecosystems more clearly than most predictions. Dijkstra's algorithm can give you the shortest path from one place to another, which can reduce the amount of emissions and energy expended. Math can help us understand our sense of place through graph theory. If we see a food web as a graph and understand where we lie in this web, we can see our impact on the rest of the environment. 

I enjoyed connecting my major with this class through the final project. I also enjoyed the field trips as they helped me understand certain elements of the course. I did not like the long periods of time spent in the classroom. My attention span is very short and the class seemed very long. Almost 3 hours in a classroom, even with breaks, became uncomfortable and not enjoyable. If I were to teach the class I would like for it to meet twice a week and involve more varied activities in the classroom. I'd also change some of the paper topics. Making every student in the university answer the same questions seems strange to me. Some new topics could shed a new light on the course and may make students more excited to share their opinion on things they're passionate about. 

Entry 5: Estero Island Cottage and Matanzas Pass

My Estero Island Cottage experience was a fantastic one. We were educated by a lovely and knowledgeable woman named Jo. While we ate her delicious homemade sea grape jelly, she entertained us with stories of when she was a child growing up on old Fort Myers beach. These stories were laced with history that would have been bland coming from a book, but she brought them to life. You could tell she was passionate about preserving the history of Fort Myers beach. Once finished at the cottage, we loaded up onto the bus for our canoeing excursion. Though we had a rocky start, canoeing was an overall enjoyable experience that I would gladly repeat. My favorite part of this field trip was learning about Fort Myers beach and it's history. I feel it is important to preserve the important landmarks like Estero Island Cottage but not forget about the progress that has been made since then. My hometown hasn't changed much over the years except for the occasional new restaurant or store. I don't live there anymore so I can't really speak on the sense of community, but when I lived there there wasn't much to begin with. I didn't know my neighbors, the restaurants didn't know my "usual", and there weren't many mom and pop shops. I would take 300% of my childhood home's value if there were to be condos built there because I have no sense of connection to my hometown and it isn't a place that would be missed or needs to be preserved. I'd take the 300% for condos over the 80% for the 20/20 program in order to conserve it. It isn't a special home that has any significant history. Unfortunately though, there aren't many places left with historical significance like the Estero Island Cottage.

Entry 4: Downtown Fort Myers

When I think "downtown", I think of small, locally owned, overpriced shops and restaurants, maybe some nightlife, a pub or two. Nothing historical ever comes to mind. "Downtown" is modern and new. When we visited Downtown Fort Myers however, that changed. There were old buildings like the First National Bank and Edison Theater, and a structure made of coral. "Arcade" didn't mean what I normally think it does. There were museums (Art of the Olympians), sculptures (Firestone, Edison, and Ford fountain), and murals  depicting important historical events.

Downtown Fort Myers is going through an "eco-phase". There is a basin that helps purify water as it leaves the area in order to improve the quality of water flowing into the Caloosahatchee. The way the city is set up encourages walking from place to place so as to reduce the dependence on cars.
The economy of Ft. Myers has evolved through its richness in culture as well as becoming a booming financial district. There are places to live, eat, shop, and view art; places anyone would enjoy. Before World War II, Fort Myers was undeveloped. Today, its growth is exponential; Fort Myers has sustained its history even with all of this growth.