STEM Symposium
Shaowei Rice
By Soyeon Kim and Leia Pei
By Soyeon Kim and Leia Pei
This past Tuesday afternoon, we gathered at the social sciences lawn to taste some rice, and the weather was perfect — not a cloud was in sight, and the sun shone down on us. This rice was like no other, as it was prepared with care and attention from our beloved COSMOS Program Director, Prof. Shaowei Chen. Through the grapevine, we have all heard chatter about the much renowned “Shaowei Rice.” Some said that simply being in its presence would bless you with immense intelligence and a sudden enlightenment, while others stated that downing a bowl would fill you with a tremendous strength to finish five SAT practice tests at once. I’m not sure I believe those stories, but nonetheless, I was intrigued, and so, ventured out to try some “Shaowei Rice.” In any case, whether it be a longing for some home cooking, or just a simple desire of wanting to talk to our favorite professor, everyone had a reason to want some “Shaowei Rice!”
As the minutes passed while we sat waiting at the bench, more members from our newsletter team came to join in on the excitement. The anticipation was building as the man of the hour, Shaowei, finally stepped from behind the tall redwood trees and onto the lawn. Brown bag in hand, he made his way toward us with his signature sunny disposition and bright fatherly smile. We gasped, and quickly took everything off the rickety wooden table. “The simple joy of Shaowei’s hand prepared rice must not be tainted by the presence of any other item,” we thought! Hardly able to contain our excitement, we carefully pulled out the metal rice pot inside the bag and took a moment to simply bask in its glory. The nutty aroma of freshly cooked rice entered our noses, as we took pictures with the large metal bowl that the rice stood in. Of course, some memorabilia was necessary for this legendary moment in time! |
Chalk Skipping
By Mika Cham and Rohan Kaushikan
By Mika Cham and Rohan Kaushikan
Since the origination of humanity, we have always strived to increase our efficiency; as a race, and as individuals. Whether it be hunting for much needed food, preparing for harsh weather, or drawing a force vector approximately a tenth of a second faster, minimizing the time it takes to accomplish something has always been vital for human survival. Disregarding its unparalleled flashiness and glamor, that at its core, is what chalk skipping seeks to fulfill.
The culmination of knowledge bestowed upon us by great physicists and mathematicians led to the creation of chalk skipping in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) during an astrophysics lecture given by Walter Lewin. Apart from physics, the applications of chalk skipping extend to most forms of mathematics, including geometry. With a plethora of blackboards, Cluster 1 incorporates the technique into our work.
Chalk skipping, or the art of creating a dotted line with chalk without lifting your hand, has slowly spread throughout Cluster 1 during the four weeks of COSMOS. It’s very handy, and could even combat rising global temperatures, since you get one hundred percent more use out of each chalk by only drawing half the line. This method also saves the writer energy, by allowing them to write continuously without needing to pick up their chalk.
If one performs unbelievable mental gymnastics, the evolution of chalk skipping seems to model the evolution of mankind. Following an era of experimentation, most of us proceeded to bring it to the next level by drawing fluid ellipses and polygons. Fundamentally, chalk skipping is more than an art form. It is technology.
The culmination of knowledge bestowed upon us by great physicists and mathematicians led to the creation of chalk skipping in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) during an astrophysics lecture given by Walter Lewin. Apart from physics, the applications of chalk skipping extend to most forms of mathematics, including geometry. With a plethora of blackboards, Cluster 1 incorporates the technique into our work.
Chalk skipping, or the art of creating a dotted line with chalk without lifting your hand, has slowly spread throughout Cluster 1 during the four weeks of COSMOS. It’s very handy, and could even combat rising global temperatures, since you get one hundred percent more use out of each chalk by only drawing half the line. This method also saves the writer energy, by allowing them to write continuously without needing to pick up their chalk.
If one performs unbelievable mental gymnastics, the evolution of chalk skipping seems to model the evolution of mankind. Following an era of experimentation, most of us proceeded to bring it to the next level by drawing fluid ellipses and polygons. Fundamentally, chalk skipping is more than an art form. It is technology.