The Ultimate Water Slide Challenge

In the previous post I mentioned that NEW core should adapt the STEM type competitions, and today we did just that. In our groups we had half an hour to make the safest, tallest, and longest water slide that we could, for a little lego man to travel through. Most groups went straight to cardboard, making ramp-like structures, that provided great length and height. We decided to do something that would be more water proof, and turned towards plastic cups. The little lego man travelled well through our chain-like structure, however he unfortunately got a tiny bit stuck during the actual test run. Still, I think our water slide was the most unique!

NEW Core Takes on STEM

Every two years the 11/12 STEM core puts together a STEM Design Day, where members of the 9/10 cores are mentored by STEM students in a project day. I had the opportunity to compete on one of the teams for NEW core in a day of competition at the Sonoma County Jet Center. We would be designing a project of some sort that could safely travel from a 20 ft high balloon to a distance away on the ground. In addition, we would have to create some mechanism for releasing the device from where it was latched onto the balloon, from the ground.

We had two teams competing for NEW, and like every other team we began by brainstorming and figuring out all the different guidelines. We laid out all our supplies and tried to think of an idea that would get our project safely as far as possible. Keeping it safe was a necessity, as there was an egg inside that could not be broken. We went through a couple different ideas, but ultimately decided that a glider type object would be most capable of travelling a fair distance. The only issue would be how we could get it moving forward initially. One member of my group wanted to have a sling shot type thing, although some other members and I were very reluctant. Attaching the slingshot to the glider would not be an option, considering the force exerted by the slingshot to the glider would also be exerted in the opposite direction, not causing any forward momentum. Having the slingshot attached to the balloon would be very difficult because the rubber band would need to be positioned in a way that it would not run into the balloon or string. Additionally, a slingshot would require our glider to be exceptionally small, not allowing much room to secure the egg.

Finally we ditched this idea, and decided on a much simpler and less problematic approach. We would have a hanging platform that the plane would be hooked to, and a simple pull of a string from the ground, would unhook the plane and allow it to move forward.

That just left the structure of the glider. We knew we wanted to merge the ideas of a kite and a plane, so we created the base of a plane using various wooden sticks, and used a plastic like material over the frame, leaving it limp enough that it would catch air. The egg was held securely in styrofoam and positioned at the base of the plane.

The main issues we faced was the unequal distribution of weight. Several times we had to take apart the structure to reposition where the egg was. With it too far forward, the plane would fly nose-down and lose the opportunity to move forward. With it too far back, the plane would go through a series of back flips, ultimately ending up with a negative distance.  We added some close-line clips and corks in a variety of places to help even out the weight, and finally we got it as good as we could. During one of our test runs we managed to cover 12 feet, which was pretty good in comparison to the other projects, like the other NEW team who ended up in the unfortunate situation seen below.

Overall it was a very interesting experience, and I really liked the unique version of the egg drop. I think we wasted a fair amount of time on the slingshot idea, which could have been focused more on the development of the glider. However, it was still a neat opportunity that is certainly something NEW core could replicate in the future, regarding group competitions for STEM-like projects.

Saving Society Saves the Vets

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is one form of anxiety that we briefly skimmed over when a few speakers came to our class. We constantly think that this disorder is a problem veterans face because they are having trouble getting over such horrific events. However, Sebastian Junger explains in a Ted Talk that the problem might not be the vets, but the rest of society instead.

Only 10% on the military is involved in combat, yet strangley 50% of veterans claim to have PTSD. Clearly a large amount of veterans are facing struggles other than what is seen in war. Junger suggests that making the transition from a tightly-knit troop to an isolated society is what can cause depression in the veterans. Several studies reported our nation as being the most isolated, making our depression rates the highest. Frankly, when veterans return, there is not the same relationships and unification as there is in their troops. No one around them understands what they have gone through, and there is not the constant feeling of being in a tribe. This changes during time periods when the whole country is involved in the war. For example, after 9-11 PTSD and suicide rates declined significantly. Everyone was reveling in the tragedy together, and returning veterans were not facing such a difficult transition into isolation.

It is interesting how the solution to treat PTSD is virtually the same as that regarding substance abuse, depression and several other disorders - we as a community need to prevent such isolation from occurring, and create a more unified population.

For more information, view the Ted Talk here.

Depression Webinar

A webinar is exactly what you would predict it to be...a seminar on the web. We were introduced to this different type of presentation with the topic of depression, meaning that we listened to a webinar about depression. More specifically, the webinar was about depression in teens and young people, which clearly has the potential to relate to students of our age.

Dr.Stringaris, the presenter, definted depression as: "Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure."

There were a few different symptoms mentioned, all pretty similar to what we had learned in previous depression presentations. However, it is always interesting to compare different people's definitions of a disorder to gain further understanding.

After explaining more about what depression is, and how to diagnose, he went on the share some statistics. Here are some two that are pretty concerning:

• Adolescents with major depression are up to 30 times more likely to die of suicide
• In its severe form, it affects about 9% of adolescents

With that Stringaris explained the main reasons for depression: genes and environment. 30-50% of the liability to depression is due to genetic factors, meaning that because of the genetic buildup to a person, they might be more susceptible to become depressed from a certain thing than another person with different genes. The environment aspect is essentially the same as that in our last presentation from the on-campus therapists - life events, stressful situations, alcohol abuse, deaths of loved ones, etc. can all cause depression.

One major concept to understand is that those with depression have a negativity bias, meaning that they miss the positive and cannot hope to see the good in situations. In other words, they gain a pessimistic mindset and consider everything in their lives to be negative. This is not the fault of the person affected, as their brains are actually affected to create this negative aura. One way to determine if someone is overwhelmed in this negativity bias, is if they rarely smile and just generally seem constantly unhappy. 

Then there is the motivation and reward processing part of depression. Those who are depressed tend to not receive the same feeling of achievement and joy in success, as those unaffected. This can lead to people not even putting in the effort to achieve something in the first place, given that they do not feel the same emotions in success. Without this effort the person affected may become lackadaisical and overall fail to put in effort for a variety of different tasks. On the reverse side, if one has a damaged reward system within their brain, depression may be caused for all the same reasons.

The webinar had a slides presentation with audio over it, and lasted about an hour.

It is essential that depression is identified right away, because if not the subject might consider overdosing, personal harm, or even suicide. Each of these have the potential to lead to serious harm, and therefore being diagnoses straightaway is necessary. Stringaris explains that this may be difficult, because one might be so focused on the irritability or lack of effort given by the subject, and not link it to depression. If the subject is unwilling to discuss the matter, then it is best to diagnose them based on the definition mentioned at the beginning...if the subject is exhibiting the general symptoms of depression, then they are most likely depressed. Diagnosis should also address presence of manic symptoms and underlying medical causes. In any case of uncertainty, a risk assessment is very important to determine if they are considering suicide or self-harm. 

Ending the webinar, Stringaris listed some different medications that can help with suicide to restore the mind to its original, healthy state.

Reflecting on this webinar, I do not think it was the most effective way to take in all this information because it was frankly rather dry. We had heard much of it all previously, which allowed the accumulation of information to come a bit easier, but nonetheless it was not great. Perhaps it would have been better with a speaker with a more easily understood accent, or who spoke with more inflection, or who provided more interesting media. Still, it was interesting to explore a different form of online presentations to come to this conclusion that I prefer other types of learning.

Diving into Eating Disorders

To explore eating disorders, we were divided into groups of three where each of us researched a different type. We then shared our findings through discussions. The different eating disorders that we focused on are as follows:

Anorexia Nervosa:
Anorexia Nervosa is a very serious illness based on the obsession with a low body weight. Those affected appear very thin, however a doctor may not recognize the illness because the body's exterior is not affected so much as the interior. Almost every organ is negatively affected due to anorexia, and that is because the person is not receiving proper nutrition. Those who are anorexic are generally very worried about being "fat" and resort to dramatically decreasing their eating. This can result in an overall weakness all throughout the body, with brittle bones, dehydration, muscle loss, low blood pressure, etc. The difference between anorexia and dieting is that dieting involves changing the foods one consumes in order to grow healthier, whereas anorexia involves self-starvation and is completely unhealthy. Anorexia most often occurs in adolescent girls, and 90-95% of those affected are girls/women.

Bulimia Nervosa:
Bulimia is a very serious and potentially life threatening disorder, which involves self-induced vomiting after binge eating. Affects 1-2% of young adult woman, and 80% of people with Bulimia are women. One major sign is when people frequently go to the restroom right after eating, and obviously if they are always making themselves vomit. This can cause inflammation of the esophagus, increased chances of heart-attacks, malnourished body, etc.

Binge Eating Disorder:
A disorder characterized by often eating large quantities of food, generally in order to comfort oneself. Those affected cannot control their intake, and generally feel very ashamed during/after the act. There are serious potential health concerns, as eating too much is just as unhealthy as not eating at all. Often those suffering from the disorder binge in secret, because of the shame they are experiencing. One can recognize another is experiencing the disorder if large quantities of food suddenly disappear, or if someone is setting aside time for binge eating. Binge eating can cause obesity, however someone of a small body mass can still be suffering from this disorder.

Mental Disorder Education

Today we had two guest speakers from our very own campus. One of the two was a councilor, and another was a staff member involved in "Project Success", which helps get students through different mental health issues or other personal problems.

Continuing with our mental health unit, the two began by defining a mental health disorder as "a diagnosable illness that affects a person's thinking, emotional state, and behavior", that affects a person's ability to carry out daily activities.

With that we went into defining some major mental health disorders, as follows:

Anxiety:

• A normal reaction to stress - sometimes beneficial
• Anxiety disorder = Uncontrollable anxiety
• Disorder involves a persistent or severe fear of worry that can be difficult to manage, and can interfere with a persons quality of life
• Symptoms - feelings of apprehension/dread, difficulty concentrating, tense/jumpy, restless, sweating, pounding heart, tremors/twitches, etc.
• Normal Anxiety vs Problematic Anxiety
• Being able to respond to potential = normal, overwhelming fear that something bad will happen = problematic
• Moderate amounts = beneficial - can keep you alert, overwhelming amounts can interfere with relationships and daily life 
• Types of Anxiety:
• Generalized Anxiety - unrealistic worry + tension
• Social Anxiety - overwhelming worry and feelings of self-consciousness
• Specific Phobias - intense feelings of fears towards specific objects/situations
• Panic Disorder - feelings of terror that stick suddenly and repeatedly
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - feeling that something bad will happen if something is/is not done
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - flashbacks, nightmares and uncontrollable thoughts about a terrifying, past event
• Causes of Anxiety:
• Biological reasons - heredity, genetics, brain chemistry
• Environmental reasons - abuse, trauma, high stress, violence
• Life circumstances - significant losses, divorces in family, stressful situations, high expectations
• Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder in adolescence/childhood

Depression:

• Depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities for an extended period of time
• Increases chances of suicide by 12
• Sadness vs Depression:
• Sadness = normal human emotion, often triggered by an event
• Depression affects thinking, emotions, and behaviors, and causes effected to be sad about everything
• Depression can affect ANYONE, regardless of their background
• Causes of Depression:
• Hereditary - having a family member with depression
• Brain Chemistry
• Environement - surroundings, life experiences, etc.
• Stress - any stressful situation can trigger depression
• Medications - side-effects of certain medications
• Alcohol/Drugs - use of substances can lead to or worsen depression
• **Just because these things occurred, it does not mean depression will also occur...different events affect people in different ways

Clearly depression and anxiety are not an uncommon thing, but why is treatment necessary? Well anxiety and depression do not represent a healthy lifestyle, and they can cause physical problems as well as problems in ordinary life. To return to a healthy, content way of life, it is necessary to find a way to overcome these disorders, often by getting treatment. If avoided, suicide could occur.

Suicide:

• Suicide is not the same as self harm - suicide is intentionally trying to kill oneself, whereas self harm is a negative coping tool
• Those considering suicide see it as the only option, and see it as a solution
• Warning signs of suicide:
• Threats to hurt of kill themselves
• Talking or making plans for suicide
• Having both anxiety and depression
• Acquiring guns of stockpiling pills
• Giving away prized possessions
• Death of a friend/family member
• Victim of assault/bullying
• QPR - Question a person about suicide, Persuade the person to get help, Refer the person to the appropriate resources
• Go to an adult - at school: teachers, councilors, etc., of campus - police officers, trusted adult, suicide hotline, and emergency room
• Must call 911 when someone has a weapon, expresses an immediate intent to harm self, have taking pills with the intent to hurt themselves, threatens suicide on social media, etc.

Harry Potter and the Sleeping Draught of Living Death

As with all things in NEW school, we had a very unique type of final. The assignment was to adapt an act from Romeo and Juliet into a different theme, such as "Keeping up With the Kardashians", Western, etc. We worked in groups of about 15 for this project, developing a script, coming up with potential props, filming, and editing. 

Our group's theme was Harry Potter, which was great since I am a huge Harry Potter fan, as were a few other members of our group. We had Act IV of the play, which is centered around Juliet and Friar Laurence developing a plan involving her taking a potion to appear dead. This tied in easily with Harry Potter, considering there are actual potions brewed within the novels. 

Just for a little background, we had Juliet and the rest of the Capulets part of the Ravenclaw House, and the Montagues were Gryffindors. We considered having the Capulets be part of the Slytherin House instead, since that would show more rivalry, however we did not want them to have the negative connotation that goes along with Slytherin.

So essentially Romeo and Juliet are from different Houses, and therefore they have difficulty in their relationship. The Yule Ball is approaching, and they really want to go together, but know their chances are slim. Before it can every actually happen though, Romeo and a Ravenclaw named Tybalt get in a serious duel, causing Romeo to be expelled (this portion is not explicitly stated in the video, but it was intended to be). 

With Romeo gone, Juliet is depressed, plus all the Ravenclaws are peer-pressuring her into going to the ball with Paris. Paris is rich, handsome, and very arrogant. Juliet's parents want her to go to the ball with him, and eventually marry him one day, because of his wealth and parentage. Juliet is clearly not interested, since she only has eyes for Romeo.

Since Hagrid is the character who often provides advice in Harry Potter, we made him into "Friar Hagrid". He helps Juliet with the plan of drinking the Sleeping Draught of Living Death so she will be free to leave the castle and her parents' custody, to reunite with Romeo. 

And with that, here is the video: