Carolin's STEM Skills and Society Blog

  TenZ is living off Valorant, So Why Can't I?  It's June 2020, and I find myself up at 4 AM watching TenZ on the live streaming website Twitch. I was 13 and dreaming of being able to just play games daily as my job. Now, 4 years later, at 17, I find myself on the opposite end of that idea. Finding the flaws and utopian mindset that live streaming services and media give to teens, providing a fictional depiction of how the gaming industry is and the amount of profitability it holds. At 13, the allure of gaming for a living seemed irresistible. Watching dozens of streamers per day, it was easy to believe that anyone could turn their passion for gaming into a functional career. The reality, however, is much more complex and less idealistic than what is often portrayed on platforms like Twitch or in movies that glorify the gaming lifestyle. One of the primary issues with the portrayal of gaming as a viable career path is that it fosters unrealistic expectations among teenagers. Th

Making My Very Own FAQ Chatbot Hello, my lovely genteel readers. Today in STEM Skills we worked with, yes you guessed it, AI. Specifically, we made our very own Chatbot. So, in this blog I will be discussing what I did, how I did it, and how it works. So first to understand what I did you must know what a Chatbot is. A Chatbot is a computer program coded to answer and reply automatically to a user who may have inquiries or to generally do any task the programmer desires.  So, for my first chatbot, as I was new to this I simply used the code given to me. But I changed the questions and answers to similar questions and answers but much more interesting. For example, instead of having the possible option that the user will say "How are you?" I changed it to "What is your favorite sanrio character?". As you can see it is of a similar format but still different. Doing this to all three of the questions I ended up with this as my final code...

 Machine Learning Give a summary of the information presented and how you think you might use that information in your own schooling.   Abstract: Today, instead of having a regular split class of STEM Skills and STEM in Society, we had an interactive lecture from Dr. Schuman who is an Assistant  Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science here at UTK.  During the lecture she began by asking us the first question she asks her students at the beginning of the year. That is "what is machine learning?". To answer this, we essentially came to the conclusion that machine learning is when AI or technology produces tests and data for itself to learn from. Just as we students are trialed and quizzed in order to measure how well we are learning. Scientists and researchers are doing the same for machines and AI. To show us this and how it works even in our daily life Dr. Schuman presented 3 interactive activities for us.  The first activity involved a webs

 Touching Grass Abstract: Yesterday we went to Ijams Nature Center and walked around observing our surroundings answering questions in our packets. I won't be writing much from me personally in this blog, but I'll be showing you pictures from the center as well as my packet responses. ^ Responses to Questions in the Packet ^ Pictures of the Nature Center Unfortunately, I could not share the video of the caterpillar doing its little dance with you all as the file was too big, but I'm sure if you wander out to Ijams nature center you will see one dancing too. 

 How to be a Saleswoman and Titanic Predictor 101 Abstract: In this blog I will be covering how to make an excel visualization dashboard as well as how to predict who died and survived the Titanic sinkage using AI Yesterday in STEM Skills we covered the topic of data visualization and were given the option of doing different forms of visualization. Of these choices I decided to do a excel data visualization. In this datasheet we first had learned how to link icons to certain pages within the sheet which was then followed by how to format the sheet's background which in the picture below is showcased by the blue line with the icons leading to different pages and the shadow-y backdrop of each category. Then to put the data into visualization form, still following the YouTube tutorial, I converted the data into map, line graph, doughnut charts, and shape charts as well to represent different areas of the data. At the end this is what it looked like... So now that I have learned how to

  To CAFO Or Not To CAFO That Is The Question Abstract: CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) have been of latest concern where in STEM in Society we discussed what were the benefits and problems of CAFOs in their rise in society today. Via: Thoughtco.com Today in were essentially debating as to whether or not CAFOs were too essential for society to get rid of or whether they should be replaced as they are too heinous and inhumane. My team, comprised of Kim Huang, Lane Comstock, Anandi Durgam, Sanvi Guruprasad, and I, were given the task for finding the benefits of CAFOs are arguing why they are needed in this society and time. In this discussion we came up with 4 main points as to why they are essential for us.  Reasons Firstly there is not enough land for all farming to be open farm as in America already due to increasing population, more homes and corporations are being built diminishing the land available to open farm as well as depleting the nutrients located within the g

 What Determines Whether or Not Something Is a "Person"? Abstract: In this post we will be discussing what criteria constitutes one as a "Person" and if they do not meet ALL  parts of the criteria does it mean they are not a person? Today in class we were given a list of characteristics that define "personhood" which essentially means whether or not they are a person and if so, they should have these qualities. Below we see a picture of said list. Yet, although we were given this list that supposedly defines what a person is and should be I don't think that is what should qualify whether or not something is a person.  Being vs. Moral Respect Although one could be a human which we classify as a person that does not mean it deserves the attitude we give towards "people" likewise although one could be non-human that does not mean we should give it 0 moral respect. Like many rules within science and study there are exceptions. Just as sociopaths

 What is Objectivity? Abstract: After discussing the value of objectivity in science in contrast with one's values we were asked to evaluate a video and describe that was happening as well as why it may be happening and in this blog I'm going to share my interpretations with you lovely readers.  Video Link:  Studio (instructuremedia.com) In this video a Pitbull (dog) is licking a young bunny.  Interpretation of Behavior When first looking at the video I interpreted this behavior as a familial or parental behavior in which a dog usually licks younger pups to clean them and take care of them. And as the Pitbull is not harming or maliciously biting with force then it shows that there is no sense of predator-prey relations and that it is a rather wholesome one in which the Pitbull cares for the bunny and wants to show it affection. But just as I perceive these actions as affectionate, someone else could interpret this differently. As my value-judgement and perspective may interfere

3D Printing  Abstract: This blog will cover my first time making a 3D design of a Cinnamoroll Among Us Character Background Prior to this I knew little about 3D printing and design. In fact, I only knew about it as a device used in robotics, but I never dabbled or used it at all. This is why I chose to use the Tinkercad program to create my design. It is a beginner-friendly program for designers that is easy to navigate. Making it the best program to make a simple design with a good outcome.  Design Process As I love Sanrio and specifically the Cinnamoroll Sanrio character, I wanted to make a Cinnamoroll. But as I was talking to my friends, we all decided to make an among us character that pertains to each of us. So, combining these two ideas I decided to make the among us character that I use when I play in game just with Cinnamoroll ears to represent the two.  *Pictures of the design I made* Conclusion  So, after this strenuous process of creating my design, I learned how to use the

 Intro to Coding and ChatGPT  Abstract: Today my lovely readers you I will share with you my first experience with coding as well as my experience with CHAT GPT.  Coding My Background in Coding: Absolutely no coding experience whatsoever As I had 0 experience in coding, I decided to start slow easing my way into it, choosing to do the project "Intro to Coding". Using Codeacademy I was able to learn how to use Python completing 4 1/2 out of the 6 lessons required, reaching 23% out of 30% required for the project. Overall, I learned a lot of the fundamental basics of Python covering subjects such as syntax, strings and console output, date and time, conditionals and control flow, and pyglatin.  Picture of Codeacademy lesson problem Reflection: After going through and finishing the 6 lessons I learned the basic rules and principles for coding. However, in addition to this I learn how it is easy to often get confused with the rules adding constraints and specific instructions in

  Aliens. Are they real or not? And is the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) a science or a pseudoscience? Today in our STEM in Society class we covered the difference between science and pseudoscience and specifically whether or not SETI research is genuine science or pseudoscience. But to find an answer to this question we must first look at what science and pseudoscience is defined as.  A science is classified as a systematic theory based on empirical observations and experiences with a law-like predictive and explanatory power developed by scientific methods can be falsifiable. Whereas a pseudoscience is something that seems to be a science and claims to be a science yet is unscientific is one or more fundamental ways.  Divided into groups members of my group (Anandi Durgam, Aditi Arunprakash, Sanvi Guruprasad, Disha Javagal, and I) had concluded that SETI is in fact a science as it is a theory based on empirical, observational data as we see that us as humans are for

  Abstract: In our class Stem Skills, we explored the 8-step engineering design process of making out own functioning "car" using KNEX.  For this lesson our class split into groups in order to make a fully functioning transportational device that can carry items over a distance. My group consisted of 4 members. Anandi Durgam, Sanvi Guruprasad, Aditi Aurnprakash, and me.  Step 1: Define the Problem In this part of the process, we had to first evaluate the problem and what goals we needed our prototype to achieve. For this we outlined our goals for our model as first being able to move, second being able to carry objects, and third able to carry objects while moving  Step 2: Research the Problem For this second step we had to research what others had done and what constraints, limitations, or criteria we had to abide by in order to make out model. One such constraint is that the only items we were given to build the prototype was only a single bag of KNEX blocks which did not h

  The ethical dilemma of self-driving cars - Patrick Lin - YouTube

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