Summer 2017: The Creation of the 2017 Liang StarGazer

Hi Everyone! 

This past summer I decided I wanted to design and build something. My obsession with Joshua Tree National Park sparked my idea of creating a model vehicle in which two people could travel and stargaze in. I took some photos along the way to document the month long project. Hopefully this may inspire some of you to transform a creative thought into a reality.

WEEK ONE

Focus: The design of the car and the plastic roof.

I created some rough sketches of what I envisioned for this car. Since the back part of the vehicle needed to be clear, I thought using a large plastic soda bottle would work well since it is the correct size and shape. I enjoyed the bottom design, but since the back part would be wood, it would be very difficult to curve it at such a sharp degree throughout.

These were my final blueprints for the 2017 Liang StarGazer.

I gathered my materials for creating the plastic portion
of the van. I used tape and multiple ruler types to
create a uniformly straight line to cut off from the
bottom portion of the bottle. Using a knife and
scissors, I was able to get the task done. 

I had to make the bottle shorter, so I cut the circumference of the bottle twice, and connected the two pieces using plastic glue. This glue melts the plastics together, and takes 24 hours to fully dry. So, I had to find a method to keep the two pieces strongly touching entirely for a day. With a combination of tape, decks of cards for stabilization, some rocks I got from a gift shop, and Gudetama binder clips, the two pieces were successfully attached.

WEEK TWO

Focus: The wooden structure of the car.

This was my first time working with wood, but since my dad creates frames for his oil paintings, he had the necessary tools for me to use. I used Basswood for the two sides of the car, and a mixture of Balsa wood and Plywood for the other wooden parts.

A large part of this project was cutting, sanding, and glueing the wood.  I underestimated the amount of energy and time I would have to spend perfecting the shape of this car to the precise measurements of my blueprint. Nonetheless, I learned a lot about the properties of wood and how to make both sides symmetrical using calculations. I gained significant muscle from sawing and sanding this wood.

WEEK THREE

Focus: The steering wheel, license pate, headlights, seats, bed, and telescope. 

I scavenged my house of any black materials to help create the objects inside my vehicle. I found pieces of plastic and rubber that somehow fit perfectly to make a proportionally sized steering wheel. I found an obsolete Nikon camera eye cap that strangely resembled a license plate holder. I found a bottle of Fish Oil Pills with the right curvature to make into headlight covers.  

To create my bed, I cut up clothes that I no longer wanted and stuffed them with the padding I got from inside a necklace box. Lastly, the seats of the car were made of wood since I could not find two identical pieces of recyclable material that I could make into car seats. I painted them silver to create contrast with the inside and outside of the car, which I planned on painting black.

Using a combination of pens and different sized markers, I was able to create one of the main aspects of the StarGazer: the telescope. This is a reflector telescope. A mirror collects the light which is then reflected to the eyepiece. They are effective for seeing galaxies and nebulas in the night sky. 

WEEK FOUR

Focus: Attaching the plastic roof, adding tires, spray-painting the car, and creating the windshield and windows.

Connecting the plastic roof was one of the toughest challenges about this car. I wanted it to be a removable piece in case I ever wanted to add or fix anything on the inside. So, I created a base of balsa wood to attach the plastic to in order to screw it onto the basswood base of the car. Since the plastic is so thin, it would not be stable enough if I just glued it to the wood. To solve this issue, I cut two long rectangular strips of wood and glued it to the removable piece of wood. Placing the plastic roof on, I filled glue in the crevice of the wood and plastic to stabilize it. 

I ordered the wooden tires and pegs online. However, the pegs were too toy-like so I sanded them to a more realistic shape. After many measurements and markings, I was able to successfully attach these wheels to the car by putting hollowed out wood pieces to the bottom of the vehicle.

Since wood is a porous material, I needed to cover it with primer before spray-painting it. Using an old Blick card, I scraped the primer smooth after applying it to the surface. I waited overnight before sanding it to make it as polished as possible.

Using a semi-glossy spray paint, I covered the outside and inside of my car and the tires. I put two layers on to ensure a complete coating. After a couple hours of drying, I began working on the "glass" components of a vehicle. I found a plastic container for mangoes that was slanted at just the correct angle to make into my windshield, and a plastic salad bowl cover was used to make my windows. 

And thus, the 2017 Liang StarGazer was born:

- Sarah

Natural Inspiration

I've noticed that there is a good amount of our inventions that were inspired by either animals or insects. Turning to nature's creations is quite ingenious; the organisms have already been evolving their bodies to optimize its functions.

Adhesives inspired by gecko feet had already been around since 2014, but recently, Mark Cutkosky's team at Stanford created robotic gripper hands using the material.  Geckos are able to stick to surfaces because of their minuscule hairs that are able to get so close to the wall molecules that the electrons from the gecko's hair molecules have an electromagnetic attraction to the wall molecules. The significance of this lies in the fact that these large grippers can be used to grasp objects in space- where chemical and suction adhesives are ineffective. With this ability, these gecko grippers could be used to collect space trash and help objects in space stick to its target.


Moth's eyes were another inspiration for engineers. Since these insects must be able to see in the dark but can't have light reflecting on their eyes for predators to see, they have anti-reflective nanostructures on their outer corneas. Physicist Shin-Tson Wu, a professor in the College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida, developed a film with similar properties. It allows the user to have ten times more readability under a clear sky and prevents the device's battery to drain because the screen does not have to increase brightness to fit the environment. They also happen to be scratch resistant and self-cleaning!


The next inspiration we have here is the squishy octopus. Their flexible, indefinite bodies being able to move just about anywhere inspired roboticists to create soft, autonomous robots. The current difficulty engineers are facing is "replacing rigid components like batteries and electronic controls with analogous soft systems and then putting it all together" (Robot J. Wood, roboticist at Harvard University). They are making use of microfluidic logic circuits which power the robot with a chemical reaction, but are still working on advancing this bot. As machines become more prevalent in our everyday lives, safety is a primary concern. Having a nonrigid robot would make them much less likely to cause damage, so they could work alongside humans. Moreover, their fluid structure would allow them to take on jobs such as pipe inspections and rescue missions.

- Sarah

Transportation Transformation

"We're in the business of selling time, the most important resource there is," claims Rob Lloyd's Hyperloop One company. For time is intangible, this company is working on creating a mode of transportation that moves passengers at the speed of an airplane for a fraction of that cost.

With a low pressure environment inside the tube, like an airplane would have at high altitudes, the capsule hovers inside quite smoothly. There would be tracks and electromagnets placed on the inner surface of the evacuated tube, hopefully allowing this vehicle to travel up to 760 miles per hour. These Hyperloop systems would be much cheaper to create than railway systems, they would be completely weather proof, the little energy they require would be completely attained through solar power, and they have virtually no negative effects on our environment. Something so good seems to always come with some possible setbacks. For example, the Hyperloop would either need to cut across a great deal of land to travel in a straight line- which would be quite expensive- or there would need to be a large radius of curvature to make turns. For example, if the Hyperloop were traveling at 300 mph, it would require a banked curve with radius 4,400 meters to keep the passengers from great discomfort. For now, Elon Musk has been given permission to build an underground Hyperloop connecting New York and Washington. A 29 minute ride awaits.

- Sarah

Lethal Loneliness

Loneliness can kill. It is known that periods of solitude are valuable in life, but the loneliness being discussed here is not simply being alone, rather it is a state of perceived social isolation. This state of distress can result from the lack of sufficient social relationships which leads people to feeling disconnected to everyone around them. However, feeling isolated for temporary periods of time after events that make one feel excluded or rejected is natural. As the American Association for the Advancement of Science puts it, “Bouts of loneliness are a melancholy fact of human existence” (Miller). What is of larger concern is chronic loneliness. Not feeling as though one is in a “safe, secure social surround to survive and thrive,” (Hawkley) for long periods of time will physiologically and psychologically affect aspects of one’s life. Humans are genetically built to be social beings, and we must have satisfying relationships to live a happy, healthy life. Chronic loneliness negatively impacts physical health, psychiatric health, and one’s ability to act in a rational, unimpaired manner. Those who suffer from the pain of loneliness are likely to suffer from a multitude of unfavorable side effects.


For instance, one of the negative effects that arise from feelings of loneliness is the detrimental toll it takes on one’s physical health. Notably, chronic loneliness increases risk for cardiovascular mortality. In their online article "Loneliness Matters: A Theoretical and Empirical Review of Consequences and Mechanisms” (2010), Louise Hawkley and John Cacioppo suggests that there are physical and mental health consequences of loneliness, “The higher your risk for certain diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers,” (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute). Higher systolic blood pressure also leads to higher blood pressure, higher HDL cholesterol levels may cause recurrent coronary events, and elevated glycated hemoglobin concentration leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Furthermore, loneliness can lead to cancer and other diseases. In his article, "Loneliness May Warp Our Genes, And Our Immune Systems" (2015), Angus Chen explains that loneliness can negatively affect the victim’s immune system: "Lonely people's white blood cells seem to be more active in a way that increases inflammation, a natural immune response to wounding and bacterial infection. On top of that, they seem to have lower levels of antiviral compounds known as interferons,” (Chen). Since the body is not built to protect itself from years of inflammation, people more easily succumb to cancer, viral infections, and neurodegenerative diseases. The chronic inflammation “can cause DNA damage and lead to cancer,” says the National Cancer Institute. It can also impair “the cells of the brain, heart, arterial walls, and other anatomic structures; this damage leads to various inflammatory chronic diseases,” says Bharat B. Aggarwal, professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Texas.
Additionally, fight or flight stress signaling prompted by the pain of loneliness throws off the body’s protection agents. In her online article "Loneliness Triggers Cellular Changes That Can Cause Illness, Study Shows" (2015), Susan (Susie) Allen claims that loneliness can provoke physiological responses that can make victims sick, "Loneliness results in fight-or-flight stress signaling, which increases the production of immature monocytes, leading to up-regulation of inflammatory genes and impaired anti-viral responses.” (Allen). Loneliness causes the body to release more of the fight-or-flight neurotransmitter, norepinephrine, resulting in stimulated blood stem cells in the marrow of the bone which create “an immature monocyte that shows high levels of inflammatory gene expression and low levels of antiviral gene expression,” (Allen). Increased inflammation and decreased levels of antiviral responses are harmful to the body. They inhibit the body from performing its protection responses efficiently. The output of these monocytes can promote loneliness and add more physical health risks of such isolation.


Aside from physical consequences, lonely people are also more susceptible to psychiatric disorders. Chiefly, there is a significant relationship between personality disorders and loneliness. In their online article "Relationship Between Loneliness, Psychiatric Disorders and Physical Health ? A Review on the Psychological Aspects of Loneliness" (2014), Raheel Mushtaq, Shoib, Shah, and Sahil Mushtaq claim that loneliness can lead to psychiatric and physical disorders. “The various personality disorders associated with loneliness include borderline personality disorder and schizoid personality disorder. Intolerance of aloneness is considered a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD).” (Mushtaq). Mushtaq mentions a couple of personality disorders linked to loneliness: BPD and schizoid personality disorder. BPD by the words of the National Institute of Mental Health, is “a serious mental disorder marked by a pattern of ongoing instability in moods, behavior, self-image, and functioning.” This disorder is characterized by intensified emotional reactions, so feelings of loneliness turn into very deep perceptions of profound emptiness. Those diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, which is distinguished by patterns of detachment in social relationships, are known to have trouble expressing emotions clearly and fully. They find it difficult to cope with things and establish healthy relationships. The absence of close relationships creates inflexibility in their personality, which can cause them great distress.
Equally important, depression can result from loneliness: “In patients, who are both lonely and depressed, loneliness is positively correlated with negative feelings and negative judgment of personality attributes and negatively correlated with it,” (Mushtaq). The insecure attachment that characterizes loneliness makes one more susceptible to depression. This connection may exist because such insecure attachment paves way for low self esteem, difficulty creating meaningful relationships, and unsatisfactory problem solving skills. Depression can ignite pessimism which prevents them from attempting to better their social situation, making them even more lonely than they were before.
In addition, loneliness is associated with loss of cognition in old age which can lead to dementia: “Loneliness is associated with more than two fold risk of dementia, as loneliness is associated with loss of cognition in old age. [...] In loneliness, there is more rapid decline in global cognition, semantic memory, perceptual speed, and visuospatial ability,” (Mushtaq). Focusing specifically on Alzheimer’s disease, evidence suggests that loneliness may “compromise neural systems underlying cognition and memory, thereby making lonely individuals more vulnerable to the deleterious effects of age-related neuropathology and thereby decreasing neural reserves,” (Mushtaq). This decrease in neural reserves leads to the deterioration of cognition, thus drawing a link between loneliness and dementia, a psychiatric disorder.


Bringing on a multitude of damaging effects, loneliness also interferes with one’s ability to act in a healthy, rational manner. To point out, lonely people are defensive and hostile towards others, preventing them from having any deep, healthy relationships. In the book Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, the segment "Social Isolation, Loneliness and Depression in Young Adulthood: A Behavioural Genetic Analysis" (2015) discusses the relationship between social isolation and loneliness, how they relate to depression, and if genetic influences can explain these associations. Matthews explains, "The perception of being cut off from social groups makes individuals feel vulnerable, triggering a range of cognitive, behavioural and physiological responses geared towards self-protection. Thus, lonely individuals are inclined to be less trusting, to be more anxious and pessimistic, to perceive others around them more negatively and to approach social interactions in a defensive, hostile manner" (Matthews). They lack trust because everyone seems like a threat to them. From an evolutionary standpoint, if one is excluded from a larger group because he or she did not follow social norms and the person tries to re-enter, after multiple attempts the primitive group may decide to kill or injure him or her. This causes the brain to go into a mode of self-preservation which averts them from making friends and trusting anybody. Acting in this manner is not in their best interest because it closes any opportunities of overcoming loneliness. Instead it is an endless cycle of paranoia and self-preservation, so the individual is unable to treat others with a normal, healthy attitude.
Continuing the list of unfortunate effects of loneliness, alcohol abuse can take over one who lacks sufficient social support: “Further it is recognized as an essential risk factor in all the stages of alcoholism. Various studies have demonstrated lonely people with heavy drinking are more vulnerable to alcohol related problems.” (Mushtaq). Loneliness contributes to developing and maintaining alcohol abuse. The deficiency of social support creates a void within the victim, so they drown it out with alcohol. Without anyone by their side, the lonely person is unable to communicate their feelings and have an emotional support group that can offer advice. It seems, to the victim, that alcohol is the only kind friend in their world of perceived social isolation. Becoming addicted to alcohol puts the lonely person in a deadly cycle. This tendency of lonely people to turn towards alcoholism is a poor decision that is made without a healthy, supportive environment of social networks.
Particularly, loneliness is among the primary causes of suicide. In their online article "Loneliness, Depression and Sociability in Old Age” (2009), Singh, Archanca, and Nishi Misra claimed “It is one of the 3 main factors leading to depression (Green et al., 1992), and an important cause of suicide and suicide attempts. A study carried out by Hansson et al. (1987) revealed that loneliness was related to poor psychological adjustment, dissatisfaction with family and social relationships," (Singh and Misra). Severe perceived social isolation can make people feel that suicide is their only escape. Seeing that Hansson’s study showed loneliness being correlated to unsatisfactory family and social relationships, and humans are built to be social beings, their isolation will make them act in irrational ways.

 

University College London’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health stresses that “[s]ocial relationships are central to human well-being and are critically involved in the maintenance of health” (Steptoe). Loneliness experienced over a long period of time can cause victims to have weaker physical health, be more susceptible to psychiatric disorders, and lack the ability to behave in a healthy, sensible way. A decline in physical health shown through the increased cardiovascular mortality, cancer risk, and inflammation is linked to the effects of loneliness. A tendency to develop psychiatric disorders such as BDP, schizoid personality disorder, depression, and dementia, are a result of perceived social isolation. Most lonely people have the ability to act in ways that are not beneficial to themselves; they can go into survival mode in which they act defensively, they rely on alcohol to fill their lack of social support, and when extreme desperation results from deprivation of healthy relationships, they may commit suicide. In this new digital age, it is very easy to replace real, deep relationships with superficial ones without knowing. This is a dangerous to be oblivious to because of all the detrimental side effects I have mentioned that may result down the road. Our generation and the upcoming generations should use this advanced technology and new forms of communication to our advantage by strengthening meaningful relationships and connecting with a network of people that add something valuable to you or your perspective on life. For those who are in a period of loneliness or know someone who may be, know that an important first step to overcoming loneliness is coming to terms with being lonely. Denial will only lead one down a deceptive path. Changing your daily routine can inspire a different outlook on life and may lead you to unexpected friendships. Additionally, exercising is proven to increase self-confidence, a factor that contributes towards perceived social isolation. On the note of self-confidence, Steven Furtick, the Lead Pastor of Elevation Church, once said, “The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” Do not let what you see of other people’s lives on social media become the expectation of your own life. What is going on in their life does not affect how you choose to spend your days. You are the one with the reigns here, so the greatness of your life depends on how much effort you put into it and your ability to distinguish what you want from what everybody else wants. As a last piece of advice, do not be afraid to reach out to old friends or family members. If you find that you are missing them, contact them. Always stay connected to those who add value to your life, but do not be upset if someone decides to leave your life. The people who are meant to stay will stay, and those who leave were meant to go.

- Sarah Liang

"Color Blind or Color Brave?" ~ Mellody Hobson

Finance executive Mellody Hobson strongly advocates and encourages racial equality as a prominent and relevant subject in everyday life. I recently watched a speech she gave revealing the topic of race being a “conversational third rail.” Sadly, I suddenly realized how true her statement was.

To develop her claim and spark a change in the audience's actions, Hobson explains how the first steps to solving any problem include facing it head on and taking action by spreading awareness. She uses anecdotal evidence and hypothetical situations to get her point across. When she was going to a editorial board lunch, Hobson was mistaken for a kitchen worker when she arrived. The misconception was not so surprising to her after some thought. The speaker tells the audience two scenarios to compare, “If there was a committee full of black males, that would seem weird, but if there was a committee of white males, it would seem normal.” Hobson was talking about how it is strange to see minorities in power, but it is “typical” to see white men holding power. This message opened my mind and made me realize how true the statement is. Most people would look into a board meeting and see all the white men seated around the table as “fitting” but would see all the minorities seated around the table as “strange.” I thought that although the speaker is black, she does a great job of making her argument objective and relatable to all audiences.

Further, the validity of her argument increases when she mentions “Even though white men make up just 30% of the US population, they hold 70% of all corporate board seats.” Relating to the first stand-out moment, this statement is very strong and educational because it is a statistic instead of an opinion. Statistics are more objective and factual than opinions are, so more people are inclined to believe this data. I felt shocked at first, but then I realized how accurate this data is in my close family friend’s life. A mostly white board runs both of her parents’ companies with very few minorities. This talk made me recognize that most people ignore their problems until it goes away; however, if we all learn to embrace diversity and take “race” out of the uncomfortable zone of discussion, we will move forward as one unanimous society.

- Sarah

Psychology PreK-12 Teachers Should Know

I have always thought about the importance of teachers understanding the psychology essential to effective education, so I Googled what that would encompass. In 2015, the American Psychological Association, Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education published Top 20 principles from psychology for preK–12 teaching and learning.The text was extensive as it discussed each principle thoroughly, so I will talk about a few of the most interesting principles I read about.

"Students’ beliefs or perceptions about intelligence and ability affect their cognitive functioning and learning," (6). There are those who see intelligence as something malleable, and those who hold intelligence to be a fixed trait. The students who hold the first view are more likely to take on challenges and respond to criticism and feedback constructively. The students who hold the latter view are more defensive in their work and feel the need to prove their ability and intelligence rather than expand their knowledge. This is important for teachers to know because they can promote their students to approach education with an open and ambitious mindset rather than defensive mindset. As soon as people believe that they can be top students and that their capability is not predetermined, they will be able to reach their highest potential. 



"Student creativity can be fostered," (14). Creative approaches to teaching motivates students to have thoughts of their own which is beneficial in personal growth, workforce success, and solving real life issues. The ability to identify and solve problems is of great importance as the 21st century is bringing many rising issues into consideration. Only so much can be done to progress the world knowing formulas and facts. The world needs creativity to create solutions to stop global warming, make advancements in the medical and technical fields, educate the upcoming generations more effectively, etc. Teachers can promote creativity by showing and letting students have a wide range of approaches to problem solving. Educators should encourage diverse thought rather than enforce conformity.

"Students tend to enjoy learning and perform better when they are more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated to achieve," (16). Students work effectively on things that they are personally motivated to accomplish. Their goals are set for the purpose of satisfying themselves rather than those around them. Teachers should take this into consideration to promote a student's feeling of autonomy and competence in school. This principle has especially affected me in the midst of junior year. Distinguishing my personal goals from the expectations of my peers and family has been a major turning point in how I approach any task I decide to put my time and effort into. As soon as I establish a personal motive for any assignment I must complete, the quality and significance of my work boosts up. Most of the time, these personal motives revolve around the assignment making me either a more educated member of society or a more understanding member of the world.

Psychology about education is crucial for teachers to be cognizant of. The minds of the future generations are shaped by the educators of the world, so it is only appropriate for them to understand the inner-workings of these minds.

- Sarah

Driverless Cars

  

"Virtually every major automaker — along with an assortment of industry suppliers and some non-traditional players like Google parent Alphabet — are racing to put not only autonomous, but even fully driverless, vehicles on the road," Paul A. Einstein of NBC News reports. The fantasies of the future are coming faster than many had anticipated. 

The drastic change that may soon be seen in our streets comes with a wave of hesitance. Many do not want to put their life in the hands of technology. Truthfully, technology is much more trustworthy than humans when it comes to driving, for 90% of car accidents are due to human errors such as drunk driving or simply running through a stop sign. Also, autonomous features already exist in cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated the electronic stability control, which is an autonomous feature that was made mandatory for cars to have in 2011, saved over 2,200 lives between 2008-2010. Driverless cars are not going to just appear on one day making everyone have to adjust to this novel way of living. It is a gradual change that includes several phases. Our current phase is when the driver has full control, but there are automated systems. The next phase, partial autonomy, is where the car can steer and accelerate, but the driver must be ready to take control at any moment. The third phase is high autonomy, so the driver can take control when needed, but the car mainly controls itself. Finally, the last phase is full autonomy.

Aside from drastically decreasing the percentage of car accidents, these driverless vehicles may join the effort in decreasing pollution. It may be mandated that all driverless cars must be electric. Since cars are the leading cause of air pollution, this will immensely benefit our world. A future with driverless cars is nearing, and we are in for quite the ride.

- Sarah