Week 3

WEEK 3: Plastic

What stood out to me during class on Wednesday was our conversations about plankton. Other than Plankton from Spongebob, these tiny sea organisms have never taken up much space in my thoughts. From class, I learned that plankton is an essential part of our ecosystem because they produce much of the oxygen we utilize on Earth. Thus, my lack of knowledge about such an important aspect of life on Earth prompted me to research more about our relationship with plankton.

3. Plastic, Pollution & Possibilities

Growing up near the beach, I have been very aware of the effects of plastic pollution for a while, however learning about the history of how plastic was conceived of and just how widespread its use is today was pretty eye-opening. It's pretty crazy to think about how humans have created a material that can be adapted to fit pretty much any need we could ever have, but because it is so versatile and easy we have created a whole other issue in terms of its lasting environmental effects.

At the Intersection of Art & AI

The aspect of last week’s class that felt most compelling to me was the intersection of art and artificial intelligence (AI). I had only ever heard of AI being used to unjustly reproduce or imitate the original work of artists, so it was intriguing to see DESMA students Ryan Kim and Sue Lee integrate AI into their work (while simultaneously making a comment on the very AI they were using). While thinking about what to write about for this blog post, I decided to try to search for other artists who create art using AI.

AI and Art/Music

Art and technology have always had an interesting relationship. The latest addition to this mix is Artificial Intelligence (AI). While AI is generally known for its role in streamlining and optimizing industrial processes, it has found a new purpose in the world of art as well. AI-generated art is gaining immense popularity in the art world, and it is not hard to see why.

 

Week 3 Blog 3: Plastic

This week we spoke about plastics and how they have consumed our planet, affected our environment, and caused many challenges. Plastics can be found everywhere in the world, including in places that are believed to be safe from exposure to plastic. Plastic is popular due to its convenience, production cost, versatility, and much more.

Plastic Forcing the Hand of Nature

This week we learned about plastic production and how it causes pollution due it being so difficult to decompose. The TED talk we watched about the origins of plastic I found to be very insightful and it left me wondering how much plastic is being produced today. I already had some knowledge about how how industries created single use plastics to serve a variety of purposes, this was touched upon in the TED talk. As a result of this and the war effort in World War II plastic production skyrocketed.

Blog Week 3

The week 3 material was very interesting to me with how pressing of an issue plastic pollution is. I feel like the last couple years there has been a lot more awareness about plastic pollution through articles, videos, and documentaries.

Week 3: Sources of Microplastics

One of the most significant concerns about plastic for both environmental and human health is the prevalence of microplastics across a number of different ecosystems. Microplastics are plastic fragments that are under 5.0mm in size[6] and can either originate from already-small plastic products, or from the breakdown of larger plastic products. These plastics have been dispersed throughout terrestrial environments, into the oceans and other waterways, and have even been found within humans and a number of other animals[4].

Blog 3: Plastics and Our Environment

This week we covered the topic of plastics in lecture. I think it was an amazing coincidence that it lined up with my Environmental Health lecture on Exposure to Toxic Chemicals, which introduced and discussed the toxic effects of Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical commonly found in many manufactured plastics. It was quite unfortunate to hear that many of the plastic wastes that end up in the ocean often get degraded into microplastics that are consumed by organisms in the ocean.

Week 3 - AI and Plastic

After going through the content of week 3, I have started to think more deeply about the impact of plastics and AI on our daily lives. While I haven't had much prior experience in protecting the environment or animal conservation, attending a short seminar on how plastics negatively impact animals and humans opened my eyes to the need for action.

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