Katia's Page 1B

## Majors Exploration

### **Astronomy**

Aside from my field of study now, a major I never really thought I would have interest in is Astronomy. This interest sparked after attending one of the courses I am enrolled in now called “Life and Death in the Solar System”. I find myself very engaged in the course and passionate about the concepts so I feel as though it could be a successful path choice aside from what I am pursuing now. My course of interest in this major is “Star and Galaxies” which talks about the properties of our Universe. Professor Bryan Gaensler and Professor C. Barth Netterfield whom both participate in research studies about cosmology instruct this course. They are both hands on researchers that utilize telescopes and uncover phenomena. Skills that seem core to this discipline would be to know the material in the field, being able to pose questions and being able to grasp newly learned data. It is vital to know the material as a lot of science and mathematics come into play and by grasping new discoveries, you quickly need to be able to apply that to your research and know where to go from there.

### **Geology**

In relation to the course mentioned above “Life and Death in the Solar System”, it not only goes over our Solar System, but aspects of Geology come into play which I thoroughly enjoy learning about.  Seeing as how I am currently studying ecological biology, a lot of topics are similar to those in my course of interest “Introduction to Physical Geography and Earth Sciences”. They both examine the atmosphere, biomes, and weather so already having background knowledge would allow me to succeed. Sarah Finkelstein is the professor of this course and she participates in paleoenvironmental research with both field and lab work. This means some skills necessary for this discipline would be paying attention to detail since ecological projects involve uncovering sedimentary rock as well as good teamwork skills since most research expeditions in this field are not done alone.

### **Visual Studies**

I have always had a passion for the arts. I grew up loving it and to this day, painting and drawing remain my favourite hobby. I always thought that if I did not go into the field of study I am in now, which is Human Biology, I would pursue art so Visual Studies would be my top major choice. The course “Art and Ideas”, taught by Professor Christy Anderson, talks about the history and importance of art and architecture. Professor Anderson focuses her research on architecture and the design and history of it. An important skill core to this discipline no matter the research area is to have a creative mind. No matter whether it is a building or a painting being studied/researched, you need to be able to see and visualize what it is you are looking for and the meaning behind it.

### **Psychology**

Having an interest in science, my second choice from a major other than Human Biology would be Psychology. I enjoy studying human cognitive processes and both the biological and social science aspect of psychology, which is exactly what the course “Introductory Psychology” is about. Taught by Ashley Waggoner Denton, her research focuses on the social aspect of psychology such as the effect of gossip on people and their ability to form impressions. Communication and critical thinking are top priority skills in this field as you need to be able to process the information you are being told by other people and be able to interpret a greater meaning out of it using a background knowledge about psychology.

### **Linguistics**

Although I have no background knowledge in this major, Linguistics is a field I feel as though I would have an enjoyable time learning about. The course “Introduction to Linguistics: Sound Structure” focuses on the sound structure of languages and analyzing them, which is what Professor Peter Jurgec researches. He focuses on the phonology of languages, specifically Slovenian so he conducted fieldwork in Slovenia. This shows that solid background knowledge of how to analyze linguistics would be a necessary skill in order to conduct any research study, as, without it, you would not know as to what the greater meaning of the sound projected is.

#### Works Cited

“A-Z Program List.” *A-Z Program List — Newly Admitted Students*, www.artsci.utoronto.ca/newstudents/courses/programs/a-z.

“2017 - 2018 Fall & Winter Session Timetable.” U of T Faculty of Arts and Science 2017 / 2018 Timetable, timetable.iit.artsci.utoronto.ca/.

“Prof. Bryan Gaensler.” *Dunlap Institute*, dunlap.utoronto.ca/~bgaensler/.

“Welcome to the Balloon Astrophysics Group.” Welcome to the Balloon Astrophysics Group - Barth Netterfield, sites.physics.utoronto.ca/barthnetterfield.

“Sarah Finkelstein.” *Department of Earth Sciences*, www.es.utoronto.ca/people/faculty/finkelstein-sarah/.

“History of Art Graduate Department of Art.” History of Art Graduate Department of Art | Anderson, Christy MA, PhD, art.utoronto.ca/faculty/faculty/christy-anderson/.

“University of Toronto.” *Ashley Waggoner Denton*, home.psych.utoronto.ca/alumni/profiles/A\_Waggoner.htm.

“Research.” *Peter Jurgec*, www.jurgec.net/research.html.

“Fieldwork.” *Peter Jurgec*, www.jurgec.net/fieldwork.html.