Science Essay Essay Example for Free

Science Essay Essay Science to me is everything that surrounds us. Its to discover information about this world we live in, study this information, and use it however we will; a process that has started long, long ago, and will continue in generations to come. Everything in our world that we use somehow or someway was made by science. It started with discovering something new; then study what it can be capable of. See where this new founded information can be fit into use. Science was used to create something new. In this day and age science has taken us to an entirely new place. From better batteries, to faster computers, to better gas mileage, there has just been a huge breakthrough in science. It is both chemistry and physics. In science of chemistry there is discovering elements and using these elements in chemical bonding. For physics, there are already discovered laws, and properties; such discoveries as gravity, motion, force, speed, velocity, acceleration, etc. Science even branches off as far as the universe and its discoveries. Whether the discovery is 200 years old, 100 years old or present, its science nonetheless. Science is all around us, from the laptops we use to the cars we drive, something had to be discovered and study for us to able to use either. Maybe it was chemical combustion to get the energy from oil so our cars can move, or even some physics to help us understand how much energy we can save if we make something for aerodynamic. Science is to discover information about our natural world, and even about space, to help us understand our existence.Science has helped to improve the lives of people around the world. Today, science has improved human health and medicine to help people live longer, and help people live with diseases people had little hope of living with a few decades ago, such as AIDS. While our scientific advances continue, ethical questions arise about how science should advance, such as stem cell research. Mary Shelley, author of the novel Frankenstein, and Michael Bishop, who wrote the article Enemies of Promise, have different views about how scientific knowledge affects humanity. Mary Shelley was born the daughter of feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and political theorist William Godwin. While on vacation with her husband, she began to write the novel Frankenstein, about a scientist who created life. The scientists name was Victor Frankenstein. In a selection from the novel, Frankenstein says The dissecting room and the slaughter-house furnished many of my materials; and often did my human nature turn with  loathing from my occupation, whilst, still urged on by eagerness which perpetually increased, I brought my work near to a conclusion (232). Frankenstein is disgusted because he must go to a slaughter-house to get parts for his creation. Frankensteins disgust shows how horrible and demoralizing his scientific endeavors are, and he continues his experiment despite the negative affect his experiment has on his health. He realizes the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasure in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human mind (233). Frankenstein worked so hard to give life to his creation he thought of nothing else, and he was living his whole life to accomplish one goal. He realizes how much time he has been spending on his experiment and the effect his work is having on him, so he believes humans do not have the ability to deal with work in this manner. Therefore, scientific experimentation is not worth the negative effects the experiments have on the human mind. Eventually, Frankenstein accomplishes his goal, but his creation does not turn out like he expected. After giving his creation life, Frankenstein is horrified and leaves his home. Frankenstein concludes Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to be greater than his nature will allow (231). Frankenstein wanted to have the knowledge to create life, and when he final had the knowledge to create life, he did. After he created life, he was miserable. Therefore, humans cannot be God and create life because their nature will not allow them to be like God, and those who try to create life will be miserable, unlike those who do not seek dangerous knowledge. Michael Bishop is a professor of microbiology at the University of California, San Francisco. In his article Enemies of Promise he warns about the misconceptions people may have about scientific advances. Bishop states science has sounded the alarm about acid rain and its principal origins in automobile emissions, but our society has not found the political will top bridle the internal combustion engine (239). Science has helped to improve the quality of life of people by discovering the cause of acid rain is from car emissions, and the reduction of acid rain could result  from better emission standards. Science is not to blame for helping to create the internal combustion engine, but the lack of government funding to find other means to propel automobiles should be blamed. Bishop says Resistance to science is born of fear. Fear, in turn is bred by ignorance. And it is ignorance that is our deepest malady (241). People fear science because they do not understand how science works, and the purpose of science is to better mankind, not to recombine DNA to create a deadly virus, or mutations. If people are educated, then they will have a better understanding of science, and will no longer fear science. Once all people understand science, and no longer fear science, mankind can move towards new goals, and improve the lives of all people. When scientists perform experiments, the scientists are trying to solve the mystery of something they do not understand, such as stem cells. Bishop believes scientists take things apart in order to understand the whole, to solve the mystery an enterprise that we regard as one of the great ennobling tasks of humankind (238). Scientists experiment to better understand the world around them, and all the things in the world, as well as the relationships between different parts of the world. Scientists do not take things apart just because they can, but scientists have a purpose for their actions. The experiments to understand the world around us, Bishop believes to be a noble task for mankind, and with scientific discoveries, our lives can be improved. Comparing the claims of both Mary Shelley and Michael Bishop, I find Bishops claims that science is good for mankind, to be more persuasive than Mary Shelleys warning about the limitations of man and science. Bishop states Science has produced the vaccines required to control many childhood infections in the United States, but our nation has failed to deploy properly those vaccines (239). If mankind did not have the benefit of scientific knowledge, there would be no vaccine for illnesses such as small pox, or life threatening diseases. Humans have the ability to produce large amounts of vaccines beneficial to children in our country and other countries around the world. Science cannot pay for, and distribute vaccines for diseases throughout the world, but science is blamed because people in  our world still suffer from curable diseases. Also, Bishop states that resistance to science is born of fear, which is the result of ignorance. When the University of California, San Francisco wanted to perform biomedical research in a residential area, which they have not been allowed to do, Bishop noted that another [agitated citizen] declared on television her outrage that those people are bringing DNA into my neighborhood (241). The person who stated that the University was bringing DNA into their neighborhood does not understand what DNA is. By making the statement about bringing DNA in their neighborhood, the person is opposing having DNA in her neighborhood compared to the Universitys encroachment into their neighborhood. If the person who made the statement were simply opposed to the possibility of increased traffic in the neighborhood, then the person would have made that statement on television. The person made the statement about DNA instead, showing that they fear DNA because they do not want DNA in their neighborhood. Therefore, the opposition this person has to science stems from their misunderstanding of DNA. Bishop points out a possible reason for people not understanding science caused by a lack of education. Bishop states In a recent international testing, U.S. high school students finished ninth in physics among the top twelve nations, eleventh in chemistry, and dead last in biology (241). If science is not learned by pupils in school, then the pupils will not understand science. Judging from the international testing, students in our country do not have an understanding of science, and the lack of understanding will breed ignorance, and will result in fear and resistance. Therefore, some people fear science because they were not properly educated when they were students and they do not understand how science can improve mankind as a whole. Bishop states The price of science seems large, but to reject science is to deny the future (242). Although science may not always give people one solid choice, and scientific endeavors may have ethical problems, we need to work out those ethical and moral dilemmas. Science will not go away, but will continue to explore the world around us. Science cannot be rejected because science will help to improve the quality of life, and rejecting science would result in the rejection of the improvement in quality of life. Other  evidence Bishop should have examined was the overall decrease in respect for institutions by the public. Alan H. McGowan is a program director for the Public Understanding of Science and Technology, as well as the Directorate for Education and Human Resources at American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). McGowan states although there seems to have been a decrease in the respect the public has for scientists, this is part of a general trend of decreasing trust in institutions of all kinds. While Bishop has stated that people have been attacking science, Bishop does not compare how much science is being attacked compared to other institutions, such as the press. If all other institutions are being attacked more fervently than science, then science is not in as bad a shape as Bishop believes science to be. Therefore, unless science is being attacked as much as every other institution, science is still be viewed by the public with more respect compared to the other institutions. While Mary Shelleys Frankenstein show the problems with mans thirst for knowledge, Michael Bishop puts science in a positive light, showing how science has help mankind. I believe Bishops claims about science to be more persuasive, and the positive effects of science to be well worth the effort of scientists. Although Bishops claims could have been improved with some more evidence about the publics view of science, science will continue to improve our lives.

Leadership vs. Management Essays -- Compare Contrast Leader Manager Es

Leadership vs. Management Much has been written about the difference between management and leadership. In the past, competent management staffs ran effective companies. In light of our ever-changing world, however, most companies have come to realize that it is much more important to lead than to manage. In today's world the old ways of management no longer work. One reason is that the degree of environmental and competitive change we are experiencing is extreme. Although exciting, the world is also very unstable and confused. In an article entitled What’s the Difference between Your Hospital and the Other? Gary Campbell states that the difference between a manager and a leader is that the manager â€Å"finds himself quite willing to take risk, but seemingly afraid to take the risk of being different.† That being true, a manager will always be reactive instead of proactive. A true leader will be proactive. He will embrace change and will look for ways to differentiate himself and his company fr om the competition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Warren Bennis – a popular writer of leadership resources – defines the difference between managers and leaders by using the following contrasts: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The manager administers; the leader innovates. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The manager maintains; the leader develops. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The manager focuses on systems and structures; the leader focuses on people. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader has his or her eye on the horizon. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The manager imitates; the leader originates. 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The culture of an organization is embodied in its vision as well as the actions and attitude of its employees. Managers can sometimes sustain the skeleton of the company culture but it takes a leader to invigorate it and keep it healthy. A manager works hard at keeping the â€Å"old† culture and a leader works even harder at ensuring the culture is innovative and breathing in each of its employees. Bo... ...capacity, probably both are necessary in a successful organization. However, in order to keep a company competitive and on the leading edge in an industry, it is more important to have strong leadership than strong management. With strong leadership, the culture of an organization is kept not only alive, but also healthy and thriving. An organization with strong leadership always encourages change and most always requires it. Both through a focus on hiring and developing strong leaders and maintaining a consistent two-way communication system, an organization can ensure its culture is created and maintained in a healthy manner. With strong leadership an organization will continue to change with its environment and keep ahead of the competition. Works Cited Bennis, Walter (1997). Learning To Lead: A Workbook on Becoming A Leader, pg. 9,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perseus Books, Addison/Wesley Campbell, Gary (2004). What’s the Difference Between Your Hospital and the Other?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  HealthLeaders News July, 2004 One Thousand Ventures (2000). Business Guide, Management. Retrieved April 20, 2005 from http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/mgmt_new-model_25lessons-welch.html#LMML

Single User System for Startup Business

The purpose of this exercise is to design a single user system, to solve the needs of a startup business. The business I chose is a service oriented, automotive oil change company. This system will need to satisfy the business needs of a small company, including database queries, inventory management, customer tracking, form generating, accounting, and many other functions. This must be accomplished in an easy to use, simple, single user format. This system should be a point of sale system utilizing separate databases. One for customer tracking used to notify previous customers via postcard printouts. In addition, these should be sent after a three-month period from their last service. There could be coupons issued as well. Accounting and inventory information, such as daily, weekly, monthly, etc. sales, current inventory needs, cost of inventory, profit margins, employee records, sales tax, etc. should also be stored. Another, dynamic database would hold manufacture specifications. This would provide real-time query access for make/model vehicle specifications for referencing filter part numbers as well as other technical information. This would need to be updated as manufacturers change specifications. This system should contain redundant features as it is business critical, providing dual, mirrored disk drives, as well as an efficient backup device. This would reduce down time due to drive failure. The need for this amount of safety lies in the necessity of maintaining fast, uninterrupted service. There would need to be two printers. One, a dot matrix for printing customer receipts, as well as a hard copy for business purposes. The second printer would be for the service personnel. This would print out the work orders with specific information, such as the make and model of the vehicle as well as the filter numbers and quantity of oil needed. This printer would be located in the service area. This system should be capable of printing and displaying timely accounting reports including sales figures and current inventory quantities. These should be available on screen (a color VGA monitor would be required), as well as in printed form. All this must be extremely user friendly. With very little training required. The projected employee skill and pay level is expected to be entry level minimum wage. When researching a business solution to fit this need, one company was mentioned in most interviews and research. Auto Dataa was highly recommended by the independent area shops that provide this service. Auto Dataa provides a complete software system specifically engineered for this market. This package is called POS-I-LUBEa. This is a all-encompassing point of sale software package that provides complete support of an automotive service company. This system provides comparative accounting reports, real-time inventory management, work order creation, reliable specification information via a secured connection, employee time-clock accounting functions, full cash register functions and professionally printed receipts, as well as a complete service history for each of your customers. This system will provide the ability to check inventory levels anytime. Supply payroll information with their time card feature. Generate accounting reports ranging from comparative sales figures from one period to another, period financial reports, profit margins, inventory costs, personnel costs, withholdings, sales tax figures, essentially all the accounting information necessary to successfully run the business. This is in conjunction to the real-time product specification query function and work orders. The time that is saved by the vehicle specification query, which previously had to be done through hard copy cross-reference, looking up make, model, engine, options, etc., now can be used to assure that you have a timely customer turnaround time, as this is all done automatically through this menu driven system. The customer history database can be queried to provide essential data for mass mailings and coupons. These are all time saving functions that work to improve customer satisfaction, while maintaining a strong presence in the marketplace. POS-I-LUBEa utilizes a Fox Pro database for it's customer history and tracking, as well as its accounting data. For the vehicle specification database, POS-I-LUBEa uses a licensed Check Chart subscribed database available through a secured connection. This is where the monthly fee ($250.00) comes into play. Recommended hard drive size is 1GB by the manufacturer Auto Dataa. This menu driven package is designed to be mouse driven, with no typing required, offering less opportunity for mistakes. This also make the system very user friendly with very little training required. This all-inclusive package offers greater reliability than many other products available in the marketplace. The STAR Pro VII @ $ 1847.00, and the Shopman Standard Version 3.0 @ $299.00 are alternatives. While the STAR Pro VII offers much of the inventory, report generating and accounting functions of the POS-I-LUBEa system it does not offer the database query functions to reference vehicle specifications. The budget priced Shopman Standard Version 3.0 only offers the repair orders and invoices. This reliability of the POS-I-LUBEa system is due partly to the fact that it is all inclusive and not pieced together from non-compatible software. The initial cost of this software is under $2,000.00, with a small annual fee for real-time database queries ($250.00). The hardware is user supplied and can fluctuate in cost depending on the specifications desired by the user. For the requirements that I desired, Della provided the best solution for the money. I decided on the Workstation 410 with the following features. Dual 9.1GB SCSI, Ultra2/Wide LVD (7200rpm) hard drives The dual hard drives add a redundancy that is essential when your business is so reliant on such a system in case of failure on one drive. The Zip drive is for maintaining current backups and off-site storage for disaster recovery. Total cost of Della system is $94.00 per month on their business lease plan. This fully meets, and/or exceeds the system specifications required by Auto Dataa (see operations manual). I chose the lease program as it offers a service agreement throughout the extent of the lease, as well as the option to periodically upgrade due to the moderate terms of the lease (3 years). In addition to this, there are the required periphrials, as follows. Okidata Microline 321 Turbo parallel printer @ $451.91 Star Micronics SP322C Printer @ $379.00 3COM 56Kb Internal Modem @ $95.00 Symantec PCanyWhere v9.0 @ 169.95 Indiana Metal Cash Drawer @ $315.00 The dot matrix printer is for the creation of the customer billing record and receipt, while the other printer produces the employee work order in the service area with all the vehicle specifications. As required by Auto Dataa, all software must be installed and tested by their technicians at their facility at an additional cost of $100. Shipping is not included and runs approximately $25.00. In addition to these costs, there are also the costs of printer cables, forms, multi-jack surge and phone line protector, or small UPC system with active system protection. This is figured into the cost as a miscellaneous expense of $400.00. The initial total cost to this system is under $4,200.00. With a monthly expense of $345.00 plus costs of forms, backup tapes, printer maintenance, etc. Overall, this is a very cost effective solution that can be written off as a tax deduction as a cost of doing business. The initial startup expense is very low due to the leasing program offered by Della. All systems testing should be completed when system is completely installed, less the inventory information, as preliminary testing has been done at the time of the software installation. This testing should consist of entering vehicle specifications while cross- referencing returned data with a known, reliable source, verifying printouts to both the service area as well as the customer billing form. Upon successful completion of testing, all inventory information must be inputted into the database, along with cost figures. After the inventory data has been inputted, more testing will be required in order to test the inventory tracking procedures and cost analysis. When the system is tested and proven, the training of employees may commence. Auto Dataa provides, at an additional cost, remote training, although with this menu driven system this is not usually necessary. The employees will be prompted for the information required in the service process. The accounting information is available for management and will require additional training. This will be the final step in the implementation process. Maintenance should consist of no more than servicing the printers and running the backups. This is the most complete as well as cost effective solution I have found, utilizing off the shelf hardware and materials at an affordable cost. The hardware is common, providing easy replacement in case of failure. This is important in such a service-oriented, time-based company. For more user information, please see the accompanying user's manual.

Ancient Greek and Roman Craftsmen

Ancient craftsmen provided ancient Greece and Rome with goods that werent easily made in the average home. Among the ancient craftsmen of the Greeks, Homer names builders, carpenters, workers in leather and metal, and potters. In the reforms of the second king of ancient Rome, Plutarch says Numa divided the craftsmen into 9 guilds (collegia opificum), the last of which was a catch-all category. The others were: fluteplayersgoldsmiths,coppersmiths,carpenters,fullers,dyers,potters, andshoemakers. Over time, the different types of craftsmen multiplied. Tradesmen became wealthy selling the handiwork of the ancient craftsmen, but in both Greece and Rome, the ancient craftsmen tended to be held in low regard. There may have been many reasons for this, including the fact that many ancient craftsmen were slaves. Source: Oskar Seyfferts Dictionary of Classical Antiquity.