We in IST and SRA have been inter-disciplinarly trained in a plethora of fields which allows us to deftly handle any and all situations thrown our way especially when it comes to communication. I can not speak for the IST half or the rest of the Penn State students but I know we are all very well diversified. I in particular have a very unique background that my major has afforded me. I have taken: communication classes, law, SRA (which is a mix of terrorism, technology, thought processes, business, and current issues), some IST classes, as well as Pysch classes and I have some knowledge of Business and Science from the few classes I have taken in those fields. If that background doesn't make me MacGyver like and well able to handle any situation I don't know what does.
So why am I and why are we more capable than most than most at handling communication issues that arise, I believe it is our background. The one thing the speakers and all of the readings had in problem was that communication was a diverse problem with many facets and parts and we are nothing but prepared for many different things based on our education. If someone came to me with a list of reasons they didn't want to share or integrate information I can already tell you at least three things that will be on their list: cost (business), contracts (law), and the benefits (psych/SRA). Also possibly how the integration would go, what would be required on their part and so on and so forth. Guess what? That's part of my major in the Social Factors and Risk Option trying to get everything in order for something like that, trying to take two different types of fields or companies that don't normally connect and making a connection. I would draw out a table of the cost benefit analysis, do a risk assessment and then draw up an implementation plan. Then I would be able to use the psych background and psych classes from my major and use what I have learned there to try and persuade said companies. There is no one better qualified than me and my classmates to do with these rising issues because we take classes on them and stare them in the face. We work on real life solutions to real life problems instead of theory like a lot of other school.
This may have been a bit of a rant towards the end but because of our diverse background and our unique ability to look at a problem from many perspectives we will be the ones who solve this problem or I say to you it is unsolvable. Thanks again for a fun semester guys, sorry I wasn't able to work in more pop culture references in this one but to make up for that I leave you with A Rocky Montage. I will argue with you later weather or not it is the best one but have fun and good luck the rest of the semester.
Again, clutch reference, Tom. I already unleashed my inner MacGyver once today when my glasses broke and I fixed them with nothing but the contents of my backpack in the thirty seconds before my 1:25 class started(Ok, so I keep super glue in my backpack, but it was still pretty hardcore).
ReplyDeleteI might not have the same background as many of the individuals in the class since I'm one of the few non-IST/SRA majors in the class(don't worry, I'm trying to double major with SRA as a secondary interest)and I'm also of the lowest semester status, but I can certainly see that IST and SRA provide an incredible and diverse learning backdrop. As a student of primarily Liberal Arts classes, it is refreshing to see that IST and SRA aren't just teaching you the concepts and problems in the field, they're also teaching you how to solve these issues and challenging you to do so. I believe this is an important academic difference between much of Penn State and the IST department that makes a huge difference in terms of employment and attitude.
Hello Thomas,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the title on this article. It feels good to have made it through this semester and to have learned so much from this class. There is so much potential out there for us now, from all that we've learned about how we can make little changes over time to help fix the technology integration issues with the humanitarian aid community. And with our degrees, we have so much potential ourselves, and the MacGyver explanation isn't far from the truth. I'd like to think that some of the engineering programs out there looking into technology are much more innovative since the developments are targeted for less developed nations. These people literally take basic parts to create a vehicle, which is insane. One thing to take a look into is the Open Source Ecology project, where a guy took things he could buy from Home Depot to build his own lawn mowers, brick presses, and drill presses for hundreds of dollars less than the actual costs if someone were to buy them from the "showcase." Not only can people in less developed communities make these tools, but they can learn along the way, providing engineering and mathematics lessons for people in the communities. I learned a lot in this class, I got a little frustrated, and I still have trouble getting motivated to do the final project since it's disheartening to know that there are always going to be policy-related issues along the way, but a little bit of work here and there is better than just giving up entirely. I hope you enjoyed the class as much as I did, and I look forward to hearing about your final project!
Tony
Oh Thomas, it has been quite the run in this class. There have been funny times and frustrating times, but you usually find a way to create some type of comic relief when I am attempting to get through these blog posts that usually just drag on and on. I would like to thank you for making the class more interesting when I have ben bored with it at times it really kept me up to date with all my comments and blog posts. Anyways, I guess this is the last comment you will get from me on your blogs; all I can really say is thank God it’s over.
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty funny that we all thought the last post was the final post just to find that this post was in actuality the final post. Happens I guess. But in particular I agree with most of your blog post considering that we in the SRA and IST majors here at Penn State have a very diverse background and are going to be able to get hired at many different types of settings hopefully after graduation. I also agree that communications plays a big part in what we would do in this field if we were going to go into the field of disaster relief and humanitarian aid.
Well my friend, it has been a long hard ride, but somebody had to do it right? I personally am so glad this semester is about to come to an end and we will either move on to graduate or continue onto the next semester. Regardless, it has been a great time reading all of the interesting blogs that you have brought to the table this semester and hopefully we have another class together sometime in the future. Good work buddy good luck with whatever is next on your plate.
Tom, I think your MacGyver comparison is the perfect comparison for the skills that IST and SRA students have. As an SRA student I have taken such a wide range of courses, I feel prepared to handle a wide range of situations. While this more a matter of the SRA curriculum being underdeveloped, these skills will be beneficial in the working world. Instead of just having a specific set of skills based on the current knowledge, I have skills that transfer as knowledge and technology increases. These skills also make me able to adapt to new circumstances that arise on a day-to-day basis rapidly. In the disaster response community, every situation is different from the one before it. Responders must be prepared to handle every situation that arises in the affected areas. The difficulties responders faced in Haiti were much different than the ones faced in Joplin, MO.
ReplyDeleteOne of the skills that you did not really talk about that I think really differentiates IST and SRA students is our experience working in groups. For every IST and SRA class we have taken there is a group project component. In the disaster response community, you will always be working with other people to solve complicated problems. If you are not used to or prepared to work in a group, you are effectively useless. Knowing how to operate in a group environment where one group member is not pulling their work or is high-strung is a benefit. Many students straight out of college are not prepared to handle these group dynamics. IST and SRA students are prepared to handle this based on the experiences we have already had.