Chris

Natural Systems

I am a student at Clark College in Vancouver, WA, pursuing a bachelor of science degree in forestry. I have always loved learning. Gaining knowledge about the inner cogs of the universe is enticing.

While growing up, my favorite TV shows were on the Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Animal Planet. I now learn through the Internet, science news, TED videos, various podcasts, YouTube channels, and online college lectures.

My attention deficit disorder (ADD) and dyslexia make it hard to concentrate on reading. I concentrate better when I use audio books. Typing is slow for me and filled with lots of misspellings. I use speech recognition and spell-check software to prevent errors.

I don’t regret having my disabilities. Rather, I enjoy seeing the world differently than others by focusing on one aspect at a time. I can also see the big picture and feel absorbed into it. Many great thinkers are suspected to have had ADD and dyslexia, including Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and Richard Branson.

A futurist, I enjoy following Jason Silva and Elon Musk regarding new concepts and see great things that will shape the future: graphene, augmented reality, crowd sourcing, game-ification, even asteroid mining! Smart technologies, sensors, and systems will be connected to the singularity that is the Internet so that cars may be safely self-driven and good health habits will be encouraged through gaming techniques. Simple solutions may be found, like harnessing algae for black oil, carbon storage, and nutrition.

My STEM journey embraces the fun of discovering how things are structured and related and exposing misunderstandings from the past. My high school horticulture teacher, Vaughn, helped me realize my passion for working with plants, whether in a greenhouse or forest. Volunteering with several forestry efforts such as removal of invasive species and working at a forested summer camp are steps toward a career using plant biology. I seek to understand natural systems to find efficient solutions for current problems.