Summer Institute musings

On June 29, 2017 Sir Nigel Shadbolt, a professor of computer science at the University of Oxford and the principal of Jesus College, discussed with the Summer Institute students his research on artificial intelligence. Through discussions and several articles students were able to better understand the concept of artificial intelligence and the different perspectives it entails. Below is a student's reflection on meeting with Sir Nigel Shadbolt and their class discussions.  Last Thursday I was delighted to listen to Sir Nigel Shadbolt on the topic of artificial intelligence. I came into the meeting with a vague concept of the term, but the conference cleared up many things for me. Something that Sir Shadbolt clarified for me was the true definition of artificial “intelligence.” Although I thought some advanced AI systems seemed capable of sentience and emotion, that is not so. It is, and will always be incapable of making emotional and artistic choices; that is what differenti...

On July 13, 2017 Bradley Gardner, a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and a Foreign Service Officer with the US State Department, discussed his novel "China's Great Migration: How the Poor Built a Prosperous Nation". The Summer Institute students were able to meet with him and talk about the impact the migration had on China's economy. Below is a student's reflection on meeting with Bradley Gardner and their opinion on the migration.  This week’s meeting on the issue of internal migration in China was definitely one of the most interesting so far. The speaker was extremely knowledgeable, as he had lived in China researching this topic for many years, and it was clear that he sought to address aspects of the topic not usually discussed. Primarily, I was shocked at the massive impact migration has had on the Chinese economy. While I could see how more people moving into urban areas would create a larger labor force, I thought that would be ...

On July 13, 2017 Bradley Gardner, a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and a Foreign Service Officer with the US State Department, discussed his novel "China's Great Migration: How the Poor Built a Prosperous Nation". The Summer Institute students were able to meet with him and talk about the impact the migration had on China's economy. Below is a student's reflection on meeting with Bradley Gardner and their opinion on the migration.  Bradley Gardner’s new book, China’s Great Migration: How The Poor Built a Prosperous Nation, is not only an account of the most massive and profitable migration in human history, but also a recollection of Gardner’s first hand experience as a citizen and witness. What makes his book so compelling is his incredible insight and understanding of this phenomenon, only further validating to his meticulous research and expertise. His anecdote about his personal connections with his immigrant neighbors and how...

On July 13, 2017 Bradley Gardner, a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and a Foreign Service Officer with the US State Department, discussed his novel "China's Great Migration: How the Poor Built a Prosperous Nation". The Summer Institute students were able to meet with him and talk about the impact the migration had on China's economy. Below is a student's reflection on meeting with Bradley Gardner and their opinion on the migration. Bradley Gardner, the author of China’s Great Migration: How the Poor Built a Prosperous Nation , discussed how the largest migration in the planet affected China positively and negatively. He also reflected on his time spent in China; however, his knowledge was more centered around the migration rather than politics and other matters concerning China. Before Gardner came, we had a debate/socratic seminar activity. I was in the group (A) that was pro-migration. Group B’s main points consisted of m...

On June 29, 2017 Sir Nigel Shadbolt, a professor of computer science at the University of Oxford and the principal of Jesus College, discussed with the Summer Institute students his research on artificial intelligence. Through discussions and several articles students were able to better understand the concept of artificial intelligence and the different perspectives it entails. Below is a student's reflection on meeting with Sir Nigel Shadbolt and their class discussions.  The concept of artificial intelligence has always been an intriguing subject. Even the idea that a machine could learn and adapt on its own is interesting. Both the socratic seminar and the program with Sir Nigel had me deep in thought. The purpose of artificial intelligence is mainly to improve human lives in some way, whether it be working in hazardous areas so people don’t have to, or deciding which song to play next on Pandora. Introducing artificial intelligence into our daily life isn’t goi...

On June 29, 2017 Sir Nigel Shadbolt, a professor of computer science at the University of Oxford and the principal of Jesus College, discussed with the Summer Institute students his research on artificial intelligence. Through discussions and several articles students were able to better understand the concept of artificial intelligence and the different perspectives it entails. Below is a student's reflection on meeting with Sir Nigel Shadbolt and their class discussions.  I was not too enthusiastic going into Thursday's meeting; I didn't feel like I knew enough about Artificial Intelligence or understood the computer science behind how these systems worked. To compensate for my shortcomings in knowledge about the science behind AI, I did some extra research about the legal and ethical challenges with the technology. In addition to talking about the science, Sir Nigel discussed many of the economic and legal implications AI has. In his discussion about jobs -...

On June 29, 2017 Sir Nigel Shadbolt, a professor of computer science at the University of Oxford and the principal of Jesus College, discussed with the Summer Institute students his research on artificial intelligence. Through discussions and several articles students were able to better understand the concept of artificial intelligence and the different perspectives it entails. Below is a student's reflection on meeting with Sir Nigel Shadbolt and their class discussions.  What struck me the most during our time with Sir Nigel was the realization of how much psychology plays a role in the development of artificial intelligence. In our socratic seminar as well as our Q&A with Sir Nigel, we deconstructed what the definition of Intelligence was. Some people interpreted it as purely how well someone’s memorization and problem solving were. Others had a more holistic view of intelligence, believing that multiple sectors made up a person’s intellect. Through our conversations...

On June 22, 2017 Dorothy Ngutter, a Diplomat in Residence for the Northwest Region of the United States, and Evan G. Reade, a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer came to World Affairs to discuss with the Summer Institute students their experiences working in the Foreign Service. Through several articles as well as discussions with the speakers, students were able to get a grasp on American diplomacy and the various career paths the Foreign Service can provide. Below is a student’s reflection on meeting with the Foreign Service professionals and their class discussions.           Living in China was a novel, challenging, and above all, fascinating experience. When Mr. Reade said, “living in a foreign country will not only teach you a lot about that country, but also a lot about America,” I instantly knew what he meant. While experiencing China’s idiosyncrasies, I became aware of their American counterparts--while the Chinese have very complex ideas aroun...

On June 22, 2017 Dorothy Ngutter, a Diplomat in Residence for the Northwest Region of the United States, and Evan G. Reade, a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer came to World Affairs to discuss with the Summer Institute students their experiences working in the Foreign Service. Through several articles as well as discussions with the speakers, students were able to get a grasp on American diplomacy and the various career paths the Foreign Service can provide. Below is a student’s reflection on meeting with the Foreign Service professionals and their class discussions. I think the discussion our group had before we met Evan Reade and Dorothy Ngutter was extremely interesting, particularly the portion where we discussed whether America’s diplomatic presence overseas has had a more positive or negative influence, and whether it would be disadvantageous or advantageous for our presence to decrease and allow other countries to create their own path and make their own decisions. What ...

On June 22, 2017 Dorothy Ngutter, a Diplomat in Residence for the Northwest Region of the United States, and Evan G. Reade, a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer came to World Affairs to discuss with the Summer Institute students their experiences working in the Foreign Service. Through several articles as well as discussions with the speakers, students were able to get a grasp on American diplomacy and the various career paths the Foreign Service can provide. Below is a student’s reflection on meeting with the Foreign Service professionals and their class discussions.  Our discussion centered around several interesting questions, created by Group C. But there were two in particular that captured my interest: Has the United States’ significant diplomatic and military presence abroad since World War II had a net positive or negative effect? And, would it be a disadvantage to lose this presence or are there advantages to allowing other countries to forge the path forwar...

On June 15, 2017 Fran Meckler, a documentary photographer, showcased her photo collection “Fading Traditions: Papua New Guinea in Color”. Students in the Summer Institute were able to meet with her and discuss how her photos were a method to bring injustices to light. Below is a student’s reflection on meeting with Fran Meckler and her thoughts on photography as a way for advocacy. During the weeks I was working on my application for this program, I would peruse the listings of events at World Affairs, the speakers and the topics for the week. I was intrigued by everything I saw: It was all so relevant and polemical and presented by the “top of their field” elite. All this to say, I was underwhelmed when I found out that the first speaker was a photographer. However, I was very pleasantly surprised with how much I learned and how much I loved the exhibition. I was thoroughly delighted to find that mudmen existed and that for some people, full body paint was just a way of life. ...

On June 15, 2017 Fran Meckler, a documentary photographer, showcased her photo collection “Fading Traditions: Papua New Guinea in Color”. Students in the Summer Institute were able to meet with her and discuss how her photos were a method to bring injustices to light. Below is a student’s reflection on meeting with Fran Meckler and her thoughts on photography as a way for advocacy. Our evening with Fran Meckler was extremely interesting. Her descriptions of the different tribal customs and cultures stood out to me. And especially the title of the exhibition, Fading Traditions . It made me wonder about the impact of globalization and technology on our culture and especially on those that were so long sheltered from the general world. And then arose the question of whether Mrs. Meckler’s photographs were helpful, hurtful or merely informational. I lean towards informational- a wakeup call to the existence of isolated pockets on the earth where time seems to have had no effect, w...

On June 15, 2017 Fran Meckler, a documentary photographer, showcased her photo collection “Fading Traditions: Papua New Guinea in Color”. Students in the Summer Institute were able to meet with her and discuss how her photos were a method to bring injustices to light. Below is a student’s reflection on meeting with Fran Meckler and her thoughts on photography as a way for advocacy. A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to interview Malak Shahin, the founder and editor-in-chief of Ascend Magazine , for an article I was writing on literary activism. Shahin is a Palestinian-American who cares deeply about effecting social change, especially in securing justice for Palestine. The goal of Ascend was to provide a creative space where art and protest could intersect. When I asked her whether she believed that art was inherently connected to activism, she responded with: “Art is a form of self-determination...giving people the resources to make art can, in some ways, be libera...