(no subject)
What makes someone a specialist?
Am I an anthropologist now because I have experience? A bachelors degree? Or simply because I have a desire to be one?
What makes me a space anthropologist?
Intense interest in the field of outer space? That I have a lot of knowledge of both fields? Or just because I am a dork?
Space anthropology is a weird area, and not one I can successfully get a PhD in. The best I can get is get a degree in related areas, Space Studies and Anthropology, and pray that in a few years I can do some real research in the area.
Several people have been confused as to why I would go from Medieval Studies and Biological Anthropology to Space Studies. Consider this the post to explain it.
I really like outer space, it is something that I always have loved. One of my earliest loves was astronomy because I thought the planets were beautiful. I still think they are beautiful, though now I have expanded to finding galaxies beautiful and seeing lovely pictures from the Hubble telescope. Some of my earliest memories revolved around the stars and areas related to astronomy. My first Big Little Golden Book of Planets when I was 3. And the visit to Huntsville when I was 5. My first really advanced book (advanced middle school/ lower high school) The Planets when I was 6. That took me 2 years to read because I had to look up so many words in the first few chapters. Damn the sun and its complex processes!
I wanted to be a paleontologist/astronaut for a while (yes looking for dinosaurs on other planets!), then I wanted to build rockets, then I eventually wanted to be an astrophysicist in high school. As my math skills decreased, I realized that was an impossibility. I would never be able to work in that area. After high school and college, I received my chance again.
Freshman year of college, I was goofing off on the internet and mistyped a domain name. Who would have thought someone really did register http://www.space.edu ? And that it was a university department of all things. I looked through and really got a good laugh. I saved that link and occasionally looked back at it. During college, I was watching a special on astrobiology and then I saw Joel Hagen who was listed as an anthropologist, though he primarily does art. Suddenly, Space Studies did not sound that far off. But hey, what do I know about astrobiology?
Then one day I was listening outside of Neal's office. He was talking to one of his Evolutionary Medicine students about how many problems people would have in zero-g. Hm... Neal you might be on to something, but you are no NASA fan, nor a space fan. And your information is a little off. I knew that there had to be a compromise between knowledge of anthropology and that of microgravity. And thus, the space anthropologist was born.
There are other anthropologists with an interest in outer space. Ben Finney from the University of Hawaii was interested in outer space, however he is retired so I doubt that he is going to be taking new students. Even the infamous Margaret Mead had an interest in space. She was said to be on a NASA committee which was discussing the impact of contact with extraterrestrials. She told NASA that if superior life forms were discovered, the impact of this knowledge on the population of the world would destroy all of our culture. So she said we should never know. NASA eventually named the Mead Crater on Venus after her.
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Before I am asked questions about UND, please check my FAQ first.
Am I an anthropologist now because I have experience? A bachelors degree? Or simply because I have a desire to be one?
What makes me a space anthropologist?
Intense interest in the field of outer space? That I have a lot of knowledge of both fields? Or just because I am a dork?
Space anthropology is a weird area, and not one I can successfully get a PhD in. The best I can get is get a degree in related areas, Space Studies and Anthropology, and pray that in a few years I can do some real research in the area.
Several people have been confused as to why I would go from Medieval Studies and Biological Anthropology to Space Studies. Consider this the post to explain it.
I really like outer space, it is something that I always have loved. One of my earliest loves was astronomy because I thought the planets were beautiful. I still think they are beautiful, though now I have expanded to finding galaxies beautiful and seeing lovely pictures from the Hubble telescope. Some of my earliest memories revolved around the stars and areas related to astronomy. My first Big Little Golden Book of Planets when I was 3. And the visit to Huntsville when I was 5. My first really advanced book (advanced middle school/ lower high school) The Planets when I was 6. That took me 2 years to read because I had to look up so many words in the first few chapters. Damn the sun and its complex processes!
I wanted to be a paleontologist/astronaut for a while (yes looking for dinosaurs on other planets!), then I wanted to build rockets, then I eventually wanted to be an astrophysicist in high school. As my math skills decreased, I realized that was an impossibility. I would never be able to work in that area. After high school and college, I received my chance again.
Freshman year of college, I was goofing off on the internet and mistyped a domain name. Who would have thought someone really did register http://www.space.edu ? And that it was a university department of all things. I looked through and really got a good laugh. I saved that link and occasionally looked back at it. During college, I was watching a special on astrobiology and then I saw Joel Hagen who was listed as an anthropologist, though he primarily does art. Suddenly, Space Studies did not sound that far off. But hey, what do I know about astrobiology?
Then one day I was listening outside of Neal's office. He was talking to one of his Evolutionary Medicine students about how many problems people would have in zero-g. Hm... Neal you might be on to something, but you are no NASA fan, nor a space fan. And your information is a little off. I knew that there had to be a compromise between knowledge of anthropology and that of microgravity. And thus, the space anthropologist was born.
There are other anthropologists with an interest in outer space. Ben Finney from the University of Hawaii was interested in outer space, however he is retired so I doubt that he is going to be taking new students. Even the infamous Margaret Mead had an interest in space. She was said to be on a NASA committee which was discussing the impact of contact with extraterrestrials. She told NASA that if superior life forms were discovered, the impact of this knowledge on the population of the world would destroy all of our culture. So she said we should never know. NASA eventually named the Mead Crater on Venus after her.
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Before I am asked questions about UND, please check my FAQ first.