Mystory II: Anti-Definition

Mystory II: Anti-Definition

My anti-definition is for the word "mountain." Growing up in Colorado, my family and I spent a lot of time in the mountains. Camping, rock climbing, hiking 14ers and even just an evening trek at the end of a hot day to relax and cool off. These times can be described in so many words but I've narrowed it down to a handful: family, laughter, strength, endurance, perseverance, beauty, accomplishment, overcoming fear, and occasionally, Ibuprofen.

These are some pictures of hikes I've done with my family. The top one was my uncle and my dad, but we got to FaceTime the rest of my family when we reached the top.
Bottom left, some time with my family and my uncle's. The bottom right: one of the nineteen 14ers I did with my Dad, Bierstatd & Sawtooth.

Mystory II: Term Extensions

Mystory II: Term Extensions

"What sort of craft makes a good metaphor for developing knowledge in your career field?"

When I think of Biology, I think of discovery. I think of finding and seeing new things. Because of this, I will parallel it to glass-making, specifically window making. The earliest windows were difficult to see through and were often deformed in the center where the glass blower's pipe was once connected, as depicted in the first image below. The more advanced the technique, the better you are able to see through it, opening up your view to the world beyond (Image 2). As technology has improved in the biological field it has allowed humanity to view our world as never before, with more clarity than we could have imagined, even just decades ago.

This illustration was made by Mogens Engelund.

Image Url:https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3160/3070451167_5f247d3cd9.jpg 

Mystory I: Career Discourse

Mystory I: Career Discourse

In this section Ulmer asks us to write about a major invention or discovery within our "field of disciplinary knowledge." My field of interest is biology, with a focus on wildlife. One important invention in this field is the Binomial System, or Binomial Nomenclature. Binomial Nomenclature is a system of naming and classifying living things. It was first used in 1753 by biologist Carolous Linnaeus, in his book “Systema Naturae.” Prior to Linnaeus there was no fixed standard, and species were identified not so much by a name, but by a description. These titles were often long and difficult to remember. For example, the Hoary Plantain (pictured below) was known as "Plantago foliis ovato-lanceolatus pubescentibus, spica cylindrica, scapo tereti," which means, "Plantain with pubescent ovate-lanceolate leaves, a cylindric spike and a terete scape." Using his new system, Linnaeus simplified it to "Plantago media," which it is still called today. 

Due to Linnaeus' influence, Binomial Nomenclature has been the standard for classifying organisms since the late 1700's and is used around the world.

Image URL: http://raf.dessins.free.fr/2bgal/img.php?id_img=17937