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Showing posts from April, 2018

Week 4 - MedTech + Art

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https://www.healthline.com/health-news/is-da-vinci-robotic-surgery-revolution-or-ripoff-021215 When I think of art and medicine, I do not see any way they could correlate since they are in two entirely different spectrums. But, then I think of today's technology and how the da Vinci robot is commonly used in surgeries as well as other medical advancements in technology. For anyone who has never heard of the da Vinci robot, it is used an alternative for a surgeon's hand so its movements can be mimicked to be broken down into smaller, precise movements instead. One of the key instruments that are used in this type of robotics is the laparoscope which is a tiny tube that has a camera which sends images to the surgeon in the operating room which helps the surgeon guide his operation the right way. I remember when my grandpa has surgery to remove his prostate they used the da Vinci robot during the operation.  http://schoolshistory.org.uk/topics/hippocrates-big-ideas/

Week 3 - Robotics + Art

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Page from Gutenberg's Bible from the printing press https://doorcountypulse.com/by-the-numbers-the-gutenberg-bible/ In this week's lecture, Professor Vesna discussed how ideas of technology and art have influenced one another in multiple ways. I was surprised to find out when she mentioned how the Bible has been used in the mechanization of book making which led to the first mass production. The number of pages were printed per day and even the way religion was conducted changed after the printing press was invented by Gutenberg. The way that religious knowledge from that point was increased orally and it was passed down to other generations. Walter Benjamin's book https://www.amazon.com/Work-Art-Age-Mechanical-Reproduction/dp/1453722483 Walter Benjamin talks about in his essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", that the takeaway from the mechanical reproduction of art is not always taken in a good manner, it could also be neg

Event 1 - The Gene Didn't Get the Memo

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Dr. Navon and I posing for a picture On Friday April 13, 2018, I attended my first event that was called "The Gene Didn't Get the Memo" which was conducted by Dr. Daniel Navon about the social genome. Dr. Navon is an assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego. His research focused on the sociology of science and knowledge, along with social theory and medical sociology. His lecture focused on how new conditions are being discovered because of alteration in genetic mutations. In the beginning, he mostly just talked about science and genetic mutations and how that involved around his presentation. I felt a little puzzled because I didn't see how he could make the connection with science and how it could connect with the arts. I found the science portion in the beginning to be pretty interesting due to having taken past classes that have had to do with genetics and mutations. Dr. Navon mentioned how mutations are becoming more easily found, whi

Week 2 - Math + Art

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This week's topic caught my attention that math and art go hand in hand and that artists use mathematics when they create their masterpieces. The idea of using geometric shapes in arts and mathematics is very common. Professor Vesna mentioned the ideas of symmetry, geometry, and the golden ratio that helps to the progression of art in her lecture of Math + Art.  In the novel Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott, I was able to see to how they used the idea of the direction on a compass and different perspectives of art and how it is integrated with math. Essentially the third dimension came in and brought the focus of height along with direction and measurement. Art can be expressed through many different aspects.  In  Linda Henderson's article "The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion",  she discusses how there are a lot of different theories that could be related back to math and science and art. Some of these pictu

Week 1 Two Cultures

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View from the outside of the UCLA Factor Building (School of Nursing) http://www.sandywang.net/uclagordonmacdonald.html Snow's idea of the two cultures plays a very big role in society, especially on the campus of UCLA. I see the idea of two cultures every day being a Nursing major in the south campus I see it within myself as well as my friends who are middle campus or North campus, the distinction is very clear. When Snow mentions the bridging of the gap, I see myself being very interested and involved in my friends' classes that may not have much to do with the idea of nursing. I find myself being interested in political science which is a complete North campus major. There are many clubs on campus that can also bridge the gap such as Hermanos Unidos (Latino organization) or Nashaa (an Indian dance club/group). It is a organization that brings people of all majors to a certain place which ties in with their culture. No matter your major your ethnic or financial backgrou