Provocateurs

I'd say that Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman is a provocateur (an agent of change) because he has the ability to notice subtle changes, be okay with uncertainty, and know how to create change.

He's noticed subtle changes in operating methods such as signal calling (in 2009, the script was, "NS 204 clear Oakwood, out." Now, the script is, "Clear Oakwood, NS 204."). While some rules and radio communication standards are now left out, the message is clearly understood and keeps safety in place.

Wick is okay with uncertainty, as he is running one of the five Class I railroads in the United States that is foregoing change mandated by Congress. This change is the implementation of Positive Train Control, which is a system of safety double-checks that will prevent the majority of accidents in the future.

Finally, he knows how to create change, as he recently began a steam program. In 1994, all east  coast railroads ruled that steam locomotives were not allowed on their systems. In 2011, Wick brought on the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and the Fort Wayne Historical Society and their two steam locomotives: Southern Railway 630 and Nickel Plate Road 765 (respectively). In 2012 and 2013, these locomotives have toured about half of Wick Moorman (Norfolk Southern)'s system of track, and more trips are to come in the future. Basically, Mr. Moorman restarted a program, 18 years dead, and has it running strong and supported already. Through this, he displays resilience and courage.

To increase my chances of becoming a provocateur, I can build relationships with my friends, and in a way, "take the upper hand." Basically, I will have enough influence on them to bring about change that I want to happen. I need to be accepting of uncertainty and able to notice changes (which I'm pretty good at doing). Then, I can apply my control over my friendships to create change if I want to.

Project Interview (1/28 Assignment)

For the week of January 28th, we were to interview an expert in the field our final project is in. So, I chose to interview Dr. Joel Aquino, my IB Physics teacher. I asked questions, he answered, and I responded. Below is the interview script:

1. What experience do you have in the field of geology?

-I earned my doctorate degree in geological engineering was a geological engineer for the main part of my career throughout southeastern Asia.

-That’s impressive! I’m going to assume you’ve evaluated land as part of your job before.

2. So, what goes into evaluating an area of land?

-The water flow patterns, slope of hills, soil qualities, placement of settlements in the area, and similar locations will be analyzed. If the area is deemed suitable for building, it may be done. If not, an alternative solution must be found.

-It sounds like there is a lot to this process, so I guess we’ll continue in your area of expertise.

3. How are the slope of land and water tables examined without actually going to the site?

-USGS and TIGER data can be viewed in three dimensions in specially-built software.

-That seems complicated to be able to analyze.

4. How does this software work?

-It takes the data and color-codes it, ranging from blue being the lowest in elevation to red being the highest in elevation.

-If it’s that easy, then it must be pretty wide-spread.

5. How often is USGS and TIGER data used in land analysis?

-It’s often used as a preliminary method of analyzing potential land development sites and is used to simulate land movements after grading is done for the project.

-Now I'm going to ask some questions about the program and data itself.

6. What does TIGER stand for?

-TIGER means Topographically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing.

-There must be something special sense the data is encoded and referenced.

7. What program do I need to look at TIGER and USGS data together?

-TransDEM.

-Now let’s move toward my focused application of this information.

8. How long would the process of planning and environmental studies and preliminary design take for a short rail line?

-I would estimate that this would take about 6 years to complete. One year for planning and five years for environmental studies. The preliminary design would overlap the last two years of environmental studies.

-That sounds like a really long time.

9. Despite the long wait, what benefits could a new rail line bring to a community?

-A new railroad could help a town grow industrially and therefore economically. It would also make it easier to access, thus making living there more convenient.

-I know a lot of towns like their heritage and their ability to be easily identified, though.

10. So in the interest of maintaining the ability to identify a town based on the surrounding land area, how much would change if a new rail line were built?

-That all depends on the route chosen and how much grading is required.  If a town really wants to keep its looks, the rail line will likely be more hilly and harder to negotiate, but the payoff the town will receive from its presence could make up for that entirely.

-That’s a lot to consider. Well, thank you for your time, Dr. Aquino!

HMP and Technology

I think my project is going to lead me to a pretty cool discovery that I will be able to recreate for fun in a simulation; I'm looking forward to it. I will use USGS and TIGER Digital Elevation Models for the majority of my project.

Let's take a break and look at what I do for fun. Here are three of my favorite videos that I've created!

A Tribute to "Mad Dog" Mike - retirement video made, by request, for a railroader. Filmed last December

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhsW8lh5tUs

Lafayette, IN 8/31/12: The Big Two Doing Business

I toured Purdue University for a second time in September and October of last year, and here's an hour's worth of railfanning just south of downtown. I got to spend the time with a kid from Wisconsin and his dad that were here for the same purpose!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgVYpqQ4TUA

The Chase of Southern 630

This is a video of a 109-year old steam locomotive moving north from Atlanta to Salisbury, NC in June of last year. This was a 75-mile long chase, and we saw the train in 6 different places on the way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esKrg7x0d5g

Here's a link to some stuff I'll use in my project:
USGS Data: http://www.usgs.gov/
TIGER Data: http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/tiger.html

Blogs:

http://hanhiekins.wordpress.com/

http://meganne0995.wordpress.com/

http://chrisolmsteadhmp.wordpress.com/

(Dis)connection

Brene Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, has spend the last 10 years of her life studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. She spent the first 5 years of this study focusing on shame and empathy and is no exploring the concept of wholeheartedness. She poses the question, "How do we learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections so that we can engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to recognize that we are enough – that we are worthy of love, belonging, and joy?"

So, I've been asked to answer the following four questions:
1) How would I answer, "Sometimes, I am afraid that I am not enough."
2) How do I define vulnerability?
3) Why do I struggle with vulnerability?
4) What did I tell myself when faced with something I thought was insurmountable?

1) I've been here with my relationship, and my answer normally consists of me saying, "No matter your shortcomings or struggles, I love you and I'm going to support you. You make me the happiest person in the world because I know I have exactly what I've always wanted (and then some) right in front of me. Trust me, you're always enough."

2) Vulnerability is a weakness that prevents you from standing up and defending yourself.

3) I struggle with vulnerability because I've always been put down. From an early age, I've been made fun of for liking trains, and it still happens every now and then. Because of constantly hearing that I was a weird person that could never fit in, I subconsciously took it for truth. Until I realized that the people who make fun of me probably aren't going to succeed as much as I already have, I struggled. Now, I just let it come in one ear and go out the other, and I laugh about it.

4) I told myself, "Get out of the Jeep. You won't know if you don't try." (I was scared that I'd driven an hour only to have to go back home a few minutes after my arrival, but I knew that I had to see what the situation was either way.)

"Mindsight"

Dr. Daniel Siegel spoke at a TedXBlue talk (Ted talk, hosted privately, at the Blue Man Group School (this is awesome, by the way!!)) about Mindsight: how our neural mechanisms work with social and emotional intelligence and how each can be cultivated through reflective practices that focus on the inner nature of the mind. He says that the "Three Rs" we need to pursue are Reflection, Relationship, and Resilience. So, in response, the following 7 questions are imposed.

1. Which of the three Rs do you feel you need to develop.
I need to develop resilience; I'm great at reflecting on my previous mistakes, and I'm in a great, steady relationship.

2. What are three books you've read in the past year?
I've read Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Kite Runner, and One Hundred Years of Solitude.

3. As a child, what did you do in your free time?
I played with LEGOs and model trains.

4. What's a goal that has been on your list for a few years?
Leave college with money.

5. What do you actually do with your free time?
I talk to loved ones, play train games, and browse the internet.

6. What types of activities energize you?
I really like participating in group games (such as "duels" dealing with Game Theory risk/reward scenarios), and I love creating/modifying experiments or anything else. Not to mention, I love deep thinking.

7. What famous people intrigue you?
I really like the Blue Men on the Norwegian Epic. During the cruise this Thanksgiving break, I went to a "Blue Man Group information session" in which the cast members spoke about their backgrounds, their favorite parts, and their inspiration. I'm not sure how they perform without talking but connect at such deep levels, but I'm really intrigued by this and would love to learn how to balance the different mindsets we can have. Here's a good video about the "Blue Man philosophy" in general: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw3JqHYNB2I

Empathy

The week of 1/22, we were asked to examine our empathetic traits, as six listed senses that leaders have are design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. We were asked to watch a Dan Pink interview with Oprah, then to take Simon Baron-Cohen's Empathy Quotient test (click here to find your empathy quotient).

Following up on the assignment, we were asked to answer the following:

• How empathetic are you?
• Do you agree with the findings of the test?
• Can you believe you can be taught empathy?
• Please mention someone you think shows empathy, citing why you consider them to be an empathetic person; and name someone you know that is lacking in empathy, citing examples of their lack of empathy.

My Baron-Cohen Empathy Quotient is 23, on a scale from 20 (lowest) to 80 (highest). The test issues a note with this rating saying that people who score between 20 and 25 often have traits of Aspberger's Syndrome and do not socialize easily. Considering that I have one focus and don't socialize easily, I understand that I exhibit qualities of the syndrome, though I believe that I've grown out of many habits that most affected people have! I don't agree that I'm that un-empathetic, but I do agree with the aforementioned part.

I believe you can be taught to care about other people and given situations to practice this, so yes, you can be taught empathy.

To be updated...

New Year's Start

The week of 1/14, we were asked to watch two videos from Gretchin Rubin and follow her suggestions. This is meant to generate a one-word New Year's Resolution and a statement calling out one of our major flaws.

The first video is called "Pick a One-Word Theme for the Year." (Click here to watch.)

My one-word resolution is "accountability." I've started out this year poorly by letting my grades slip, and I've hurt a few friends already for making promises I couldn't keep. This simply is not my personality, and I know I'm better than what I've been showing. So, to all of the people I've let down, I apologize and am determined to focus on improving this flaw so that everything can flow smoothly once again!

The second video is called "Whom do I envy? What do I lie about?" (Click here to watch.)

I've got an interesting combination of traits: a combination that very few people alive have. I've got a combination of an interest in railroading and the ability to steadfastly keep to my goals. Since a young age, trains have fascinated me. I mean, what other machine can pull literally millions of pounds of freight at interstate-highway speeds? Because of this, I've always envied railroad workers. But I've been able to combine this envy with my ability to focus on my goals and have made becoming a railroader one of my utmost goals, which will allow me to reach the point I want to be at and even go beyond! I lie to myself about hating school. I truly don't hate school, nor do I hate the work I have to do for it. I've always enjoyed school when I've been properly challenged, and no matter how much work I have to do, I normally get it done. Going back to the previous clip, I realize that I need to be accountable to myself to become what I desire, so it's inspiring to think about what the IB Programme has made me capable of and to do it. I know I can and will succeed, but I can't just breeze through everything and expect to gain what's best for me!

HMP Project - The Start

For our first assignment of 2013, we are beginning our culminating Honors Mentorship project that concludes the program. While we are still five months from the end of school, it's time to begin the process. Our assignment is to draft a preliminary proposal answering "I need and want to know this", "What is your current essential question?", "How do you envision using technology to best showcase your project?", and "What will you do for your 'real inquiry'?" REMEMBER that this is NOT set in stone: it is simply the preliminary thought process for this project.

For my final project, I need and want to know what must be determined to find the best location for a new rail line or an expansion of an existing one. My essential question is, "How is an area of land evaluated in order to develop a beneficial railroad line?" and has not changed since my original draft.As technology use grows and technology becomes more publicly available, I will be able to use USGS topographic imaging software to visually determine rail line location. For my real inquiry (my research process that leads to a conclusion), I plan to first analyze where a new rail line could be used, then I will look at USGS and TIGER topographic data (shows terrain changes and road/railroad/river placement) to determine the best layout of the rail line. I will then hypothesize the water table of the area, then to maintain it, I will look at where I will move dirt for fills and where I will put dirt from cuts. Finally, I'll conclude based on the benefits of the rail line, the land changes, and the effects my changes would have on the people in the area.