About Me

Hello! My name is Amy. I am a senior at Stony Brook University. I am from Bohemia, which is about 20 minutes away by car, but I have been living on campus since my freshman year. My major is Biology with a neurobiology specialization and my minor is Linguistics. I have been doing research in the neurobiology department for over a year. I get to do my own experiments now, but I have to go to lab every day including weekends. I am on the pre-med track like many others and I will be taking a gap year before applying to medical school.

I would much rather take pictures than have pictures taken of me, so the best I can show you is a silly pose for my display picture (I am the one with the hair band). As you can tell, I love to play badminton. I have been part of the Badminton Club since the club started up 3 years ago. I play competitively, so I am part of the team within the club too. I also like to read manga in my spare time.

Some quirky facts about myself:

I do not use Facebook, twitter, or any social networking websites. I find it more personal to just see how people are doing when we can talk to each other in person or on the phone.

I am naturally a left-handed person, but have been raised to use my right hand. It wasn’t until college that I was told this fact. I thought I was just ambidextrous.

My Opinion on Technology

           Today’s definition of technology is much different than what it was in the past. Before, technology consisted of the invention of tools and basic machinery that enabled people to travel to new places and to better support society. Now, technology connects people on a global scale, facilitating the exchange of information. This generates new possibilities of living that we are fortunate to have.

           When I think of technology, I think about computers, phones, the internet and television. All of these devices basically have the same function: to exchange ideas whether it be digitally, visually, or aurally. We can talk to someone in an online game or on the phone from across the world. The conversation would proceed smoothly as if the person was right in front of us. It still amazes me how fast and simple this exchange of information occurs. We are interconnected around the world as long as we have internet access. Also, information is now a convenience. If we don’t know the answer to a question, we can get the answer almost instantaneously with a quick search on the internet.

           On the other hand, we think of technology as something that is and will always be there for us. As a result, our attention span is much shorter. Something like waiting a few seconds for a page to load or a video to buffer might test our patience. Or when there is no internet connection, we might feel hopeless or bored. The world is still just as vast as it once was; only now our field of vision is more susceptible to being narrowed to virtual reality. People can hide behind their computer screens or phones to voice their opinions, even if they would not say those thoughts out loud in person. We also need to be cautious of getting too comfortable with technology. Technology should not be a substitute for physical activities like exercise. The movie "Wall-E" shows us one potential reason why we should not use technology for our every need.

            All in all, technology has been a huge benefit to society. Improvements in fields such as robotics, prosthetics, and genetic engineering have improved the quality of life for more and more people. Technology also has the potential to make knowledge more widespread and education more accessible. Online learning (with videos) and learning through video games are just two outlets in which this can be achieved. I am curious to see how technology will develop as future generations grow up with these advancements. Perhaps we will see human bionics reach a chillingly close level to the feeling of natural limbs. And soon older technology like dialup and corded phones will be obsolete and no longer known. It just shows how fast technology has advanced within these past years.