What Mount Allison is all about

I just had the idea that I should write an entry in which I truly crystallize what Mount Allison is all about for you. Two problems, though.

1) This is not my last entry, and so I if actually did realize my goal, then any subsequent entry would appear anti-climactic.
2) It's exam time. ERGO, I want to spend as many moments as I can preparing for my exams, in order to pass.

So you know what we're going to talk about today instead? CHEMISTRY!! Yeah, the class you took in grade eleven and were delighted to know you never had to see it again? If you're that person, stop here. This blog is not for you. But if you like chemistry, read on, and read well.

The first chapter that we studied this semester was called "Gases." Well, Raymond Chang's textbook called in "Gases," at any rate. Our professor, Vicki Meli, had another idea. "Understanding physical properties from a microscopic description." I think that she got this title from the kinetic molecular theory of gases. Basically, a gas is composed of point masses that are very far away from each other, that move randomly and undergo completely inelastic collisions, and that do not attract or repel one another. Their average kinetic energy is proportional to their absolute temperature. There's your microscopic description. It's an approximation, of course, but it's useful. Now what about these physical properties?

Let's start with the gas laws. Pressure is proportional to the inverse of volume; volume is proportional to temperature and the number of moles. First, volume is not constant. This is because it doesn't depend on the size of the particles. The kinetic molecular theory lets us treat them as point masses. Rather, volume depends on the motion of the particles, which in turn is a qualitative term for their average kinetic energy. This link between volume and average kinetic energy explains the link between volume and temperature ; kinetic energy is related to temperature. It also explains the link between volume and number of moles. Kinetic energy depends on mass, which depends on number of moles. Hence, volume must be related to the number of moles present. The fact that particles move randomly and collide with each other helps to introduce pressure into the equation. More motion means more "hitting," and more pressure. This is why increasing the temperature of a gas at constant volume will increase its pressure.

Next chapter: "Thermochemistry," or "Energy Accounting 101." The whole chapter is summed up in the first law of thermodynamics. "Energy can be converted from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed." It has many forms: kinetic and potential, to name the two that are key to this chapter. In chemistry, we often just call it "chemical energy." In a chemical reaction, energy is transferred either by heat or by work. The change in energy of a system has to equal the sum of the heat given off or taken in by the system and the work done by the system to the surroundings or by the surroundings to the system. The total amount of energy in the universe can't change, so it always has to go somewhere. There are a lot of ways to apply this concept: calorimetry, enthalpy, Hess's Law (that enthalpy is a state function). Basically, you can do whatever you want with energy. You must have to know where it's going.

Speaking of enthalpy, you can't have enthalpy without entropy, and you can't have either one of these lovely quantities without Gibb's Free Energy. Chapter 18: "Entropy and Free Energy," aka "Why some reactions occur spontaneously and others don't." So why do some reactions occur spontaneously while others don't? Simple. "Delta G of the system equals delta H of the system minus T delta S of the system." In other words, the change in the system's free energy is equal to the difference between the change in enthalpy and the product of the temperature and the change in entropy. Whoah. Slow down. ENTROPY???? Don't worry about entropy -- it's just a fancy term for randomness. It's proportional to the natural logarithm of the number of microstates of a system. And entropy is important because in every spontaneous reaction, the entropy of the universe increases. And in every spontaneous reaction, a system either gives off energy or gets more random. So there you have it. Heat and microstates. The two reasons that spontaneous reactions occur.

There's one more chapter that we did with Dr. Meli this semester: "Solutions," or "The whole is not always the sum of its parts." Now why in the world would Dr. Meli have picked a title like that? Basically, in a solution, you take one boring substance, mix it with another boring substance, and you get something really really cool. For example, you take copper and zinc, and you melt them enough to they'll combine, and you get this shiny new substance called brass, which is good for making brass musical instruments and brass faucets. Or you mix carbon dioxide with water and you get soda, known as "pop" in some parts of the world. You can even dissolve hydrogen gas in palladium. I'm not really sure why anybody would want to do that, but if you know why, kindly enlighten me. And weird things happen to these solutions. Like, the volume of the solvent plus the volume of the solute does not equal the volume of the solution. And when you dissolve a solid in a liquid, it looks like the solid disappears. We call this kind of solution a homogeneous solution. You can also get freezing point depression. Ever wonder why we put calcium chloride on the roads in winter? Freezing point depression, that's why. For a definition of this term, consult Wikipedia. While you're at it, look up boiling point elevation. And osmotic pressure. In fact, look up "colligative properties of solutions." Crazy stuff. Then, type "French military victories" into Google and press "I'm feeling lucky." You won't be disappointed. I swear on chemistry.

This concludes the first half of the second semester of Introduction to Chemistry. Was it dull? Be brutal.

You know what they say about girls who like math ...

Well okay ... I guess they don't say anything in particular. It's just that it seems like there are a lot more girls who study bio with an arts minor than mathematics. But I like math. And I've decided that I either want to do an honours in math or study music. The other day I had a religious studies brainstorm ... and I suppose I could do a degree in religious studies ... but I think for now I want to stick to the math. I just registered for my courses for next year. In the fall, I'm studying:

PHYS 2801: Data Acquisition and Analysis
PHYS 2251: Classical Waves
COMP 1631: Intro to Computer Science
MATH 2111: Multivariable Calculus
MATH 2211: Discrete Structures

And in the winter:

PHYS 3811: Modern Physics
COMP 1731: Programming Techniques and Algorithms
MATH 2221: Linear Algebra
MATH 2121: Elementary Differential Equations

Now, this schedule involves only four courses second semester. I haven't yet chosen my fifth course for winter term, and I'm not even sure if the courses I'm registered for are the ones I'm going to take. I also need to take stats, but I might take the first half of it by correspondance over the summer, and then take the second half second semester. Or I might just wait until second semester for the first half. Or, if I didn't take data acquisition, I could fit stats into my first semester. I don't really know what I'm doing. And I don't know if I want to do any of the physics; I might just stick to math. We'll see. I also might switch to music, but I haven't found out yet if I'm accepted into the program.

Reader, what I'm showing you right now is a little snippet of the process of registration.

It involves some screens that look like this:



And some that look like this:



It also contains a bunch of error messages, but I was lucky enough not to get any this time. Basically, registration is a bit of a pain, and you'll all have to deal with it this summer once you've gotten your package from Mount A explaining what you need to do before you come in the fall. But don't worry. Once it's done, it's done, and you have a beautiful looking set of courses to take. And be sure to make contact with your first-year advisors. They're quite helpful. Or email a blogger who has some of the same interests you do. We're all friendly and willing to help. Polka dots and moonbeams. You can do it. I believe in you.

Le but d'une éducation

À l'âge de seize ans, j'ai posé une question à mon oncle au sujet de l'éducation universitaire. Sa réponse ? "The purpose of a university education is to figure out who you are." J'ai dix-neuf ans maintenant et je n'ai pas encore réalisé ce but. "Who are you?" Je n'ai aucune idée. Néanmoins, cette année a fait partie de mon éducation. Alors, qu'est-ce que j'ai appris ?

***

Je suis heureuse d'être venue au Nouveau Brunswick afin d'étudier. Pour ceux qui ne me connaissent pas, je m'appelle Mary Blake Bonn, je viens des États-Unis ; j'ai expatrié parce que mon chum est Canadien. On m'a dit qu'il ne fallait pas déménager à cause d'un amoureux. Ils avaient probablement raison. Néanmoins, je suis contente et d'ailleurs, je ne regrette rien. J'aime le Canada ... j'aime le Nouveau Brunswick ... j'adore l'Acadie. Tout le monde pensait que je me changerais d'avis et que j'irais à Boston. Ils avaient tort.

***

Je suis heureuse d'avoir étudié les sciences cette année. J'ai suivi deux cours de chimie, deux cours de physique, et deux cours de mathématiques. C'est étrange parce que l'année passée, j'étais sûr que j'étudierais l'anglais à l'université. J'ai pourtant aimé mes cours de sciences et je ferai peut-être mon bac en mathématiques. Ou peut-être en musique. Je déteste les décisions.

****

Je suis heureuse d'avoir rencontré de nouveaux amis. Vivian ... Sarah ... Jessie-Anne ... Katelyn ... Lindsay ... Lucy et. al ... Sam ... David de Bigelow ... David de Thornton ... Alla ...Talisa ... Alicia ... Christina ... Susan ... Hannah ... Hannah ... il y a beaucoup de Hannahs ... Maxime ... Charles ... Alexander ... Ariane ... Lucas ... Luc ... François ... JP ... Mélanie ... Mélanie ... il y a aussi beaucoup de Mélanies ... et ça continue. Autrefois, je ne pensais pas de pouvoir m'intégrer. J'avais tort.

***

Si j'écrivais maintenant une composition formelle, force serait de m'achever ici parce que je viendrais d'écrire quatre paragraphes, comprenant une introduction et un développement. Comment conclure, donc ? Si vous êtes à l'école secondaire maintenant, je vous conseille de respirer. Vous serez autre part l'année prochaine. Si vous êtes un de mes parents, vous êtes probablement ma mère. Te amo, Thust. Si vous vous appelez Emily, il vaut mieux que vous vous appeliez Vivian. Vivian rocke mes socks. Et si vous voulez que je me taise, souriez.

CRUNCH TIME

A friend and fellow-blogger of mine Matthew Cudmore concluded his most recent blog entry with the words "crunch time," and thus mine begins. "Crunch time" is a time of year frequently discussed in university-student cirles. Arts students have 1-2 papers per course to turn in, science students have lab reports to submit, final presetations to make, or full days of cramming to make up for semesters of doing nothing. I don't really know what fine arts students do, but I know they must need to do a lot of it at this time of year. Music students have juries to prepare for, and that dreaded history final. Commerce students. Well ... commerce students are busy, I assume.

And then there's me.

At this particular time of year in this particular year, I am feeling the effects of crunch time. Papers? No. Lab reports? Well, no. Music to practice? Not really, no. Cramming? Well, I'm sure a healthy bit of that wouldn't hurt. But honestly, I'm not that nervous about my academics. I'm going to put in whatever work I'm going to put in, and my success will probably be proportional to the amount of effort I can force out of myself. So basically, I just need to make sure I don't slack off for these last few weeks, and I should be okay.

So what do I mean by "crunch time"?

Well, reader, it's time I shared a bit of news with you. I'm not sure if I'm coming back to Mt. A next year. Trust me -- it's nothing against Mt. A. I love Mt. A, but I'm just not sure if it's what I want. I might end up at l'Université de Moncton next year doing it all in French.

So a big question is, "where do I want to go to school?"

Another big question is what I'm going to study. I've been trying to narrow down my choices a bit. Some possible options: violin performance, instrumental education (violin), physics, math, major in math with a minor in music, sociology. So I've been trying to cross things off the list. I crossed off sociology because I don't really see myself completing an arts degree without going insane. I freak out about papers. A LOT. I also crossed off honouring in physics or math because all I'd really want to do with an honours degree would be to go on and get my M.Sc, and then my Ph.D, and then I guess I'd be a professor. I'd like to write textbooks, but one has to be quite the respected professor to write textbooks, and I don't think I'd really like doing all the research that academics do. The thing about research is that I can do it, and I like it, but I don't LOVE it. And I think it's the kind of thing you have to love. And I've crossed off violin performance because I think that performing is the same as research ... you have to LOVE it. And I don't LOVE it.

So what does that leave?

Well ... music education, I guess. Studying to be a violin teacher. And I might minor in math or physics. I don't know. I have to make this decision, and I have to make it soon because it's crunch time. And I need to decide where I want to do it. Mt. A? Moncton?

I DON'T KNOW!!

"How does this blog entry relate to me?" you ask inquisitively. Frankly, it probably doesn't, and I'm sorry I just made you read it. But at least now you know the state of life. Utter chaos. Because I have more than one decision to make and I don't know how to make them. I hate that.

I JUST AUDITIONED!!!

Well, I suppose the title explains itself, doesn't it? I just auditioned. "For what?" you may I ask. Well here's for what. To enter the Bachelor of Music program at Mount Allison University.

***

When I finished high school, I knew for sure that I was going to do an arts degree. You know .. history .. english .. sociology .. maybe a little French thrown in for spice. I knew I wanted to study something that would involve a lot of writing, and my favorite kind of homework to do was reading, so I naturally assumed that arts was the choice for me.

***

Fast-forward three months, and it's August. I have two weeks until I leave for New Brunswick, and I still haven't registered for my courses. BAHH!! Fortunately, registration is easy, and all I have to do is go online, find some courses I would like to take, click on them, and my schedule is done. Well, okay, the process took me three hours, but that's just because I panicked a little bit. But no matter. At the end of the three hours, I was staring a beautiful schedule in the face, and it was telling me what I would be studying next year:

ENGL 1201 -- Principles of Literary Analysis
SOCI 1001 -- Introduction to Sociology
CHEM 1001 -- Introduction to Chemistry

WHOAH NELLIE!!! I thought I was doing an arts degree. How did I manage to register myself in Introduction to Chemistry? Well, no matter. Read on -- let's see what else I'm taking.

MATH 1111 -- Introduction to Calculus
PHYS 1051 -- Introduction to Physics

So ... yeah ... my arts degree so far consisted of three science courses. It was at that point that I decided maybe I was more of a science person. But we're not done yet. I took one more course first semester. And no, it wasn't anthro. You know what it was?

MUSC 1629F -- Chamber Orchestra

***

I'm well into the second semester of my "arts" degree now, and it seems I've taken yet another unexpected turn. I've auditioned to enter the bachelor of music program because, well, I just might decide to enter the bachelor of music program. I know. I'm an accident waiting to happen.

***

We're going to make another flashback here. I know, I've been jumping around a lot in time, but hear me out. We're going to return to last April, when I was deciding where to go for university. Do you want to know who convinced me to come to Mount Allison? Gary Tucker. When I came for a campus tour of Mount Allison, I had a meeting set up with Dr. Gary Tucker, head of the music department. He described Mount Allison to me, and he described it as "a place full of 'yes' people." Now, at the time, I really hadn't a clue what he meant, but for some reason I identified with these "yes" people of whom he spoke. It followed naturally that I should complete my undergrad degree with them.

Let me tell you now of my experience with "yes" people. Basically, these "yes" people make it possible to do anything at Mount A. Within reason, of course. But at Mount A, if you want to .. I don't know .. double major in economics and computer science and minor in Canadian studies, somebody will help you make that dream a reality. Let's look at my case. I'm thinking now I might want to do a bachelor of music in violin and a bachelor of science in math. It would be hard, and it would take me five years, but it might be worth it. And so far, nobody has told me "no." They just want to help me. And hey -- where there's a will there's a way. I just might do it. Or I just might change my mind again. I've changed my mind quite a few times already. But hear me now. If you're the kind of person who's going to want to change your mind a lot, please come join me at Mount Allison. I promise you'll feel right at home.

Nineteen years

I'm nineteen today. Nineteen, and I have a physics assignment to do. BUT, I also have a blog to do, and blogging is more fun. Ergo, blogging it is. I just woke up to see snow falling, the same snow that fell in Toronto two days ago, and fell last night on Moncton, and still falls. I just flew back from Baltimore after a few days home for reading week. My bag didn't leave Baltimore because the flight was overloaded -- weather issues in Toronto. Then, weather issues in Moncton almost prevented our plane from landing here. They thought we would have to take a detour and land in Montreal, but it wasn't so. We made it to Moncton, and gave a resounding round of applause as the plane touched down. And then some kind stranger named Gale gave me a cab ride back to Sackville. It took over an hour because we had to drive so slowly, but we got here. Saints be praised, we got here. And now I'm lucky enough to wake up on my birthday and know that I am in my room in Edwards, and not in some friend of a friend's house in Toronto, and not in some hotel room in Montreal. Except for a few pieces of luggage that may or may not have left Baltimore yet, I'm here, and I'm safe.

I'm not going to church today. I'm not trying to make some kind of statement against faith, but it's pissing down snow outside and I'm not going to be the one to walk all the way around campus and down to the Anglican church across from the swan pond. Besides, I have a lot of work to do today because I have class tomorrow, and I've just had a very busy reading week. And by "busy," I mean (of course) busy with everything but school. I spent the first few days visiting Jonathan, and I helped him study for a math test. He took the test on Thursday, and he said he thought it went okay. I certainly hope it did; he knows what he's doing when it comes to integrating by parts and improper integrals. I also went on a campus tour of U de M for something to do. It was very odd. I don't think the admissions staff had ever had an American come for a tour before, because they seemed not to have any idea what to do with me. The vice-dean of their science faculty did talk at length about biochemistry, though. For some reason when I told him I wanted to be a math major, he interpreted that as "I like biochem." Tuesday was a travel day .. home to Baltimore, of course. Wednesday was an errands day. Thursday was a performing day; I had a pro bono gig at a local nursing home. Friday somehow managed to be another errands day. And then Saturday was a travel day, as described above. Now it is Sunday, the last day of march break, and I sit in my room, and I look at the snow fall, and I hear the snow plow, and I wonder why I'm not getting dressed and walking down to church, and I realize I actually am nineteen.

Now, in the states, nineteen is as uneventful as a birthday can be. See, when you're eighteen, you get to smoke, buy porn, register for the draft, qualify for sweepstakes you see on TV, and vote in statewide and national elections. When you're twenty, you suddenly realize you're no longer a teenager, and you feel very old. When you're twenty-one, you can drink. Enough said. But nineteen? I actually can't think of a single cool thing that happens when you turn nineteen in the states. But in Canada? Good lord. They really bring out the big guns for the grand one nine, eh? And now it's my turn to turn nineteen. And that's exactly what I'm doing right now. This day isn't at all like the day my mother had me. That day, it was sunny and warm, and my parents were coaching high school girls' cross-country together when my mom started going into labor. Today, it is snowing, and I'm sitting in my dorm room and thinking about the physics assignment I need to do. For some reason I just thought of our physics lab instructor. Oh .. Cathy Pettipas :) Good woman, that Cathy Pettipas.

So now I can smoke. And now I can drink. And now I can get into Uncle Larry's. Ideally, I'd be a little more excited than this. But, well, just last night I swore I wouldn't drink. Jonathan and I decided we're mature enough that we don't need to. And smoking ... well ... I could legally buy cigarettes in the US on this date last year, so it's not really a novelty. So I guess all that one can really expect to get out of a nineteenth birthday is one more year to tick off on the totem pole. But I guess this nineteenth year has been noteworthy. I mean, I did graduate from high school. And I did get into Williams, Wesleyan, Brandeis, Mt. A, and the Brown waitlist, and chose to come to Mount A. I also graduated from high school, and I made a wonderful friend over the summer, Bunny Finney, who lives at the nursing home where I played my violin. I celebrated my first anniversary dating Jonathan, and then we started a whole new life for ourselves in southeastern New Brunswick. I got through my first semester of university. I'm now well into my second, and things are going well for me. So you know what? I'm going to close with a quotation that my fellow blogger Emily Shepphard despises, and if you want to understand the reference fully, kindly consult her blog.

"Pinch me. I must be dreaming."

Holding the Bully's Coat

My name is Mary Blake Bonn, and I am an American.

On Wednesday night, I attended a lecture on campus by noted author and journalist Linda McQuaig. To give you an idea of the kind of lecture it was, I'll tell you that the title of her most recent book is Holding the Bully's Coat: Canada and the US Empire. Basically, in her talk, Linda asserted that the Canadian government needs to stop ceding to the American government on issues such as the war in Afghanistan.

I remind you: I'm an American.

So how was Linda's talk? Well, I'll tell you this much -- I thought it was excellent. I didn't agree with her on every point, but I found her speech articulate and thought-provoking, and she handled her questions with aplomb. But lectures are what they are, and that wasn't the fun part of the evening. The fun part of the evening was having a glass of fine red wine at the president's house.

Again, I'm American, in case you forgot.

So yeah, about that glass of wine, President Campbell had invited members of Edwards (my residence) to come to his house after the lecture for a reception and a discussion with Linda. Imagine how fun it was for me to be the only American in Dr. Campbell's living room surrounded by intelligent Canadian people and Linda McQuaig.

Still American.

And speaking of the fact that I'm American, I didn't support George Bush when we elected him, and I still don't. I also don't support that the US didn't sign the Kyoto treaty, or that we waged a Cold War against Communism with a capital C so that Russia wouldn't have more power than we did. In fact, I agree with Canadians on nearly all points pertaining to the US.

But I am American.

And the fact that I'm American made it really hard for me to tell Linda why I think people like her can have a desructive influence on the world. The general thrust behind her speech was that America is wrong, and I agree. But I don't believe that the political right will ever listen to the left if all we ever do is to tell them that they're wrong. It only leads to disagreement and partisan politics. I believe that the biggest problem with the US and with Canada is a lack of centrism.

But as I said, I'm American.

So somehow, my contribution to the wine-and-cheese discussion ended up being skewed into the typical American response, which involves saying that Canada is wrong. And I hate that, because that's not what I believe.

So here's the take-home message. On Wednesday night, I participated in a discussion, I tried to make a point, and I was misunderstood. Thank you for listening.