The Power in Structure

When you take a step back and look at the world from a macroscopic scale, there is a trend that can be seen both in nature and in the developed parts of the world. From the way a tree grows to support the looming branches to how the roads are paved from one location to another, structure is something that ensures order, relieves frustration, saves time, and even protects our rights. In a world absent of structure, there would be absolute chaos. Without structure there would be no laws keeping people from doing whatever they pleased, people would be endangered by simply stepping outside of their home. There would be no consequences to driving on the wrong side of the road or even harming someone and there would not be a way to properly deal with those individuals in a manner that would be effective. Without following the guidelines that structure the way we handle individuals that are convicted, rights could even be violated resulting in wrongful imprisonment. Structure relieves frustrations by having things exactly where you expect them to be. Without this, the amount of time wasted on finding what you are looking for would cause frustration and lost time. Structure does not just keep things organized and help lower frustration, but can also mean the difference between freedom and life behind bars.

During my CRJU101 The American Criminal Justice System course I learned there is a procedure that must be followed when an individual is accused of a crime. First an investigation must be made before charges are filed. After the charges, there is an arraignment where the accused appears in court to be charged and can enter a plea. The defense’s attorney will then review the evidence and will either bargain for a plea deal or go to trial. During the trial the evidence is examined and then a sentence is made. If this procedure and structure is not carried out in the order it is meant to be there can be consequences. There are consequences not only for the prosecution skipping any steps, but also for the individual being accused and charged. Not following the structure of the criminal justice system results in the individual’s rights being infringed upon. Without structure, we could end up on the wrong end of the justice system and have out rights not respected.

As a Microbiology lab assistant, structure and procedure are incredibly important. The biggest project I have is the cataloging and organization of the prepared microscope slides. With this project I have meticulously gone through each case, counted how many slides of each specimen we have, and cataloged it into an excel spreadsheet. At the beginning of this project, there was an old list to go off of to give an idea of what specimens we should have and where to find them. However, it was very quickly realized that a lot of the slides were not where they should be as well as differences that were not listed. This issue had been making it incredibly difficult for professors and myself to find the slides that were needed for labs. After organizing, counting, and cataloging the slides, it became much easier to look at the sheet and find where they were located. This project is still ongoing as we get feedback from other professors for how we structure the organization of the slides. As we get closer to completion, it has become much easier to locate the slides that are needed for labs which has not only saved myself time, but also the time of the professors who use these slides. Structure is also used when making media in the lab. When pouring media into the plastic petri plates, see Fig 1, I have to wait for the liquid to cool down enough where it can be poured. If I pour when the media is too hot, condensation forms in the plates which can cause mold and effects any culture placed on it. When a culture is placed onto a plate that is too wet, instead of having isolated colonies, which is the goal, you end up with the bacteria growing all over the plate. This could possibly require you to re-culture the microbe, causing delays in results and costing resources and time. With everyone’s time being important, structure can ensure that extra time is not wasted on finding things when they are in their proper places as well as ensuring that resources are not wasted.

Structure isn’t just important when you think about the court system or the organization of microscope slides. If we did not have structure, there would be no laws. This wouldn’t deter anyone from doing whatever they wanted and there would be absolute mayhem. When you think of course work, without structure none of the material would make sense. For example, in my Anatomy and Physiology class we start on the cellular level and work our way up to the organ and system level. Without the understanding and knowledge of tissues and tissue structure, learning about how muscles contract or how bones are formed would be a lot harder to understand. Structure being nonexistent would also cause car accidents and extremely unsafe conditions for people. We already have people on the road that drive crazy and cause accidents as is, but without the structure created by traffic lights, having speed limits, or even the road itself it would be incredibly dangerous to be on the road even more so than it already is. Structure in our lives is what keeps us safe on the roads and what ensures that we are learning in an effective manner and is also seen behind the scenes in a lab course setting. When taking Organic Chemistry I Lab, I was taught how to make a proper lab notebook, see Fig 2. I had never seen or practiced the structure necessary for a lab notebook until then and at first didn’t really see why it was important. When you keep a lab notebook, it must be in a composition notebook so you are unable to tamper with the pages, and if you do rip a page out it is obvious. You also only write on one side and in pen, if you make a mistake while writing you put a single line through it and nothing more. Dr. Burke taught us other requirements that we had to adhere to, but more importantly she taught us why this structure was necessary. When someone is doing research and going through patenting their product, there has to be proof that they are in fact the person who developed this first. To do that, they need any and all notes, studies, results, and experiments that were conducted and they must follow those guidelines to ensure that there has been nothing tampered with which would result in the patent being denied. This structure also ensures that any products going out, especially the new medications that are on the shelves, are done properly and can be replicated. This means that any new life saving drug that is developed and put on the shelves happened all thanks to structure.

Structure is something that is very important for ensuring our rights are not infringed upon. The experience I had in my criminal justice class taught me that it’s not just having structure in my own life that matters, but also with how it matters as a bigger picture in a community with the steps that are followed during an arrest. Learning this along with the structure of organizing microscope slide specimens for the past year also showed me how life becomes much easier when you can find exactly what you are looking for. These two experiences allowed me to reflect on how the world would be without structure and understand just how necessary it is to have it and how it is not just about small things that impact our own selves, but also as a bigger picture. Organizing slides helped myself as well as the professors who use them and in the criminal justice system, structure helps to ensure that those who are a danger to themselves and others are properly put away while those who are innocent are released. While structure does include having a planner or basic organization, it impacts everyone on a daily basis passively with our laws and ways of getting things done effectively 

Structure isn’t just important when you think about the court system or the organization of microscope slides. If we did not have structure, there would be no laws. This wouldn’t deter anyone from doing whatever they wanted and there would be absolute mayhem. When you think of course work, without structure none of the material would make sense. For example, in my Anatomy and Physiology class we start on the cellular level and work our way up to the organ and system level. Without the understanding and knowledge of tissues and tissue structure, learning about how muscles contract or how bones are formed would be a lot harder to understand. Structure being nonexistent would also cause car accidents and extremely unsafe conditions for people. We already have people on the road that drive crazy and cause accidents as is, but without the structure created by traffic lights, having speed limits, or even the road itself it would be incredibly dangerous to be on the road even more so than it already is. Structure in our lives is what keeps us safe on the roads and what ensures that we are learning in an effective manner and is also seen behind the scenes in a lab course setting. When taking Organic Chemistry I Lab, I was taught how to make a proper lab notebook, see Fig 2. I had never seen or practiced the structure necessary for a lab notebook until then and at first didn’t really see why it was important. When you keep a lab notebook, it must be in a composition notebook so you are unable to tamper with the pages, and if you do rip a page out it is obvious. You also only write on one side and in pen, if you make a mistake while writing you put a single line through it and nothing more. Dr. Burke taught us other requirements that we had to adhere to, but more importantly she taught us why this structure was necessary. When someone is doing research and going through patenting their product, there has to be proof that they are in fact the person who developed this first. To do that, they need any and all notes, studies, results, and experiments that were conducted and they must follow those guidelines to ensure that there has been nothing tampered with which would result in the patent being denied. This structure also ensures that any products going out, especially the new medications that are on the shelves, are done properly and can be replicated. This means that any new life saving drug that is developed and put on the shelves happened all thanks to structure.

Structure is something that is very important for ensuring our rights are not infringed upon. The experience I had in my criminal justice class taught me that it’s not just having structure in my own life that matters, but also with how it matters as a bigger picture in a community with the steps that are followed during an arrest. Learning this along with the structure of organizing microscope slide specimens for the past year also showed me how life becomes much easier when you can find exactly what you are looking for. These two experiences allowed me to reflect on how the world would be without structure and understand just how necessary it is to have it and how it is not just about small things that impact our own selves, but also as a bigger picture. Organizing slides helped myself as well as the professors who use them and in the criminal justice system, structure helps to ensure that those who are a danger to themselves and others are properly put away while those who are innocent are released. While structure does include having a planner or basic organization, it impacts everyone on a daily basis passively with our laws and ways of getting things done effectively