-Having college professors?

When college professors are teaching, instead of just directly talking about a specific point, they often branch off into other examples to draw a bigger image for the topic and reveal the relations between this topic and the others. Although their pace in class can be a little fast or slow based on their preference, it is important to fully pay attention to their every word in class because it is easy to get lost. Their attitude towards phone usage is also very impressive - such device is an addiction and a distraction.

-Dorm life?

I totally enjoyed the dorm. On top of the great air conditioning to battle off the heat, the bed with soft mattress and the closet and desk with many drawers provide great comfy and utilities. It is also nice to have an independent set up for each of the resident. I also loved the roommate assigned to me because we share similar habits - organized, relaxing, funny, understanding. I really enjoyed the dorm life because it not only gives me a place to relax and work quietly on days with busy schedules, but also improves my sleep quality and time management under my roommates' supervision.

-Working in a lab?

The computer lab and lego lab for this cluster are good lecture place and experiment place for both topics. On top of the nice environment, the equipments and set up of the lab provide great convenience for the activities. All the lego parts are laid out and organized and all the computers were neatly placed and ready to use. What surprised me the most is to see teamworks in a seemingly competitive, intense environment. People are helping each other and working on solutions to problems together, creating an atmosphere of friendship and improvements. It is really shocking to see how important of a role teamwork can play out in those activities, such as robotics.

-What did you learn so far in COSMOS?

The biggest lesson I learn so far in COSMOS is that not only individual working ability matters, but teamwork and friendship also matter. I sometimes think of one solution to one problem myself, but it might not be the most efficient solution as my friend offer me better and more convenient solution which I used. It is important for one to pay attention in class and learn the knowledge as their own gain, but helping others with my knowledge and receiving assistance from others in my time of need are great experiences I have learned so far. I helped others with code and my robotic experimentation knowledge in both parts of the cluster, and others have taught me things that I never thought about such as encoders for EV3 robot. I truly appreciate this mutual relationship, and this is the warmest thing I learned so far in COSMOS.

-After today's lectures and programming activities, what areas of computer science and programming are familiar to you? new to you?

The areas that are familiar to me from today's programming lectures are probably the coding aspects of C and Python. I have basic experiences in C++ and Python, so the beginner's command we have learned today in C++'s ancestor C and Python post no challenge to my current understanding, although it might start to get more challenging as we get into deeper content. I still feel the need to review my python because it is sometimes confusing to distinguish between C/Java command and Python command. The areas that are new to me are definitely the binary number system we have spent the entire morning on today. The conversion of base two binary (machine-read code) zeros and ones to base ten common numbers and back are confusing at first, but gets easier in the end as the image is built up and the simplified formula for it is revealed, turning it into a basic "finding closest two to the X exponent" and "going down the addition table and adding them" thing. Regardless it was a fun and struggling experience. I also learned the history of computers, which shocked me because all of today's computers' simplicity are evolved from thirty years of complexity. I totally enjoyed the lectures, learning new stuff and gaining new insights on stuff I have already knew about.

-What areas of coding, collaboration, agency, etc. can I work on to improve my experience of COSMOS tomorrow?

Coding wise, since the robotics section requires EV3 code knowledge, it would definitely be helpful to read and review the handouts on EV3 code and sensors given out by Dr. Dad-del. Also, since the computational biophysics section requires python knowledge, I am also going to review the python code readings I have read before when I was learning python. Preparing for coding knowledge in those two areas would get me prepared for tomorrow's sections, as I will be able to spend less time learning but instead getting more hands-on experience with the stuff I learned. I have been making friends and deepening our friendships through activities, and we are having very good collaborations as we help each others and give each other insights and assistance during labs and lectures. I am prepared for a more fun COSMOS experience tomorrow!

-What areas of collaboration and agency can I work on to improve my experience of COSMOS going forward?

I think the most important thing on project collaboration is that people doing the project need to agree on the same idea, so that they can work uniformly towards a same goal rather than constantly having discord. Also, I think it is necessary to include everyone's idea, so I created a google doc for my teammates to input all their ideas in it no matter how big or small it is, so we can generate an outcome that everyone is satisfied with. Friendship and connections are also important, because people in other groups can help others in other groups, as the environment becomes more sharing rather than competitive. It is good to keep a bit of tension during the process, but it is also important to learn and gain new knowledge during the collaboration. It is so far so good.

-How did you utilize a problem solving technique to help you write code today?

First, based on what I have learned from the hand outs, I broke down a big section into many smaller sub-sections. My challenge was to have the robot following a blue tape path using color sensor, so I first need to figure out code for robot to make action when senses the blue tape and to make action when doesn't. I did so, began with seeing blue tape and move forward and if not seeing blue tape then stop. Then, I tried several path method such as a turn-right-then-left scan check, left-right S shape, and backward-forward. Backward-forward just stuck at a same location; turn-right-then-left scan check works 80% of the path, but always stop at a certain point maybe because of memory. S-shape worked 80% of the path, functioning on the large curve but not sharp curve. Finally, from others' inspiration, I came up with a scanner code design. The robot would run into two for loop in an infinite loop, one left turn and one right turn, and the robot would move forward if they sense blue in the middle of the turn. Although this function works the entire path, the robot doesn't turn 180 in the end. So, I added a "turnCounter" to time the left-right turns and have robot turn 180 at a certain point. Hopefully it will work tomorrow.

-What aspects or features of your robot design project plan would you consider the most challenging or risky to be able to complete? What is your contingency plan if your project was not able to implement this feature?

The most challenging part is going to be the design of the extension mechanism. There are many possible structures for such purpose, but it is difficult to determine which one is the best without running an experiment. In short distances, some might work better than the others, while in longer distances, some may not function as good as before. Also, weight capacity is another important factor to consider. The robotic arm is going to grip the mechanism on the other end and retract with it, which means that the arm might crack in the middle if the object is heavier than the design's capacity. If more parts are added onto the mechanism, then it would become more durable and stable, but at the same time occupying more space and heavier. It is necessary to find a design that requires the minimal space but at the same time can hold the best weight. A lot of prototypes, tests, and experiments need to be run to determine the best structure, the advantage of other structures, and how to combine them to make the final structure. It is going to be the most challenging part, but also necessary. Our project is built on this feature, and a heavily-stacked bulky rectangle wouldn't be acceptable unless we are out of choice.

-What advantages do you see in each programming language you know (in and out of COSMOS)?

I'm most experienced with Python, and it is way more simpler and easier to write and learn than C++ and Java, although I am also a little experienced with both of them. C++, C and Java are highly similar, so they are very interconnected. I do not understand stuff such as "Java is more object orientated", so I will draw the picture as a whole. In all programming language, the basics are the same, but are expressed in different ways. Once you understand one language, it is easy and fast to understand another, as long as you get the logic correlation correct. Personally, my favorite programming language is Python, simply because it is the easiest to write out of all three, although it does not have a complicated class system like Java. I have tried other languages besides those three, but I have a very blurry memory of them. For the programming language that I have not actually touched myself but learned in class, such as Machine language and its binary component, I was shocked at its complexity. It would be advantageous to learn because it is the basic of all code, but it would be tedious in the process.

- Dr. Cone stated today that, “pseudocoding is important.” What are your thoughts about the importance of pseudocoding when programming? How much pseudocoding do you plan to do for your final robot project?

Pseudocoding is definitely important when you begin a program, because it helps with top-down design, breaking down the program and assigning tasks to and clarifying the purpose of each parts. Pseudocoding not only makes the programmer being able to view the bigger image better, but also creates a flow-chart that guides the programmer step by step on completing the tasks. We should always write a pseudocode for it before getting started on a hard program. For my final robot project, I am planning to pseudocode the entire thing once the basic outline structure has been determined, because it is such a big project, an overview and one more step into purpose of each part is necessary to avoid extra coding or too minimal coding. Pseudocoding is useful, and will always be an important component in writing a good and clear program.

-How has your view of computer science and/or programming changed during your first two weeks at COSMOS? How effectively did you use the lab times this week? What do you think you could have done better to use time more efficiently?

Before, I strictly thought that computer science can only be applied to electronic programming and robot driving. However, after seeing that programming can assist in fields of biology and physics, I was shocked because I never realized that computer science has such a big field of application. As a bio major, I am excited to see that two of my favorite subject: biology and computer science, can be linked together. I used my lab time pretty effectively because I was focused the whole time during lab time, trying one algorithm after another to figure out the solution while maintaining efficiency (sometimes not true). I went through the challenges quickly, working with others and helping others. Teamwork is super important although this task is individual. Every minute of my lab time was focused, no wastes. What I could have done better is for the following blue tape challenge, instead of stubbornly spending 7 hours on an algorithm that kept proving its infunctionality, I should've changed it up and observe others on a better algorithm. My thoughts are too restricted and stubborn.

-How strong do you think random walks represent true BioPhysical behavior of molecules?

Very strong, because chemical reactions happen due to random collisions between molecules, and such actions are the result of random walks. Like air and heat, molecules freely move around in open space and collide with each other frequently, and through generations of research they do not follow a specific pattern. When the amount of molecules increase, the reaction happens faster because molecules collide more often with more quantity, therefore causing the process to speed up. The random walk of molecules are in all areas of science and play an important role in every field of research. As a biology major, I think the random walk of molecules, which also fills up space, is super effective in representing molecules' behavior in Biophysics, although there are some rules they have to follow besides such action, such as hydrophobic and hydrophilic, chemical bonding, and more. Nevertheless, the combination of all those behaviors lead to the advancement of life and science.

-What reason do you have in choosing (or not choosing) a partner for your Robotics project?

Initially, I started off with two partners in a group of three, all having the same common design of building a robotic arm for people with disabilities. However, the idea was ultimately rejected through many discussions. Therefore, as we are coming up with new ideas, the other two in my group wanted to make a smoothie making machine, which I thought as not creative enough since it is easy to make a smoothie manually. Then, after a while of hard thinking, I came up with a portrait-photo taking robot idea: a robot that takes portrait picture for you, which you cannot do it yourself. As I am getting excited about my idea, I realized the rest of my group is too fixed on the smoothie robot. So, to eliminate extra conflict and disagreement of ideas since all of us are so close and have high Q, I decided to split off and do the project myself. With myself, there would be less conflict with partners, and I am able to pursue my own idea without submitting to others. The downside is that I have to do more work and my designs are kind of limited. However, I still have a close relationship with my previous group, so we often exchange information and help each other out with advices. In that way, I think I will be fine soloing a project.

-Did you set a reasonable goal this morning in the Robotics lab? Where you able to complete the goals you set?

The three goals I set were: test the infrared sensors on the new robot, finish the CAD for the elevator shell, and keep building the phone-holding platform of the elevator. I went through the infrared sensor testing quickly since I have the code already uploaded and all I had to do was to plug the motors into the right port. Then, as I am working on the CAD, I realized I didn't bring my mouse and it is almost impossible to CAD on a laptop with touchpad. So, I quickly gave up CADing and went on to the platform building. Sadly, I wasted a lot of time trying to think of a good platform phone holder design, starting from blank. I just kept testing and taking pieces apart, until I finally found a suitable design in the last fifteen minute. I tried to finish it the best I could and made a lot of progress, but I couldn't finish it in the end. It took me a little time to finish the CAD after, and I successfully found and set my phone holding platform design. Overall, although I didn't complete as much tasks as I expected, it was a success because I got a lot of accomplishment done in the long run, and my project is almost there.

-What was the most interesting thing you learned today in Bodega Bay?

Today was an awesome experience, as I learned much more things about the ocean and its endangerment that I never knew before. There are few federal reserves like Bodega Bay all over the world for scientists and researchers to come and study, while protecting the endangered ocean species. Most amazing, Dr **** was awarded with the hero of science after she lead her teammates saving a whole population of endangered species white abalone through artificial mating. We also learned about up-wailing of the waves, nutritional restoration, and how ABLE works - a wave detector in the ocean made out of fire extinguisher's shell, which can also detect many others things such as temperature and has many emergency location precautions. However, the most shocking thing I learned is the ocean pollution and acidification, as it was greatly emphasized the devastating effects of continuous carbon burning and plastic tossing/gathering in the ocean, in which all sea animals have plastic bits in them. This is very scary; we learned a lot. We must start appreciating the ocean before it is too late for our future generation.

-What has been a valuable part of your COSMOS experience so far? If you were deciding if you should attend COSMOS, knowing what you know now, how would it affect your decision? - Dr. Dad-del

I would still want to attend COMSOS even if I already knew those knowledge. The valuable parts are the friends I made and the laughters I experienced with them together; It is super fun. Plus, it is also a good opportunity to improve what I already knew through viewing and relearning things from a different perspective, especially that of a college professor's. For example. although I already took AP bio before I came here, but it is always fun to get some new insights through reviewing the topics. COSMOS is not only a place to learn stuff, but also a place to make great connections. In the future, those things will greatly assist me in my area of passion. Although my decision might be affected a little bit, but it is just for class choice, not for the thought of coming here. I might choose a different class because I already knew so much about the current class, or I might still choose the current class before I want to expand my knowledge. Nevertheless, I would come to COSMOS still. I am living my everyday life with a smile on my face.

-What do you hope to gain or learn from completing the project(s) you have selected?

Sometimes I get prideful and overly-confident about my own designs, so by completing this project, I hope to see my true potential and how far I can advanced on my own mechanically, as if my arrogance actually corresponds to my ability or is just an empty dream. For biophysics, I enjoy the struggle and hard effort input while trying to find the solution to the challenge, so I hope that I can not only gain a sense of joy and accomplishment from doing those projects, but also new insights that might provide me higher efficiency in the future. Writing code is challenging, but the process is rewarding. Back to robotics, it really requires imagination and grit to build such a complicated system that I set for myself as a solo, and by completing it I hope I can become a more patient person with better time usage. The results of both projects will look great regardless, but the deepening of the friendships and the relieved feeling after the hardcore struggles will be the most rewarding. I will also learn how to pace myself and work my way out under a restricted amount of time. The projects are super beneficial!

-What are your thoughts about the CRISPR news this morning from Dr. Cone? Where do you think this technology can be used next?

I was both excited and concerned at the same time when the advancement in CRISPR is discussed. Genetic editing can be beneficial, and using the CRISPR cas9 to destroy harmful bacterias inside our body will cure a lot of sickness in the world, including the incurable ones, and thus saving many lives. It is definitely thrilling to see such an amazing discovery being used in a good way, but what concerns me is the moral ethics behind such actions. Ignoring the potential harm that this discovery might bring to human race such as speeding up the mutations or resulting in genetic disorder through mis-identification, genetic editing can seriously impact our future generation. Everyone is born equal mainly due to the genetic variation during the gamete formation and fertilization. However, when genetic editing gets deeper and more popularized, people with money might use such technology to benefit their future generation, such as directly changing the protein structure by destroying certain restraining factors. Put aside the negative consequences of such actions, this trending behavior would widening the wealth gap and enforcing the hierarchy. The advancement in technology is good, but thinking about its relationship with the human society and moral issues always gives me chills.

BioPhysics final project:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18PSucEzPei1plGhQj71duJig2WqmDVWRebU693-d-pU/edit?usp=sharing

Robotics final project:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-j2N00mqXLWMfBsB3IJHhXQrE2sSkl7W/view?usp=drivesdk

(also stuff from other projects are in the gmail from COSMOS)