Ethics

I have read the ethics article and realize that the implementation of ethics regulations was very important where research, especially psychological and anthropological, is concerned. Because my my project is more of a research paper, I do not think I will run into many ethical dilemmas. However, I recently read an article about a study done by Joanna Goldsmith saying that celebrity endorsed campaigns, such as Live8, only serve to reinforce neo-colonial stereotypes and are actually damaging to Africa's development prospects. Although my paper will not be publicized and will certainly not involve any celebrities, it is definitly an interesting view on people and organizations who think they are helping while actually doing more harm than good.

Project Proposal

For my project I want to research the affect of HIV/AIDS on agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and how that has diminished food security. I became aware of and interested in this topic after reading an article put out by the Worldwatch Institute about world-wide food security which had a large emphasis on this topic. In rural Africa, agricultural labor is performed predominantly by human labor (not machines) and AIDS generally affects the most productive age group. This leads to many problems including a general loss of knowledge about the land and agricultural techniques as well as a heavy burdon on the remaining family members, often young children.

Past Projects

I read Stacey Bumgardner's children's book entitled "The Best Friends of All." I think this is a good concept and the artwork was very well done. However, the real importance lies in the target - kids. It is important that kids learn at an early age the importance of caring for the resources that we have and realizing that they won't be here forever if we dont' take care of them. She did a good job of making some very complex ideas into their simplist forms in order to reach her target audience. Hopefully, if we stress the importanced of sustainability to children at a young age through movies or books such as this, they will carry that message with them into their adult years and hopefully make positive changes.

Education and Such...

My name is Meghan Martin and I am an IDS major with a concentration in Sustainable Development and a minor in Appropriate Technology. I am graduating in May which means I somehow fell within the four year time frame. I came to college with no idea of what I wanted to do and actually started off taking quite a few business classes; however, I quickly realized that they didn’t exactly coincide with my way of thinking. After that I explored geology but wasn’t ready to devote that much time to rocks. This was when I found my way to sustainable development and the Interdisciplinary Studies program. My main interests lately have been in my appropriate tech minor which has meshed really well with my concentration in SD. I have taken some really interesting classes such as sustainable building design and construction as well as solar thermal energy where I had the opportunity to design and build a solar hot water system.

Much of my education has taken place outside the academia. I have had a variety of jobs and volunteer experience over the years. The most recent of which is my position as a supervisor at a candy store in Blowing Rock. I must say that I have learned a lot there, mostly how not to run a business and the importance of the words “thank you” which seem to be largely forgotten in our society. A few years ago, I also had the opportunity to travel and work on organic farms in Alaska and Oregon through an organization called WWOOF. This was an amazing experience in all senses. The people that I lived and worked with during that time showed me that it really is possible to live your dreams and be successful following an “alternative” path.

I am not sure where I will go from here. I do know for sure that I would like to travel, hopefully outside of the country. I am very interested in Africa and India but I don’t have any definite plans yet.