Freshman Seminar Fall 17 CFB

For my career event I attended the Diversity Pipeline Career Panel and Networking event. In this event representatives from companies such as ANY, HACU, INROADS, MAIP, and a few others came to talk about how they want to help college students get full time jobs after the graduate college and also apply for part time jobs and internships while in college. The whole event was really interesting. Each company had a similar but unique mission compared to each other. They all wanted to help college students improve their leadership skills which according to all of them said was a major thing in the business world.

The whole event was filled with advice on how to be successful in the business industry and how to improve our leadership skills. They told us about all the type of opportunities they offer to college students so we can apply to internships and gain experience for the real world. They even said that some of the applicants end up graduating college with a full time job in the business world if they take their internships serious.

This week I went to the Museum of the Moving Image located in Astoria, Queens. Here you get to see the history of film making and entertainment industry.

When you enter the museum there are three floors. On the first floor you get to see an old screening of black and white movie. Not much to see here. Once you pass that, you’ll enter into a different part of the museum. Movies props and some famous actors are displayed on walls and display cases. Here you also see vintage posters of movies that I never heard or seen before. However there were some that caught my eyes. A section dedicated to star wars with its figurines and posters.

Next was makeup that artists used on actors for special effects. It was surprising how makeup can create realistic injuries, scars, or unnatural skin tones. Along the way there was a small movie theater that play a film on World War II. Not that exciting to be honest.

On the next floor you see a timeline of what is used to film or record. Judging from what I saw, I think today’s cameras are more advanced and more portable from the old days. As I ventured in there was a section on how live TV is broadcasted. For example, on a live baseball game there is actually a command center that give out commands to different camera operators. This basically means they can control what people see on live. After that I was given a chance to create my own “movie”. This movie is actually a moving image where you take picture of images and take them along as you move them. Overall this museum is great experience especially if you bring a friend along and you get to learn a thing or two.

For this blog post I went to the Museum of Natural History. The museum was a wonderful experience and even though I had been there once before 5 years ago, the second time is just as good as the first. The museum offers a ton of exhibits and some are new like the mummy exhibit. But my favorite exhibit has to be the Hall of Biodiversity. I saw it on my last visit and it filled me with awe and such good memories that I had to go again this time. I like this exhibit because I really like animals and it has so many models of animals everywhere showing various different ecosystems and the creatures that live inside it. This leads into the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life where the giant whale is. The model whale is life size and its eye opening to realize how small we are compared to such a large creature. The Hall of Ocean Life also houses a ton of underwater ecosystems and model creatures that live inside them giving an insight to a land that would be very difficult to experience in real life.

This trip to the Museum of Natural History really helped me a lot. I was stressing out a lot these past 2 weeks over school work, work, and family and going to the museum really helped me relieve some of that stress. It was a break from all the work as well as helping me cop with the transition from high school to college.

For my second blog post, I decided to go to Museum of Natural History. I wanted to go to the Museum of Natural History for a long time, but I have never went in the eighteen years I’ve been in New York.

The museum itself was really nice. It was huge and there were so many tourist it was so hard walking around the museum. When first getting into the museum you are greeted with Cullman Hall of the Universe. It was a good introduction to the museum with all these scales placed around the exhibit where you can see your weight on the other planets. After messing around in the Hall of Universe, I took advantage of the Space Show in the Hayden Planetarium. It was a good show explaining how stars are created and planets and the beginning of the universe.

What got my attention in this museum was the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life where the huge whale was. It just amazed me, seeing a life-size whale just hanging from the ceiling. I also got to just sit down for a while and see all the other marine life. For example a giant squid, dolphins, sea otters and many others.

The other exhibit that intrigued me was the dinosaur exhibit. I’d never thought to see a dinosaur before especially the triceratops since it is my favorite dinosaur. This exhibit was the worst to go through. There were so many people, you could barely walk through it. But my favorite exhibit was the Morgan Memorial Hall of Gems. The Hall of Gems was not crowded at all. I was able to freely move and be able to sit down and take a rest. I also got to learn how to tell the difference between Fool’s gold and real good.

I encourage everybody to go to the Museum of Natural History as it is a great experience. It also is a block away from Central Park if you want to relax at Central Park afterwards. I was not able to explore the museum fully and will be going back soon.

The Baruch Library is a common place for me to spend my 2 hour breaks on Wednesdays. It is a place I use for a plethora of reasons. I could catch up on my rest by sleeping, which is typically what I do considering I have to wake up at 6:30 on Wednesday to get to my classes on time. Another thing that isn’t uncommon for me to do is to catch up on my work through the use of my laptop, the library’s computer facilities, the printers, and the easily accessible information. Getting work done in the 2 hours you have before class isn’t that difficult with the help of the library. In fact, doing a 2 page paper during Library time isn’t difficult whatsoever considering the resources, peace, and time available. Getting work done before class isn’t difficult whatsoever in the Library. The best thing about the library is the fact that most anything you think can help you regarding academics and reading can be found easily there. From something so simple as a stapler to a laptop to go, you can easily find whatever comes to your mind that could help you with your classes.

I have yet to do some things in Baruch’s Library that I probably should look into doing someday. This includes borrowing books, exploring beyond the 3rd floor, and using the scanners. The Library is likely a place that I will continue to visit for a plethora of reasons. Whether I am in the mood to read a book, looking to borrow a book, do some research, print some papers, use my laptop, sleep, or even staple some papers, the Library is the place for me to go. There is just too many reasons to use the Library that it would be foolish not to do so.

Recently I went on a club fair at Baruch. Many of Baruch’s finest clubs came to represent themselves and showcase their respective clubs. I went with my friends who suggested the club fair in order to really get a feel of the Baruch culture. Although every club in Baruch did not make an appearance the one’s who did were able to showcase all the benefits of the clubs. I signed up to as many clubs as possible since I wasn’t too sure about which ones to join.

Many of the clubs that caught my attention were the clubs that helped you develop in the future. There were many clubs such as ALFA, Wall Street Club, and the Traders Club that gave students a real world experience while in college. There were also fun clubs such as the Adrenaline Club that peaked my interest. There was also clubs to develop skills such as the Hackers that taught people how to code. They went on hiking trips and paintball tournaments which sounded awesome! There were also many cultural clubs. The cultural clubs such as BSA, UCLA, BSU, Carribbean society, and many more. Everyone can find something they identify with.

I first signed up to BSA or the Bengali Students Association since I am Bengali. They told me a bit about the club and I decided to sign up. My friend Carl wanted to sign up for the Carribbean society but didn’t wanna do it alone so I signed up with him. The atmosphere was incredible, seeing all those people and clubs intermingle was great. I gave all the clubs I signed up for my email and have attended some general interest meetings. I have yet to know what clubs I definitely want to join.

That club fair was a great time that really helped me in my first year not knowing what all the clubs are about.

For this week’s blog post, I decided to take advantage of my CUNYID and discover one of the many fine museums New York has to offer: the American Museum of Natural History. Located in the heart of the Theodore Roosevelt Park. across the street from Central Park, I wanted to see for myself why this museum is so renowned and coveted across the country, and remind myself why Night at the Museum was such a great movie.

Not only was the museum itself spectacular, but the bus ride across 79th Street to the museum was lovely as well coming from the Upper East Side where the bus crosses the heart of Central Park, being able to witness the leaves beginning to yellow across the park (Fall is officially upon us!), as well as all the activities being performed within the park. Upon arrival, the building itself possessed an aura of knowledge, proving a warm and exciting welcome its visitors.

I first was welcoming by the Ullman Hall of the Universe. Its placement at the main entrance of the museum was quite clever, representing the start of mankind. The exhibit touched upon the foundations of our modern solar system and how Earth came to be. The hall provided timelines, interactive videos, and artifacts of the solar system, including the Willamette Meteorite which is the largest meteorite ever to be found within North America, discovered in Oregon in the year 1902.

What also drew my attention was the Dinosaur exhibit in the Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs. On display were several reconstructions of dinosaurs ranging from many eras of the prehistoric period. The bones ranged from baby dinosaurs, to massive reconstructions of giant ones.

Granted I did arrive to the museum a little “late” (why does it close so early?), from the small taste of what I got, the American Museum of Natural History certainly has plenty more to offer and I am already planning to go back prepared soon to fully explore this amazing building.

The MoMa trip to me personally wasn’t a significant help to my first semester at Baruch. But, I would say Student Life helped my much more in terms of social life. The MoMa trip was more of a bonding experience with my fellow peers, and I have been to the museum before. There were one or two exhibits added, however I don’t recall most of my first time being there. The MoMa had a perfect mix of contemporary art and art from the previous centuries. Honestly, I preferred the more dated art because some of the modern art can be too frivolous and the authentic expression of feelings is usually lost because of how inclusive and pretentious the art world is. An artist named Marcel Duchamp made a sculpture that was literally a toilet bowl put upside down, and was dubbed “Fountain.” Clearly this was a joke or him actually mocking what the art world became, yet people still debate whether or not the sculpture was art. This is concerning. On a more positive view of this, it could be him trying to send a message to everyone saying, “Hey anyone can make art, even you!” and be considered an artist no matter the skill level since sending an upside-down toilet bowl was enough to spark debate and make it an icon of art in the 20th century. As much as I hate to admit it, it is art. Not the classical perception that we have, but it is still art. Why do I consider his sculpture art like the classical paintings from Leonardo? Because times have changed. Our culture have changed from an agrarian one to an industrial based to a consuming present. If our culture can change, why can’t art? Isn’t art based on culture? If we still did paintings from the Renaissance, which you are free to do, it wouldn’t accurately describe our society today and the complex feelings that have surfaced from a more technological time. That’s why modern art is confusing and I will never fully appreciate it.      

The Brooklyn Museum was a great place to spend the day especially since being a Baruch student allows you to go there for free. Just one glance at the building and you’ll know you’re at the right place. With many different floors to choose from and every floor being unique in their own aspect I enjoyed exploring the museum.

On the first floor I was able to learn about black history and their experiences during the time of slavery. Learning about the different hardships people went through and their point of view of history really interested me. I was able to discover more about their daily lives and how slavery really impacted them. Although most of the stories were pretty sad and depressing, I enjoyed listening to each and everyone of them.

On the second floor that I visited, I learned about Ancient Egypt. The Ancient Egypt floor had many different exhibits ranging from mummies to hieroglyphic tablets. The tour guide that went around the museum gave me a brief description of each mummy which was cool. Although this floor wasn’t too interesting, it was exciting to see an ancient form of writing on the hieroglyphic tablets even though most of the tablets were broken and pieced back together like a puzzle.

Visiting the Brooklyn Museum was a great experience and I would definitely come back for free. Certain exhibits were a lot more interesting than others, I would say that the interactive exhibits made my time at the Brooklyn Museum more interesting than most museums I’ve been too. I would definitely recommend checking the Brooklyn Museum out, you’re going to find something you’re interested in for sure. All in all, I hope to go to more museums in the future.