Human Interest

I had not heard of Alexander Von Humbboldt before watching this video. He is said to be one of the most amazing scientists to ever live. More places around the world have been named after him than any other person. His name was lost in history so this is why many people are not familiar with him. He started off as a geologist, then he began a scientific five year journey from 1799-1804. His journey was long, dangerous at some times, and very interesting to hear about. He travel through mountains, across oceans, and through villages. For one thing, he was the first explorer to witness preparation of the curare plant, which was used for poison arrows. He recognized the importance of the cinchona tree, who's bark contains quinine, a malaria killer. He also discovered the ocean current which eliminates rainfall on the coast of Peru. To record air pressure, he climbed to the top of one of the tallest volcanoes, Mount Chimborazo. His total journey consisted of about 2400 miles, which is reality is equal to the circumference of the Earth.

This video was quite interesting because I had never heard of Alexander von Humboldt, yet this great scientist founded many different important facts that are beneficial and helped to find with the preparation of the Curare Plant which is in poisonous arrows and discovered the ocean current on South America. Without Humboldt South America might have been at a lose for some objects and geographical information. Everyone has an impact in geography and geology, yet Humboldt helped to create contour maps which happened different patterns, everyone builds off of others ideas. 

Nope, never heard of him.  Humboldt did some extraordinary things though.  I'm surprised we don't hear more about him in education.  I've definitely heard of Darwin though.  It's interesting what we decide is relevant or who is relevant in history.  

This presentation talks about the misconceptions of geography and about what it really involves. Geographers describe and try to explain how locations interact and relate to one another; are arranged the way they are; and have become what they are now. They also use critical thinking to project what the world might look like in the future. As there's usually so many questions that have to be answered, geography is an interdisciplinary work, meaning that it is a blend of natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Geographers also develop other skills, such as mapping and graphing (spatial representation skills) and development of verbal concepts, frameworks and mathematical models (spatial theorizing skills). Geography, therefore, can be used to study many issues, such as climate change, sustainability, human rights, among others.

Reflection- as the presentation accurately shows, many people believe that geography is just about memorizing countries and our world's natural resources locations, but in reality, geography goes much deeper than that. Geography is about asking questions and trying to come out with the best answers in order to solve issues that can range from local usage of land to international security.

Prezi created by students interested in the field of geography.

This Prezi was created by students from theSyracuse Geography Department as part of a Senior Seminar to explain the disciple, the major and its utility.   This is a great recap of the discipline, the major and it's utility.