Final Project: Pinpoint Medic

Here is a link to a PDF of my final project via a Google Drive file:

Click here

Event 3: Lawrence Hall of Science (UC Berkeley)

Lawrence Hall of Science Courtyard

For my final event, I made a visit the UC Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science. My visit as a college student was a bit different from the experience I had in middle school, but I was still able to explore a few concepts that we discussed in class.

The museum is a dedication to the college's Ernest Lawrence, deemed the "Atom Smasher." (Learn more history here.)

One of the concepts I observed from class was that of nanotechnology, as noticed in the way that scientists mimic a gecko's grip to create glove grip and other technologies in fabrics and instruments at a nano scale. The museum mainly accommodates to a younger class of students, so there are plenty of hands-on elements to the exhibits.

Here, I got to try different pattern layouts with magnets to learn how complex it is to design gecko-like attachment in manufacturing. I also learned more about the science behind spill-resistant fabrics through nanotechnology, like we discussed in the week five lecture.

In addition to displaying how nanotechnology is artistically in use today, I was able to observe a variety of different mathematical games and puzzles that have origins from all over the world. One game in particular that caught my eye was the game Kalah that began in what is now Egypt almost 3,500 years ago.

Here, a couple kids are using math and logic skills to bring all the game pieces to their side of the board.

Kids Playing Kalah

Another interesting--and somewhat addicting--mathematical feature in the museum was this spinning cylinder that incorporated replaceable picture sheets to depict moving images. I thought it was a neat exhibit because it showed how the angle and perception of the eye can determine what we see. Thus, making still objects like this one spin quickly gives of the impression that the pictures are actually moving.

Like the other museums I visited, the Hall of Science also incorporated some geometrically designed objects in their back courtyard, specifically for the purpose of peering across Berkeley and Oakland. Once again, these mathematical designs not only look cool but propose natural images of the city, like the one below, for the public to observe. The ever-returning feature of math proposes the magnitude of its weight in artworks beyond what we would initially expect.

To answer the question of whether or not I would recommend this museum, I would answer that it depends on the audience. This venue caters more toward a younger audience, realistically between 1st and 8th grades. It provides a variety of hands-on, bug-extensive, earthquake-replicating scenes for kids to experience that makes science fun. Thus, I would recommend parents to bring their kids, but the environment is not meant for high school age or older.

Receipt Proof of Attendance

Me in the Back Courtyard with Earthquake Replications

Works Cited and Sites Worth Visiting

 Lawrence Hall of Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/>.

"Lawrence Hall of Science Courtyard." Flickr. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8303/7944139650_25bdb16c8e_z.jpg>.

 Lawrence Hall of Science History. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/about/history>.

 Lawrence Hall of Science Math Midway. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/story/lawrence_hall_science_opens_math_midway_popular_interactive_exhibit_explores_wonders>.

 Nano. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/visit/exhibits/science_today/nano>.

 Scientist's Shoes. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/about/scientistshoes>.

Event 2: de Young Museum

The de Young museum, I thought, was one of the best museums I have ever been to. Located in one of the beautiful, foggy areas of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park across from the California Academy of Sciences, the museum is well-known in the Bay Area to exhibit some of the most captivating art galleries. Though I wasn't willing to pay the extra fee to browse the "Modernism" exhibit, I did appreciate the many famous and telling pieces that were displayed in the regular galleries.

These two paintings above were in the "Art of Illusion" gallery of the museum and opened my eyes to the real importance of shading and exposure that we talked about during the "Math + Art" section of this course. When I observed these and other paintings in the gallery, I felt like I could grab the objects, as they looked so real. I especially liked the fish painting because the artist so accurately depicted the light reflection to create the impression that one might want to plug their nose to avoid a foul odor.

One of my favorite things in life is observing the magnificence of nature. These two paintings in particular grabbed my eye, as they quite accurately exhibited the beauty of a beautiful mountain morning freshly after a rain and Niagra Falls.

In addition to the mere wonder of the artworks themselves, the de Young museum is purposefully designed to enhance the viewing experience, as natural light and vegetation accompany gallery spectacles.

 

You see the intent behind the museum's design when you take a trip to the top floor observation deck. Here we were able to see a hefty part of the city as well as an aerial view of the courtyard with the Academy of Sciences in the distance. Again, the mathematical elements we discussed in class art heavily incorporated to provide the multitude of beauty that this museum provides.

The de Young also provided room for a history lesson, as we browsed their Native American and New Guinea art exhibits. Additionally, some pieces in the early American exhibit gallery were as old as the first century A.D. The museum works hard to accurately conserve the original format of its art pieces as seen here.

Female Shrine Figure

The last exhibit we took advantage of and appreciated probably the most was the impressionist and abstraction galleries. With pieces by Mark Rothko and Burgoyne Diller, I was captivated by the movement such "simplistic" pieces could evoke in me. I especially appreciated one large piece by Cornelia Parker called Anti-Mass, that was a space of floating, burned wood pieces. I was moved by how the cubic space that the charred remains took depicted the lost nature of the once Southern Black Baptist Church parish that was destroyed by arsonists.

 

Overall, I thoroughly appreciated the de Young museum and would recommend it to anybody who has an extra free day in San Francisco. I like that they change their main exhibits and also have Friday night events with live music for adults, families, and children to enjoy. The concepts of math discussed in lecture was the most prominent element from class that I saw displayed in various ways throughout the museum, from shading to symmetry to the building's engineering design.

Proof of Attendance

Works Cited and Sites Worth Visiting

 Architecture and Grounds. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <https://deyoung.famsf.org/about/architecture-and-grounds>.

 Conserving Louise Nevelson's "Ocean Gate." N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://deyoung.famsf.org/blog/conserving-louise-nevelson-s-ocean-gate>.

"De Young Cafe Courtyard." Zahner. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://www.azahner.com/images/deyoung5.jpg>.

 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <https://deyoung.famsf.org/about/history-de-young-museum>.

 Friday Nights at the De Young. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://deyoung.famsf.org/programs/fridays>.

Event 1: The Getty Villa

The Getty Villa was an excellent way to start our family vacation at the beginning of this summer.  I have often heard people talking about this museum, but never had the chance to visit until my family came to visit. I was amazed by the beauty of the museum campus's architecture as well as the magnificence of the outdoor gardens.

     

During our stay, I learned quite a lot about the Getty Villa. The villa is a recreation of a first-century Roman country home, Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, that was buried in the 79 A.D. eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Located in the luxurious Pacific Palisades, the Getty Villa is actually the second gallery J. Paul Getty made to house his bountiful European art collection. Additionally, the Getty institute, in partnership with UCLA, offers one of the best masters programs in Conservation through the Cotsen Institute of Archaelogy.

While examining the museum, I was fortunate enough to take part in the guided garden tour with my mother. It was quite inspirational and incorporated quite a lot of the concepts we discussed in the second week of class, regarding the way math is incorporated in art. As seen in the photograph above, the museum was designed with geometric purpose. The tour guide informed us that the backyard gardens were designed with the purpose to medicate the mind, body, and soul, that learning and conversation would thrive. This is why the campus's herb garden featured so many remedial plants like oregano and lamb's ear.

The original counterpart of the garden depicted below provided a tranquil and fruitful environment for children's daily lessons, as plants used for various medicinal purposes populate the entire East garden. The prominent element of geometry is being explained by the tour guide in the photo below. She was telling us how the symmetry of the mosaic epitomizes Roman architecture. As we learned in the "Math + Art" section of this course, Roman art accentuates the essential elements of the mathematical elements behind art that examples such as the Vitruvian man and Golden Rectangle depict.

  

The indoor gallery was just as spectacular as the outdoor visuals. I appreciated the head statue of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love, and Hercules, Roman name for the divine Zeus' heroic son. I thought it was pretty interesting that the reason Aphrodite's nose is missing is not from deterioration that accompanies old age but because Christian groups did not appreciate the secularism that the deity represented. Obviously, art defamation is not a new concept!

    
    

One of the last photos I took that day was actually of the floor design inside the museum I thought it was so cool that I even had it as my phone's wallpaper for while. The design ties in a final element of mathematical prominence within the museum, depicting the ways in which lines can create three-dimensional appearance in two-dimensional atmosphere.

   

Though I did not take a picture with the curator pictured above, the picture below  is proof that I was at the museum. I would highly recommend that anyone staying in Los Angeles visit this luxurious art center, as it sincerely provides the feel of a European environment. The tours are also quite fascinating, as they teach about the purposes and uses with the various designs and plants within the museum's facilities. I had a wonderful time and hope to return again sometime next year!

 Works Cited and Sites Worth Visiting

 Dartmouth College. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <https://www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.geometry/unit7/unit7.html>.

 The Getty Villa. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/architecture.html>.

 The Getty Villa. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/exploring-the-herb-garden-at-the-getty-villa/>.

"Outer Peristyle." The Getty. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://www.getty.edu/visit/images/gtc_2013-07-26wald0001_sm.jpg>.

UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014.
     <http://www.ioa.ucla.edu/conservation-program/introduction>. 

 University of Georgia Mathematics Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/emat6680/parveen/Math_and_Art.htm>.