5.8 Evaluation of Rhetorical Situations.

Here is my Evaluation of Rhetorical Situations.

5.7 Developing a Research Question.

• What role should the African government play in building fiber optic infrastructure? 
• If Africa does this it may looses a lot of money. 
• Will Brazil's new fiber make future connections to America difficult? 
• Brazil will continue to become more and more independent. 
• Is the Lorentz law of force incompatible with special relativity and momentum conservation, and should it be abandoned? 
• It is connected to a professor in my optics college.

5.6 Reflection on Project 1.

• What challenges did you face during the Quick Reference Guide project and how did you deal with them? 
• I think my biggest challenge was incorporating quotes and identifying sentence structure. I took extra time in thesse areas to make sure I did them correctly.
• What successes did you experience on the project and how did they happen?
• I got a wealth of great feedback from my peers and apparently it was even a good example for on of the students to work off for her QRG.
• What kinds of arguments, rhetorical strategies, design choices and writing practices did you find the most effective for your project? Why?
• I think the success was found after the suggestion to make an annotated bibliography. It kept me disciplined enough to thoroughly understand the content of each of my sources and utilize them correctly in my QRG.
• What kinds of arguments, rhetorical strategies, design choices and writing practices did you find were not effective for your project? Why?
• I think that our limitation to use google drive hindered our ability to have a more artistic, marketable QRG. Maybe using a publishing editor would be better.
• How was the writing process for this project similar to other school writing experiences you’ve had in the past?
• The process was only similar in that it was only guided with 3 steps: outline, draft, and submission.
• How was the writing process for this project different from other school writing experiences you’ve had in the past?
• The biggest was the annotated bibliography and utilizing google drive.
• Would any of the skills you practiced for this project be useful in your other coursework? Why or why not?
• I honestly enjoyed the methodical and algorithmic approach to writing this paper. It is quite possibly the easiest and best paper I have ever written. So yes I will be using most of these skills on future projects.

Native Hawaiians Oppose Development, not Science of Thirty Meter Telescope

Native Hawaiians Oppose Development,

not Science of Thirty Meter Telescope

“Protesters at the TMT construction site on the summit of Mauna Kea”. via The Huffington post. 04/10/ 2015. All rights reserved

As a human being, would you allow your curiosity to supersede the values and traditions of others if it caused them emotional pain? The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) construction site selection has become the frustration of many in Hawaii. The three major groups involved in the TMT construction controversy are the scientific community, the state of Hawaii, and the native Hawaiians[10].

Scientific Community for TMT construction

More than a decade ago, the scientific community wanted a bigger, better telescope. A group was formed to generate studies for the optimal design and location for such a telescope. The TMT International Observatory Board (TMT IOB) was formed and TMT was set to be the new “king of the hill” on Mauna Kea, Hawaii with the other smaller thirteen telescopes already on the summit. Great science is happening and more is on the way with the imminent construction of TMT and ongoing construction of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) on Haleakala, Maui. The upcoming International Astronomical Union Conference (IAUC) was going to hold a preview tour of the TMT construction site, but cancelled their plans due to the protests that halted construction [2]

State of Hawaii enabling the TMT construction

The native Hawaiians are upset with the state government for giving away their sovereign land. On the other side of the controversy, after 7 years of TMT IOB’s efforts[4], the state of Hawaii gave the University of Hawaii the ability to sublease a portion of Mauna Kea’s summit. When the native Hawaiians began to peacefully protest the construction, the Department of Land and Natural Resources set an emergency rule in motion prohibiting camping equipment and access to the mountain between the hours of 10 PM and 4 AM. Protesters have remained successful and these major peaceful protests have halted construction for months[3], despite the fact that there were 31 arrests made by the police department[1].

Native Hawaiians against TMT construction site

Native Hawaiians have been against the development and desecration of its sovereign land since the Hawaiian Queen was overthrown by US supported businessmen. The desecration of Mauna Kea is a deep cut to the natives because it is believed to be the origin of the Hawaiian people. The mountain is so deeply respected and worshipped that it is reserved for special ceremonies, shrines, prayer and burial of ancestors[5]. In a great attempt to save the sacred mountain from defilement, the natives have peacefully opposed in many ways[7]. They have set boulders on roads, made human roadblocks[8], educated the public about the significance of the selected construction site, and have made oral arguments at the Hawaiian Supreme Court against the TMT construction on that particular site[6].

The struggle to be heard

A great misconception made by the scientific community and government of the state of Hawaii is that they believe the native Hawaiians are against the Thirty Meter Telescope’s scientific benefits[10]. Jay Handlin, attorney for the University of Hawaii, which sub-leases the land atop Mauna Kea for the telescope project, defended the building of TMT by stating, “The ultimate final decision of the board granting the [permit] represents the culmination of a process of years of community outreach, of dialogue, of listening, revising, reducing, modifying, mitigating, conditioning to a degree that is unprecedented in the history of astronomy at Mauna Kea.” [6] Many telescope supporters have the same view as Jay. These supporters falsely believe that abiding by state’s policies and having explained the potential scientific gains to the natives mean that there should be no opposition from the natives[9]. The truth is that the native Hawaiians have decided to openly take a stand against the development of their sacred lands. Vicky Holt Takamine, a kumu hula, or hula teacher, explains that "[The native Hawaiian people have] been advocating for no more development on Mauna Kea for years. And our words have fallen on deaf ears."[4] The native Hawaiians have no issue with the science, their opposition is the development and desecration of the sacred land in Hawaii[7]. Vicky is clear in stating that native Hawaiians oppose development, not science.





Molly Solomon. “Native Hawaiians dance in honor of Mauna Kea at the base of Pu'u Huluhulu on the Big Island” via NPR. 04/21/2015. noncommercial use without modification


Bibliography

1) The Associated Press, “8 Arrested in Protest Against Telescope on Hawaii Mountain,” in The New York Times (2015).

2) The Associated Press, “Astronomers Gather in Hawaii Amid Telescope Tensions,” in The New York Times (2015).

3) "Astronomers to restart construction of controversial telescope in Hawaii," http://news.sciencemag.org/policy/2015/06/astronomers-restart-construction-controversial-telescope-hawaii.

4) M. Solomon, “Construction Of Giant Telescope In Hawaii Draws Natives’ Ire,” NPR.org, 21 April 2015, <http://www.npr.org/2015/04/21/400390724/construction-of-giant-telescope-in-hawaii-draws-natives-ire> (accessed 10 September 2015).

5) J. Stromberg, “Construction of Hawaii’s controversial Thirty Meter Telescope is cleared to proceed,” Vox, 27 May 2015, <http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8669269/hawaii-tmt-telescope-mauna-kea> (accessed 10 September 2015).

6) “Hawaii Supreme Court hears Mauna Kea telescope case,” dnews.pk, 28 August 2015, <http://pkdnews.tumblr.com/post/127765100844/hawaii-supreme-court-hears-mauna-kea-telescope> (accessed 10 September 2015).

7)D. Corrigan, "Mauna Kea TMT Blockade Arrests," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR3dDKUZRlM

8)K. Dickerson, "Protesters stop telescope construction on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea," http://www.businessinsider.com/thirty-meter-telescope-construction-halted-on-hawaiis-mauna-kea-2015-6.

9) M. Solomon, "Scientists on TMT: Not Of One Mind," http://hpr2.org/post/scientists-tmt-not-one-mind#stream/0.

10) PBS HAWAII, “Should the Thirty Meter Telescope Be Built?,” YouTube, 31 May 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMKgNSb1cE0> (accessed 6 September 2015).

5.3 Identifying Basic Grammar Patterns.

You can find a selected paragraph from my QRG Draft here

After this activity, I found that I use a lot of subject/verb/ indirect object sentence pattern.I would like to improve object complement patterns.

4.10 Paragraph Analysis.

Here is a my Copy for Paragraph Analysis of my QRG. I have made a thorough analysis of the paragraphs and have found that my strengths are organization, linking ideas coherently and focusing on the main point. I fall short on providing smooth transitions. I find it hard to switch topics and cannot tell if the transition is the best it can be.

4.8 Reflection on Project 1 Draft.

After peer reviewing Deborah's and Jon's Draft I got to understand a little bit more of how the style of the QRG genre is different within their field. I also gained some insight on the controversial topics they wrote on. Overall I didn't feel that a complete restructure was needed for their drafts.

In my own draft, This peer review process has encouraged me to give some more major figures.I feel that my QRG has accomplished its task of educating on my controversial topic and fulfills most of the requirements on the rubric to reach an A. I did not make the QRG an argument since it was meant to be informational. The thesis has been clear to peers outside of the ENG 102 course that have reviewed the QRG for me.The QRG covered the same topic from the perspective of 3 major groups, the state government, the scientific community and the native Hawaiians. I made sure to describe how each is involved and the relationships between each group.This QRG will most likely be read by the scientific community and the native Hawaiians the most, followed by academia.The issue is polarizing so most readers will tend to be "for" or "against" the construction, but do not consider the less known older remaining issue that has not been addressed. Because of the ease of bias without inspection, I did my best to include the older issues that lead to this controversy. I did my absolute best to keep the information under one page without images (~600 words) and also tried to have a formal tone of voice that was consistent throughout.

4.3 Thoughts on Drafting

I have found power in being able to have a good Quick Reference Guide (QRG) with a good thesis and introduction. From my observations, the most important component for a QRG is the organization of the information. In order to have flow, remain concise, avoid assumptions in knowledge and have a consistent pace, there must be a way to plan your writing beforehand. However I can see that using the PIE format could lead to lengthy paragraphs on a document that is supposed to condense and be clear.

After reading Steven Duron's and Oscar Acosta's blog post I realized that I should make sure I use PIE to it's fullest potential and also gave them tips on having an easier time writing their introduction and conclusion.

thing to reevaluate in my draft:
1)PIE check my draft
2)transition sentences
3)check for better imagary

3.15 Draft of TMT Site Controversy QRG.

At this point, I have utilized the relationships of the groups within my controversy in my cluster map into an organized an outline to build a draft off. Please let me know if this structure makes since. In the draft itself I would like help in making sure that I am properly citing sources.

Draft of TMT Site Controversy QRG

3.10 Practicing Quoting.

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) construction site selection has become the frustrations of many in Hawaii. The three major groups involved are the scientific community, the state of Hawaii, and the Native Hawaiians. A great misconception made by the scientific community and state of Hawaii Government is that they believe the Native Hawaiian are against the Thirty Meter Telescope’s scientific benefits. Jay Handlin, attorney for the University of Hawaii, which sub-leases the land atop Mauna Kea for the telescope project defended the building of TMT by stating, “The ultimate final decision of the board granting the [permit] represents the culmination of a process of years of community outreach, of dialogue, of listening, revising, reducing, modifying, mitigating, conditioning to a degree that is unprecedented in the history of astronomy at Mauna Kea.” [1] Many telescope supporters have the same view falsely believing they followed the state’s policies, have explained the potential scientific gains to the natives and that there should be no opposition from the natives. The truth is that the native Hawaiian’s have decided to openly take a stand against the development of their sacred lands. Vicky Holt Takamine, a kumu hula, or hula teacher, explains that "[The native Hawaiian people have] been advocating for no more development on Mauna Kea for years. And our words have fallen on deaf ears."[2] The native Hawaiians have no issue with the science, there opposition is the development and desecration of the sacred land in Hawaii.

1) “Hawaii Supreme Court hears Mauna Kea telescope case,” dnews.pk, 28 August 2015, <http://pkdnews.tumblr.com/post/127765100844/hawaii-supreme-court-hears-mauna-kea-telescope> (accessed 10 September 2015).

2) M. Solomon, “Construction Of Giant Telescope In Hawaii Draws Natives’ Ire,” NPR.org, 21 April 2015, <http://www.npr.org/2015/04/21/400390724/construction-of-giant-telescope-in-hawaii-draws-natives-ire> (accessed 10 September 2015).

Legend:

1. Signal phrases to mark the boundaries between your words and the sources’ words
2. Establish the authority of the people/sources being quoted
3. Put the source material into effective context
4. Use of ellipsis mark to eliminate unnecessary words from the quote in order and/or force it to conform to your sentence’s grammatical structure OR use the brackets to insert your own words into the quote in order to clarify something and/or force it to conform to your sentence’s grammatical structure

3.7 QRGs: the Genre

1. What do the conventions of this genre - the Quick Reference Guide - seem to be? 
1. To pack pertinent information into one page in what could easily be a lengthy topic.
2. How are those conventions defined by the author’s formatting and design choices?
1. They are chosen based on the audience and type of information to be conveyed.
3. What does the purpose of these QRGs seem to be?
1. To engage a focused reader and educate them about the major points of a topic.
4. Who is the intended audience for these different QRGs? Are they all intended for similar audiences? Or different? How & why?
1. Because QRGs are meant to cover very specific topics, they are meant for specific audiences who either will greatly benefit from or have a need to understand the topic.
5. How do the QRGs use imagery or visuals? Why do you think they use them in this way?
1. They are used at the beginning or as the initial draw of the QRG to instantly engage the reader.

After reading Felicia's and Oscar's blogs, I learned about some design details I hadn't noticed before. I also learned about how similar a QRG looks like Q&A formatting.

3.5 Cluster of Mauna Kea, Hawaii as the TMT construction site controversy

Thirty Meter Telescope Controversy Cluster Map

The connects native Hawaiians, the scientific community, and the state of Hawaii with the main topic of controversy,Mauna Kea, Hawaii as the TMT construction site.It also shows the relationships and information of subtopics.


After reviewing Christopher's and Mariana's cluster map I feel like trying more cluster maps for aesthetic purposes and also trying to make it look more organized. I am really glad that we did a cluster map because it allowed me to see all the intricate connects in my controversy topic and actually opened my eyes to what the underlying issue is and being able to have my own thoughts on the subject.

2.17 Annotated Bibliography in The Optical Society of America Citation Style for Mauna Kea, Hawaii as the TMT construction site controversy

Explanation of my field's Citation Style with example.

Annotated Bibliography in The Optical Society of America Citation Style

Here is a sample bibliography in OSA Citation Style

From 2.6 Evaluation of General Sources:

1)K. Dickerson, "Protesters stop telescope construction on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea," http://www.businessinsider.com/thirty-meter-telescope-construction-halted-on-hawaiis-mauna-kea-2015-6.


Speaks of the protesters attempt to stop the construction to go up the 8 mile road. The protest was successful have only let the trucks move 2 miles and last 7 hours. 30 people were arrested for obstruction.

2) "Astronomers to restart construction of controversial telescope in Hawaii," http://news.sciencemag.org/policy/2015/06/astronomers-restart-construction-controversial-telescope-hawaii.

The article updated the community about the status of the thirty meter telescope. Yang, the TMT Chair, gave a statement that showed he would try his best to be sensitive to the peoples needs when construction continues. He hopes that there will not be any problems as they continue the construction.

From 2.7 Evaluation of Scholarly Sources:

3) M. Solomon, "Scientists on TMT: Not Of One Mind," http://hpr2.org/post/scientists-tmt-not-one-mind#stream/0.

Several scientist are interviewed to learn of how their perspective has changed over the course of the protests. The are shocked and have a hard time believing that it would cause so much turmoil.

4) M. George, "Looking to the stars," Hobart Mercury (Australia) NEWS; Pg. 33 (2015).

George speaks of his personal experience as well as a colleagues interview with the suggestion that construction on the native sacred land much be approached with care and should be sure to communicate and engage the people, not just tell them that they are going to start construction.

From 2.11 Evaluation of Social Media Sources:

5) PBS HAWAII, “Should the Thirty Meter Telescope Be Built?,” YouTube, 31 May 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMKgNSb1cE0> (accessed 6 September 2015).

An hour long panel for the public to ask questions to four important people in the controversial issue. The panel was asked a variety of question to fully understand why the telescope should be reconsidered. Many great points were touched and from several angles that reveal deeper issues behind the controversy. Laws are being broken, and the future of Hawaiian economy is also at stake.

6)D. Corrigan, "Mauna Kea TMT Blockade Arrests," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR3dDKUZRlM

The video was raw footage of the protest the first day the thirty meter telescope restarted construction. The protest was completely peaceful with lots of speeches and civility. There were arrests made for obstruction of the road ways, however they were done in the most respectful way possible.

I reviewed Jon's and Steven's annotated bibliography for correct citation for each type of file. I had to look around to look at examples that weren't in the sample file. I also realized that none of the students share a similar citation style as I do. Mine seems very relaxed and does not ask for much in comparison to everyone else's bibliography.

2.13 Ideology in Mauna Kea, Hawaii as the TMT construction site controversy.

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) construction site selection has become the frustrations of many in Hawaii.

Who is involved in the controversy? The three major groups involved are the scientific community, the state of Hawaii, and the Native Hawaiians.

Who are some of the major speakers/writers within these groups?

• Paul Coleman, Astrophysicist, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii-Manoa[1]
• Richard Ha, Hawaii Island Farmer and Businessman[1]
• Jon Osorio, Board President, KAHEA, a Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance[1]
• Kealoha Pisciotta, President, Mauna Kea Anaina Hou[1]

What kind of social/cultural/economic/political power does each group hold?

The scientists have been conducting studies and research for 7 years to plan in the construction of the thirty meter telescope[1]. The economist have determined that the 1.4 billion dollar project from external resources will increase Hawaii's independence from its 17% tourist revenue which fluctuates with global economics[1]. The social and cultural leaders have a large group of people that have held numerous peaceful protests by blocking the road for construction[2].It also seems that the investors have monetarily gained favor from the government to bend established laws set within the grounds of construction on Mauna Kea.

What does each group value? The social and cultural leaders value the sacred ground to the native people of Hawaii who oppose the desecration of the Mauna Kea mountain[2]. The scientist value the 10 fold increase in light collection and 12 fold increase in resolution above the largest telescope currently operating, Keck, which is also in the same site on Mauna Kea[1].

Is there a power differential? Hawaii's people have been struggling to regain power and retain its culture ever since the United States arrived. It seems as the the struggle is cause a major discourse now that such a significant addition is coming to the islands and desecration of it's sacred mountain[2].

Is there any acknowledged common ground between groups? The lack of planning has been acknowledged by every group. Each group believes that in order to either continue or end construction, there must be extensive planning in areas that have not been addressed. Most planning have legal implications.[1]

Is there any unacknowledged common ground between groups? The land is of great importance to both parties and it seems that the group for building the telescope is not heeding to the fact that the native Hawaiians were there years before any telescope was built and so should have a say in what happens to their land.

Do the various groups listen to each other?

The interactions between parties has been very peaceful, even when arrests have been made. All candid videos of these interactions have been executed with civility and mutual respect[2].

Citations 1 & 2

2.11 Evaluation of Social Media Sources.

Source 1) INSIGHTS ON PBS HAWAII - Should the Thirty Meter Telescope Be Built?
Credibility - the panelists' interviewed were;
Paul Coleman, Astrophysicist, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii-Manoa
Richard Ha, Hawaii Island Farmer and Businessman
Jon Osorio, Board President, KAHEA, a Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance
Kealoha Pisciotta, President, Mauna Kea Anaina Hou


Location - Yes the video was taken on the mountain with the telescopes behind them.
Network - the account has more than 1k followers and has been shared 15 time in the last 2 months.
Content - Can the information they’re relying on in their tweet or post be corroborated from other sources?
Contextual updates - PBS Hawaii's goal is to teach and show the world about Hawaii and Hawaii the world.
Age -The account has been up since 2007
Reliability - It is a public broadcasting station funding by taxes which should be reliable to maintain its reputation of serving the people.

Source 2) Mauna Kea TMT Blockade Arrests
Credibility - This was posted by Big Island News. It doesn't have seem to belong to a credible source but most of the videos speak for themselves.
Location - Yes the video shows the peaceful protesters being arrested by the police for obstruction of the road.
Network - Most of the people using Big Island News are the natives of Hawaii to share on social media and blogs. They also have 4k followers.
Content - Yes there are many other posting similar videos.
Contextual updates - They post a variety of Hawaiian news and they have reported on this issue before.
Age - The account was created in 2009
Reliability - Because this was a 20 min video of the protest, I believe it is a pretty reliable source of information.

2.8 Evaluation of Scholarly Sources.

Source 1) Scientists on TMT: Not Of One Mind US Official News May 19, 2015 Tuesday

What is its purpose? Spoke of a researcher change in perspective after seeing protesters.
How and where is it published? It was issued by the US Official News
What kinds of sources does it cite? It cited none
Who is the author? No author mentioned
Who is its intended audience? the general public

How did I find it? Using the Lexis Nexis Academic Database

Source 2) Looking to the stars Hobart Mercury (Australia) August 15, 2015 Saturday

What is its purpose? To illustrate the peaceful manner in which the protesters were taking action.
How and where is it published? It was published as a news article in SPACE.
What kinds of sources does it cite? It cited none.
Who is the author? Martin George
Who is its intended audience? The scientific community.
How did I find it? Using the Lexis Nexis Academic Database.

2.6 Evaluation of General Sources

Source 1) Protesters just blocked the construction of a revolutionary scientific instrument — again

URL: .com, the source is from Business Insider which is an American business, celebrity and technology news website launched in February 2009 and based in New York City. The source may be credible. About Business Insider found here.

Author: Kelly Dickerson Kelly is a science reporter at Tech Insider, covering space and physics. She graduated from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism with an M.A. in science and health reporting. She received at B.S. degree in biology and a B.A. degree in communication from Berry College. Kelly has previously written for Live Science, Space.com, and Psychology Today. Her qualifications were found here.
Last updated: 06/25/2015 all links within article are still active.
Purpose : The article is meant to be informational.
Graphics: The graphics show the peaceful protesters blocking the path of construction trucks.
Position on Subject: The source is not biased toward one side of the controversy. The information benefits both sides of the controversy. Scientist know the progress of the construction and the native Hawaiians know the number of protesters arrested and the success of the peaceful protests.
Links: The article had many links and some lead to older related articles.

Source 2) Astronomers to restart construction of controversial telescope in Hawaii

URL: .org, the source if from Science which was founded in 1880 on $10,000 of seed money from the American inventor Thomas Edison, Science has grown to become the world's leading outlet for scientific news, commentary, and cutting-edge research, with the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general-science journal. Through its print and online incarnations, Science reaches an estimated worldwide readership of more than one million. In content, too, the journal is truly international in scope; some 35 to 40 percent of the corresponding authors on its papers are based
outside the United States. Its articles consistently rank among world's most cited research. About Science found here.

Author: The article was written by Science News Staff whose qualifications can be found here

Last Updated: 06/21/2015

Purpose : The article is meant to be informational.

Graphics: Only an artist's concept of the thirty meter telescope

Position on Subject: The source is not biased and simply states the current decision of the local

government to continue construction on the site.

Links: The article had many links and some lead to older related articles.

2.3 My Major

What kinds of public debates and arguments are taking place in my field / major / discipline?

In the article "Amid controversy, construction of telescope in Hawaii halted", the Thirty Meter Telescope is stopping construction at Mauna Kea due to the native people in Hawaii protesting the construction. The construction site is a sacred ground to the natives.On the other hand this would be the best site for the largest ground based telescope that would be capable of viewing into the earliest parts of the universe.

Caleb Jones. "Protester arrested for blocking road to building site" via phys.org. 04/07/2015. All rights reserved. 

1. What do students in your program learn how to do?
1. The  B.S. in Optical Sciences and Engineering aims to educate the students of the basic principles of optics and the mathematics and physics needed to understand the behavior of optical systems while providing students with experience in applying optical principles to engineering problems and in developing the laboratory and computer skills needed for a career in optical engineering. The program also teaches students the design process and provides them with experience doing team projects.

1. What do people who get degrees in this field usually go on to do for work?
1. The  students graduating with a B.S. in Optics usually go on to work in optical design, optical fabrication and testing, lasers, optical detectors, optical instrumentation, optical fiber communications, and some graduates choose to pursue higher degrees.
2. What drew you to this field?
1.  After going back to school in the fall of 2010, I took a career counseling class to figure out my plans for the future and, in that class, I was recommended optical engineering as a career path. I didn’t know what it was at the time and when I read the description, I thought it sounded boring. The description stated things such as, “… designs lenses, photo-detectors, optical fibers …,” and then the last part of the description said “… designs lasers,” and that made me excited to learn more. The following semester I began my new academic journey. I also took my first ever physics course in the spring of 2011 with a professor who also worked as an electro-optical engineer at JPL. He became my mentor and I took 3 more physics courses with him. Last year I was selected to participate in an educational program at JPL and got to take a tour of his lab. I am still hooked on lasers and aspire to conduct space-related research after earning a Ph.D in laser science.
3. Who are the leaders/most exciting people involved in your field right now? Why? These could be individual people or specific companies, organizations, businesses or non-profits.

"Crane moves the National Ignition Facility's target chamber" via Wikipedia 06/1999.  Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.

1. 
   National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore has 192 laser with 1.8 megajoules at peak power.
2. OMEGA Laser Facility at the University of Rochester with 40 kilojoules at peak power.
3. GEKKO XII at the Osaka University with 10 kilojoules at peak power.
4. Laser Mégajoule at CILAS in France has 240 laser beams with designed 1.8 megajoules at peak power is about to finish construction.
5. High Power laser Energy Research facility in the United Kingdom is the next-gen laser inertial confinement facility.
1. What are the leading academic/scholarly journals in your field? Where are they published? Give us the names and locations of at least 3.
1. Advances in Optics and Photonics: OSA, United States.
2. Light: Science & Applications: Nature, United Kingdom.
3. Optics Express: OSA, United States.

After reading Deborah's and Scott's blog I learned that choosing a major is no easy task to many students. Being proactive and finding the undying motivation behind your efforts to earn an education is essential to living a healthy lifetime with a rewarding career that meets the individuals needs.