UVA Writing Supplements

If you were given funding for a small engineering project, what would you do?

I currently spend a lot of time working in a lab at JMU. In the lab, I work with a professor
and stimulate rat tails to gain a better understanding of the neurological processes behind
withdrawal responses. The rats are placed in a plastic tube, and the tail is left hanging out for
stimulation. The process of running the experiment usually goes less than smoothly, however.
One of the biggest problems is the inability to ensure the rat's immobility within the tube.
Sometimes the rats will back out of the tube in the middle of an experiment, and I usually need to
check to make sure that the rat hasn't rotated within the tube every few trials or so. My
engineering project would help solve these complications. The problem of rat rotation would be
fixed by adjusting the shape of the holding device. Instead of a tube, the rat would be in a
hexagonal chamber. The sharper angles and flat sides would prevent both the rotation of the rat
inside the chamber and of the chamber itself. Solving the issue of keeping the rat inside the tube
while still allowing the tail unrestricted movement is a little more difficult. This could be
remedied by adjusting the shape of the chamber even further, causing it to taper at one end. The
rat is placed into the chamber with the tail projecting out of the smaller end, and the larger end is
covered with a screen to prevent forward movement. This setup will solve most of the problems
my experiment currently has, and would also be very beneficial among other scientists in the
same field of work.

Whats your favorite word and why?
My favorite word is "unless." It may seem a little short; it might not sit well in the mouth
when spoken. However, the connotations of the word make up for any other shortcomings. When
I was young, I read Dr. Seuss' The Lorax for the first time. At the very end, the Lorax lifts
himself away from humanity's desolation, leaving nothing but a pile of rocks. Written on the
rocks is one word: unless. This story has always had a place in my heart, but only recently have I
come to appreciate the meaning behind the text. The Lorax left the world with a message;
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." The
world is heading to dark places. Our society doesn't seem to care, and if we continue as we
always have been, nothing will change... Unless. Unless I do something about it. Unless I try to
make an advancement happen. Then a renewal will take place. In this way, the word "unless" is
more than just a conjunction between independent clauses. Unless is hope. Unless is the spark of
change, of revolution. It is the driving force behind everything that has been accomplished in this
world. I cannot sit back and wait for someone else to start these changes, these revolutions. I
need to start them myself. Because unless I innovate, no innovation will take place at all.