Green Space is for anyone who wants to contribute to or learn about green initiatives at Olin and the world. Want to submit an article about green initiatives? Please do! Want to learn how you can make a difference in your own life or at Olin? Easy!
Please, read on and listen well, because, you know, this is your world too.
Is your meat habit killing the planet?
Maybe.
Solar at Olin update!
Progress is happening, people! We’re doing lots of research and weird solar-math, meeting with facilities, and making a list of companies to look into. Additionally, an interactive website for Solar at Olin will be up and running by December, and we’re hoping to do another screen printing party soon (big thanks to everyone who came to the last one, I hope you’re enjoying the shirts!).
*The following was a SERV auction item*
For an engineer, consulting can be a viable alternative to having a full time job, especially living in a city like Boston. But how do you accomplish this lifestyle? And how much are you worth?
This month, Frankly Speaking posed the question “What qualities or characteristics make someone a great teammate?” to the student body of Olin. The following are the responses we received.
Doing good work on time, accepting feedback, always making sure the team is on track and actively making sure the team meets deadlines, not showing up late for meetings, never assuming that someone else will do the work for you, being open to learning new things for the team but not to the extent that it holds back the team (so if it would hold back the team, you learn it on your own time, not during meetings). – Anonymous
Be communicative and responsive. Let me know how your work is going, if there are any setbacks, if you need more time, if things are done, etc. Don’t leave your teammates in the dark until your meeting – it kills meeting productivity when no one knows what to expect. – Brett Rowley
Honesty about what they will and won’t be able to do. Clear communication. Showing up to meetings and to class, and staying on topic during meeting. Calm under pressure, and a focus on fixing the problem rather than casting blame when things don’t work. Caring about the project. – Anonymous
Someone who is patient and diligent. – Anonymous
The ability to listen. The concept of “ideating” is huge at Olin – but in the process of generating ideas, it’s very easy to drown out quieter team-members and to shut down a weird or wacky concept. A successful team that has everyone invested precedes a successful project. We need to remember to foster serious listeners as well as visionaries. – Liani Lye
Not wanting to meet except when actually necessary or helpful.
Doing tasks that are helpful.
Doing the tasks quietly and not asking for things in return.
Gives feedback in a considerate way, but still gives it.
Doesn’t judge.
Listens.
Accepts they can be wrong and that the team’s idea is most likely better than his or her own.
Likes the project.
Flexible.
Understands that scheduling should happen with consideration and with as much fore planning as possible.
Understands that people work best in different ways and helps people work in a way that works for both that person and the team. – Anonymous
Plans things early.
Reacts to difficulties with humor, not anger.
Expresses clearly the facets of a project that are interesting to that person, and enquire about their teammate’s preferences.
Clearly willing to put time and effort into the project – “cares about it.”
If they don’t care about it, express that early and still do an acceptable minimum amount of work.
Don’t waste meeting time, though a certain amount of having fun is acceptable. :) – Anonymous
Next month’s question: “Why do you choose to participate in the clubs and student
The Seven deadly sins have long been in our history and our media. Everyone grows up learning about them. Everyone knows what they are. Or do they? Here are the 7 Deadly Sins redefined for our modern world. What is your sin?
Pride – There is nothing wrong with being proud. There is nothing wrong with thinking you are an awesome person, that the things you do are amazing. But there is a fine line between self confidence with a sense of accomplishment, and thinking you are better than everyone else around you because of that. We are living in a world full of self-righteous people placing themselves on pedestals of superiority. And not just themselves.
Cases before the Honor Board are wide and varied. Topics range from personal differences and academic dishonesty to misuse of public materials. Above all, the Honor Board is a means for Olin Community members to work out their differences safely and confidentially. Find a friend and fill out the MadLibs in the paragraphs below.
For a long time Olin has used the word “interdisciplinary” to describe our curriculum, but I think it’s time to stop. Being interdisciplinary was new and exciting for schools 20 years ago, but now it is routine. Olin should be one step ahead while everyone else is catching up – we should be working on the next thing. And the next thing is “postdisciplinary.”
To explain what that means, I’ll use the analogy of racial integration. In an integrated society, people from different racial groups live together peacefully. In a postracial society, the fact that different types of people live together doesn’t even have a name; that is just how it is, and how it always should have been.
10/1 A Buddhist mob torched more than seventy homes and stabbed a 94- year-old woman to death in Myanmar.
10/2 Tom Clancy died at the age of sixty-six.
10/3 Adobe announced that the data of 2.9 million customers was stolen in a security breach.
10/4 A man of undeclared motive self-immolated at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.