3.10.2009

Biodiversity indeed

We got our first bio exams back today. B+, which I'm not thrilled with, but it's fine for the first exam of the semester. But here's the interesting thing: Prof Dan showed us a graph of the grade spread. 37% of the class earned an A or B. Not bad. 15% got a C. Doing the math? Let me help (putting my J-term skills to use): a whopping 45% of my colleagues managed a D or F. The test wasn't that hard, but if you didn't study at all, I suppose you'd do badly. I don't want to judge, but this doesn't seem like a simple lack of preparation; it just seems like bad guessing. It was mostly multiple choice, for Pete's sake. 

Speaking of bio, we're now looking at the effects of human consumption on ecosystems. We as a species don't come out well in these lectures. The most depressing PowerPoint slide of the day:

Humans are the dominant species of every ecosystem on earth
  1. Half of all ice-free land has been transformed by humans
  2. Humans add more nitrogen to the biosphere than all natural processes combined
  3. By 2050, humans will double concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide
Slow down those Priuses, people.

No comments: