Telecommunication technologies are pillars of any industry’s effective operation. The importance of these technologies is greater when the industry has an operation that spans a large distance. This is the case of oil and natural gas distribution systems whose pipelines cover extensive distances carrying the product. These long distances pose many challenges to the operation, especially monitoring the physical status of such an extended system and transferring information from the distant source to a facility which can analyze and make use of the data. The monitoring of pipe over such an expansive area requires many data collection points, and thus produces a large amount of data. Transferring this large amount data across states to a facility before it is too old to be of use is a challenge that can only be taken on with the use of a network. The telecom technologies involved in making networks carry more data farther are the most important for effectively promoting the safe and efficient operation of pipeline systems.
Risks embedded in distributed systems are impossible to eliminate. The inherent vulnerability of an extensive system such as exposed, above-ground pipelines coupled with the constant threat of terrorist attacks creates a major challenge. In the event of a successful attack, or simply a broken pipe, the facility needs to be alerted of the incident in order to halt the flow and prevent damages. Utilizing data relayed through the network from sensors positioned along the pipe, the facility can analyze the situation and quickly implement a solution. This example illustrates the need for real time data; a company cannot afford the damages of a large capacity oil pipe pumping oil onto the ground for even five minutes. The network provides a solution, carrying the data from sensors to the facility and allowing remote control of the pipe pumps to shut down the flow through the affected area as quickly as possible.
Stopping the flow through a specific pipe introduces another challenge: circumventing the obstruction to eliminate down time and lost efficiency. The easiest method is to reroute the
product along a different path within the pipeline. In order to do this, a lot of information is needed, such as the pressure within the pipes, and it is needed in real time to prevent another pipe failure. Again this must be collected and transported through a network to be useable in analyzing the situation. Even under normal operating circumstances, collected information is useful, pointing to bottlenecks, which can be removed, further increasing the efficiency of the system.
The most important strength of a network in these example situations is the ability to move more data farther distances in less time. The technologies involved in this transfer include high throughput wireless connections, specialized protocols for data transfer and secure connections to facilitate remote operation. These technologies reside in layers 1, 2, and 4 of the OSI communication model, it is here where technology must be developed to sustain safe and efficient operations of distributed systems trough the future. At one forefront of importance in sustaining operation into the future is extending security and routing functions into layer 2 of the model. This is exemplified in the Encryption Over Ethernet technologies. In this emerging technology, responsibility for encryption is passed from layers 4 and 3 to layer 2 . This removes the network overhead imposed by packet level security, thus providing for more efficient and secure data transfer. Because this technology resides on layer 2, the need to configure clients is removed and the security required is built in, this is perfect for high capacity source to point data transmission as found in our situation. Encryption Over Ethernet coupled with the development of other pertinent telecommunications technologies are key to providing sustained safe and efficient operation of these distributed systems for years to come.
Nathaniel Guy Mahieu is a driven and knowledge-loving student attending the University of Missouri-Columbia. Born in the rural farming community of Centralia, Missouri, he grew up exploring the woods and enjoying the natural world’s inherent beauty and complexity. Throughout his life he has drawn inspiration from nature, as well as from his grandfather, Bill, who’s inventor’s spirit kindled Nathaniel’s imagination as a child. Growing up with these two influences, Nathaniel today has a love of math, whose beauty, he feels, reflects that of nature, and of science. Throughout his high school career, great teachers in Chemistry and Calculus fueled his fire for knowledge. These two subjects and their direct relation to the natural world caught hold of his interest as he entered college. Before college Nathaniel had pursued his interest in computer programming and planned on studying it, but the draw of chemistry and math lured him to a degree in Chemical Engineering which he is pursuing concurrently with a degree in Biochemistry. His experience in college has produced an interest in system analysis through computers and chemistry as well as topics in field convergence. After graduation Nathaniel hopes to go into the research field to gain experience and knowledge to apply his broad background to challenges facing Biochemistry. When he’s not studying, Nathaniel enjoys watching TED Talks, playing ultimate Frisbee, and pursuing Christianity. He is a member of 4-H and FFA (a reflection of his rural background) and a vehement lover of photography (some of his photos may be viewed from his personal website, http://nathanielguy.com/). Nathaniel actively supports his community through such programs as the FFA Alumni, local youth groups, and by contributing time over the summer as a counselor at Boys State of Missouri. Nathaniel’s innate curiosities united with the sapience of inspirational people throughout his development have matured him into an individual with an inherent desire for understanding. His main ambition is to apply the insight he acquires in his life to effectively make a positive impact on humanity.
Every country’s economic goals revolve around growth and for most economies, growth is equated with progress. Economic growth is defined as an increase in the value of goods and services produced by a country. This growth effectively translates into an increase in living standards for the country’s inhabitants. When a country has an established, stable economy, this growth becomes regular and expected, but when we look at third world countries with developing economies this growth becomes harder to predict and achieve.
This paper’s aim is to analyze a few of the efforts being made to transform those developing economies into stable ones in order to promote growth. In order to effectively analyze these policies I will use Ethiopia as a case study, comparing its economy to stable ones while looking for similarities and differences in them. With these differences in mind I will then take a brief overview of the microeconomic and macroeconomic situation in the country and identify key challenges each of these areas face. With a basic understanding of the economic situation in Ethiopia I will then outline some research and policies targeted at promoting healthy markets and economic growth in Ethiopia. The first is an inclusive makeover of Ethiopia’s entire agricultural market called the Ethiopian Commodities Exchange. This exchange features a stabilizing infrastructure for every step of the agricultural process and looks very promising. The second is research on using food aid in Ethiopia as a way to supplement growth. We know that food aid will reduce prices but some claim aid creates a dependency and weakens local markets. The research analyzes that claim, testing to see how the aid affects the economy. Third, we will inspect some research on property rights in Ethiopia; currently the government does not allow citizens to own property, it only allows extended periods of lease. Research shows that this creates a negative effect on long term investment in Ethiopia and lowers the returns on land.
Ethiopia is a country labeled as one of the poorest in the world; GDP per capita in the country was estimated in 2006 at 1000$ per year from “CIA – The World Factbook” (2007). The country has a rapidly expanding population and is currently increasing the workforce on the order of onehundred thousand per year. Its economic history is a cyclical one, featuring growth for a few years and a recession for a few years, leaving it to gain very little GDP per capita over the long run. The economy in Ethiopia is largely dependent on its agricultural sector which makes up over 50% of the country’s GDP, 90% of its exports, and 80% of the labor force. Only 7% of the country’s land is irrigated, leaving the crops and subsequently the country’s GDP and survival at the mercy of the rains. The country relies on coffee as its primary export with nearly 70% of total exports, and due to the recent drop in world coffee prices the country has lost over 300 million dollars per year in GDP. The country experiences rapid deflation and inflation of its currency, exasperating buyers and sellers efforts to find reliable market prices for goods. The country’s inflation rate was nearing 20% in recent months. These volatile aspects of the Ethiopian economy paint a very risky picture for buyers and sellers and a dim outlook for the country’s economy.
All of these qualities of Ethiopia’s economy are common to developing economies. Richard (2007) lists, in a more general sense, the facets of a small developing economy. 1. A concentration on a few (one to three) exports, such as Ethiopia’s dependence on coffee exports. 2. Imperfect markets in which a few firms dominate the market and price signals are distorted. 3. The small size of firms, such as the farmers in Ethiopia, which can not realize the economies of scale. 4. Physical vulnerabilities, such as Ethiopia’s reactions to drought, are realized in a much greater magnitude for small economies as well. In Small Developing Economies in the WTO the author also lists export market concentration and dependence on trade taxes as common to small economies. In order to strengthen Ethiopia’s economy these problems must be overcome before we can begin to foster growth in their economy.
Let me break down these issues a bit further; first, the microeconomic situation of the country. This realm of the economy is composed of buyers and sellers. These buyers and sellers come together to create a market, and their interaction causes Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” to allocate the resources that the buyer and seller bring to market in the most efficient manner. A problem arises when the markets are fragmented and volatile; the invisible hand, in these cases, is not able to efficiently allocate resources. “Building a Commodities Market in Ethiopia” (2007) outlines the famine which occurred during 2002 which is a good example of this; a bumper crop the previous year drove the price of Ethiopian cereals below the price of production, forcing many farmers to let their crops rot in the fields. The next year many farmers did not reseed their crops, distrusting the validity of making a profit there, instead looking for alternate forms of income. That year the northern portion of the region fell victim to a drought which threatened 15 million with starvation. One can pull a couple of ideas from this situation, each show how the hand’s market allocation powers are obstructed. First is the lack of strong market signals which let the farmer know when to plant and sell. The country lacks an information infrastructure necessary to carry market prices to the farmer at home and the volatility of prices make it hard for the farmer to discern when to sell his produce. The country is very spread out and there exists little transportation infrastructure to move good around the markets. The farmer’s trip to the city to locate a buyer is quite costly, and the chance that prices that day could be below the equilibrium puts the farmer in a bad position. The farmer also lacks capital; with capital the producer could choose to not sell until prices have risen to acceptable levels, but if he does this he will have no money to invest in seeds, supplies, or food for his family. Thus, the farmer sells his produce at the point when prices are lowest, during the harvest. This relates both to a failure of the guiding hand of markets and to one of Mankiw’s 10 Principals of Economics: that rational people think at the margin. Even though it appears that the farmers are irrational in selling when prices are lowest, in actuality they remain rational because the economic cost of saving their produce is greater than the benifit.
So the challenge to a producer is an extremely high risk when transacting in the market, prices fluctuate as much as 50% from year to year. This price volatility is a result of physical vulnerabilities, like rain, common to small economies, combined with the weak fragmented markets that buyers and sellers must interact in. Therefore, the basic challenge of strengthening the market for sellers involves combating these problems. The difficulty of attempting this is easily seen. Investing in irrigation requires capital which there is little of, making markets larger requires trust through grades and standards, lowering production costs for farmers involves building transportation infrastructures inside a country which is one of the poorest in the world. The problems for the economy extend beyond the seller and to the buyers as well. The basic premise is the same. Weak market signals, high transaction costs, and the lack of capital to buy when prices are low create a challenging situation. So where does one begin when all these problems exist?
One proposal comes in the form of the Ethiopian Commodities Exchange (ECEX). In “Understanding Commodities Markets” Eabre-Madhin, a World Bank senior economist, outlines her plans for a commodities market in Ethiopia. This proposal has received the support of the Ethiopian government and was instated in September of 2007 and was set to begin trading in December of 2007, though no reprts on its success are being circulated yet. The broad goals of this exchange include a market for all the participants, integrity, efficiency, transparency, and risk management. The plan addresses the weaknesses in Ethiopia’s current market structure with six core facets. First, a trading platform; this will bring market buyers and sellers together in a low cost, efficient way. Second, brokers; the brokers will be the leis eon between the trading platform and the exchange, enabling all clients to participate in the market. They will assist in matching potential buyers and sellers through the trading platform. Third, contracts; contracts on the ECEX will be in relation to the item and grade of the item. They will be tailored to the ability to deliver and to attract the largest number of buyers. Fourth, risk management; the exchange will protect buyers and sellers from one defaulting on the contract through a bank like system. Fifth, product integrity; the product will have a standard, understood grade and be guaranteed in terms of deliverability. Finally, regulation and enforcement; the Ethiopian parliament has passed a bill legally supplementing the exchange, allowing trust in the system to be formed by buyers and sellers.
The path through the system begins with a seller bringing his product to the exchange’s warehouse. Here his product will receive a grade, weight and certificate. This certificate will allow him to sell his product on the ECEX market. Because the seller holds a legal entitlement to something in the warehouse (the certificate), the warehouse can also be thought of as a bank; This will allow a more efficient disturibution of the goods. After the seller has certificates he may at any time sell them on the exchange through a broker to a buyer. In the same way a buyer would approach the exchange, from any of the 200 trading centers in the country and place a bid for a traded product. The buyer must transfer funds to a settlement account before the bid is finalized to prevent contract default. From there the nearest warehouse will have the buyer’s good ready to deliver. Throughout this process a satellite powered system will send daily price information to each of the country’s 200 price boards, allowing buyers and sellers to be aware of the national prices for the products.
In my opinion this is the most exciting and plausible option for economic growth in Ethiopia. The plan seems to strengthen every bit of the market, moving the power of resource allocation back into Adam Smith’s invisible hand. The ECEX will nationalize the market for Ethiopian grains, bringing together sellers from every corner of the country and stabilizing prices. If this plan succeeds in strengthening the market and stabilizing the agriculture sector, then the small farmer will gain much needed resources and a rational ability to take the risks involved in investing in things like irrigation or fertilizer. Over time, the success of the ECEX means the lift that country needs to escape poverty. Furthermore I expect to see the success of this commodities exchange spur the birth of similar designs in other developing economies.
The ECEX plan is not a sure thing, though; this idea is definitely not tried and true so the idea of moving an entire country’s economy onto a theoretical model is scary. The entire system requires the trust of buyers and sellers, and if during the premier months of the program problems are uncovered it could undermine the trust for the system forever. Also, the brokers must withstand corruption, because as they are the gateway to the trading system I could see them being used to leverage it to their advantage. I am unsure of how the system is going to affect small farmers on the brink of profit; the stabilized prices throughout the country could be a radically different than previously, and push many farmers out of the market. The system also doesn’t deal with Ethiopia’s dependence on coffee exports, and a deflation of those world prices could still adversely affect its economy. Overall, I fully agree with the Ethiopian government’s support of this bill, and see it as the most hope Ethiopia’s economy has.
The Ethiopian economy is also receiving foreign food aid from various countries and world organizations. There are differing opinions as to whether the addition of food aid to a country’s economy has a positive or negative effect. Food aid, in the positive sense, provides a relief for starving countries and can provide a starting point allowing a country to get back on its feet. In the negative sense food aid can create a dependency on foreign aid, and take away from the power of the local grain merchants; it can effectively lower grain prices and drive out market producers. We actively see both of these phenomenons wherever food aid is present, but the question to be answered is whether or not the overall shift in the economy is positive or negative. In “Does food aid harm the poor: household evidence from Ethiopia” (2005) James, Levinsohn, and McMillan find that food aid disproportionately benefits the poor more than the rich over the entire country.
In their paper they make several observations to arrive at their conclusion. They begin with the facts that buyers of wheat in Ethiopia are, on average, poorer than sellers of wheat and there exists more buyers than sellers in the economy. Then, through market analysis they conclude that the food aid is more likely to be received by the poor, and the benefit the poor receive is greater than the loss the producers feel. Using a household census conducted throughout the country combined with cereals production data the authors are able to isolate the buyers and sellers and collectively analyze their benefit from aid. The authors reduced the broad market for cereals to the wheat market only, for their analysis, stating that 33% of Ethiopia’s wheat supply comes from aid increasing the affect aid will have on price. They find that though food aid does drop wheat prices, that drop in price negatively affects only the farmers, a smaller and richer group than the consumers. For this reason, the net welfare of the country increases.
I am uncertain of the reliability of the author’s findings in the respect of food aid. The research uses an average of households in income brackets, meaning that the variation there could hide a large negative effect on the poor. Currently, prices vary a lot throughout the country, and the regional benefits in one area, could be a large loss in another. Overall it can be seen that the introduction of food aid into Ethiopia’s economy is helpful in the short run, and should be used as such. In the long run however, the dependence the country will build on food aid is a detriment. Without food aid a country would have higher prices which would in turn encourage more farmers to enter the market. Over the long run, this change would expect the prices to drop with increased production, achieving a goal of food aid without the aid.
I see the foreign food aid as a perfect complement to the ECEX. If the aid agencies distribute the aid throughout the ECEX without undermining it they could use the aid to prevent against total market failure while strengthening the power of the exchange. The aid would supplement consumers as farmers build trust in the system. As the exchange builds the strength of the economy, food aid can slowly be removed from Ethiopia, allowing the market to eventually effectively regulate supply and demand. One thing I cannot see food aid doing is strengthening the economy. Therefore I view food aid as a short term relief effort and not a long term support option.
The final aspect of Ethiopia’s economy I will look at Ali, Deurcon, and Gautam’s (2007) investigation into property rights in the country. The basic economic property of weak property rights in a country is that they discourage the accumulation of and investment in capital. The paper furthers that conclusion, linking Ethiopia’s weak property rights with discouraged planting, and maintenance of land in the long run. The paper focuses on the lack of land transfer rights and the affect that has on Ethiopian farmers. The authors conclude that the lack of transfer rights for land discourages the planting of longer term crops like coffee, Ethiopia’s primary export. They also find that the threat of land redistribution does the same and discourages the preservation of land, and planning for future crops. Land redistribution and the lack of transfer rights were identified as the two key aspects of weak property rights.
Their conclusions are based on the Ethiopian Rural Household Survey and focus on the allocation of land to coffee production and the investment of longer term capital, such as eucalyptus trees. This allocation was tracked over time, through some alterations in Ethiopia’s property rights laws. The evidence showed that when considering long term investment in land, property rights cause a large inefficiency in the market. When the farmers are able to trust the ownership of their land into the future, they invest more heavily in coffee and eucalyptus trees. Altering property rights to support this investment would in the long run remove a market inefficiency caused by that uncertainty which lowers the supply of those two crops. Along with this paper there exists an obvious correlation between economic progress and strong property rights in developed countries.
Property rights are one area that the ECEX and foreign aid cannot help at all. The problem is aggravated by political unrest in the country and a lack of a strong government lead. I see the strengthening of property rights as a large hurdle Ethiopia has to face to strengthen the producers trust in the future of their operations. With strengthened property rights all the findings of the authors are plausible; increased investment in the future of land, an equalization of the crops that would be planted, and the ability to use land as a way to back your capital accumulation loans.
Ethiopia’s economy will face some large challenges before it can achieve real growth. Those challenges include a strengthening of the markets, a way to manage and reduce the risk farmers face, and stabilizing prices. Each of the plans in this paper provides ways to achieve some of these goals. The ECEX will strengthen markets and bring together the nations fragmented trading circles. Food aid will support the country’s risk until it is able to manage it on its own. Strengthened property rights will give farmers more resources needed to invest in capital and manage their risk. All of these, combined, will stabilize prices in Ethiopia’s agriculture sector and strengthen the economy as a whole. A stronger economy means stronger growth and a boost away from poverty and towards increased living standards; this is the goal for any economy.?
References
Bernal, Richard. Small Developing Economies in the World. WTO, 2001. 31 Oct. 2007
Gabre-Madhin, Eleni. "Building a Commodities Market in Ethiopia." TED Confrence. Mar.-Apr. 2007. 31 Oct. 2007 . Levingson, James, and Margaret McMillan. Does Food Aid Harm the Poor? Household Evidence From Ethiopia. NBER, 2005. 31 Oct. 2007 . "Ethiopia." CIA - the World Factbook. 4 Dec. 2007 . Leni Zaude Gabre-Madhin. "Understanding a Commodity Exchange." 4 Dec. 2007 . Madhur Gautam, Daniel Ayalew Ali , and Stefan Dercon . Property Rights in a Very Poor Country:. The World Bank. 4 Dec. 2007 . A child with the ability to play a Mozart piano symphony at the age of 8, a man able to read 2 pages of a book in 8 seconds, one with each eye, children who create art that rivals the greats of history. These are examples of the skills of a savant. Savants are blessed with amazing abilities like these, performing feats of the mind unfathomable to us. This amazing gift, though, often comes coupled with a devastating curse, autism. This condition creates a huge social barrier between them and the rest of the world. Why these two come linked is not known, and few theories exist as to this reason. A great example of an autistic savant that you may know of is Raymond from the movie “Rain Man.” His skills of math and counting are those of a savant, and his social inaptitude is the result of autism. I will investigate the relation between savants and autism as well as some famous savants and talents they possess.
To attempt to understand savantism, and the relation it has to autism, we must first understand what autism is. Because the two, autism and savantism, are so closely linked, autism which is more fully understood, can offer us insight to savants. A clinical definition of autism as stated by the World Health Organization is “a developmental disability that results from a disorder of the human central nervous system.” The common effects of autism include a social inaptitude, communication problems, and repetitive behaviors. If you have seen the movie “Rain Man,” think back and consider how Raymond acted. You may also be familiar with the autistic student currently attending our middle school. Causes of autism are still in debate throughout the scientific community. Possible causes include vaccine mutations, stress, and genetics. It is agreed that these factors cause the brain to process information differently than non autistic people; these alternate strategies manifest themselves in a physical sense, with certain portions of the brain missing, incompletely developed, or connected differently.
With that short background in autism we can now explore savants. Now a savant is not necessarily disabled, and the word can refer to any person who is very learned in their field of study, but for our purpose savant will refer to one whose gift is due not to choice. Savant syndrome is “having both a severe developmental handicap and extraordinary mental abilities.” Telltale signs of savantism are similar to those of autism, including social issues even in those savants who are not autistic. The signs become much more blatant as the savant is able to communicate more readily with others, allowing their amazing talents to be seen. Their talents include some of the most amazing mental feats imaginable, such as reading two pages of a book at once, one with each eye, retaining the information, and being able to recall it at will. This is the gift of Kim Peek, an autistic savant.
Kim Peek was the inspiration for the movie “Rain Man.” Peeks savantism is partially the result of his interestingly formed brain, where the normal connections between the left and right lobes is nonexistent. Scientists say that this could be the source of his increased memory capacity. He is diagnosed as an autistic savant, but does not have “behavioral autism;” the difference is basically terminology. This means Peek is a savant with social disabilities but does not fit the qualifications of an autistic person; the term autistic is attached only to replace the term idiot savant, which sounds worse. Along with his ability to speed read and remember information, Peek is able to state the weekday of any date you give him for thousands of years. He can recall over 12,000 books from memory and do complex math in his head. The source of these abilities is still a mystery to science, and the methods he uses for these are as well. This gap between Peek’s and science’s knowledge exists because of his social disability; he is unable to explain his thought process.
That gap, though, is being bridged thanks to one man. Nicknamed “Brain man,” Daniel Tammet is the first recorded savant to have no recognizable autism. This is a great asset to researchers because he is the first savant with the ability to explain his thought process. The source of Daniel’s savantism is, like most savants, unknown, but can most likely be attributed to his childhood. He grew up with few signs of autism and eventually outgrew them; he did suffer epileptic seizures as a child, which may have caused his brain to function abnormally. Whatever the cause, Daniel is currently the focus of most scientific research in this field. His blessing is twofold, the first is his lack of autism, and the second is his perception of numbers. He sees numbers not as the Arabic numerals we have, but as shapes, colors, and feelings. To illustrate this, here is a clip from a recent documentary on him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vs6R5YZQ3c (0:00 – 0:23; 1:10 – 1:30)
To us that may be no big advantage, but the fact that every number into the thousands has its own distinct feeling aids his memory greatly; instead of having to remember 19678 as 5 numbers, to him it is one feeling. To us it would be comparable to remembering the number 1, much simpler. Using this strategy the Brain Man has performed feats like memorizing pi to beyond 20 thousand digits. Adding even greater interest to Daniel’s number feelings is the ability to identify prime numbers by their distinct “feeling.” Consider that if the qualities of every number are contained in Daniel’s emotion of it, then how they interact (when multiplying, etc) could be an interpolation of those feelings. It makes his performing mathematical operations very simple and fast. He can actually do large operations in his head, nearly instantly. Additionally his talents reach beyond mathematics. He once learned Icelandic, considered one of the hardest languages in the world, and became nearly fluent in it in just one week.
Not everything is known about Daniel’s method, and it is not likely that it will all ever be known, but his gifts to the understanding of savants and applications to mathematics are far reaching. Daniel is currently working with researchers at Cambridge University, one of which also has the “seeing feelings” Daniel exhibits. This partnership is shedding more and more light on savants and the brain itself.
The tie between autism and savants is not known for sure. One possibility is that they complement each other; the brain formation of children with autism increases their chance for savantism, and savantism creates autistic behaviors. It also appears as though brain trauma can trigger savantism. This is partially Tammett’s situation in that he suffered from epileptic seizures as a child. One other possibility is that the social inwardness of people with autism creates a world in which they can focus most of their brain on one specific thing. This could cause them to greatly excel in that area. The explanation of autism and savantism, probably lies somewhere in a complex combination of genetics and environmental factors, and only future science will be able to deduce that.
Whatever the true cause, it will not lessen the amazing abilities which savants possess. From the amazing skills of Kim Peek, to the scientific insight of Brain Man, Daniel Tammett, comes and entire new way of perceiving the world and information. How do you think they would have perceived this speech?
I like to refer to myself as an oxymoron in a man. I realized this embodiment of opposites one day as I left my school’s technology center to go to football practice. I was a self-proclaimed nerd who played football, among other sports, and I found this interesting. My contradiction of stereotypes did not end there: I was also enthralled with math, yet captivated by photography; I was an FFA officer – a country boy who won contests in FBLA; I was even intelligent and popular. As we began a long practice, the thought left me, but my revelation’s impact has not.
The longer I ponder it, the more I realize my oxymoronic traits play an integral part in my personality. Thanks to my diversity, I am more open to new ideas and accepting of people. I find myself a little more interesting as well. My diversity produces a drive to explore, branch out, and investigate the curiosity I harbor. All these contribute to making me Nathaniel Guy Mahieu.
My personality reflects what I am hoping to achieve during my college years at Washington University. The foremost of my goals for college is to exploit my curiosity, keep it alive, and focus it on my fields of study. I am excited to apply myself and my curiosity to challenges whose solutions can make a difference in people’s lives. I look forward to building a solid foundation for my future family and for my career. Throughout my studies, I will strive to reach my highest potential. This drive to improve myself and my world is the center of my personality.
When my exhausted self left practice that day, I was looking forward to what the future had to bring me and wondering to what stereotype I belonged. I now see it does not exist, and the only stereotype I belong to is my own. This unique collection of oxymorons and contrasting interests is truly who I am. When I attend Washington University, I will bring all this with me: my goals, my personality, my experiences, and my drive. These are what I have to offer my college and peers.
An exclamation of excitement escapes me as my model produces its expected results. Satisfaction, the satisfaction I experience after I have solved a tough math problem or written an effective computer program. This satisfaction is my main motivation to pursue engineering. There are two things that I take great pride in. The first is an intellectual challenge, one which I can overcome and call an accomplishment. The second is the idea of my accomplishments in engineering improving my world.
A challenge of the mind is the most beautiful thing to overcome. I see the challenges of engineering as those, possible, beautiful solutions. Whether improving upon the design of my computer application, or making my mousetrap car travel that extra 15 feet, that solution is the only thing that could invigorate me so furiously. Through the challenge I am given the satisfaction I enjoy. The sheer possibilities which loom in one challenge, this is why the solutions of engineering are so beautiful.
Beyond the satisfaction I derive from those intellectual challenges, I also see the opportunity for my solution to improve the world. This thought is the most exciting view of engineering, and it is this view that fuels my endeavors. Striving to improve my world is the final push I received, setting my sights on this wonderful science. My dream: the satisfaction and excitement of achieving beautiful solutions to beautiful challenges. My reality: engineering and its many challenges and infinite solutions.
Intelligence. It can be called many things and displayed in many ways. I agree with a statement made by Albert Einstein saying “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” This is displayed many times by history’s “greats” including Einstein himself. Many of us percieve intelligence differently. I see it as something that is obtained only through hard work. It is not hard to recieve knowledge, what is hard is creating knowledge. That is what requires imagination.
How hard is it to learn what other people have allready thought out? The truth is, it’s not hard at all. What is hard is discovering new concepts and building on those discoveries to create knowledge. The knowledge of others can easily be taught and learned. It takes those with imagination to interpret and apply that knowledge. The application of knowledge is what breeds “intelligence.”
The so called “great minds” in history, those we consider intelligent, sometimes had very little knowledge. For example, Einstein was a drop out. Being such forced him to rely on his imagination to create the knowledge he needed, some of which had not been explored before. Knowledge is the spawn of imagination; imagination is the grandfather of intelligence, without imagination there would not be intelligence.
How could a kid, only twelve years old, have any type of success or independance at such an age? The answer I found to that question was a venture into the internet, more specifically web development. The creation of web pages was something I could control, something I could learn with almost no limitations because of my age. More importantly I found I enjoyed doing it. These factors have led me onto a path with many places to travel, while giving me the oppertunity to earn some money and enjoy myself, all while creating a bright future as a twelve-year-old.
There were many different things affecting my choice of web development as a hobby, some of which include how enjoyable it was, the potential for massive audiences to see my work and ideas, and the very low cost. It is relatively inexpensive to develop sites and publish them on the web for the entire world to see, and they can be very profitable as well. Developing web pages and applications has been a venue for displaying some of my other hobbies. Websites containing my football stats and digital photography have been well recieved by those who find them.
Because users from other countries around the world have viewed and interacted with my work I have met some very ineresting people, most of whom, have offered me their constructive criticsm. Those I meet through my sites generally teach me something, either about life or coding. This encounter is an adventure in itself, making it all the more rewarding to share my work. In the end many of my online-acquaintances ask me to design a page, or sometimes even a site for them; I do, normally for a fee. This is where my idea leaves me now, with many possible adventures in the future and many under my belt aswell.
Just too important to let go
Through the path, through time’s flow
Within your heart you shall know,
Within his soul your face dost glow
Fleeting here, Forever there
The love of man cannot compare
As our earth may seem a pointless plight
Do not forget, His Heaven still in sight
My favorite achievement, the babbling waterfall I worked so hard to revive at my grandparents. When I was younger I used to visit my grandparents a lot. It was during one of these visits, in the fall, that I saw it. It was perfect, not too wide, fast running, and a bit shallow. It was as if it was calling for something.
The only trouble was getting there. The woods were thin and reaching the stream’s edge was not the problem. The trouble was getting down. The riverbanks were almost vertical, and tall, too tall to jump. After some searching I found two main ways to get up and down. One was a smaller “tributary” that ran from the surface down to the bottom of the riverbed. A second was the roots of a tree, which could be used as steps.
After exploring the area, and finding many large rocks laying around, I returned to the house, where my dad was waiting to take us home. On the short, two-mile trip home, I asked him about the river and the giant rocks there. I knew there were too many rocks there for it to have been natural. I found that he had built a waterfall there when he was younger, and the only visible remnant of it was a giant rock in the center of the stream.
During my next few visits to my grandparents’, I began to search out the larger rocks and lay a line where I thought the fall should go. Construction proceeded slowly until, eventually, I could see rocks above the water level. After that, the work seemed to go much quicker.
Then something I knew would happen, and dreaded, came. It flooded. The river rose up to the tops of its 18-foot banks, spilling over the edges and onto the driveway, all throughout the woods. The water began to flow faster, and with the stronger current, came the chance of my dam being swept away. The river flowed fast for five days. Finally, we returned to my grandparents’ and the driveway was dry.
As I walked down to the river, I thought I could hear it babbling. As I neared, I knew it was still there for I could hear it. I soared with my achievement, and took pleasure in that sound of crashing water.
I still add rocks to the falls today. I have started a second fall about 30 feet behind the first. Now the sound, which can be heard from my grandparent’s deck, is a constant reminder of my childhood and its adventure.