Something interesting to me that goes generally unnoticed from day to day is the design of language and how words are formed.
First, words that sound like what they're supposed to mean shed an interesting light on how the design of a word makes it easier to convey meaning. For instance, the word "stomp" sounds like the noise made when putting your foot down hard on the ground.
the design of word association and meaning is also a very interesting topic. For instance, take Red Bull for example. The word "red" is a very intense word. The color red is often associated with aggression and action. In addition, bulls are aggressive, energetic creatures by nature. Thus, the name "Red Bull" for an energy drink is fitting. Someone who drinks energy drinks needs to be aggressive and focused in their studying.
This week was definitely a nice change from the normal, every day work in SCA 111. Since it was so nice out, we got to do a bit of walking around. Our job was to go to the alumni hall and take observations about the basement library and its layout, design, etc. We made observations on how many people there were, what attracted students to the location, the formation of tables, and what was displayed in the library. Once we dissected almost every aspect of the design, we drafted the layout of the library (which was my job). From this exercise, I've become more aware of the design of my surroundings which I believe will help me pinpoint some possible problems on campus for our project.
We also designed a problem matrix for our final project that I think definitely narrowed down our choices on possible project problems. With the different categories like scope, relevance, etc. we were really able to prioritize what we wanted to accomplish and what we thought would be a feasible idea. After the matrix, we're still leaning towards improving student health.
