Notes from a Curious Mind
Whenever I’m asked to select a certain number of words that best describe job applicants, I automatically think about which terms would apply to me. But I never found the one word that would best describe me. Until my daughter’s partner called me “curious”, and it struck me that having a curious mind has been a driving force in my life, from spending the money earned from my paper route as a teenager on popular science books to changing careers from chemistry to medicine to reference publishing to teaching, research, and writing. The essays and narratives I will post on this blog spring from this lifelong curiosity, including the results of my research projects. They are, of course, personal, and I don’t expect everyone to always like what I write or agree with my opinion or point of view. Still, I hope you’ll enjoy the variety of topics and the insights provided.
“Pulling out and hoping for the best” – Advice from female students on how to prevent pregnancies
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As part of my survey “Why do students have sex”, I asked female respondents whether they used birth control regularly. Respondents who selected ‘No’ were asked, “How do you prevent pregnancy?” as a follow-up question. More than 700 students provided information, with 60% using condoms, 10% some form of abstinence, 10% Plan B on its own or combined with other methods, and 20% variations of ‘pull-out’ methods. There were also some rather unusual answers and a few that sounded more like respondents trying to educate me about contraception. For some reason, quite a few students who had not yet engaged in vaginal intercourse responded, and an unexpectedly high number of lesbian students commented even though they stressed that they were not engaging in intercourse and, thus, not at risk of becoming pregnant.
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“Good times lead to good feelings” - Being out with friends encourages students to meet someone and engage in casual sex
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My surveys exploring student health and sexual behavior found that 40% of students hadn’t gone out at all during the past seven days, 33% one night only, and barely 6% four nights or more. Nevertheless, those who went out were looking to have fun and maybe find someone for one night or more. After all, “[e]veryone is just trying to have a good time and no one wants to go home alone, again, this is a small college.” (heterosexual female, 20, junior).
Students responding to my surveys expressed generally positive attitudes toward having a good time. Almost three-quarters (73%) thought that college students are more likely to engage in casual sex than non-students, and 48% said being out and surrounded by friends makes it more likely to meet someone and engage in sexual activity. The majority of students emphasized the advantages of going out with friends over going out on their own or staying at home. Many of them were open about the fact that sexual activity may be on the cards in this situation or is the sole motivator for going out. Continue reading... |
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“I however can not remember, if water is a chemical substance.” The challenge of teaching science college courses
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Teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) courses at two- or four-year colleges has always been challenging. Even before COVID-19, many students arrived unprepared for freshman-level STEM courses. The reasons vary from individual to individual, but some common factors I identified for students in my Anatomy & Physiology (A&P) classes were:
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The rise of bisexual Gen Z students
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“I met my current boyfriend last year at a party, we’ve known each other and had a sexual relationship for about 7 months before officially dating. I met my girlfriend at a festival and we’ve been dating for about 3 months.” (bisexual female, 22, senior)
Let’s start by reiterating that the term ‘sexual orientation’ refers to an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, both genders or none. Continue reading... |
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Getting drunk isn’t always just care-free fun
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The two main reasons often put forward to explain increased alcohol consumption in social settings are ‘beer goggles’ and ‘liquid courage’. Beer goggles is a colloquial term used to describe the phenomenon where a person's perception of physical attractiveness is supposedly altered or distorted after consuming alcohol. When someone is under the influence of alcohol, their judgment and inhibitions can be impaired, which may lead them to perceive others as more attractive than they might appear when sober. This perception shift is often used humorously to explain why someone might find a person attractive at a party or social event. However, upon sobering up, their perspective on that person's attractiveness changes.
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Sometimes sex is better than exercise
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“needed to relieve stresses from school and life. sex was an easy outlet. exercise wasn't doing it.” (female, 20, sophomore)
Sexual behavior varies significantly due to factors such as sexual orientation, age, cultural norms, religious beliefs, personal values, and societal expectations. The internet has drastically altered the landscape of sexual behavior over the last two decades. Moreover, the internet and digital technology have made it possible for people to engage in sexual behaviors like sexting. Continue reading... |
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To wait or not to wait - that is the question. Is it nobler to wait or have sex on the first date?
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“I dont wait. No one has time for that.” (millennial male, 20, junior)
Gen Z students may be less sexually active than millennial students, but they’re quicker off the mark. Only one-third of millennials responding to my survey engaged in sexual activity with a new partner within the first month, with 4% saying it happened on the first date or the first time they met someone, 12% waited a week or two, and 20% waited between two weeks and a month. On the other hand, one-half of Gen Z students engaged in sex within the first month of meeting a new partner. Six percent were already active on the first date, 20% within a week or two, and 23% after two to four weeks. Millennial students were more likely to write that they generally didn’t have a set timeframe and that their decision to become sexually active with someone depended on various factors (15% vs. 7% for Gen Zers). Continue reading... |
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What type of natural disaster has a greater impact on students’ mental health – chronic or acute?
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“I was in a shooting in high-school and then covid and then the hurricane. You can imagine the impact and wanting to move out of Florida.” (female, 20, senior)
Due to its location in Southwest Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is no stranger to dealing with the impact of natural disasters. Since 2004, four hurricanes and several tropical storms have passed through our area, causing disruptions and temporary class cancellations. Continue reading... |
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Want to earn your degree? Get enough sleep, eat breakfast, and stay away from fast food
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As a group, college students are surprisingly understudied regarding their health behaviors and habits and their impact on students’ academic success or failure. Various surveys collect data on students during primary and secondary education (K-12). For example, the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consists of a set of surveys that collect data from students in grades 9 through 12 every second year. However, once young adults leave the K-12 system, they cannot be reached easily anymore. Therefore, it doesn’t surprise that most published research on the correlation of eating habits and associated GPA/grades has focused on students in Pre-K through high school. On the other hand, there are only a limited number of studies concerning college students.
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Fall 2020 – the COVID semester that pushed faculty and students to their breaking point
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After COVID-19 had been declared a national emergency on March 13, 2020, more than 1,300 colleges and universities in all 50 states canceled in-person classes, closed their dorms and campuses, and switched to online-only instruction. Students were forced to move back home or to find alternative accommodation. The switch to remote teaching created substantial challenges and struggles for many. Faculty also struggled with the impact of pandemic-related restrictions on their personal and professional lives; many had to go from in-person to online teaching with no training and often no or only scant support from their institutions.
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Chamomile – The herb that keeps on healing
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2020 was a true annus horribilis. In the middle of the COVID-19 lockdown in Spring, I had a tooth abscess that required a root canal treatment and replacement of a bridge. Four weeks later, I had another tooth abscess that required a root canal treatment as well, plus the replacement of a crown. To make matters worse, my immune system reacted to the bacterial infections underlying the tooth abscesses by developing huge wheals all over my body that itched like crazy. Once they were gone, I had an accident cleaning my pool cage and deck, causing a Lisfranc injury with torn midfoot ligaments.
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