Josh's Four Years in College Park

Take a trip with Josh down memory lane as he looks back on four magical years in College Park with his friends and confidants. 

Diamondback senior staff writer Phillip Suitts says cheetas are favorite animal

You shouldn't confuse Antarctica's ice gain as evidence against global warming

Global warming has disrupted life in The Arctic, but the same has not held true in Antarctica.

Satellite records show that Antarctica is gaining more ice than it’s losing.

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“If you will, the ozone hole has shielded Antarctica from the wrath of global warming,” Salawitch said.

But this isn’t enough evidence to prove that climate change isn’t real, according to Dr. Ross J Salawitch, a member of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at University of Maryland.

“Antarctica is very complicated,” Salawitch said. “It’s clear from the private record that climate change is happening much more rapidly in the Arctic than the Antarctic. And there’s a lot of debate among scientists as to why that is.”

Wind changes are responsible for Antarctica's ice gain

Salawitch attributes the disparity to the “ozone hole.”

Every September and October, there’s a great amount of ozone in the stratosphere, Salawitch said.

But, he added, wind changes induced by the ozone hole shield the Antarctic peninsula from global warming.

“If you will, the ozone hole has shielded Antarctica from the wrath of global warming,” Salawitch said.

An NASA Study from Oct. 2015 reported the Antarctic ice sheet gained 112 billion tons of ice a year from 1992 to 2001 and 82 billions tons of ice per year from 2003 to 2008.

This causes some to believe that climate change isn’t real.

Salawitch maintains that the evidence suggesting global warming is “compelling” and overwhelming,” and that Antarctica isn’t a good barometer.

Austin Hope, a Ph.D candidate in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at University of Maryland, said it’s importance for people to remember that different regions will be affected by climate change in different ways.

But he did agree that distinguishing between the two poles could be confusing.

“Antarctica isn’t really feeling climate change as much as other regions are,” Hope said. “Some people could latch on to that and say  ‘Oh, it’s not as important, because it’s not global.’”

“I think that does add some confusion or does add some fuel to people who say climate change is not as big of an issue as it actually is.”

Scientists express frustration with Antarctic misconception

Hope also said that people need to look at the bigger picture when considering the impact of climate change.

Antarctica isn’t the only region that isn’t experiencing more warming. In fact, some areas are seeing more precipitation and getting better crops, he said.

“People who argue against climate change also often like cherry-picking examples,” Hope said. “It is frustrating when people cherry pick examples that make it look like climate change isn’t as important or as wide-reaching as it is.”

People in the science community like Salawitch and Hope agree that it’s annoying some attribute Antarctica’s climate as evidence against global warming.

But they aren’t irritated with the public.

The problem goes deeper.

“My frustration lies with the U.S. political system,” Salawitch said. “Not the public. So my frustration lies with the money that’s being given to candidates.”

People with social anxiety more willing to demonstrate problematic Facebook use

People that are socially anxious and cognizant of their self-image are more likely to resort to excessive Facebook use, according to a study published by Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

The researchers, who conducted the study in 2015, attempted to measure the relationship between social anxiety and Facebook use.

The study, Hooked on Facebook: The Role of Social Anxiety and Need for Social Assurance in Problematic Use of Facebook, was conducted by Roselyn J. Lee-Won, PhD, Leo Herzog, BA and Sung Gwan Park, PhD.

They used students at a four-year college in the Midwestern United States.

All of the participants had a Facebook account.

They were measured on a social anxiety scale and for NSA - Need for social assurance.

Social skill model

The social skill model points toward one's need for self-presentation and it's role in one's life.

Since interactions online involve just text, the researchers hypothesized those with poor social skills would prefer to interact with people online.

For them, online interaction is easier than face-to-face conversations.

These people have social anxiety, which is apprehension surrounding one's self-image.

This arises from low self-esteem.

Therefore, those with low self-esteem would relish Facebook's ability to procure a custom image of oneself.

The role of need for social assurance 

It's human nature for people to feel a sense of belongingness.

On Facebook, social interaction, and in turn feelings of connectivity, are easy to come by.

Users can write on friends' walls, and engage in chats with those that are online.

The researchers hypothesized that those with high needs to sustain feelings of security would be more involved with Facebook.

Results

The researches found a positive correlation between social anxiety and Facebook use.

This correlation was found more often in those with high NSA, which was the degree to which one uses Facebook to interact with others.

NSA was found to be more prevalent among adolescents and young adults.

It's influence became less pressing with age.

University of Maryland junior is dependent on cell phone, doesn't think his use is healthy

According to a pew report, 46 percent of smartphones owners "couldn't live without their devices."
University of Maryland junior Karl Griner agrees with that sentiment.

Americans have taken advantage of the unlimited information at their fingertips.

Many Americans (30 percent) use their phones to take classes, and even more (44 percent) use their devices to look up real estate listings.

Griner has felt the pull himself.

"I would say its probably a bad thing to be so dependent on my phone," Griner said. "I don't really know why, but I feel like its unhealthy."

He added he checks his phone about every 15 minutes.

Griner isn't alone, though.

For many people, smartphone use has become a sort of addiction.

"Even if I don't think I have something — a message, or notification, I check to see if there is," Griner said. "I don't want to be missing out on something."

University of Maryland student believes mobile dependency is unhealthy

It's sometimes hard to believe that there was a time when cell phones didn't exist. Not smartphones — cellphones. Nowadays, smartphones — more intelligent versions of those wireless calling devices — are ubiquitous. With a vast plethora of apps for the consumer to scroll through, many people spend several hours per day staring into tiny digital screens.

Karl Griner, a University of Maryland junior, thinks the dependency has reached an "unhealthy" level for some, including himself. He said he constantly feels compelled to check his iPhone, never taking longer than 15-minute intervals between use.

It's an addiction of sorts, one that takes away from quality, intimate human interaction. Of course, having so much information at the tip of our fingers is very new, so it's understandable if we don't always use it in the most productive way.

In the future, humanity as a whole would be wise to ration its cell phone use, while still being mindful of the many benefits the devices provide.

Journalists need to adapt to the journalism industry going mobile

The journlism indusry is changing — that's no secret. The days of the newspaper being a daily staple for American families is in the past.

Now, information is available at our fingertips. Many people are constantly checking their cell phones, and in turn, checking the news.

This is a good thing, according to journalism students at the University of Maryland. Living in the past won't get you anywhere, except out of a job.

Yes, putting together compelling, informative stories is still important. But journalists need to learn to adapt to the changing times.

Even desktop homepages are losing steam; now, everything is done on cell phones. Journalists must produce content that is mobile-friendly. That should be the first priority.