#2 What Are You Passionate About? (freewrite, 10 minutes)

One of the things I enjoyed the most is being outdoors. Whether it is going hiking, camping, or even canoeing, I enjoy the heck out of it. I can’t say that I have tried kayaking but I would love to do that someday. In fact, during the snowstorm this past weekend my wife and I went trekking through massive amounts of snow because it is so beautiful and awe-inspiring. We even took photographs of different perspective of snow and cannot get enough of it. The more and more I am studying this new major other than finance, I am finding myself liking the world of Cryosphere – frozen parts of our world regarding to ice, snow, glaciers, sea ice, ice bergs, ice sheets, etc. This is why I loved being at Grand Teton Range in Wyoming that was filled with snow. Seeing the mountains and breathing the mountain air does my mind and soul good. Actually, I look forward to a weekend at the family cabin in the mountains about 2 hours from where I currently live. Wife and I briefly lived at the cabin for more than 2 months between February and April. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Another reason why I like snow so much is because not only it can be beautiful, it is also very serene and clean – kind of like a clean slate. Sure, it is cold but I rather deal with the cold than hot. Maybe I can link my passion for nature to a field that I could work and wake up everyday looking forward to a cold day at work!

#5 List of Research Topics (freewrite, 5 minutes)

(1.) Is Global Warming really happening?

(2.) How much of the sea level will rise if all the ice in Greenland and Antarctica melts?

(3.) What would happen if the Yellowstone National Park erupted again?

(4.) How bad of the problem is the Polar bear's habitat?

(5.) How clean is our drinking water?