Tuesday, March 27, 2012

University of Oklahoma Student On The Path To Academic Greatness



J.C. Fischer is a student at the University of Oklahoma currently taking 18 hours in fourth semester, and is already credited for 83 hours.
He has three majors: finance, accounting and religious studies.
“I was originally a business student because it was practical and also something I was interested in. But after a couple electives, I added religious studies because I am very intrigued by how people think and what motivates them to think that way, and I think that having that knowledge will help in my professional career,” Fischer said.
He plans to graduate with all three majors in May 2014.
At Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, Texas, he earned an A in every class that he took. He has earned an A in all college classes but one. During a group project, he was unaware of plagiarism within his group and it caused Fischer to obtain a B in his MIS class.
He is naturally a very competitive person, and he says it is a big reason why he takes on such a heavy course load.
“It’s important to me to score higher, or as well as, everybody on just about everything; which is what drives me to take more classes or to do well on different projects and assignments,” says Fischer.
When he’s not fulfilling his need to compete with achieving in school, he finds the time to go to the Huston Huffman Fitness Center and play basketball - his favorite thing to do.
“I spend most of my free time up at the Huff, that is the rec. center, playing basketball or working out. It’s a good place where I can interact with people and make some friends, and also get some competition on the courts – running up and down every night,” says Fischer.
Ryan McClanahan is Fischer’s friend and roommate for the last seven months. He notices Fischer’s competitiveness first-hand whenever they go to the Huston Huffman Fitness Center.
“When J.C. isn’t in class because he has so many hours that he takes, we normally go to the Huff and play basketball,” McClanahan said, “He gets really competitive – that’s just his nature. He hates losing and he always wants to win whether it’s playing cards, or basketball or at school.”
Fischer also goes to the gym about three or four times a week. He has a workout routine that he says takes about an hour and a half each day.
John Spoon is Fischer’s workout partner and accompanies Fischer through every workout. He says the same motivation he has in the classroom carries over into the gym.
“His drive to get in shape motivates me and we kind of feed off each other in that sense,” says Spoon, “He is constantly striving to be in superior physical shape.”
In addition to being a competitor, Fischer says he takes so many classes because he really enjoys learning new things and being a student.
He is a member of the JCPenney Leadership Program on campus with the Price College of Business. According to the program’s website, it “provides high performing undergraduate business students with opportunities to develop their leadership potential through a variety of learning experiences and interactions.”
He plans to study abroad in Italy over this summer to see the world and further his educational experience. 

J.C. Fischer in his fourth semester at the University of Oklahoma. He has three majors, 83 hours credited, is taking 18 hours this semester, and will graduate in May 2014.

SLIDESHOW: Zach Machen RUNS: 1:42

Monday, March 5, 2012

Researchers Address Climate Change Controversy

 
The Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, where climate change is addressed through a Presidential Dream Course titled "Earth, Sustainability and the Economy."






The climate change controversy has been talked about at length throughout the scientific community despite having its share of skeptics.

Climate change advocates point to global warming as its main cause. Global warming attributes the rising temperatures in the oceans and atmosphere to the human activities of burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. The skeptics do not believe that mankind has made a significant impact.

Dr. Berrien Moore, Dean of the University of Oklahoma's College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, believes the burning of fossil fuels by humans continues to have a great effect on the atmosphere and the waters.

"When you burn fossil fuels, you ever so slightly decrease the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, Moore said, "The big question of the climate is how it will change the distribution of water."

The Presidential Dream Course "Earth, Sustainability and the Economy" presents a series of lectures, including one done by Moore, on the topic at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History in the Robert Kerr Auditorium.

Dr. Jorgen Randers, professor of climate change strategy at the Norwegian School of Management, lectured Feb. 28 titled "The Limits of Growth - 40 Years Later," and believes the skeptics have no case once they look at the facts.

"The scientific community is in total agreement that [average temperature] is going up," Randers said,  "The climate change skeptics disregard history."

The Environmental Protection Agency researches climate change, and set up a website for the public to obtain more facts on the matter at: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/.

Dates and times for the the lectures of "Earth, Sustainability and the Economy" can be found here: http://www.snomnh.ou.edu/calfilter.php?series=Lectures.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

My Slideshow

Owen Field is home to the Oklahoma Sooners during the college football season. It's loud and packed with people each game day, but it's a much calmer place during the spring.
VIDEO: Zach Machen, Runtime: 1:45