Russell Investments

On my last day going on an excursion with the unit, I explored NYC for the last time during the course of the two weeks where we went to the MetLife building but more specifically Russell Investments. We had learned about many things ranging from investing one's money, trust funds, bonds, stocks, hedge funds, etc. We learned that Russell investments is a investment management firm. This means that when people invest their money they can either take a risky or steady route. If they take a risky route then Russell must then find a manager who is offering a good returns rate per year. This means that the person will invest their money in certain things hoping to make a large return as fast as possible. The job that Russell investments conducts is finding a credible manager that will essentially guarantee a large returns to scale.

Newark Museum

Due to a track meet, I was unfortunately not able to attend the Newark Museum. However, my unit group had told me that it was very interesting so I began to research about the museum in case I decide to go on my own in the future. There are three main sections to the museum which are the South Wing, the Main Building, and the North Wing. The South Wing not only contains any questions a tourist might have about the museum but also an auditorium. The Main Building ranges from antiques to the main dining area to a modernized garden display of nourishing senses. Lastly, the North Wing travels back into the 18th/19th century in order to take a look at art and its purpose though exhibition. There are 3 floors to this famous museum with seasonal galleries that change all the time. If you are a person who appreciates the essence of classical and modernized art then the Newark Museum is the place for you.

Water Treatment Plant

Today our unit travelled to Somerset to visit the water treatment plant which is controlled by American Water. A water treatment plant is a thriving business as it can barely keep up with demand. After visiting the water treatment plant I learned that they are doing their best to keep up with the business by constantly attempting to improve/renovate their facilities. They are constantly adding water circulators which are very large water cleaners at a price tag of in the hundreds of thousands. There is a lot of upkeep to a plant like this because if one thing goes wrong then it affects millions of people. For example, when a 60" main broke at the facility people in nearby counties began to panic because they had no water. I found it interesting how the treatment facility took water from the Raritan river, which is considered to be pristine water in NJ, and filters it through a mega-sized tub, (which is one way to look at it) and makes it into clean and spectacular water for the public to drink. Without a water treatment plant like that in Somerset, the American people would be drinking cancerous water which is unacceptable. Therefore, this plant does the best it can because in the future there will eventually be a shortage of water in which it is possible that the treatment plant will not even be able to manufacture fresh water at a rate fast enough to satisfy the public.

The Metropolitan Museum

Our unit's next stop was to, once again, travel back to New York City in order to learn how the Metropolitan Museum of Art operates. I learned that the Metropolitan Museum has a lot of history as it was first established through a connection back in 1866 in Paris, France. For its time, the Metropolitan Museum was the first national prestigious art gallery. Its purpose was to be founded in order to enrich the education of art to the American people. Its first exhibit was what I had first visited today which was the old Egyptian exhibit. The Museum had started off with one sarcophagus and then grew larger and larger to what it is today which makes up for one full exhibit. My favorite part of the Museum was the Egyptian exhibit because it brought a sense of culture and physical aspects to the Museum. Later on, the Museum expanded with European paintings, an American exhibit, fine dining in the 1800/1900's exhibits, etc. to become a massive museum full of many riches today.

Guitar Factory

The Martin Guitar Factory in Pennsylvania is a popular guitar factory in that many people visit. There are many cool attractions in the Martin Guitar Factory such as the 1833 shop, and the Pickin' Parlor which is a very rare place where people can play not ordinary guitars but some of the most high end and limited/special edition guitars in the world which occurs in a private room. This factory also enforces the appreciation of music by Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson in order to recognize their influence in the world of music. The Martin Guitar factory brings together a class and wealth of music, history, and culture. This factory has over 200 vintage instruments to observe. The only part I regret is that I was not able to make it because I had a track meet and my family has always been surrounded by music our whole lives and it is something that we take as a serious hobby.

Liberty Science Center/Surgery

Our unit went to the Liberty Science Center where we observed many cool and interesting exhibits. We saw the robot that can solve any rubik's cube in a world record time which was very appealing to the younger crowd but what is most interesting is the mechanical engineering behind it and the time it must have took to perfect. I then went to the animal exhibit where I observed a rare breed of species of monkeys. My favorite animal was the alligator snapping turtle, the largest of the snapping turtle family, because of its massiveness and prehistoric look. Later we returned to the bottom floor of the Liberty Science center where we went into a media room to observe Dr. Brown conduct a mitral valve surgery. This was a very rare and once in a lifetime opportunity since we were able to communicate with him live. Out of the experience, I had learned that a mitral valve acts as a dual systematic valve that is in the heart that lies in between the left atrium and left ventricle. This is a very important part of the heart because it controls the flow of the blood.

Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute

Today our group traveled to the Morristown Cardiovascular hospital: The Gagnon Cardiovascular institute. Here, we had met with several people but most importantly Dr. Brown whom is the chief heart surgeon at Morristown and is ranked among top ten over the years for the state of New Jersey in his profession.

Dr. Brown is a very important and/or vital part of the hospital community. It was very nice of him to take time out of his schedule for us because I understand how valuable his time is. He took us on a tour throughout the hospital and showed us many areas including the brand new and redesigned rooms that the patients sleep in and the recovery area. The recovery area was sad to see at first until one realizes that all of those people are being helped from what they were before the surgery. Something interesting that Dr. Brown had said is that they are constantly adding multiple wings to the building because they can not even keep up with the demand since the number of patients coming in continues to exponentially grow. Later we saw a P.A and a perfusionist. I found the perfusionist to be very interesting because he explained how he loved his job due to the fact that he is not only hands-on but also uses his mind. I learned that he pumps the blood away from the heart, oxygenates it, slows the heart down until it stops so that the large machine can temporarily act as the heart so that the doctor can then conduct any surgery he pleases. Later that day, we went hiking in a local county park where we overlooked a beautiful view of the valley and visited beautiful waterfalls. We continued back to school while getting ice cream which made for another relaxing and interesting day. Tomorrow we will see cardiovascular surgery up close which I am very interested to see as I plan to become a doctor myself.