Posts by Jenny Bloom

Then + Now

People might know me as… the girl with the bright orange bag; that girl with the loud laugh that carries through quiet spaces; or this semester’s editor-in-chief of BlogDailyHerald.

I never thought the most interesting people I would meet in my senior year would be fresh through the Gates. Freshmen. People who were really just kids; who had never known Fish Co., Liquid, the old Blue Room, or life before pizza-in-a-cone. But they kept me from putting my foot out the door too soon, reminded me how far I had come and how far they had to go before leaving. I have tried to give first-years advice so they can find their own paths without getting discouraged, scared or close-minded. (I’m not a Meiklejohn, but I’ve indulged myself with the title of “Meikle-jen.”) Their outlooks, their fearlessness and their enormous hearts have awed me many times over. As I have tried to teach them what I know, they have taught me so much more. This is dedicated to my first-year biddies — always keep reaching higher and wider, but make sure that whatever your achievements are, they bring a smile to your face. If they don’t, you missed something.
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As the semester progresses at the speed of light, the senior class is beginning to make peace with that fateful day in May: Commencement. Until the class of 2012 up and leaves us, BlogDH wants to highlight all the interesting things the class has been up to. To this end, we are (re)starting a series, Last Call, featuring seniors reflecting on their experiences at Brown. Each featured senior will tag another senior for the next installment. Find this year’s other “Last Call” chain here.

Then + Now

People might know me as… a coordinator of Brown Science Prep or that creepy Neuro dude with a beard that already somehow knows too much about you.

Ralanda’s Question: Brown Bares, Spotted at Brown or Brown FML? Is this even a question? Brown Bares, hands down. Expression at its finest. Although I guess Brown FML is a great source for first world problems.

How did you get involved with SciencePrep? I’ve always enjoyed science and teaching, so I decided to join BSP freshman year. Junior year, I became a coordinator of the program because I loved it so much. It’s been a phenomenal experience. Probably my most rewarding one at Brown. There is something extremely beautiful in seeing a student finally grasp an idea, that “Aha!” moment, and this realization that comes with it: “Yes, I can do this. I am capable of something.” Honestly, I love the idea of mentoring, not necessarily teaching facts, but rather empowering people and making them realize we’re on the same level. I don’t treat the high schoolers like students, but rather friends. And this is powerful. People don’t realize the huge impact you can have with words; a simple friendly conversation telling someone they are capable of anything really is enough to make a difference. I have a potential within me to create — to tell a story — and you have that same potential. If I want anything out of this life, it’s to make others realize this potential, discover a passion, and have fun telling their story. We should all being do this. Get out there and mentor someone.

What is your favorite experiment to do? In life or BSP? Probably mixing Mentos and coke. It’s exciting and pretty much sums up basic experimentation: What happens when I mix these two things?

Why neuroscience? I think we’re all striving to understand ourselves in one way or another. For me, science has been an incredible avenue for that. Physics and chemistry can explain the natural world — biology, the human body, amongst other things. I find it incredibly beautiful that we can ask these questions and then through simple, elegant experimentation derive answers. Neuroscience fascinates me because, in many ways, it’s the final frontier into understanding who we are. How does my brain produce a sense of self? What governs our behaviors? At the same time, I love genetics. I’m convinced genes control our behaviors. Well nature vs. nurture, you might say. But nurture is basically epigenetics (fascinating stuff, look it up, I wish I had space to explain), which relies on the underlying genetic code. I also love “genetic trickery.” That is using existing biological systems to manipulate an organism’s genome to investigate a hypothesis. We can now create “knockout” mice that lack a certain gene, and then study behavioral outcomes. I’m rambling. I chose to study neuroscience because people are strange, and I want to know why. [Read more →]

As the semester progresses at the speed of light, the senior class is beginning to make peace with that fateful day in May: Commencement. Until the class of 2012 up and leaves us, BlogDH wants to highlight all the interesting things the class has been up to. To this end, we are (re)starting a series, Last Call, featuring seniors reflecting on their experiences at Brown. Each featured senior will tag another senior for the next installment. Find this year’s other “Last Call” chain here.

Then + Now

People might know me as…The short Chattertock or that musical theatre girl who was in Spring Awakening

Chelsea’s Question: What was the most rewarding part of Spring Awakening this semester? The fact that it actually happened! It started as this crazy idea, and we had no idea if it would materialize or not. There were so many times along the way I wanted to give up and cancel the whole thing, but the cast and crew really persevered. Doing Spring Awakening taught me that with a little dedication and positive energy, you can really accomplish anything.

Chelsea’s (2nd) Question: Literally, what was the best day of your life ever? Chelsea asked this question because I’m one of those people who will consistently claim that something is “the best thing that ever happened to me” or that it is “the best day of my life.” Hyperbolic as it may be, it usually does feel that way at the time! After thinking long and hard, I’ve decided that the literal best day of my life ever was probably one of the days I spent on vacation in Paris while I was studying abroad in London. It started with beautiful April weather, pain au chocolat, and a picnic in the Tuileries Garden and ended with museums and a trip to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. Although this was a wonderful day, I’d like to think that the real ‘best day of my life ever’ hasn’t happened yet (unless you count the day I sang the bungins)!

Tell us about your time recording music for Kidz Bop…I spent most of Middle School and the first few years of High School recording in the studio for Kidz Bop. I ended up singing on seven Kidz Bop CDs, including 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Halloween, and Latin (I know…Latin). It was actually a really cool experience. I was working with a lot of the kids who were either currently on Broadway or had been on Broadway in the past. I sadly got fired from the job by the time I was 15 because I sounded too old, but I’ve still retained my “Kidz Bop Shout” and will sometimes insert it into particularly energetic Chattertocks arrangements. [Read more →]

As the semester progresses at the speed of light, the senior class is beginning to make peace with that fateful day in May: Commencement. Until the class of 2012 up and leaves us, BlogDH wants to highlight all the interesting things the class has been up to. To this end, we are (re)starting a series, Last Call, featuring seniors reflecting on their experiences at Brown. Each featured senior will tag another senior for the next installment. Find this year’s other “Last Call” chain here.

Then + Now

People might know me as… captain of the rugby team, original short-haired Chattertock, Econ 11 TA

Lorena’s Question: If you got the chance to do one thing over from your Brown experience, what would it be? If I could do Brown again, I would do it with a trademark. Some people on campus are just huge characters, you know? My preliminary idea is running everywhere in moon boots, but I’d worry that the tread would wear down too quickly, so I’ll have to think on it…

You play women’s rugby. What’s the worst injury you’ve ever gotten? In March of my junior year I shattered my nose on a teammate’s/opponent’s knee/head. (Even after careful film review, it’s unclear exactly what went down). But I had my nose reconstructed and had four-inch splints sewn through my septum. It was looking great after recovery, and I even joked that the “excuse for a nose job” made my nose look better than ever. But then I broke it again in January at All-American camp and have had some minor fractures since then so now it is forever crooked.

What is something about rugby that you’d never know unless you played it? How empowering it is. Most spectators just see rugby as an 80-minute brawl, or as my dad said once, as the barbarian version of soccer. But there is something so beautiful and primal about the physicality, that someone has to physically take me down to stop me from scoring. Also, rugby is the ultimate team sport. We literally sacrifice our bodies for each other on the pitch, and that creates a bond that is truly unmatched.  [Read more →]

The audio didn’t really come through on our impromptu recording of Brown’s dance group flash mob at the campus celebration for President Simmons, so, for the full effect, play this link to Beyonce’s “End of Time” while you watch the video.

Animals who contemplate the meaning of life? Sounds like a standard afternoon in the Rock…but with furry things!

For those of you who need a little help remembering the concerts, we’ve got you covered. For those of you who need a little help remembering everything else, we got that too.

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Maybe they were jealous that they didn’t take part in last year’s flash mob, but the class of ’15 did good things at the ADOCH Activities Fair. The voiceover in the music subtly indoctrinates prospective prefrosh that “Brown is like the token cool mom of the Ivy League. It’s cool, laid back, and lets you do whatever you want.” Sure, why not? Not totally false. At all.

Despite it now officially being Spring Week, it’s also Monday, which generally does not mean good things. Whether you still have work to get done, a thesis to hand in, or you simply forgot that whole part about this week being a marathon (Happy Marathon Monday!), it was hard getting out of bed this morning. Lucky for you, there are two big events you won’t want to miss and two apps to go with them.

1. For all the ADOCH kids/intruders out there, Bump (Apple / Android) is by far the easiest way to share your contact info with your newly-met friends. All you need to do is open the app, make yourself a snazzy business card, and fist bump your friends’ phones. They’ll instantly have your name and phone number in their contact list so you don’t have to deal with spelling out for the nth time that you’re actually French Canadian… (You get my point.) You can even add your Facebook profile so you can “poke” your 2016 classmates, although that may not be the best thing to do. And now that you have everyone’s phone numbers, you’ll get to find out faster than everyone else where the party at tonight!

2. For everyone else, today is the grand opening of the Fitness/Aquatics Center (the Nelson? the Coleman? the JoFAC?), which means it’s time to get back in tank top shape. With Workout Trainer (Apple / Android / Blackberry), you get timed audio instructions, example videos and customizable sets, all with thousands of free exercises. You can also pick sets to target specific areas, and share (through Bump?) your most effective workouts with friends, just to show how much more toned/awesome you are. Granted, most of the workouts don’t require any gym equipment, so you might as well stay home — but why not go if there’s going to be a DJ?