What I do.

Hi I'm a consultant in a think tank made up of individuals working with universities, corporations, government and military agencies as well as worldwide organizations and private citizens such as myself,   people from around the world, many of whom are the leading minds in their fields coming together to research and find solutions to many of the problems facing our world today.  The program has gathered together people from many fields to look at problems facing the planet and trying to discern solutions from as many different angles as possible especially seeking to look at them from out-of-the-box perspectives that may not have been thought of before.  It's part of the workgroups belief that overspecialization in many scientific fields has led to severe and dramatic blind spots were solutions may be found and been missed. Using this interdisciplinary process it's hoped that channels of communication will be open between specialists in many fields allowing for new opportunities of informational synthesis to occur.  No more throwing the baby out with the bath water so to speak.  It's important to note when a physicist looks at a black box they see a physics solution, while that same box will look different to a chemist or an astrobiologist.  In putting the three in the same room with the same box and talking together they will learn more about the box than themselves alone, or with others trained in their field. In seeking to take individuals trained in a variety of fields, as well as those who think in different ways and opening a dialogue on a subject may offer up new insights. At least that is the general premise of the group I work with.   Our group is sought out by Universities, corporations, military and government agencies, world organizations, and private citizens, to look at different problems that they may be seeking information about or possibly they may be looking for research on a field so that they can accurately assess decisions which they must make.   An example of some of the projects that we are currently working on involve what and how the effects of the gulf spill and the use of the chemicals involved will have on the ocean and its habitat over the next 10, 20 and 30 years. How does media effect the psychosocial maturation and evolution of the next generation, or looking at how each of the ages of scientific growth {bronze,iron,industrial,silicone, information ages}, has effected society, how will humanity react to this new quantum nano-genetic age waiting on the horizon? Are we ready for where it will take us?  Are we better served by interdisciplinary sciences, or ever more specialized and diverse fields of study?   One project involves looking at the multiple weather anomalies we've experienced on the planet in the last 10 years while another is looking into what the effects of the radiation from the Japanese earthquake nuclear spill might be, comparing it to past exposures such as three mile island, Chernobyl, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and the Bikini island atoll bombings  Another problem were looking at carefully is how the effects of global warming will have on Antarctic bodies, looking at the ice core samples to learn what we can from the geological past.  It's important to mention each of these projects handlers have authorized my mentioning them here, as there existence is unclassified, other projects can be highly sensitive, I wouldn't want to breach any classified material inadvertently.  I should also note how thankful  I am to work with these people, I've said it before being at the right place, at the right time, with the right friends can open some amazing doors, you might never imagine what awaits you on the other side.       I'm also going to school, working on a double major in philosophy, and interdisciplinary Science. I've enjoyed the learning process, but I've been out of school for so long, classes, research, studying, tests, and papers have been a Huge adjustment. Classes being done on the computer, through forums, videos, web conferences, and timed on-line tests has been interesting and the relatively open class schedule in a independent masters program is amazing giving me the ability to focus on areas of interest instead of taking classes I have little to no interest in. Overlooking the subject list for graduation is more than a little discouraging. Yet time passes quickly. I also am really lucky to have a great counselor, who always seems to have time for my fears or questions. Thanks lex.