Mind powers: studying the inexplicable
Parapsychology, or the study of psychological phenomena, has its skeptics. But it also has a body of scientists, professionals, and institutes who devote their time to researching and supporting it.
“The science behind parapsychology is one that has a lot of controversy behind it,” said Andrew Nichols, the director of the American Institute of Parapsychology.
Parapsychology is the study of unusual events associated with human experience, including telepathy, psychokinesis, and near-death experiences.
Too many volunteer heroes?
“Travel this summer with [International Student Volunteers (ISV)],” reads the multicoloured chalk letters on the brick walls of the Unicentre.
Melanie Moller, a second-year journalism student at Carleton, did just that. But the picture of volunteering that was painted for Moller was much different than what she saw when she arrived in Puyo, Ecuador in May.
Information overload: Data distractions
Jeffery Satchwill, a fifth-year communications student at the University of Ottawa, gets all his news on the way to work from his iPad, a tool to access the plethora of information virtually within his grasp.
“I like it in the sense that it allows me to instantaneously fill my natural curiosity,” Satchwill said. “To be able to access the Internet anywhere I go is pretty remarkable and useful.”
He said his only concern is relying too much on technology. And he’s not alone.
Information overload: Infographics
From a map of the local transit network to a graph displaying a cellphone’s monthly usage, information graphics have become a regular part of people’s lives.
Infographics have been around for thousands of years, with cave paintings being the earliest example, but they haven’t always been well-received.
“Most people in the past have shunned infographics,” said Larry Weldon, a statistics professor at Simon Fraser University. “Now they’re seen as a great way to communicate a message.”
Energized: Energy drink regulation in Canada
Whether it’s in the form of coffee, tea, or energy drinks, caffeine has been used as a study aid for years.
“It’s because students procrastinate,” said Layla Cameron, a fourth-year journalism student. Energy drinks can always be found around Carleton’s library, Cameron said.
