This is my tribute to EOSC 116. EOSC 116 is a class about mesozoic earth. It describes the climate, life and plate tectonic process from the beginning of life to now with a main emphasis on the mesozoic period. Its taught by three different professors. Not only that, the professor in charge of this course has a red hot chilli on rate my prof (Dr Stuart Sutherland)  😉

I loved this class, and it was by far my best class in all of first year. I dont really know why I liked it so much. Maybe it was because I did so well in it or maybe because I loved the professor so much ( he’s got a scottish accent and he’s funny, its kinda hard not to love him ) or because I just happen to love the idea of learning about something so much bigger and older than me- Earth. I think it was combination of all those ideas.

Legend has it, there is a course, a course thats just perfect for you. Each and every class of that course will be nothing but pure enlightenment. It will be so interesting that your phone ,for once in your life, takes second priority to the person speaking to you. Going to that class will actually be like a wonderful one hour of escape from your everyday boring sad life. When the professor wraps up for the day you genuinely don’t want him to stop ! Each lecture gives you goosebumps ( the good kind, not the nasty ones that horror movies give you ).  Every moment you spend studying for that course is just as good as moments spent sleeping or having a social life ( yes, its that good a substitute to having fun). You excel at this course with minimal efforts ( oh yes, I got an A+ and I dont know how ). Its the course that gives you a massive and earth-shattering nerdgasm.

Lucky enough I found mine. It was EOSC 116. (To think I actually was going to drop that course :O ). Learning about life way older than the human race itself, and mass extinction events cast this humbling spell on me. During the various showers I have taken in my life I have often wondered “whats the purpose of life and me?” and this course bought me little closer to my answer. Life is old and strong. Just earths older and stronger . If you reduce earth’s 4.5 billion year history to a year then:

Origin of the Earth: January 1

Oxygen appears July 25

First mammals December 15

Dinosaurs extinct December 26

On December 31st:
Sumerian civilization 11:59:19 PM
Fall of Rome 11:59:49 PM
Galileo 11:59:57 PM
Columbus 11:59:57 PM

Cool huh ? Thank my prof for that analogy.

And like amazing professor Stuart hadn’t already done enough to make this course more likable than a dinner with my friends, ( I need to find more interesting friends #ForeverANerd ) he added the perfect end to the course, almost as if he was poetically and passionately ending a beloved story. We ended with carl sagan’s speech on the pale blue dot. I had tears in my eyes… well not really, but my EOSC 116 end-of-class-clap was the most sincere and loudest of claps.

Here’s a meme on the pale blue dot to cool things down and let your neuron activity subside to the level of normal internet surfing again. “LOL” #Imsocool ( its okay if you say “not”) 😀