Hongli Yang

My major is Earth Sciences, which is the study of the Earth and its neighbors in space in a broad aspect. It combines geology, the principal earth science, with oceanography, meteorology and astronomy to understand the forces that have created the universe. Scientists use their knowledge of the Earth to locate and develop energy and mineral resources. Some study the impact of human activity on Earth’s environment and design methods to protect the planet. Others use their knowledge about Earth processes such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes to plan communities that will not exposes to people to these dangerous events. The reason why I am interest in this major is that I can use my knowledge to do something really helpful to the society. Besides, it is always good to how the environment has changed over time and how can we deal with the changes in a more scientific way. Currently, I learn some techniques such as Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing to do some analysis for my projects. We use Arcmap and ERDAS IMAGINING software to analysis dataset. What I enjoyed most part my major is that I can use those techniques to observe Earth and see how the world has changed by using Landsat imageries and Lidar dataset, etc. I can apply my knowledge to many fields, such as water science, urban development, land cover change, vegetation, and so on. With GIS technique, I can do maps like google maps, vegetation maps, soil maps, and so on. GIS is a really practical and helpful tool for many fields in reality. It not only serves the environment analysis but also human development. My current goal is to learn more knowledge about my major and do as many as projects as I can to get some experience as a student. My future goal is to be a professional in my field and do as much as I can to contribute to the environment and also the society.