**Review of Second Monthly Learning Colloquium

The second community learning colloquium for the College of Arts and Sciences was held in Cramton auditorium on October 29, 2009. Dr. Harris was the speaker for this event. He spoke about how technology has advance from the dawn of time to present day life now. His speech began with a detailed description of a man named Imhotep whose work dates back to 2300 B.C. Imhotep made many great achievements in various fields. He was the prime minister for the King Zoser III dynasty. He was the co-author of the first medical textbook, an architect, and engineer, and a poet. Dr. Harris spoke about how students should idolize Imhotep and follow in his footsteps.

Another topic discussed by Dr. Harris was the condition of Africa and black people. When our ancestors were taken away from their homeland, they ultimately lost their identity. They lost their name, way of life, and culture. This lost of basically everything still has an impact on black people today because we do not have anything to call our own. The ability to call something your own is a joy that no one should take for granted because it is essential aspect of the black culture that was stripped away from us many years ago. Dr. Harris revealed that despite being held in slavery for many years, African-Americans have been able to make several great accomplishments. By 1912, African-Americans held over 100 patents. Granville Woods held over 60 patents. He sued Thomas Edison for infringement on patent rights. Rufus P. Turner wrote over 45 textbooks on electronic and theory of transistors. Walter Link Hawkins developed plastic on wires. John Thompson developed legos. Garret A. Morgan developed the stop light. Louis Latimer developed carbon filaments to govern the light bulb long burning time.

Dr. Harris discussed how plant Earth underwent a continental drift that separate dthe huge landmass into various continents. A man by the name of Peter created a map called the world projection map that showed equally proportional images that were distorted. He illustrated the Pyramid of Gizah, a very important facet of Egyptian culture. Many Egyptian cultural elements have segues into American culture. The God of the Dead, Osisris, can be found on the American Dollar bill as well as the prescription symbol.

In conclusion, Dr. Harris had an engaging speech that left me with the message that I can be successful in life despite the obstacles related to being an African-American. My ancestors were able to overcome the evil forces that attempted to hold them down for so many years, and I know that if they could do it so can I. I was encouraged to learn from the achievements of my ancestors and keep in mind the great accomplishments that they have made that have shaped history of the world over the years.

Interview with Patricia Noone

My honors composition teacher is Ms. Patricia Noone. She has been an english professor at Howard University since 1990. She has earned a BA and MA. I decided to interview Ms. Noone because she seems to be passionate about her career. Regardless of what field I ultimately decide to enter, I wish to be passionate about my work. I interviewed Ms. Noone in an effort to understand how and why she entered her field, and what led her to Howard University.

What college or university did you attend?
University of Maryland, College Park

What was your major and the courses that you took?
English. But I took many different types of class--astronomy, Earth science, lots of history from all over, piano, sociology, psychology, history of theatre, economics...too many to list really.

What major accomplishments have you made?
Hmmm...well, I have my daughter from China. She feels like my major accomplishment of life!

What inspired you to enter your field?
I love to read. Unfortunately, I learned at the end of the PhD process that the scholarship of English is not really about loving to read.

What inspired you to come to Howard?
I had a friend who taught here and loved it. At the time (and perhaps it is still true) Howard was somewhat unique in the field in that they actually hired people (like me) to teach their freshmen courses as full-time employees, with benefits. Many, many major colleges and universities simply throw adjuncts and part-timers in those types of courses. At the time, Howard was unusual in that they had a commitment to having freshmen taught by full-time faculty.

Did you ever wish to enter another field?
When I was young, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I thought about archaelogy for awhile when inspired by Dr. Jashemski at UMCP in a humanities course. She was a prime excavator at Pompeii. But since that was perhaps the only thing that would have been more impractical than an English major, I did not pursue it.

Interview with Zora Neale Hurston

In 1918, Zora Neale Hurston began undergraduate studies at Howard University. At Howard, Hurston was a co-founder of The Hilltop, the University's student newspaper, and a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.

What college did you attend for your undergraduate years?

For undergrad, I attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., but in 1924 I transferred to Barnard College.

What was your major and what courses did you take during undergrad?

I was an english major at Howard University, but I received a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology from Barnard College.

What inspired you to become a writer?

I was inspired by a professor of philosophy and authority on black culture, Alain Locke, to pursue a literary career.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Nigeria

Present-day Nigeria was ruled by Britain until the 19th century. They declared their independence and became a military ruled country after World War II. In 1994, Nigeria became a democratic nation. Nigeria is a massive country,one-third larger than Texas, of 100 million people, 250 ethnic groups, and 4000 dialects. The first inhabitants of Nigeria were believed to be the Nok people. Since its independence Nigeria has developed into a country with many strengths and weaknesses. Nigeria is Africa's most populated country, and at one time it was a large net exporter of food. Nigeria as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Nigeria has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa and one of the largest and most vocal presses in Africa. The amount of students enrolled in Nigerian schools is more than the total human population of South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, and Tanzania. The literacy rate in Nigeria is one of the highest in Africa at fifty percent.

One of the major problems in Nigeria is inadequate power supply. This and many other problems are responsible for the problems with small scale enterprises. Cancer is a major health problem in Nigeria. The problem involving cancer has been overlooked by agencies that have been advising health projects in Africa. Due to the AIDs epidemic, the life expectancy is relatively low at 47.44 years. Approximately 5.5% of the population has contracted HIV or AIDs. The risk of contracting an infectious disease in the country is relatively high due to this epidemic. Nigeria has a major problem with the transporting of illegal drugs. It is a mid-way point for the distribution of heroine and cocaine to Europe, East Asia, and North America.