Undergraduate / 'Anna Karenina' - about a book that's influenced you, from any point in your life. [2]

Leo Tolstoy, a well-known Russian writer, who is considered one of the greatest novelists ever lived, has produced one of the finest literary achievements, but perhaps one of his most influential works is Anna Karenina. At the beginning, Tolstoy shows Anna as a bright and energetic woman who was in charge of her own destiny. Towards the end of the novel Anna becomes depressed and increasingly unsure of her situation. She begins to struggle between her passion for Vronsky and her desire for independence. She decides to commit suicide because she mistakenly believes it is the only escape from her unhappy ad oppressed life, by throwing herself under a train. She was smart and brave but was afraid of being alone, and could not handle the stress of losing her place in society. Anna was destroyed by the life society forced her into, but she was definitely not destroyed by her love for Vronsky. Anna Karenina brought a new perspective in my life. It exposed my weaknesses, therefore leading to the exploitation of my strengths. The idea that the strong overcome these obstacles, but the weak are left to live without knowing what is outside the wall of their own imagination further affirmed that I am the master of my own life, domain and that external force should have little to no impact on the way I see the world.

Undergraduate / 'researching and improving artificial intelligence' - (CLARK UNIVERSITY) [4]

Clark University provides an environment that allows new and bold ideas to flourish. Our faculty and students are committed to engaging in a variety of collaborative and individual forms of scholarship and creative work. If you had the resources and the opportunity to conduct a research project or an original endeavor, what would you do and why would this work be important to you?

One of my current main concerns is researching and improving artificial intelligence. This project can be detailed in the sense that it may have many points and sides to consider. For instance, once it's completely programmed and efficient, is it going to do what we have hoped and waited for? Thus, it may seem slightly discouraging to some, but the consequences of having computers that can emulate human thinking may mean the discovery of new knowledge. Already, AI works quietly in the background to improve timing and product quality, but our technology is only based on our coding. My rational ground for its captivation is its popularity. AI is becoming more and more important in our day-to-day tasks, ranging from computer games to management of our personal information. It helps to make better use of information through its increase of efficiency and enhancement of productivity. AI will optimize our machines by making them act more intelligently. For certain problems, AI may be the only solution; therefore it will be a major and important part of our future and advancement as a human race.