When I was younger, I read a lot of science-fiction. This lead to a desire to be a geneticist. Eventually I realized how much work that would involve and settled on becoming a fiction writer instead.
One of my favorite sci-fi books is “The Mote in God’s Eye.” At one point in the novel, the alien civilization introduces frictionless toilets to humans — toilets that don’t need water for flushing since stuff just slides on down.
What genius! Such a frictionless material could have dozens, if not hundreds, of other possible applications.
So where’s my frictionless toilet?
Nowhere to be seen, yet it’s been over 30 years since its conception. For those of you laughing, just remember that “Star Trek” is thought to have influenced the design of a number of your favorite doodads, including cell phones, PDAs, tablet PCs and MRIs.
Why is it that so many awesome ideas take decades to become reality? And don’t tell me it’s because they’re sci-fi. I’m a fan of hard science-fiction — sci-fi dedicated to scientific detail and accuracy — and much of what is portrayed is quite probably possible.
Some entrepreneurial spirits in our chemistry department have already undertaken the epic project of producing biodiesel — a concept that is quite sci-fi to me.
I ask: “Why stop there?”
Loyola’s Student Government Association has proposed a sustainability garden to be installed near Bobet Hall, and I think that such an enterprise produces a number of new opportunities for Loyola’s science departments to excel.
For example, why go to outside sources to purchase fertilizer for the garden? For this garden to truly be sustainable, Loyola should create its own fertilizer through use of composting toilets.
Human waste, when properly composted, will have no pathogens and few phytotoxins. Additionally, humanure is not as odorous as you would think — though, if this project were undertaken in the Monroe restrooms, who would really notice if it did smell? In 1999, the American Water Works Association estimated that 28 percent of water used by an American household is used for flushing the toilet. This amounts to over 7,500 gallons of water consumed by that average toilet per year.
I think the reason most of these ideas don’t get the attention they should is that people enjoy reading about cool, ground-breaking ideas, but are too lazy to help make these ideas a reality, whether through hard work or monetary donation.
Why don’t we try to make a difference? Why is it that the sciences tackle the really big problems every day, while the humanities just sit back and muse about the same problems and don’t do anything about it? I think this is because some people in the humanities are like me — they started out with delusions of scientific grandeur, then realized it was a lot of hard work, and turned around and ran, tail between legs, to the humanities where they could watch from a safe, easy distance.
But, just because the sciences are big, complicated and scary doesn’t mean that the Jesuit ideal of the well-rounded individual should be ignored. Why is it that my degree program course list only requires me to take one natural science credit? How is this well-rounded?
The humanities are all well and good, writing about saving the world, but the sciences are actually going to save the world, and the humanities should really consider having a long hard think about that.
Kathryn Bell is an English writing senior. She can be reached at [email protected].
