This summarizes the blog posts of Luke Eisenhardt for the class Biotechnology and Art. Over multiple weeks, Luke shared personal details and opinions on topics like powerlifting, alligator meat, animal relations, aging, and Alan Turing. He included original photos and artwork. Luke aimed to challenge conventional views at times, while exploring how biotechnology intersects with his interests in science, art, nutrition, and more. The summary captures the variety of Luke's contributions to discussing these intersecting fields.

1. Luke Eisenhardt
Environmental Science
6-6-12
Honors 177
Victoria Vesna
Final Blog Compilation

2. Luke 4-9-12 first post
Mon, 04/09/2012 - 22:57 | lmeisenhardt
Hello everybody, I'm Luke Eisenhardt. I am a senior environmental science
major. I will be going to Baton Rouge this weekend to compete in the USAPL
national championship for collegiate powerlifting. Although I have been busy
recently, I also have an interest in art, especially creating pieces with stencils or
the use of perspective. Most of the works that I create rely on the use of
computers for editing or preparation purposes. I am aware that science and
technology are intertwined with my ability to create art.
Here is one of my favorite pieces, which I made in high school. It was part of my
concentration for AP art, which dealt with technology.
I was always able to do both art and sciences in my studies from elementary

3. school up through my second semester, senior year of high school. There was a
scheduling conflict between AP Physics and AP Art. I was the only person in
both classes. This separation increased at UCLA. I wanted to take an art class,
even though I knew I would major in science, as it was something I enjoyed. I
found it impossible to enroll in any art classes since I was not an art major.
Luckily, art is something that can be continued outside of the classroom.
I have noticed some people complaining about long walks between north and
south campus classes. Broad and Botany, 2 classrooms which may be the
farthest apart on campus are about .6 miles apart. Really, you should be able to
walk between any 2 UCLA buildings in 15 minutes or less. It's really not that bad.
Take the Bruin Bus or ride a bike/skateboard/razor scooter if it really matters.
The clustering of south campus and north campus classes by humanities and
sciences makes it even easier on you. It facilitates communication within each
group, although not necessarily between groups. I see no need to change this
layout.
The discussion of stereotypes in the lecture video got me thinking about
depictions of scientists who break stereotypes. The first one that came to mind
was Dr. Zaius from Planet of the Apes. He is both the minister of science and
the defender of the faith, a seeming contradiction. Keep in mind that this
depiction comes from a movie, based on a novel, both of which, especially the
movie, can be considered forms of art. Science fiction literature and films is an

4. area in which science and art cannot be separated.
Here is a picture of Dr. Zaius (on the left next to Charlton Heston) breaking
sterotypes of what a scientist should look like and do.
Sources
"UCLA Bruin Bus." UCLA.edu. UCLA, n. d. 0. Web. 10 Apr 2012.
"gmap-pedometer." Google Maps, n. d. 0. Web. 10 Apr 2012.
"Dr. Zaius: Planet of the Apes." Tumbler.com. N.p., n. d. 0. Web. 10 Apr 2012.

5. Luke 4-17-12 Alligator Meat
Tue, 04/17/2012 - 21:21 | lmeisenhardt
This past weekend I went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to compete for UCLA in the
USA Powerlifting 2012 Collegiate National Championship. I did pretty well.
Here’s a link to my lifts if anyone is interested. http://youtu.be/L2o-nZlfa6o
Down in Louisiana, we ate a lot of terrible awesome fried food. My personal
favorite was the fried alligator. My teammates and I began to wonder where this
meat came from and if alligators are farmed. Surprisingly, alligator is more than
twice as calorie dense as chicken or pork and is very lean. Alligators are in fact
raised on farms for their meat and leather. Below are pictures of farm raised
alligators and cuts of alligator meat.
For powerlifting, or any sport, nutrition is very important. My goal was to gain
weight in order to gain more strength and to be at the top of my weight class. To
accomplish this, I have been attempting to eat a lot of food in general.
Unfortunately I got sick and was unable to eat much of anything before my
competition. I cook large meals at my apartment that can last me several meals.
They usually include sizeable amounts of meat. Right now I have a big pot of
turkey and bacon chili cooking.

6. Since I buy all the ingredients for most of the meals I eat, I have some level of
control as to what goes into me. I do not concern myself with whether or not food
is organic or genetically modified. I would rather not think about it while I’m
eating. I think the use of technology to improve the nutrition of food or crop
yields is a necessity for a growing population.
Sources
Corleone Jill, . "Nutritional Facts on Alligator Meat."Livestrong.com. N.p., 2011.
Web. 17 Apr 2012.
"Farm Raised Alligator Meat." Gatorama. N.p., 2010. Web. 17 Apr 2012.
"Gatorama Alligator Farm." Gatorama
<http://www.gatorama.com/showpage.asp?page=farm>
Whitman, Deborah. "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?." CSA
Discovery Guides. (2000): n. page. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.
<http://artsci.ucla.edu/biotech177/reading/GMO_Harm_or_Help.pdf>.
Bittman, Mark. “What’s Wrong With What We Eat.” Video. Ted Talks. May 2008. 15 Apr
2012.
<http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html >.

7. Luke 4-22-12 Animal Relations
Sun, 04/22/2012 - 14:22 | lmeisenhardt
I have always liked animals, but I have not always liked all animals. My family
has always had cats so I have been somewhat of a cat person. I was a afraid of
dogs for many years because of my neighbors. Two memories stand out in
particular. One is my neighbor’s German shepherd coming into my house and
killing my cat. The other is running away from my neighbor’s Rottweiler and also
escaping before being bitten in the ass. It took me until high school stop being
afraid of dogs and actually start liking them. Here's a picture of my cat, Pixie.
Over spring break, I went to the Los Angeles Zoo. I found out, to my surprise,
that one of the orangutans had diabetes and another had cerebral palsy. Zoos
are somewhat bizarre places. You can see exotic animals from all over the
world. Sometimes I feel bad for the animals since they are prisoners in a way. I
have decided that they are no more prisoners than pet cats and dogs are. I think
these relationships are beneficial for both the human and the animal. here is a
picture of the big orangutan from the LA zoo and a picture of a siamang, who
yells loudly when it is time to eat.

8. Without getting too much into animal genetics issues, I would like to state my
general opinion. Genetically modifying animals to benefit humanity is no worse
than raising them for slaughter.
I did not really care for the Strange Culture movie, however I was invested in the
artist’s fate. I was happy to learn that charges were dropped and we went free.
Los Aneles Zoo and Botanical Gardens. <http://www.lazoo.org/>
Siamang. <http://www.lazoo.org/animals/mammals/siamang/index.html>
UCtelevision. Animal Biotechnology
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCIvAuwaf-o> July 25, 2008.
Lessan, Lynn. Strange Culture. <http://www.strangeculture.net/ >

9. Luke week 4
Mon, 04/30/2012 - 16:53 | lmeisenhardt
This week we saw Noa's pollen exhibit as well as her dust bunny sculpture in
progress. I don't really have much else to say as I'm working on the midterm this
week. I did have some ideas for the pollen exhibit. On a practical level, it must
cost something to replace all that honey that gets used. A shallow glass bowl
could be placed under the pollen allowing the honey to be recycled, rather than
just make a mess on the floor. I think it would also look cool to see the pollen
floating in a pool of honey as it begins to fill up. As for the dust bunny, I really
liked how we viewed it. Being forced to go through it makes you feel shrunken
down and really gives you a sense of the messiness of the dust bunny. Although
it may be appropriate in a corner of a room, it is more effective when it blocks
your path.
Also can someone please explain to me the ethical argument against sugar and
coffee?

10. Luke Medicine and Anatomy wk 5
Sun, 05/06/2012 - 23:43 | lmeisenhardt
I am not sure if we are supposed to blog about anything this week due to the
midterms, but I did not really talk about medicine last week and will do so now.
I think that depicting the human body is the area where biotechnology and art are
the most clearly related. Art is absolutely essential for visualization of anatomy.
A complete understanding of anatomy is also essential for medicine and helpful
for other purposes such as fitness.

11. The techniques of displaying anatomy have evolved over time with technology,
but it has not been until very recently that we have made significant advances.
X-rays, CAT scans, and MRI’s have all allowed us to see the inside of the human
body without having to cut it open. Early anatomy was achieved through
dissections and drawings.

12. The lecture mentioned the exhibit Body Worlds as well as the Visible Human
Project. I have seen the Body Worlds exhibit at the LA science center by USC.
They had done their own version of the human visualization project where you
could view actual cross-section slices of human. I would think that the visible
human project is unnecessary because of CAT scan technology, but apparently it
discovered previous anatomical errors which had been perpetuated.
Sources
Vesna, Victoria. UConlineprogram. “Medicine”. April 21, 2012.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk&feature=youtu.be>
Muscular anatomy diagram.

13. <http://bodychallengefitness.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/anatomy.2...
Man holding skin drawing.
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Anatomia_del_co...
Body Worlds picture.
<http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3095/3156150094_5e70f21ffd_z.jpg>
National Library of Medicine. “Visible Human Project.”
<http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/visible_human.html>

14. Luke week 6 Aging
Sun, 05/13/2012 - 20:51 | lmeisenhardt
I attended the exhibit on gray hair at CNSI on Thursday. I was slightly amused
by it, especially the birthday cards and the wall full of insults for old people such
as “coot” and “old goat.” I am not sure exactly what the intent was of certain
parts of the exhibit, but the wall of insults, rather than having a museum of
tolerance feel to it, instead conjured up this image of Abraham Simpson.
The exhibit did, however, make me realize how frivolous worrying about gray hair
is. Hair dye is available for relatively cheap, so why not use it if it matters to
you? Instead of worrying about gray hair I worry about other age related
ailments. One’s reaction time and explosive power peaks in the mid twenties, an
age I am fast approaching. I read that the average NBA player’s productivity is
highest at age 25. Fortunately for me as a powerlifter, strength peaks later in life,
during the mid to late 30’s.
Compare Usain Bolt who’s best 100 (so far) came at the age of 22 and Ed Coan,
a world championship powerlifter who’s best meet occurred at the age of 31.

15. I would like to leave everyone with one of my favorite of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. It
tells about how god is deciding how long several animals should live and how
long man should live, initially giving each 30 years. The animals do not want to

16. live long difficult lives, but man wants to live much longer. “Thus man lives
seventy years. The first thirty are his human years, and they quickly disappear.
Here he is healthy and happy; he works with pleasure, and enjoys his existence.
The donkey's eighteen years follow. Here one burden after the other is laid on
him; he carries the grain that feeds others, and his faithful service is rewarded
with kicks and blows. Then come the dog's twelve years, and he lies in the corner
growling, no longer having teeth with which to bite. And when this time is past,
the monkey's ten years conclude. Now man is weak headed and foolish; he does
silly things and becomes a laughingstock for children.”
Sources:
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. “The Duration of Life.”
<http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0173.html>
Aging and exercise. <http://www.sportsci.org/encyc/agingex/agingex.html>
Old Man Yells at Cloud picture. The Simpsons.
<http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/bawanaal/homer8.jpg>
Usain Bolt picture <http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-
images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2010/5/14/1273852...
Ed Coan picture <http://www.criticalbench.com/images/edcoan.jpg>

17. Luke Alan Turing Project
Configure
Tue, 05/22/2012 - 19:40 | lmeisenhardt
Going along with what John posted earlier about a newspaper featuring fictional
articles, I will create a fake WWII propaganda poster supporting Alan Turing.

18. Summary
Here are all of the blog posts I did for biotechnology and art. My personal favorites are the ones
on aging, animals, and the introduction. On each of these I feel like I got to share something
with the class, whether it be an original photo or artwork of mine or a story from my childhood.
I tried to push the limits in my topics and attempted to create some controversy. I think I
succeeded in presenting a challenging view to conventional thought, however in this class I feel
that there is no out of bounds. I enjoyed exploring my thoughts on these topics and adding some
insight to biotechnology and art.