Trying to stay sane and connected
August 7th ISSUE, 2020 | ISSUE 27
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In this Issue:
A Note from Katherine
Social Distancing Network
Campfire Chats
New Knowledge Nuggets
Want to Change the World?
Short Story of the Week
Buzzfeed Quiz of the Week
Kelsey's Book Club
Your Pantry is Calling
Riddle Me This
Solutions from Last Issue
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Happy August, everyone!
I started watching hockey again this past weekend. When our in-person experience was delayed, I was reminded of a comment my roommate made as she watched the game with me:
“I can’t keep track of the puck. How do they see it on the ice?”
I had never really considered that question, so I Googled it. It turns out that even professional hockey players lose track of the puck all the time (see this goal and this goal). According to some helpful hockey superfans on Reddit, the key is actually to stop looking for the puck itself, but rather, to stay attuned to the game by the positioning of everything else: the players, the referees, the camera angles. By looking at the big picture of the screen, fans say they can get all the information they need, and not get stuck tracking down the tiny black puck in all the pixels of the TV screen.
Living through the global pandemic has felt a bit like frantically trying to follow the puck. We must all stay alert to public health directives and other critical instructions, of course, but in my personal experience with the pandemic, looking away from the obsessive details of the news helps me to come to terms with the big picture, just like hockey players and fans keep going when they lose track of the puck.
Sadly, my beloved New York Rangers have already lost and eliminated themselves. I still have hopes for the Washington Capitals, but if they lose track of the puck, I will show them the same patience I’m attempting to show myself. As long as we keep our eyes on the big picture and keep taking steps towards the ultimate goal, it’s okay to lose track of the puck when the world moves a little bit too fast.
-Katherine Viti
4th Year, Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law and Slavic Languages and Literatures
Co-Chair of Echols Ambassadors
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As always send things our way via email
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Social Distancing Network
If would like to introduce yourself through future issues of the Quarantimes, please send your submissions to echolsprogram@virginia.edu
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Shruti Elango
Rising First-year from Chantilly, NC
Prospective Mathematics major, Pre-Med
Two truths and a Lie:
- My favorite color is yellow
- I was born in Massachusetts
- I have 2 sisters
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"A friend and I went to see Cody Ko and Noel Miller for their New Years show in DC to start off 2020. It genuinely was the highlight of my year."
-Shruti
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Akaash Kamdar
Rising First-year from Virginia Beach, VA
Prospective commerce and Statistics Major
Two truths and a Lie:
- I have a turtle named Voldetort
- I work at a minigolf place
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I am a master juggler.
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"I went to a goat farm and it was amazing."
-Akaash
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Anne Brown
Tuesday August 11 at 6:30pm.
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Echols Council presents our third speaker of the Campfire Chats series: Ann Brown! Ann graduated from the University of Virginia in 1974 as an Echols Scholar and as a part of the first class of women admitted to the University! She then went to the UVA Law School where she got her J.D. in 1977. |
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Today Ann is a partner at Troutman Pepper where her practice focuses on commercial finance for non-profit and for profit companies and institutions of all kinds, real estate-based financing transactions and troubled loan workouts. She has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in Financial Institutions and Transactions Law in the 2005-2006 edition, and in Banking Law in the 2006 edition. She represents a number of national, regional and local banks and non-bank lenders, as well as borrowers, in all aspects of secured and unsecured credit transactions. Learn more about Ann Brown
You can sign up to join the chat here. You must register in order to receive the link to join the Zoom chat. As usual, anyone (including non Echols students) interested in the chat is welcome to join so please feel free to share the registration link.
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New Knowledge Nuggets
Help all of us keep learning cool new things!
Send all New Knowledge Nuggets to echolsprogram@virginia.edu
to be featured in future issues.
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"One interesting thing I learned in the past week is that there would be very few negative impacts on the environment and life cycle if all mosquitoes were killed."
Tyler Busch
Rising First-year
To learn more about this hypothetical scenario check out this video
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"Homegrown tomatoes really do taste better! Market-variety tomatoes are usually selected based on economic factors as opposed to flavor. Garden tomatoes are also able to ripen on the plant itself rather than during the journey to a supermarket shelf, this allows more time for photosynthesis resulting in higher sugar and nutrient content."
Tommy Ferrier
Echols Graduate Intern
You can watch this video that goes into more detail about what makes a tomato taste good and why modern store-bought ones are so bland
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Want to Change the World? |
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You are invited to a film screening!
(click this image to watch the trailer)
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On behalf of a group of faculty and trainees in Arts and Sciences, Engineering and the Medical Center, we would like to welcome everyone involved in science, in any capacity, to join us for a free screening of the film “Picture a Scientist”.
This film presents the stories of three women and the challenges they have faced as a woman or woman of color in the world of science. We encourage everyone to watch the film and then join us for interactive sessions where you can reflect on the film, learn to advocate for yourself, find healthy mentoring relationships, and/or become a better ally. For those inspired by this event to work for change at UVA, we will also provide an opportunity for you to meet with others virtually and brainstorm building a community and planning actions for the future.
Today is the last day to register so please don't hesitate!
*You must register to receive an individual link to this event*
Kind regards,
Advocates and Allies for Scientists at UVA
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This extremely short and poignant story by Nabokov describes the lives of a Russian immigrant couple whose son is mentally ill. Nabokov’s language is beautiful, and the characters’ perseverance in the face of a cycle of suffering passes courage along through the story to the reader.
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Buzzfeed Quiz of the Week |
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What's your deal?
The year is 2015. We aren’t in a pandemic. Everyone is living their lives outside their house and I come up to you and ask what Disney villain you are. Yes, we had a previous quiz that determined if you were a Disney hero or villain but now I’m saying you’re a villain and I would like to know which one.
Answer these questions as if it is 2015 and then let me know which Disney villain you are! (I got Ursula just in case anyone was wondering -Mahdin)
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Kelsey's Book club has selected its next book! |
Parable of the Sower
by Octavia Butler
If you are interested in joining Kelsey's book club, email EcholsProgram@virginia.edu with "Book Club" in the subject line.
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"When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others' emotions.
Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny."
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This cake is also called "The Impossible Cake", but that name comes from the flan's magic ability to switch places with the chocolate cake batter as it bakes. The steps for this irresistible Mexican confection are simple, the ingredients are common pantry items, and the most difficult part of the process is waiting for it to cool! Make sure you don't forget to use a water bath to ensure the flan sets properly, and be careful when taking out the pan of hot water!
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- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and coat a Bundt pan with a little butter. Next, coat the bottom with 1/4 cup cajeta and put it in a large roasting pan. (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)
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For the cake: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the egg mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Blend until well incorporated. (*If you opt to use boxed mix for the cake, simply follow the instructions provided)
- For the flan: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for 30 seconds.
- Scoop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spreading evenly. Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Cover with foil and add about 1-inch of hot water to the roasting pan.
- Carefully slide the pan into the oven, and bake 1 hour, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, at least 2 hours.
- Invert a large, rimmed serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, jiggle a little and flip over. Remove the pan and scrape any remaining cajeta from the pan onto the cake, garnish with chopped pecans if that's your thing and enjoy!
*Pro tip* if you don't have cajeta, you can go with a more traditional caramel, it's pretty easy and only requires sugar and a small amount of water. Heres a video that walks you through the steps.
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Ingredients
Softened butter, to coat pan
1/4 cup cajeta
For the cake:
10 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or milk)
*OR
1 boxed chocolate cake mix + the ingredients called for in the instructions
For the flan:
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 14 oz. can sweet condensed milk
4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
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Let us know if you try this recipe out!
Send us a picture of your culinary adventures by emailing it to echolsprogram@virginia.edu and we may feature it in an upcoming issue!
Enjoy!
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Riddle Me this
Send your answers to echolsprogram@virginia.edu, subject line "Riddle".
Respondents with correct answers will be entered into a raffle to win a random item from Kelsey's home! ...we're serious.
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With letters five my name you spell,
Or numerals call them quite as well;
My first 100 you may see.
My fifth just half as much will be.
My second and third will give us four,
and third and fourth will make two more;
My whole is what we all must be
to make us patterns of courtesy.
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Solutions from the Last Issue
Did you miss the last issue?
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Kartik Chugh
Rising 2nd year from Herndon, VA
Computer Science & Econ Major
Two truths and a Lie:
- I've picked up crocheting over quarantine LIE
- I've never gone skiing before
- I can make realistic dolphin noises
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Ethan Marsh
Rising First-year from Greensboro, NC
Prospective Political Philosophy major
Two truths and a Lie:
- I'm a huge harry potter fan LIE
- I’ve never left the country
- I’ve never had a pet
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Lydia Newnam
Rising First-year from Asheville, NC
Prospective commerce major and Spanish minor
Two truths and a Lie:
- I used to live in Washington DC
- Billy Joel is my favorite artist
- I think sharks are amazing LIE
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You are in a room that has three switches and a closed door.
The switches control three light bulbs on the other side of the door.
Once you open the door, you may never touch the switches again.
How can you definitively tell which switch is connected to each of the light bulbs?
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The Answer:
Turn on the first two switches. Leave them on for five minutes. Once five minutes has passed, turn off the second switch, leaving one switch on. Now go through the door. The light that is still on is connected to the first switch.
Whichever of the other two is warm to the touch is connected to the second switch. The bulb that is cold is connected to the switch that was never turned on.
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We will announce the riddle raffle winner next week!
Thank you for your patience!
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Take care of yourself and have a great weekend!
We will bless your inbox this time next week, until then!
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