YATW Blog Post 3: The End To My Trilogy

Hi.  I am Aaron Watson-Sharer and  I attend Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia,PA. I am writing about what I have learned and done to support the fight against head injuries. You can see my first blog post and my second blog post now! In my first  blog post I wrote about my research.  I found facts and statistics on head injuries and good tips on how to stay safe. I warned people of the real life damage head injuries can cause. I expressed my feelings for the victims who still live with side effects of head injuries. For my second blog post, I wrote about my findings from research; for example,  today NFL helmets are roughly 20% effective towards injuries rather than 100%. I also conducted original research that I used for my second blog post. I wrote about today’s efforts to  prevent head injuries.

During my research, I have found many things that had been done and more importantly what is being done in order to prevent head injuries. Today there have been improvements in awareness and equipment.  Recently  a fundraiser at the White House raised $86 million dollars to  treat and prevent concussions. There is also new equipment.  There are kevlar in helmets to prevent head injuries. Kevlar is commonly used in bulletproof vests. For example, they used kevlar in the helmet of James Harrison in 2012. He said it helped him feel better during and after games.

Previously, the problem was people never batted an eye at a problem.   This is probably human nature; we are not aware of a problem until something happens. This is  the issue with concussions. We don’t care until another victim comes along and then we become more cautious.  Before  people are aware of injuries, they have the mindset “I won’t get hurt”.   Nevertheless, people  must act earlier rather than later to prevent serious injury. All that has been done to prevent concussions will be for nothing if we just wait for the next victim then bring out the heavy artillery to prevent these injuries. Today’s research must be applied to everyone so another  person is not injured or possibly killed.

- In this Image, you see James Harrison, showing off his new helmet, with more lining to protect himself.

Based on my research, I agree with what is being done to prevent head injuries. I’m actually proud of our progress. I have faith that new technology will make a difference. Fundraisers are also important as well as holding organizations responsible. The fund raising can support research  on superior helmets and decrease the cost.   Fundraising should also be used for education to make children and young people aware of the dangers of head injuries.  Together, prevention, education and research can save lives.

For my agent of change duty, I made a prezi to present for my advisory. I presented causes and effect and much more. I spoke about  today’s efforts to prevent head injuries. Then, students made comments and asked questions and I responded. It was a fun process. I’m working on my teaching skills and research skills. I really enjoyed what I did even though it was my back up plan. Original I wanted to do a documentary but I need more experience with the software.  Either way, I hope I helped other students in being more cautious and careful before something bad happens.

I think I’ve made change perhaps for others but mainly myself. This  change is huge. I am an athlete.  Now I focus on how to stay safe. It’s a factor in my playing attitude. In the long run, I not only helped myself but hope I informed and helped others. While I learned important information,  I hated worrying about it all school year long. It was not very difficult if you kept organized and cared about your topic.   I was reminded that one hour of hard work pays off rather than five hours of mediocre work. I also believe this is one of my best projects for my freshman year.

I could have done plenty things better like teaching better than I did. I could have spent more time preparing for my agent of change. I would like to continue pursuing head injuries as a topic of interest. I want to follow up on current changes in both improving equipment and educating kids about head injuries.  Hopefully, more companies will conduct research and the government will require  the public to be  informed about develop of treatment for  head injuries and technology that prevents injuries. As an athlete and teen, I am ready to learn more and help prevent head injuries.

Also “We can’t change the world unless we change ourselves” - The Notorious B.I.G.

Acknowledgements:

- Ms. Dunn for aiding me throughout this project.

- Ms. Siswick for making time for me to present my agent of change work.

- Others