Bio Page

What is Biology?

                Biology is the study of life.

 

Elephants

There are three species of elephants on the planet: the African Forest Elephant, the African Bush Elephant, and the Asian Elephant.  They are the largest land animals and live from 50-70 years usually within the weight range of several tons.  Elephants are very intelligent animals with outstanding memory.

Bio Blog

Click on the link to my bio blog to view my responses to material viewed in class.

Bio Blog

Excretory System Project

Click on the link to my Excretory System Project Page to view my project.

Excretory System Presentation



Excretory System Project Reflection

Before we began this project, we were focusing on the human body, starting with the classification of life to cells to organs to body systems, which made a smooth transition into each group's research on  the eight human body systems. 

The purpose of this project was to increase our knowledge of the body systems through project based learning, and through collaboration, sharing knowledge of each of the different body systems with those who didn't research that specific system. Along with the website students will make to show their new knowledge, students will also make a community connection to relay this knowledge and educate the public about their system.

Roles for each of the projects were picked by the groups, which were assigned by our teacher.  I was given the role of explaining the main function on the system and sharing the processes of the system in a creative way.  This role was Creative Media I, whereas Creative Media II showed the problems or malfunctions that can occur in the excretory system.

I am proud of how well I was able to creatively relay information through a program as generic as PowerPoint.  I think I did a good job at keeping it professional and as intriguing as possible.  If I had some other more creative program at my disposal, I would have been able to make a more video-like presentation, which I think would have interacted with the audience more.  In the next project, I'll definitely learn to understand my limits with what resources I have access to, so that I don't end up having to publish my last resort, which is linking to a PowerPoint as my project.  During this project, I found relevance in how important the excretory system is to human function, and does much more than provide relief to the body.  But I think that what I will take away most from this project is the specific function of the organs of the system, and how those relate to the digestive and circulatory system. 

Biology Dissection

DNA Project Reflection

During the content part of this project, we learned about how DNA is analyzed in labs as well as how to identify perpetrators based on these analyzations. In order to be able to determine the perpetrator, DNA must first be processed, which is a four step process. The first step is isolation, which is when the actual DNA is extracted from the cell using a lysis buffer. In class, we were able to simulate this step by swishing a saline solution, such a gatorade, in our mouths. The salt enters the membrane of the cell without bursting it, thereby, detaching the cheek cell and allowing the cell to be spat out with the saline solution into a vial. A lysis buffer, such as dish soap, is then added to the solution. The buffer breaks the cell membrane and allows the actual DNA to exit the cell. In order to make the DNA precipitate out of the solution, rubbing alcohol can be added. The second step of DNA processing is amplification, which is when the extracted DNA is copied numerous times, making it easier for scientists to distinguish between each person's individual DNA. This process is called PCR, or polymerase chain reaction. The third step is separation, where DNA is separated using gel electrophoresis. This process uses a thick gel, which, when exposed to an electric current, allows the DNA to move through the gel according to size. The bigger the DNA strand, the less it will move through the gel. The last step is analyzation, where the results of the gel electrophoresis are observed. This step is simple: the strand that has moved through the gel the same distance as the strand found at the crime scene is the perpetrator. These DNA technologies provide the most solid pieces of evidence that can be provided, and can help exonerate a person who has been wrongfully convicted due to a more faulty piece of evidence such as the supposed eyewitness identification.
Our project was based off of the exoneree Freddie Peacock, who was wrongfully convicted of rape. After serving five and a half years in a prison and eleven years on parole, Peacock was finally able to clear his name thanks to DNA evidence and the help of the Innocence Project. We chose to represent the burden of Peacock's wrongful conviction by having him on his knees, holding up the Justice System in an agonizing position, representing how much damage it had done to his life and welbeing. We then chose to add a pedastal to the project, depicting the double helix strand of DNA, which represented how DNA technologies could take this burden off of Peacock's shoulders. The sculpture was made using a lot of packaging tape, covering the body with two layers and then cutting it off and piecing it back together again to create a to scale human shape. It was definitely one of the more creative and innovative projects we have ever done.
During this project we learned a lot about how DNA can be manipulated, used, and applied to several every day functions. We were able to go through a simulation of a crime scene investigation and process DNA, as well as use toxicology reports and bodily fluids to help piece together important parts of the crime scene. We also continued our studies about the makeup of DNA and it's functions, as well as how it can be applied to other things such as paternity tests. Because of the relevance of this project to such common happenigns in day-to-day life, I was able to really connect to this project, especially when a tangible answer was given because of something as small as a piece of hair. I was proud of how we were able to represent the burden that wrongful conviction has on peoples' lives, because I was never aware of how many people were wrongfully convicted, or event that the Justice System made these mistakes with such frequent occurence. If I were to do this project differently,I think that I would have stufffed the sculpture with something so that it was able to keep its shape better and appear more professional overall. This project was definitely an innovative way to represent the triumphs of DNA technologies and their affects on so many lives, and I enjoyed learning about it in the process.