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=Boricua Science Class Student Work Space=

Student Name:
Lisa Gonzalez

End of Term Reflection
Here are some of the activities we did in class this term: Harper's Magazine ("Boots on the Ice"), Hurricane Evacuation Plan, Designer Babies (GATACA), Genetic Diseases, Evolution Movies/Research, NYT Science Reviews, Punnett Squares, Chemical Bond Diagrams, The Periodic Table, The Birth and Death of Stars

I enjoyed the Hurrican Evacuation Plan because its very important for us to know where to go and what to do in a crises. If we know we wont panic and freeze and maybe lose our life due to it. Another activity I enjoyed was The Science Reviews for I never though I would understand New York Times articles, but I did and I enjoyed it for I got to understand myself better. One activity I found difficult was the Punnett Square because of the letters and finding the percentage and what the top answer and then the bottom one. I found this so confusion. I also found genetic Diseases confussion for what caused it and how the chromosomes might of been responsible for getting the disease in the first place I would need a lot of time to grasp this topic. Computer Class =Less of for computers is a stressor of its own with out having to deal with a stressful subject as science. Videos =More of for I could deal with them and then analyze it to make it make sense to me. Student Group Activities = More of because that is how you understand your peers better by working with them. Evaluations = More of for this is how I know what I am doing right and what I did wrong I could learn from it so I can understand it better next time. I felt like I struggled through the class because it went to fast for me to be able to grasp the material, make sense of it and then be able to put it on paper.
 * What 2-3 activities did you enjoy/learn the most?
 * What 2-3 activities topic did you find the most difficult to understand?
 * Describe how could we improve this course in the future
 * Explain why you enjoyed, or why you struggled through, this class, offering whatever insights you may feel are valuable:

Name of Disease
cystinuria

Symptoms
] The first symptom is intense pain which is caused by a spasm of the ureter and this is where the stone becomes blocked.
 * 1) The second symptom is the blockage of the urinary tract by the stones reducing the ability of one or both kidneys to excrete waste products which consists of fluids and salts.
 * 2) Third symptom is where the stone becomes a site where bacteria can cause an infection.

Genes

 * 1) solute carrier
 * 2) ureter
 * 3) bladder

Cytogenetic Location
19q13.1

Base Pair Sites
38,013,261 to 38,052,511

Community
]Red Hook

Evacuation Center

 * 1) Location – New York Technical College
 * 2) Implemented Plan – I would walk there for waiting for a bus can delay time and cause danger to me.

Your Evacuation Plan
I am scared to think that one day I can get stuck right in the middle of a hurrican. I am glad to know of things such as zones, safty tips and a safty center to go to and a go bag filled with important things. I go to many fairs and at recent fairs they are strongly urging people to take the literture they are offering on how to stay safe during a hurrican. In this literture I read it thoughly and found out I live in a danger zoneA. Living in Red Hook is scary for if there is a flood we would get it for sure for I live near the water. There are many things I can do to stay safe and that is to go to 300 Jay street for this would be my evacuation center that I would go to in case of a hurrican. I called then and found out that they have a plan in mind but to be extra careful on the day to type in www.citytech.cuny.edu and in the corner they will give you updates on alerts. I would meet my husband there in case we were apart for a reason, and we wouldn't wait for a bus or train we would walk down Smith Street to New York Technical College. The reason they have evacuation centers is to keep people from getting more excited and could die from too much stress to the heart. Another reason is to keep people up to date with information on when we can return home and when the storm would be over. These centers are very helpful and everyone should take advantage of them. Another important thing that I would do is pack a Go Bag for this bag would come in handy in case of an emergency. In this bag I would carry extra set of keys, bottled water, can foods, energy bars and granola bars. I would also carry a flashlight, a first aid kit, and stuff for my pet such as food, water bowl and a cage; I would also carry a walky talky so I can always stay in touch with my husband. Another important thing would be extra clothes, tolit paper, tooth brush, soap, a light weight rain coat, a list of all doctors and medicines and addresses and phone numbers of all our doctors. My husband will also write down all the medical conditions we have and any medicine we are allergic to. One more thing that I would carry in my Go Bag are important papers such as a waterproof container and in this container would be our insurance cards, birth certificates and our picture ids. In closing, after making this evacuation plan I feel a little better for I know what to do in case of a hurrican and when you know what to do there is less room for panic and worse death.

#1
A Look at Non Smokers Who Get Lung Cancer This article explains that men have a higher risk of getting lung cancer then women do. This article tells the public that genetics vs. environmental hazards are reasons why men come down with lung cancer. One reason that was said was the reason and also the culprit could be asbestos, certain solvents and of cause other people’s tobacco smoke. Dr. Thun made it clear that people who don’t smoke could get lung cancer, but not to go crazy with worry for people who smoke have a stronger chance of getting lung cancer. The facts that stand out the most for me in this article is smokers are at a higher risk of getting lung cancer then non smokers, Asians and African Americans are at a higher risk of illness and death due to lung cancer and that the most likely culprit of lung cancer is cooking oil. Cooking oil sounds strange to be at fault but it was said that it vaporizes at a high temperature and sends off fumes that flow in the air and into people’s lungs. Lastly, a man who never smoked has a higher chance of dying from lung cancer, but if a man smokes his chances lower to 1 in 5; where as women have a low chance of dying of lung cancer from not smoking where if she smokes has a lower chance to dye from smoking. After reading this article and knowing what I do now about the dangers around me I still feel upset that people who never smoked can come down with lung cancer due to environmental hazards. I am also angry for when I went to the doctor’s and had my lungs tested it came back to me that I have the lungs of a smoker; this would be fine to me if I smoked but I never tried to smoke in my whole entire life the only part of smoking I do on a day to day basis is inhaling the pollution and other things that can be found in my own home. After reading this article I found a chapter in our textbook that matches this article and that is chapter 21 pages 499. The chapter talks about the human cells and how long they became abnormal when a person who smoked came down with cancer. The article tells about people who get cancer from smoking but also about how people who don’t smoke can also get sick from second hand smoke. I found this article interesting because to this day I struggle with inhaling other people’s smoke. Since I was very little my grandparents smoked everyday around me and they were my relatives and this made me angry, but for to inhale a perfect strangers smoke really pisses me off. I already have trouble with my lungs and I don’t smoke. I want to live a long life but to be around many people a day who don’t care blow smoke in my face makes me want to scream at them wake up and smell the air that you are polluting with your smoke. I hope one day that more people will wake up and take a look at them and say what is I doing to myself and others and just stop smoking for life is too short already to waste on a smelly cigarette. ] > I hope one day that more people will wake up and take a look at them and say what is I doing to myself and others and just stop smoking for life is too short already to waste on a smelly cigarette.
 * 1) Summary – [
 * 1) Book Citation – [chapter 21 pages 499
 * 2) Personal Interest – ] I found this article interesting because to this day I struggle with inhaling other people’s smoke. Since I was very little my grandparents smoked everyday around me and they were my relatives and this made me angry, but for to inhale a perfect strangers smoke really pisses me off. I already have trouble with my lungs and I don’t smoke. I want to live a long life but to be around many people a day who don’t care blow smoke in my face makes me want to scream at them wake up and smell the air that you are polluting with your smoke.

#2
An Icy Discovery on Mars, but Where’s the Water This article explains that on Mars experts are confused that they don’t know where the water has gone. The only thing this expert was able to see was ice below the surface. When Huly came they were finally able to conclude that what they had seen was patches of ice under the soil. The weather station also detected streaks of water vapor in the air. The temperature dropped devoutly as low as minus -110 degrees Fahrenheit and it used to be -20. The fact that was presented in this article was “A layer of water frost is seen near the phoenix Mars Lander, but the frost was gone after 6am.” “In July mission scientists confirmed that patches of white seen in the soil near the Lander were indeed ice.” And “Phoenix weather station has also detected wisps of water vapor in the thin Martian air.” This is scary for sometimes it feels like it’s going to happen here for when its winter it feels like we are not going to have a summer any more. Right now Mars is trying to put their puzzle pieces together by trying to find out what happened to the water to keep their planet healthy. Ours, theirs or anywhere on the globe needs several things to keep things from dying and those things consist of food, water and animals/insects to keep whatever you live alive and to stay that way. Dr. Zent thinks that the water layer either so thick or thin that it either the soil sucks it up or it freezes and turns into ice for the moisture of the water vapors has to go somewhere at night, so what it does is it freezes or sinks into the soil. When this happens the meteorologists can’t see the electrical behavior of signs of water so the next thing to happen is for Phoenix to do is to push their electro conductivity further into the soil and nearer to the layer of ice and with this maybe signs of water will once again appear. After reading this article and reading the textbook I feel that this article of the New York Times is so much like chapter 16 page 331 of the science textbook for it deals with Mars and the Mars Global Surveyor and this means the amount of water that is found. I found this article interesting for just as Mars losing water we too are having problems here with the ozone layer and that is we are losing things we took for granted and are losing it due to damage. Due to people’s selfishness we have ruined our planet which is earth. This article that I have read I feel is an eye opener of what could happen if were not more careful of how we take care of the things we love such as life, air and water. Until recently I will hear about what is going on around us about Global Warming and I will just shrug it off but lately I don’t know if it’s because of my age but I am getting very scared that we are not going to be around to enjoy Mother Nature’s gifts and that is water, air and life. > Until recently I will hear about what is going on around us about Global Warming and I will just shrug it off but lately I don’t know if it’s because of my age but I am getting very scared that we are not going to be around to enjoy Mother Nature’s gifts and that is water, air and life.
 * 1) Summary –
 * 1) Book Citation – Chapter 16 page 331
 * 2) Personal Interest – I found this article interesting for just as Mars losing water we too are having problems here with the ozone layer and that is we are losing things we took for granted and are losing it due to damage. Due to people’s selfishness we have ruined our planet which is earth. This article that I have read I feel is an eye opener of what could happen if were not more careful of how we take care of the things we love such as life, air and water.

#3
Bipolar Disorder Tied to Age of Fathers The facts that are discussed is that the older the man is the more likely he is to father children who develop Bipolar Disorder as adults, they found consistently increasing risks as fathers age the higher risk was in fathers 55 years and older and the older the man is the more often his sperm cells have replications the more greater the chance for his DNA have copying errors. This disorder is hard on the mother for she is born and has all her eggs and they do not copy from one to another and she gets older. With the hypothesis of men’s age to the disorder of having bipolar comes into play with a handful of women who get affected by the disorder and pass it to her off spring. This article is very interesting to me in another way because it brings up a question in my mind and that question is” Why do men have a more of a chance to get disorders and some life threatened much easier then a woman would get?” I feel health is sort of sexist for bad health for some reason loves to attack males especially middle age and older males so this is why its important for men to get their annual check ups and ve a complete one at that for in the end it could mean life or death. I also picked this article because I know someone who is very close to me who deals with bipolar. This individual I am talking about is a male in his late 20’s so the article is very interesting to know that this individual I am expressing about might of genetically have gotten this disorder from his father. I found some of the same chapter talks about DNA and a lot in one’s DNA one can tell what their chrematistics on life will be like. One’s description of life they are going to have a certain illness or disease could be found in one’s DNA so if a father or men 55 years or older has Bipolar one might be able to detect it through one’s DNA before actually getting sick first.
 * 1) Summary –
 * 1) Book Citation – Chapter 23 page 468
 * 2) Personal Interest – This article is very interesting to me in another way because it brings up a question in my mind and that question is” Why do men have a more of a chance to get disorders and some life threatened much easier then a woman would get?” I feel health is sort of sexist for bad health for some reason loves to attack males especially middle age and older males so this is why its important for men to get their annual check ups and ve a complete one at that for in the end it could mean life or death.

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