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=Boricua Science Class Student Work Space=

Student Name:
Tatiana Susol

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 truly enjoyed the Science Times Reviews, since I was told about having to do reports on the Science Times I have been continually reading the paper on Tuesdays. I also particularly enjoyed the extinct shark. I thought it was very interesting, and I went home and did my own personal research on that topic. I honestly didn't find this class very difficult. I never find any classes difficult at all. All of the topics are of interest to me and that makes it a lot more fun. Learning something that is of interest to you always make it a lot easier to learn. Computer Class = MORE Videos = MORE Student Group Activities = LESS Evaluations = LESS I enjoyed this class very much. I didn't need to take an extra class but I was glad I decided to. Science has always been a favorite subject of mine and I enjoy it regardless. Having been stress out about the final exam, and the nightmares involved with the final exam, I am relieved to be finished with this class. I hope to take many classes similar to it in the future.
 * 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
fibrodyplasia ossificans progressiva

Symptoms

 * 1) This disorder causes muscle and connective tissues to be replaced by bones. This significantly disables movement of the body over time.The disordered individual may experience bone and skeletal abnormalities. The most common form being a deformed big toe. This abnormal big toe helps to identify this disease early on.
 * 2) [As the disorder progresses an individual may not be able to open their mouth or eat causing malnutrition. breathing may also be effected by the constriction of bones replacing connective tissues around the lungs.

Genes

 * 1) activin A receptor type 1, symbol ACVR1
 * 2) [Type here]
 * 3) [Type here]

Cytogenetic Location
2q23-q24

Base Pair Sites
158,301,206-158,403,035

Community
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Evacuation Center

 * 1) Location – P.S. 132
 * 2) Implemented Plan – Yes, the evacuation center has an implemented plan. This plan includes supplies already in place as well as a manager and police, medical, and emergency technicians.

Your Evacuation Plan
The evacuation center in my nieghborhood is at Public School 132. I would walk to this site because it is very close tomy house. I previously have knowledge of the plan in place for all types of emergencies including Hurricanes because as a Girl Scout we helped in the neighborhood planning. My family already has a plan in place including my Aunts, Uncles, Great Grandmother, and my immediate family. My own mother is the emergency leader, who is in charge of contact and all emergency technicians. I also have an evacuation plan in place, considering my father's high position, badge, and official car, which enables him to access any area of the city at any time, including back in 9-11 to pick up my various family members. So a specific escape plan would probably be more well known by him, including the streets that were closed, which we can not possibly make assumptions about now, would be telecast ed to him over his satellite radio, issued by the city. Also their are already materials in place in case of an emergency. These materials include, bedding, hurricane routes, maps, cots, and provisions already in place at the site. City managers have already been giving training, including decisions on either keeping families together, separating males from females, it is solely up to the center and manager. The managers also hold the right to keep people away, such as those who are disruptive. As for my pets, I currently own two frogs, Spot and Jeff, and two snakes, Nicole and Michael, all of which can be transported semi easily. The only issue I might have would be to provide sufficient heat for my snakes. All of my animals eat once or twice week making food nto as important for them as it would be for a human being, and without a significant heat source my snakes cannot digest food properly. This insufficient heat would actually be an advantage seeing as they would only need to eat once a month. So they could live through this rather easily.

#1
The article entitled “Fish Fossil Yields Anatomical Clues on How Animals of the Sea Made It to Land” by John Noble Wilford starts out by describing the smaller evolutionary steps. These small steps have become a remarkable key in the evolution of not just land animals but “amphibians, reptiles and dinosaurs, mammals and eventually humans.” “There was much more to the complex transition than fins evolving into sturdy limbs.” Scientists have observed smaller delicate details in evolution from sea animals to land animals. This is evident in fossils of a fish that are around 375 million years old, named Tiktaalik. A recently published report on the study of this ancient animal explored the braincase, neck bones, and diminishing of underwater living organs. Scientists explained further that deep water fish did not need neck mobility as they relied on swimming for food. Neck mobility meant that this fish came from shallow water and was stationary. Also increased neck flexibility was allotted by decreasing gill size. Scientists believe that these prehistoric fish were in the early stages of breathing without gills. According to “The Sciences, an Integrated Approach,” (James Trefel and Robert Hazen, John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2004, Chapter 25 pgs. 509-510) evolution is a fact. Scientists no longer debate that it did happen. “For example, scientists debate how fast evolution proceeds…” This article seems to be an eye opener into the evolutionary process and the small miniscule steps it took the world to be what it is today. This article also highlights the process as being rather lengthy with almost impossible to detect changes. This debate will continue to be ongoing but as we find further evidence in the rate of evolution we will eventually unlock the further evidence to prove/disprove these claims. I personally picked up the New York Times on Tuesday of last week out of pure boredom. I did not expect to find anything of interest, or anything I could relate recent class discussion to. This article was my saving grace in that we had just discussed it in class the previous Thursday. This recent discussion of evolution actually helped me understand the article more. I had never taken the time out to think about evolution. I knew it existed, I just didn’t understand it fully. Having previously read the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, he explains evolution in almost a simple kind of way, “whenever and wherever opportunity offers…”Almost like it can happen overnight, and it holds no significant evidence on natural selection. Truth is he only spent a short period on the Galapagos Island, five weeks. He merely made observations not necessarily did the small tedious research required to further his theories. He was on to something, but I personally enjoy the why, and the how. He merely hypothesized in a general nature. This article helped me to see and further my interest in the small building block structure that makes up some of our world’s most complicated organisms. I am really excited to read further, as we continue to grow and find more insight into the actual steps of evolution.
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#2
The article from the New York Times, "Losing the Weight Stigma" was very interesting. Since the rise of obesity in the United States many people are being encouraged to lose weight. We have instituted as a society, many ways to help overweight people gain control over their eating and diet habits. While this is a great thing to make our society as a whole healthier, there is an ongoing debate about nurture verse nature. Simply put, people are arguing over the fact that some people are just born bigger than others, that we as a whole have to focus on the aspect of regaining health, and not just weight loss. According to the article “This is a core argument of fat acceptance: that it’s possible to be healthy no matter how fat you are and that weight loss as a goal is futile, unnecessary and counterproductive — and that fatness is nobody’s business but your own.” This is the main goal of the article, to imply that just being “fat” does not necessarily make you unhealthy, and that there is lack of evidence to prove so. The article also encourages people to take a new approach to “dieting.” This approach consists of accepting the way your body is, and not necessarily losing weight but changing to a healthy diet. In chapter 22 of the science text book the first question posed on the main page is “What constitutes a healthy diet?” The text book goes into detailed chemical related needs of the human body to function, but what does it mean? Contrary to how our society views daily nutritional needs, our body is a highly regulated machine. It needs a balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats to function. Limiting any one of these nutritional necessities is a very big mistake that many of us make in our daily food choices. One of the main purposes of our cells, and body as a whole, is to create protein chains. Amino acids make up protein chains, and are in very high demand by your body. In order to make these protein chains your body needs to have quick energy. Sugar, the simplest carbohydrate, is a quick way to get energy into the body. Your body needs these molecules whether complex or simple, to have the energy in order to make the proteins. Also fats are needed to break down certain vitamins that cannot be absorbed unless we have fat. Missing any one of these molecules your body will still be able to function, but not at its peak performance level. I personally agree with this article whole heartedly. I am very well informed about the dietary needs of the body. It is a personal interest of mine, to remain as healthy as possible. I believe that in generally people are severely misinformed about nutrition and healthy lifestyles. Many fad diets that have come out, and have been proven to be actually dangerous. Many of the dangers are hushed up by the makers of such fad diets. I personally detest any diet that cuts out one certain food group, i.e. low carb, low fat diets. These methods are dieting are purely goaled to be for weight loss and in actuality will cause you to gain weight when reintroducing these things back into your body. I do understand that over eating is just as big of an issue in our society, but it can be cut back by basically reducing the unnatural chemicals in our food. People need the basic understanding that anything in excess, even water, will harm you and even can kill you eventually. Stop mass production, and eat more natural foods. Introducing children to vegetables and fruit younger, eat them yourself, you will see a big change in both your life and your waist size. I personally believe that abolishing this size 00 mentality, will also be a big benefit in our society. No one is the same, and no one should be expected to look the same. Health has nothing to do with the size of one’s pants.
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#3
“Asian Beetle Spells Death for Maples So Dear”, the article written by Arianna Green, speaks of Worchester Massachusetts run in with this new insect. The beetle originating in China has found its way into the United States. This is a prime example of a foreign ecological component destroying the natural growth of an area. These beetles have attacked most of the maples in the town of Greendale. The people of Greendale are angered by this. The New England states are known for having beautiful falls, including the falling of the leaves. This year the leaves have spots and the most of the trees will have to be cut down and destroyed to control these insects. The article also talks about how important it is to have ecological diversity in an area. It states that too many of the same trees shouldn’t be planted due to the fact that these new insects, and things to come, wont effect all of the areas landscape. Also it discusses the new technology used in specifically Ithaca, NY to test plants and strange patterns. If they had had this technology when they tested the trees in the past they may have been able to save some of them. According to the science text book, there was a similar incident of ecological crash in Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is in Africa, near the Nile River. They had introduced a new species of fish into this lake to accommodate a rise in tourism. These fish then ate the smaller fish that were native to this lake. This in turn caused the wildlife that these smaller fish consumed to over populate. It is causing a rise in deforestation by the humans in the area due to the need to roast the larger fish, instead of sun drying like they used to do with the smaller fish. There are hundreds of more examples of introduction by humans and technology into a region and destruction of natural habitats. It is not only a disgrace but is against the laws of nature itself. When will humans learn to stop interfering with nature? This article has personal interest in my life because this problem happened in my neighborhood right here in Brooklyn. The Asian long horned beetle attacked our trees along Mc Carron Park. These trees were then cut down and replanted. These trees still have not grown in fully and I can assume it will be years until we get the full effect we used to have. Also, my Nona had a fig tree in her backyard that we used to eat figs off of. This tree was also attacked by the long horned beetle. She caught the beetle and had it in a jar in his kitchen. The beetle was beautiful but a destructive addition to our ecosystem, right here in Brooklyn. We were even given pamphlets, magnets and other forms of information and literature about these beetles. I still have the magnet on my refrigerator. It was sad when these beetles destroyed our trees. If you take a walk through the park still to this day it is exceptionally cold, because of the lack of shelter we have now from the wind. These beetles destroyed some of the only green life we have in the neighborhood and I was shocked to hear they were still around.
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