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=Boricua Science Class Student Work Space=

Student Name:
Jennifer Rivera

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

Genetic Diseases, The Periodic Table, and Chemical Bond Diagrams, Designer Babies (GATACA) and Punnett Squares Computer Class = We could work on the computers a bit more. Videos = I think we watched a far amount of videos Student Group Activities = It is always easier to work and learn in a group activity so doing this more offen may help students understand a bit more. Evaluations = Fair amount At first i struggled catching up with this class because i missed a few weeks in the beginning but after that i think i enjoyed the work. The work was a fair amount and each lesson was interesting. I feel we could have spent a little more time in each topic.
 * 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
[Glutathione Synthetase Deficiency - Symbol GSS

Symptoms

 * 1) Mutations interrupt how genetic information from the gene is going to make a blueprint for producing this enzyme.
 * 2) THe enzyme may be unable, shorter than usual, or the wrong shape.
 * 3) The enzyme activity will reduce and disturb the gamma-glutamyl cycle.

Genes

 * 1) Glutathione protects cells from the damaging effects of the unstable molecules.
 * 2) The gene supplies orderd for the creation of an enzyme.
 * 3) The gene also contribute in a process called gamma- glutamyl cycle which is a series of chemical reaction that takes place in most of the body's cells.

Cytogenetic Location
20q11.2

Base Pair Sites
32,979,896 to 33,007,261

Emergency Plan Research
Hurricane Evacuation Zone finder

Community
Bushwick, Brooklyn

Evacuation Center

 * 1) Location- Bushwick, Brooklyn
 * 2) Implemented Plan-  I am not in a zone. There is NO evacuation order in effect

Your Evacuation Plan
In the event of a hurricane, I will NOT need to evacuate from this address but I must be prepared for a weather a storm at home because I may still face hurricane-related hazards including [|high winds], [|rainfall flooding] , [|tornadoes] , and loss of [|power] or [|water]. I must be prepared to [|shelter in place] for several days and keep my [|Emergency Supply Kit] stocked.

#1
In the northeastern Tasmania in 1996 is when the first facial tumor disease was exposed on the largest surviving carnivorous marsupial the Tasmanian devil. The tumor disease has spread ever since across the island dropping population of devils from about 150,000 to fewer than 50,000. There were two male Tasmanian devils Cedric and Clinky disease free that lived in captivity. The Tasmanian Devils were half brothers with the same mother but different fathers. Scientists done an experiment on the two Tasmanian Devils, he administered live tumor cells into both Tasmanians bodies. With this known the mammalian immune systems depend on histocompatibility complex cells to recognize invaders. If the tumor cells get into the Tasmanian Devils body their immune systems should know these cells are foreign and should create foreign bodies to help fight the disease. But this doesn’t happen because the tumor cells look just like the Tasmanians cells so the Tasmanian’s immune systems doesn’t create antibodies for the tumor cells. So Cedric developed antibodies and was the first to kill cancer cells but Clinky’s body didn’t so he died because his father’s genetics made Clinky more immune to the tumor cells. So this disease comes from an infected Tasmanian and is transmitted by biting each other when fighting or mating season. Tasmanian Devil’s have no chance against this tumor disease because the tumor can invade their M.H.C and stop there immune system and is strong enough to move species to a close related species.
 * 1) Summary –

Author- Erica Rex Title- For Tasmanian Devils, Hope Against a Wily Cancer New York Times/ Tuesdays Sicence section This article was very interesting because I have always loved and admired the Tasmanian Devils as a young girl so it was sad to see being added to the endangered species list. I have learned that some diseases can take over your body very fast and kill you fast if your body don’t built up an immune system to fight off the foreign cells. This article connected the most to the genetic chapter in the textbook because the whole genetic thing that made some Tasmanian Devil’s built up an immune system and some didn’t.
 * 1) Book Citation –
 * 1) Personal Interest –

#2
This article is about a 49, year old professor of Renee A. Reijo Pera and director of Stanford’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell research and Education working on human embryonic stem cells. In her study she actually uses human embryos to create new cells that will eventually become eggs and sperm. She has also identify one of the first genes associated with the biological inability of a [|man] or a [|woman] to contribute to [|conception]. The rest of the article is question and answers based on a conversation/ interview between Renee A. Reijo Pera and Claudia Dreifus about her research. The first question asked is, why is she trying to create human eggs and sperm? Renee A. Reijo Pera answers by learning what nature does and repeating it in a Petri dish we maybe able to find the answers to birth disorders and neurodegenerative diseases that happen in the egg, sperm, or embryo and eventually learn how to correct it. Another question asked was How fr have you gotten in this quest? She answers we are about three to five years from being done so we are mid way on our quest. Another interesting question asked is “In speeches, you say that stem cell research should be thought of as a women’s health issue. Why? Renee A. Reijo Pera answers in her research she is trying to cut down on all the heartbreaks and expense of infertility treatments that don’t have a guarantee because most embryos don’t make it. So by finding what a healthy embryo looks like and what is the best media was to grow it in she can cut down on that. Claudia Dreifus then ask When George Bush issued his August 2001 prohibition against federal financing of new stem cell research, what did you think? Renee A. Reijo Pera answers she was stunned the president was taking about biological science at all but he didn’t ban all researches on stem cells. He banned federal funding for new stem cell lines but he permitted older researches but lonely allowed few lines. We improved methods but used poor-quality lines so I hope this policy changes. The two last questions were what does she use in her lab now? And do you have moral qualms about using human embryos in your research? She answers her lab is not federal funded they get their money $3 billion California stem cell initiative so they make their own embryos donated by I.V.F families. Renee A. Reijo Pera no because there are a lot of embryos being thrown away we just study those embryos to help mothers and babies become healthier.
 * 1) Summary –

Author- Claudia Dreifus Title - “In my lab, we’re using stem cell research to look for ways to make fertility treatments safer and more rational.’ New York Times/ Tuesdays Sicence section
 * 1) Book Citation –
 * 1) Personal Interest – I believe this article relates to the Designer Babies and Genetic Diseases because this article is about DNA, infertility, and diseases. This article was very interesting because I have friends that are not able to have children and this article is just an interested article that I wouldn’t have read if it wasn’t for this class. I’m glad I read it because it opened my world to stem cell researches. Now when I hear about stem cell researches I will not be in the dark.

#3
Author- DanPorges/ Peter Arnold Title- Drip Irrigation May Not Be Efficient, Analysis Finds New York Times/ Tuesdays Sicence section
 * 1) Summary – This article is about drip irrigation which is an alternative to flooding, and ia a more efficient way to get more “crop per drop” because it can increase water consumption but is very costly. In flood irrigation not much water is used by the plants and goes back to the sources. With drip irrigation it draws less water to the plants but almost all is used up by the plants. Drip irrigation increases crop yields and persuades farmers to obtain more acres and with doing so they request the right to more water. This idea is indeed a good idea for farmers’ income and food security but it may eventually take water away from other people.
 * 2) Book Citation –
 * 1) Personal Interest – I feel this article mostly relates to “Boots on Ice” because of Tropical Africa was expecting to see a 9 to 14 percent drop in crop yields, and up to 250 million more people affected by drought makes me think a lot more problems like this can occur if farmers use drip irrigation and use more acres of land and request more water usage. This article was interesting because in the city I don’t think much about farmers and their consumption of water like I do now.

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