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=Boricua Science Class Student Work Space=

Student Name:
Erica Alicea

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

The activities I enjoyed the most were the periodic tables. I enjoyed working with the atomic particles, periodic trends, nuclear reactions with the parent/daughter and type of decay charts. I also enjoyed naming chemical compounds. I found Prof. Lewis' way of teaching easy to understand and enjoyable. I also enjoyed learning about global warming and the hurricane tracking. The only things throughout this course that I did not enjoy or find easy to understand was the very first class. I was already extremely nervous being a first time student and I was uncomfortable working in a group with a large reading to do that I did not understand. Computer Class = More Videos = No more, no less. Student Group Activities = No more, no less. Evaluations = I enjoyed this class because after the first few classes I felt comfortable with the students here. I thought Prof. Lewis taught in a way that was very understandable. The only class I didn't enjoy was the first class because the "Boots in the Ice" reading was too long and I had no idea what I was reading. I enjoyed this class very much.
 * 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
Cherubism

Symptoms

 * 1) Not able to have teeth grow normally.
 * 2) Issues with eye sight.
 * 3) Speech issues.

Genes

 * 1) SH3-domain binding protein 2 (SH3BP2)

Cytogenetic Location
4p16.3

Base Pair Sites
2,790,338 to 2,810,711

Community
Williamsburg, Brooklyn- Zone C

Evacuation Center

 * 1) Location – I.S. 383
 * 2) Implemented Plan – Was not able to reach the school.

Your Evacuation Plan
I would take with me all my asthma medications.I would carry plenty of bottled water. I would have flashlights, batteries, and a first aid kit. I would pack canned goods. If I had the extra room I would carry an extra change of clothes or two. I would carry with me all important personal documents such as I.D., Social Security Card, Birth Certificate, Insurance Card, cash, and credit cards. In order to get to my evacuation zone being that I live in a Zone C area if possible we would definitely drive and if not we would have no choice but to move on by foot.

#1
 __The Unappreciated, Holding Our Lives in Balance__ by: Natalie Angier This article is about the brain and the vestibular system. The article talks about how the brain is able to "distinguish between movements of the viewer and movements of the view." This is critical to our everyday life because if the brain was not able to tell the difference every time we turned around or walked, everything would be a blur and eventually we would not be able to move around at all. We would be scared of all these blurry threats. The article also mentions how very little acknowledgement and credit the vestibular system receives. In a well known and used college textbook, “Sensation and Perception”, the vestibular system was barely mentioned. But now in October of 2008 the new edition of the book includes a full chapter on the vestibular system. The vestibular system is a paired set of tiny sensory organs tucked deep into the temporal bone on both sides of the head, near the cochlea of the inner ear. It cues the eyes to move in compensation and ignore the jerking and sudden movements the head constantly makes. The article calls it a sort of sixth sense. Sometimes it is misunderstood because of its name, believing it to be just a passage. Now with better understanding doctors are able to better identify symptoms associated with a dysfunctional vestibular system and to identify disorders that were previously misdiagnosed. Without our brain and the vestibular system we would barely be able to stand. An example is bipedalism, which is overseen by the vestibular system. We stand and have to arrange our calves, thighs, torso, and head into a stable vertical set up. If the vestibular system were impaired by something such as alcohol one would begin to wobble. I chose this article to write about because of its opening paragraph where there is an experiment for you to do. It mentions that if you were to put your finger in front of you and begin to wiggle it from side to side fast it would become a blur. But if you put your finger in front of you and begin to move your head side to side at the same fast pace it would not become a blur. I wanted to continue reading and find out why. And I did. I learned about the vestibular system, which I had never heard of before.

 

#2
 __Diabetes Is a Risk in Pregnancy That Carries Risks Beyond__ by: Jane E. Brody    <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> This article is about pregnant women and diabetes. Some women during their pregnancies develop gestational diabetes. One woman in particular was studied. She was skinny and healthy at age thirty-eight and was pregnant for the first time in 1990. After some test results she learned that she had anemia and gestational diabetes. She had to see a nutritionist, go on a diet and learn to self-test her blood sugar level. She had to get frequent sonograms done to monitor the size of the baby and to prevent a stillbirth. In the end the baby was born healthy, weighing seven pounds. She was told there was still a risk of gestational diabetes occurring again in a future pregnancy (but did not) and that she was in at a greater risk to get Type 2 diabetes. Eighteen years later she is fine and does not have diabetes. Years later the rate of gestational diabetes has doubled. Studies have shown that woman who do not have diabetes but whose blood sugar levels rise during pregnancy still are at a great risk of having a baby too large to be born vaginally. This is one of the results of having diabetes during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes usually occurs during the seventh month of pregnancy. There is no known cause as to why this occurs but there are some hints of what is going on. It is usually placental hormones that interfere with the distributing of the mother’s insulin. This can then lead to the mother’s pancreas still producing insulin but her cells not using it properly causing sugar levels to rise in the mother’s blood. The extra sugar would then raise the baby’s sugar level. Leading to the baby having more energy then necessary to grow normally. The baby’s pancreas may produce extra insulin that would lower the blood sugar, sometimes dangerously low. This may increase the risk of breathing problems. When it is time to give birth the baby would be macrosomia, a “fat” baby and would usually be too big to be born vaginally resulting in a necessary C-section. These babies are more likely to become obese children and become diabetic in adulthood. There is a screening test that has now become routine in prenatal care to check the blood sugar level of pregnant women and determine if they are at risk of getting or if they already have gestational diabetes. I chose to write about this article because my sister has diabetes. Her doctor has told her repeatedly that waiting to have a baby later on in life puts her at a higher risk for all sorts of difficulties during her pregnancy and birth. My sister is only twenty-six years old and it is a scary thing to think about. This article gave me some kind of hope that my sister will be healthy enough to decide to have a baby when she feels ready and both her and the baby will be healthy afterwards.

__Dentist Back Sealants Despite Concerns__ by: Tara Parker-Pope This article is about the filling used on mostly children to fill all the crevices of molars. The point of this is to prevent decaying as well as cavaties. After the filling is poured in the molar a light is used to harden the sealants and then the tooth is then buffed smooth. The only problem about this procedure is there is a chemical found in the sealant which can be harmful. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is used in sealants as well as in cans. BPA is known to have estrogenlike effects and studies have shown that the chemical can lead to an earlier puberty age. It also can be a potential cancer risk. It has also been reported that it may effect chemotherapy treatments. And people with higher levels of BPA in their urine are more susceptible to heart disease and diabetes. Even with this information the American Dental Association still uses sealants. They note that BPA only remains in ones mouth for about three hours after the procedure and that rinsing the mouth and gargling along with the buffing reduce all levels of BPA to just about none. Sealants are very effective lasting for years and preventing cavaties. I chose this article because I was interested in knowing about these fillings called sealants. I've had a few fillings due to cavaties and I wanted to read on to see if they were the same.
 * 3**

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