November19,2015

TheOriginofSpeciesRevisited:Chapter5&6

1.) FindouttwointerestingthingsthatDarwinmentionsinthischapter.
EdwardDrinkerCope
WasanAmericanpaleontologistandevolutionist,thatwasacofounderof
neoLamarckianschoolofevolutionarythought.Heevenpublishedhisfirst
scientificpaperattheageof19.
Hebelievedin
acceleratedgrowth
,thatorgansthatwereheavilyusedwould
furtherdevelopincompensationforotherorganslessused,whichwasbasedoff
ofLamarcksideas
2.) Pictureacow:slowmoving,feedingongrass,andoccasionallymooing.Basedonyour
readingofthischaptertrytocomeupwithascenarioinwhichacowlikeanimalinthe
wildmighteventually,overmanythoughtofgenerations,becomeadaptedforfeedingon
frogs.
Afrogeatingcowmightcomeintoexistenceduetotheoddbehaviorofanindividual
cow.Anindividualthatconductsoddbehaviorsincomparisontoitsspeciescouldevolve
intoanewspeciesasitmayhavemodifiedstructureorhabits,thatgetpassedalongto
offspring.However,itisstillunknownifoddbehaviorstendtochangeincorrespondence
toslightstructuralchanges,orifstructuralchangescauseslightdeviationsinbehavior.
3.) AccordingtoDarwin,whydowerarelyseeintermediatestagesbetweenancestralform
andamodernformadaptedforaverydifferentlifestyle(e.g.,wingedbirdsandtheir
presumablynonwingedancestors?)
Darwinarguesthatitisraretoseeintermediatestagesbetweenanancestorspeciesand
newspeciesbecausenaturalselectiontendstoconstantlyexterminateboththeancestral
formsandintermediatelinks.Thismeansthatthroughnaturalselectionancestorspecies
graduallyevolveintonewvariationsovergenerationsuntiltheybecomeaspecies.But
theintermediatevariationsbetweentwodistinctspeciesoftenexistinsmallernumbers
andeventuallygoextinct.Withsmallernumberstheyhavealowerchanceofsurvival
thanspecieswithlargerpopulations,asthemoretherearethefasterfavorablevariations
canoccurthroughnaturalselection.Transitionalspeciesmusthaveexistedinorderfor
newspeciestobecreated,howeveritisdifficulttoidentifythem,asfossilrecordsare
ofteninaccurateorunavailable.
November18,2015
Checkpoints

Wednesday11/18
1pagetostartwritingdueatendofperiod
Monday11/30
Beginningofclass1thoughtfuleditedandthoughtfulpagedue

 Monday12/7
2pagewriting
Friday12/11
FINALPAPERdue
Thursday12/17
EXHIBITION

November9,2015
WhatisonetakeawayfromeachofthefollowingthatconnectstoaspecificpageintheOriginofSpecies
RevisitedChaptersfrom:

1.)TheAmgen(BiotechnologyLab)1,2,or3
DuringtheAmgenLabs,welearnedabouthowrestrictionenzymesareusedto
reengineertheDNAsequenceofbacteria,throughrecombinantplasmids.Thisrelates
topage2inChapter1of
TheOriginofSpeciesRevisited,
becauseinthischapteris
talksabouthowhumanshavedomesticatedorganismsinthepastthroughartificial

selection.Inthepastwewereabletoimposenaturalselectionoveralongperiodof
selectingthebestthroughoutgenerations,butnowadayswithgeneticengineer,weare
abletoinsert,delete,orsubstituteDNAsequencestochangespecifictraits.
2.)TheAvidaLabs1,2,3or4
InAvidaLab4,welearnedaboutpopulationgrowthincomparisontofitness.This
relatestopage47inChapter3of
TheOriginofSpeciesRevisited
,asittalksabout

howpopulationsgrowthratesincreaseproportionatelyasthesizeofthepopulation
increases.
3.)TheGenomicsPresentation
Page46and51,inChapter3of
TheOriginofSpeciesRevisited
isconnectedtothe
topicofherbicideresistancewelearnedaboutintheGenomicspresentation.Inthis

chapteritmentionshowitisnotthefoodavailabilityaccessibletoorganisms,butthe
extentofpredationthatdeterminesapopulationsize.Herbicideresistancehas
developedovertheyearsincertainplants,becauseofthestruggleforexistence(also
mentionedinChapter4),thatcausesorganismstoadapttotheirenvironment.As
herbicideswereonceconsideredpredatorsofcertainplants,thoseplantsnowadapted
towithstandthem.
4.)Otherreadingorworkthatyouhavedoneinrelationtogenetics
InmyresearchfortheBiofuelgroupforJCVILab,Ihavelearnedabouthowligninisa

veryimportantmoleculeinformingthecellwallsofplants.IalsolearnedinChapter5,
page127,thatcertainpartsororgansinaspeciesthatisdevelopedtoaremarkable
degreeishighlyimportantinfunction.However,Iamworkingwiththislabtomake
usedofthismolecule,tomakeitamorebeneficialproduct.

November5,2015
TheOriginofSpeciesRevisited:Chapter4

1.)AsDarwindescribesit,howisnaturalselectionsimilartoartificialselection(thekindthat
peoplehaveusedincreatingourdomesticatedanimalsandagriculturalcrops)?Howdothetwo
formsofselectiondiffer?
Naturalselectionandartificialselectionthroughdomesticationaresimilarbecausethey
areboththeaccumulationoffavoringadvantageousvariations.Bothnaturalandartificial
selectionstartwithavariationwithinanorganism.Inartificialselection,anadvantageous
traitmustarisewithinanindividualbeforeahumancanisolateittobreedmore.Because
humanscanimposeandbreedacertaintraitonceitarisesinanindividual,thespreadof
anadvantageousvariationtooffspringismuchfasterthannaturalselection.Whilein
naturalselection,thisfavoringofcertaintraitshappensoveramuchlongerperiodof
time.Innaturalselection,anindividualwithabeneficialvariationwilleventuallybreed
andpassonthisadvantageoustraittoitsoffspring.Itisalsoimportantthatthetraitis
bothheritabletooffspringandprovidesbenefitstoreproductivesuccess.Ifitwasnot
heritable,theoffspringwouldnotshowanyphenotypicvariation.Naturalandartificial
selection,arejusttwowaysofthesameprocess,oneoccursinnatureandtheotheris
imposedbyhumans.
2.)FindouttwointerestingthingsaboutoneofthepeoplethatDarwinmentionsinthischapter.
KarlErnstvonBaer
BaerisanEstonianscientist,wholivedfrom17921876.Heismostwidely
knownforhisresearchinembryology,aswellasmedicine,anthropology,
zoology,andbotany.
In18191834attheUniversityofKnigsberginGermany,hestudied

extraembryonicmembranefunctionanddevelopmentofmammalsandchicks.
HisresearchwasthenmadeintovonBaersLawsofEmbryology.
3.)Carefullyreadtheparagraphthatbegins"Physicalpeculiaritiesoftenappeareitherinmales
orfemales..."(seepage70".Forthechosenparagraph,whatarethetwoorthreemainpointsthat
Darwinwishestogetacross?
Sexualselectionisnotbasedonthestruggleofexistence,likenaturalselection,butrather
thethestrugglebetweenindividualsofonesex.
Bothsexescanbemodifiedbynaturalselectioninvaryingways(Notallmalesgetthe
samemodificationsasafemale).
Themoreadvantageoustraitsanorganismhasforreproduction,thebetterthechancethat
itwillleaveoffspring,whereanorganismwithouttheseadvantageoustraitswillloseand
eithernotproduceoffspring,oronlyproduceafew.

October30,2015
IntroductiontoGenomics:Part4

DarwinsVoyage
Firstcametothediscoveryofhistheoryofevolution
VoyageoftheBeagleVoyageoftheSorcerer
Nucleotidebasebasepairs
Onecellcarries3.16millionbasesstretcheslongerthanafootballfield
21,000proteincodinggenes
3000knownnucleotidesgene(regulatesproteingenes)
Largesthumangeneisdystrophinandhas2.4millionbases
50%ofgenesequenceisrepetitive
Lessthat2%codesforproteins
Chromosome1hasmostgenes(2968
ChromosomeYhas
UrbanareasofgenesaremademostlyofC&G
DesertsofgenesaremademostlyofA&T

 StretchesofG&Crepeatupto(30,000)flankgenerichareas
Complexityofhumanscomesfromthefactthatwecanturnofforongenes,butwestill
carrythosegeneseveniftheyareturnedoff
Howwemeasureup
Weare99.9%eachother
98%chimpanzees
96%dog
75%pumpkins
Postsequencingera
In2001ittook3milliontosequenceahumangenome
Nowitisonly5,000dollarstosequenceawholehumangenome
BigDatatheoreticalbiologyandcomputerprogrammers
Comparativegenomics
Looksatgenesimilarityfromonespeciestoanother,andhelpsusdetermine
functions
Lookingforsimilargenesindifferentspeciestodiscover
PhylogeneticRelationship
PercentofDNAsimilarityorwhethertheycanbreedwitheachother
Barcoding:usingasinglegenetoidentifyvariancesandspecificspecies
GenomicapplicationsinMedicine
Pharmacogenomics
GeneTesting(predisposition)
GeneTherapy(liveengineeringofgenes)
Reprogramwithastemcell
GeneticModification
Insertinggenesintoorganismsforabout40years
Inplantsfordecades
HerbicideResistance
Growthvaccinesinfruitlikebananas

 Geneticallymodifiedcropsaregrowninover40countrieson6continents
HybridismGMO
EveryGMOisdifferentalreadyoccursinnature
Notalwaysthegeneticmodificationisbad,butrathertheherbicide
Nobuiltupimmunityforchemicaltoxins,onlybiologicaltoxins
DifficultiesofEvolutionNotes:

Difficulties:
Fossilrecordshistory
Currentlivingorganisms
Chemistry/Physics/Bio
Moredifficultbeforegenomics
Widespreadtopic
Theoryofevolution
Theory:isnotahypothesis
scientifictheory:testedovertime
Darwintook30yearstowriteoutthetheoryofevolution
Perfectcreationtheory
applicationofthetheorydiffersinscienceandreligion
Whataredifficultiesinstudyingevolution?

Itisdifficulttostudyevolutionbecausewecanonlystudyitatsmallscales,wherean
organismslifespanisshortenoughforhumanstorecordit.Itismuchhardertostudythe
evolutionofhumans,becauseoftherangeoftimewehavealive.Itisalsodifficult,becauseyou
wouldneedtohaveaspecieswholegenomesequencedinordertotrackchangesandvariations.
Alsobecauseinordertotrackrevolutionandtherateitoccurs,youwouldneedtohavean
originalspeciesandbeabletorecordthevariationsofindividualsineachgeneration.

October29,2015
TheOriginofSpeciesRevisited:Chapter3

1.)WhatdoesDarwinmeanby"thestruggleforexistence"?
Darwindefinesthestruggleofexistenceasnotonlythedependencyoforganismson

eachother,andnotonlythestruggletostayalive,butalsothesuccessofsurvivalfor
futuregenerations(throughthesuccessofspeciesproducingviableoffspring).Hestates
thateachlivingbeingistryingtoreproduce,andthateachindividualwithinaspecies
enduressomeformofstruggletosurvive,andmustsufferagreatdealofdestruction.
Thissuffering,ordestructioncanbeduetothethreatofpredators,orthecompetitionof
spaceandfood.Inordertohavehigherchancesinsurviving,aspeciesmustbeableto
producemanyoffspringthatcanvarythroughnaturalselection,whichcanbenefitthe
outcomeofaspecies.Also,themorealikeindividualsare,whethertheyareofthesame
orsimilarspecies,itwillbehardertosurvive,astheircompetitorsrequirethesamefood
sourcesandarethreatenedbythesamedangers.
2.)Whydoesheclaimthatsuchstrugglesareinevitable?
Thestruggleforsurvival,orsurvivalofthefittest,isinevitablebecauseorganisms
produceatahighexponentialrate.Itisinevitablewhenevertherearemoreindividuals
thancanpossiblysurvive.Meaningthebiggerthepopulation,thefastertheabilityto
repopulate.Andwithsuchabigpopulation,individualsareforcedtocompetethrough
naturalselection,predation,andphysicalstress,suchasclimateandavailabilityoffood.
3.)Darwinarguesthatthepresenceofcatsinaneighborhoodmightdeterminetheabundanceof
flowerssuchasredclover(pg56).Summarizehisargumentinasinglesentenceortwo,as
thoughyouwereexplainingthistoafriendorparent.
Thereiscorrelationbetweentheabundanceofflowers,suchasredclovers,andcatsina
neighborhood,becauseofthesurvivaldependencyofotherspecies.Bumblebeesrelyon
catstokillmicewhodestroytheirpopulation,sothattheycanhavelargernumbers
survivetopollinatetheflowers.
IntroductiontoGenomics:Part3

Sequencedmeansgettingthecode,gettingthecodecheckedandcorrected
Humangenomewassequencedin2000
Notofficialuntil2003
Genomemappingandsequencing
Structure

 Growth
Health
Susceptibilitytodiseaseorresistance/immunity
ThermocyclercopierofDNA(amplifyingDNA)
PCR
Acircularmandalacircleisusedtomapagenome
Mapcanshowwheregenesareinrelationtoanotheronachromosome
Outercirclelayersrepresentgenesthatareexpressed
Innercirclelayersrepresentthegenesrelatingtotheexpressedgenes
Geneticvs.PhysicalMapping
GeneticMapping
Usesgenetictechniques
Reliesoncrossbreeding
Physical
Usesmoleculartechniques
ExaminesDNAdirectly
WholeGenomeShotgunSequencing
DNAiscutintorandompiecesandsequencedindividually
UsesfluorescencetolabelDNA
VeryHighThroughputSequencing
Illumina
s
equencingbysynthesis
Veryefficient
FragmentsAssembleFragmentsClosure&Annotation
Subjectfrags
Assemblingissequencing
Annotationisidentifyingeachelementofagenomeandattachingbiological
information
Closureispublishing
FunctionalGenomics

 Transcriptomics(geneexpression)
Proteomics(proteinexpression)
Metabolomics
Structural
Seeksprotein3Dstructuregiveninagenome
Epigenomics
Studiescompletesetsofepigeneticmodifications
Metagenomics
Studiesenvironmentalgeneticmaterial

Whyisitdifficulttostudyawholegenome?

Itisdifficulttostudyagenome,becausenotallorganismsgenomesaresequencedand
characterized.Genomesarelargefilesofcode,anditisverydifficulttoworkwithbecauseof
itssize.Whenexperimentingononegeneinthegenome,itispossiblethatitmayaffectanother
gene,thatistiedtothesametrait.Thetoolsandtechniquesusedtoworkwithgenomesare
expensiveandcomplex.

October28,2015
IntroductiontoGenomics:Part2

Genome
Theentiregeneticmakeupofanorganism
HaemophilusinfluenzaeKW20chromosomeisfirstsequencedorganism(singlecelled
organism)
DNAnucleotidesthatformadoublehelix(ladder)formation
Nucleotidesareelectropositive
Adenine
AT
Thymine
TA
Guanine

 GC
Cytosine
CG
Phosphate(Po4)
MakesupthebackboneofDNA
Itiselectronegative,wantshydrogenbonding
Stablemolecule(hardtocut)
Wheninthisstructureitismaximized
Gene
Naturalunitofhereditarymaterial
SegmentofDNAinvolvedinproducingapolypeptidechain(aminoacid
monomer/protein)
EukaryoticGeneExpression
Intron
Notreadpartofthecode,tellsthecodewhatisread
Exon
Thecodethatisread
Humansareabottleneckspecies
Individualsshare99.9%thesameDNAasapersonnexttothem
Thegeneticdifferencesinanindividualonlytakeup0.1%ofthegeneticcode
Differencesintraitsarenotbecauseofcompletelydifferentcodes,butbecauseof
geneticexpression(Turnedonoroff)
Biodiversity
Codon
Readingframe
Everysequenceofthreenucleotidesmakesoneaminoacid
GeneExpression
AgeneisasegmentofthegenomethatistranscribedintoRNA
RNAmakesaminoacidsgetintoacertaincodeorder

 RNAissinglestranded,andinsteadofthyminethenucleotideis
Proteins
Peptidechaininterchangeablewithprotein
Onegeneequalsoneprotein
Oneproteinismadeupofatleast200aminoacids
Functions:
Enzymes
Receptors
Peptidehormones
Structuralproteins
Antibodies
Growthhormones
Motorneurons
Transcriptionfactors

October27,2015
IntroductiontoGenomics

WhydidwedotheDNAtoptobottomfragmentingsequencingactivity?
WedidthisbecauseitshowsuswhereDNAbreaksandfitsin,andalsotolearn
whatDNAcomputersequencersdo.Onelongcontig,basedoffof10different
fragments,cutwithrestrictionenzymesincertainsites.
Onlywaytoworkwithmorethanonegene,oragenome,isthroughsupercomputers
Twotypesofcells
Prokaryotic(nonucleus)bacteria
moreprokaryotesintheworldthaneukaryotes
peopleare10timesmoreprokaryotthaneukaryot
Eukaryotic(withanucleus)animals,plants,fungus
truecell
muchlargerandmorecomplexthanprokaryoticcells

 characterizedbycompartmentalizationofitsextensivestructures
Everycell,besidesbloodcells,haveallthegeneticmaterialneeded,butonlycertain
partsofthecodeisturnedon
CentralDogma
DNARNAProtein
Chromosome
discreteunitcarryingmanygenes
prokaryotes:longlinearstrandorplasmid(circularDNA)
eukaryotes:madeofhistone(aproteinthatcausesittowrapup)anda
verylong(asbigasafootballfieldwhenunraveledinonecell)molecule
ofDNA
DNAChromosomeNucleusCellMembrane
CellMembraneanimals
CellWallplants

October26,2015
Thesequencethatyouusedforthisassignmentisaportionofthe16srDNAgenefromthebacteriaE.Coli.The16s
rDNAgeneisoftenusedasamarkergenetoidentifydifferentspeciesofbacteriaorconstructphylogenies.Whyis
thisgeneusedasopposedtoothers?

Theuseofthe16SrRNAgenesequenceisusedcommonlytoidentifyspeciesofbacteria
andconstructphylogeniesbecauseofitsnumerousadvantages.One,itisfoundinalmostevery
typeofbacteria.Two,thegenesequencehasnotreallychangedmuchovertime.Ifthereare
slightchangesinthesequence,itcanhelpusaccuratelymeasurethetimeandevolutionofthe
bacteria.Lastly,sincethe16SrRNAgenesequenceismadeupof1,500basepairs,islarge
enoughtoanalyzeandworkwithforinformatics.

October22,2015
TheOriginofSpeciesRevisited:Chapter2

1.) Chooseoneofthefollowingpeopleandfindouttwointerestingthingsaboutthem:
AlfredRusselWallace

 InFebruary1858Wallacewroteanarticleonnaturalselection.Whenhesentitto
DarwininJune1858,itcausedDarwintowrite
OntheOriginofSpecies,
which
waslaterreleasedinNovember1859.
Wallacehypothesizedthatanimalscouldfitintofourcategories:
variableforms(inindividuals)
localforms
geographicalraces
truespecies
Howeverthereisnotscientificallysetcriteriainhowtodistinguishwhichanimals
fitintowhich.
2.)HowdoesDarwindefine"largegenera"(seethesectiononpage39thatbegins,"Nowsome
generacontainmanyspeciesIwillcallthesethe'largergenera'")?HowdoesDarwin'sexample
abouttheamountofvariabilityseenamongspecieswithinlargegenerafitinwithhisargument
thatwenowseeasdistinctspecieswereonemerelyvarietiesofsomeother,ancestralspecies?
Darwinclaimsthatplantsoranimalscanbeplacedintotwogroups,eitherthelarger
generaorsmallergenera.Healsosaysthatthelargergeneratendtohavethemost
commonspeciesandwidespreadvariatingspecies.Thedifferencebetweenthesmaller
generaisthattheyhavelessspeciesandtendtovaryless,whilethelargergenerahave
manyspeciesandtendtohavemanyvariations.
Darwinsargumentthatdistinctspeciesarevarietiesofanancestralspeciesisprovenby
thefactthatavariationmustfirstbeplacedintothesmallergenerabeforeitcanbecome
apartofthelargergenera.Adistinctspecieswouldbeconsideredpartofthelarger
genera,andanancestralspecieswouldprobablybeconsideredpartofthelargergenerain
thepast.Whichmeansthattheoffspringoftheancestralspeciesmusthavebeendistinct,
anditsoffspringwouldhavebeenconsideredavariationandplacedintothethesmaller
generauntilthereweremanydescendantvariationswhichmadeitmoveuptothelarger
generacategory.
3.)Howdoesbacterialconjugationofplasmidsincreasevariationandleadtoincreasedspeedof
evolution?

 Bacterialconjugationallowsforadonor(male)bacteriumplasmidtoreplicateand
transfertoarecipientbacterium(female).Throughthisgeneticmaterialisshared,
howeverthisprocessiseasilyinterruptedandwhenitis,itstops.Thegenesinthe
recombinantplasmidnowreplacetheequivalentgenesintherecipient'schromosome.
Thisalterationinthegeneticmaterialcausesthebacteriumtohavedifferentgenes.That
iswhyconjugationallowsforvariationinbacteriaatafasterrate.AndasDarwinsaysin
Chapter1,evolutionisabyproductofaccumulatedvariationfromeachgeneration.

October9,2015
TheOriginofSpeciesRevisited:Chapter1

1.)Howisinformationfromthereadingrelevanttosocietytoday?
Readingabouthownaturalselectioncausesvariationamongstaspecieseachgeneration
isveryimportantinunderstandinghowevolutionworks.Andunderstandingevolutionis
importanttotodayssocietybecauseevolutioncanhelpussolvebiologicalproblemsthat
affectourlivesmorethanwethink.Learninghowtraitsareinheritedthroughgenetics
andhowgenomesservespecificfunctionsofanorganismcanhelpustoreengineeror
analyzebiologicalmatterandbringsolutionstomanyglobalproblems.Wecouldfind
saferandmoresustainablealternativestobioenergy,wecouldpossiblybringbackextinct
species,wecouldpredetectdiseasesorevencurewhatwereoncethoughttobe
incurablediseases.Ifweareabletounderstandhowgenomicsworkinanorganism,we
couldreversethedamagethathasbeendonetotheearthandpreventfurtherpollutionor
extinction.(Andifyoureapersonwhosnottookeenonrepairingtheworld,Iguess
knowinghowanimalsandhumanscametobeisprettyawesome.)

2.)Howcanthereadingrelatetohowweusebiotechnologyinfoodandagriculture?
SinceGMOsaremorecommonlyusedinmassfoodproduction,thefoodmany
Americanseathavemostlikelybeengeneticallymodified.Forbetterorforworse,we
dontquiteknow.Assaidinchapter1,variationinnatureisinevitable,whetheritis
throughnaturalselectionorthroughtheaccumulationofdomesticselection(unconscious

selection).Thismeanswhetherwelikeitornotplantsandanimalswillalwaysevolving,
whichincludesthecropsandlivestockweeat.Itisalsosaidthatnoonehascometofully
understandthecorrelationofvariation,whichmeanswedontfullyunderstandourcrops
andlivestocksgenomicseither.Sincegenomescandifferforeverytypeofvariation,I
finditveryterrifyingthatwecangeneticallymodifyfoods,withoutknowingthelong
termconsequencesorsideeffects.Althoughifweeventuallygetmoreresearchonthe
genomicsofcertainplantsandbreedforonlytheexceptionalvariations,thenwewill
possiblybeabletoperfectourfoodsourcesandmakeforasafermoreefficient
agriculturaleconomy.AlthoughtheintentforGMOsaretomakeforsaferandbetter
foodproduction,itisstilluncertainofthepotentialofgeneticallyengineeredvariations,
especiallywiththelackoffullknowledgeonhowallplantsandanimalsgenomesserve
tofunction.

3.)Whatissomethinginterestingfromthereadingthatyoulearnedthathaschangedyour
perspectiveonbiology?
Onethingthatsurprisedmefromthischapterwashowmuchhumancivilizationhas
encouragedvariationinspeciesovertime.Itisaveryshockingandintriguingidea,thatI
hadneverthoughtmuchabout.Iveheardaboutanimalbreedingamongstfarmers
throughoutcivilizations,andhowtheyweretryingtocreatenewvariationsfordifferent
purposes,butIneversawitasanoptimizationofaspecies.(Iguessthatswhytheycall
itunconsciousselection.)Thishasreallyopenedmyeyestohowmuchthehumanrace
hasimpactedtheworldanditsecosystems.Youalwayshearaboutclimatechange,or
deforestation,orpollution,butyouneverhearabouthowhumansshapedbiologyandthe
livingspeciesoftoday.Ithinkitsquiteinterestinghowhumanshavebredanimalsfor
selfishpurposes,andyethavedrasticallyimpactedthespeciesanditsvarietiesin
survivingnewenvironments.Whatmakesitevenmoreunique,isthefactthathumans
didntknowaboutDNAorgenetics,theyjustunderstoodthattraitswerepassedonto
offspring,andovergenerationshavejustselectedthefittest,whichgradually
accumulatedfromsmallvariationstosignificantvariationsthatweresuitedtowards

humansdesiredtraits.

October8,2015
Group4:BiofuelandBioenergy

Source1:
http://biofuelsnews.com/display_news/8537/Norway_to_host_world_s_first_fixed_biofuels_air
port/
TheOslo,Norwayairportisplanningtouse50%biofuelmixwithregularbiofuelfor
theirairplanesfromMarch2015March2016,inhopestofuelover3,000flights.Thereis
alsoresearchlookingintousingforestbasedbiofuels.
AvinorOsloGardermoen,
Norway,airport,willbethefirstairporttosupplybiodieselrunflights.

Source2:
http://biofuel.org.uk/typesofbiofuel.html
Usedvegetableoilcanbeusedasabiofuelforcars.Theycombine50%vegetableoiland
50%mineraldieseltomakebiodiesel,whichsofarhascausednoknownproblemson
dieselenginecars.

Source3:
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/bioenergy/tech.html
Switchgrasscropsarebeingburnedtocreatebiomassenergy,asopposedtotreeslumber
andmineralfuel.Theypredictthatburningswitchgrasscropsintofuelwillcreatethe
samegreenhouseemissionsasnow,howeverthecarbondioxidetheliveswitchcrops
absorbfromtheenvironmentaresaidtozeroouttheemissionsandbeafasterrenewable
source.
Source4:
http://www.energydigital.com/renewables/2943/TypesofBiofuels:EthanolBiodieselBiobutan
ol
Themostpopularbiofuelsinresearchcurrentlyareethanol,biodiesel,andbiobutanol.

October7,2015
Biofuel

Iwanttofocusonbiofuel,becauseIaminterestedinfindingsolutionsforothersources
offuel.Iwanttolookintowhatotheroptionswehavealreadyandhowwecandecreasethe
humanspeciesdependencyonfossilfuel.Ialsothinkitwouldbeinterestingtolookintofossil
fuelburningemission.
Modifyingorganismsgeneticstoproduceamoresustainableenergy(Genomics)
gapsbetweenorganismtoorganisminevolution
controversyandmisapplicationofgeneediting
extremeabnormalitiesingenomics
alterationstoasinglegene
morescience&engineeringinsteadofevolutioncontroversy
CRISPR?
genetictherapyvsgeneticediting
eukaryoticvs.prokaryoticcells
slowtwitchvs.fasttwitchratioheredity
epigenomics/epigenetics
regulatorscanstayturnedonandpassontooffspring
viablespecieshybridism/speciated

October6,2015
Notes:OnTheOriginOfSyntheticSpecies
(Genetics,Genomics,&Evolution)

Whatisgenetics?
thestudyofDNAandsinglegenes
geneticschangeeverygeneration
DNA(deoxyribonucleicacid)
chromosomesarethewayDNAiswrappedupandpackaged
moleculeisstableandformedinadoublehelix
deoxytwooxygen
ribose5carbonsugar

 sugarphosphatebackbone
nucleotidesATCG
acidqualitiespH<7andacceptsH+
polar
geneticcode
everycellholdsfullcode
onlycertainpartsareturnedoninacell,dependingwhereitis
allcellsdivideatdifferentrates
ifthereisanerrorcelleitherdies,becomescancer,orisamutation
frequenterrorsingenetics,acceptschecksandbalancesmoleculestofix
andrepairerrorcells
ageneisfoundinapacketorstringofDNA
1genegenetics1protein(atrait)
1gene2possiblealleles(onefromeachparent)
Whatisagenome?
genomeallgenesforanorganism
genomicsisthestudyofhowallgenesinteractandworktogether
studiesmultitraitsinrelationtoeachother
linkstoevolution,becauseDNAchangesovertime
ameasurementofchangeinDNAthroughoutgenerations

October6,2015
GENETICSandEVOLUTION:
Whatisgeneticsandhowdoesunderstandinggeneticsrelatetounderstandingevolution?

Geneticsiswhatdetermineswhatphysicaltraitsandbehaviorsaspeciesinheritsfromits
parents.AnoffspringreceivestwodifferentDNAsets,onefromeachparent,whichholdsthe
geneticcodesinwhichgeneticsarenaturallyselected.Geneticsisimportantinunderstanding
evolution,becauseitisthesolescientificexplanationastowhyspecieschangeovertime.When
thegeneticcodeisselectedandcopiedintoanoffspring,sometimesmutationsorabnormalities
occur.Whenaspecieslearnstoadapttoachangedornewenvironment,slowlythesemutations

occurmorefrequentlyuntilanewspeciesisborn.Evolutionisnotallaboutwherehumanscame
from,itisabouthowthelifeonearthhasevolvedandgrownovertime.Whilegeneticsnever
change,livingorganismscanchangeandadapttosurvive.Evolutioniswhatallowsspeciesto
surviveandthrive.

October1,2015
Writedownthenamesandcontactinformationforeachpersonyoucontacted.
Writedownwhoyouconnectedwithincludingyesterdayatthecollegefair.
Writedownwhatthosepeoplesaidandhowitcanberelevanttowhatyouaresharinginyourpresentation.

WhitmanCollege:SadieNottAssistantDirectorofAdmission

nottse@whitman.edu
(415)5370321
WhitmanCollegehasaverygreatmathematicsprogram,whichcanhelpwithmy
major.Whiletheydonthaveappliedmathematics,almostanydegreeatthe
collegecanhaveamathminororcombinedmathmajoraddedtoit.Whilethey
didntofferengineering,theyansweredmyquestionandsaidtheyoffered32
programs,whereyouwoulddoacombinedMathdegreeattheircampusforthree
years,andthenwouldtransfertooneoftheirsister/sponsorschoolsvarious
locationsaroundthecountry,tocontinueandgetanengineeringdegreefortwo
years.LocatedinWallaWalla,Washington,Whitmanisasmallprivatenonprofit
liberalartsschoolthatstemmedfromcharterschoolroots.Althoughitisin
Washington,theyget250sunnydaysayear,andhavemanyextracurricularand
sportsteams,mostofwhichtakeadvantageoftheeasyaccesstooutdoor
recreation.Classsizesareverysmall,around20students,andtheyevenhavea
verysimilarteachingmodelliketheHighTechOrganizations.Theyhavelotsof
discussionbasedlessons,aswellasprojectbasedlearningactivitiestosupportthe
curriculum.Lotsofstudentsalsogetlotsofguidancefromtheopportunitycenter
infindinginternshipsandworktowardstheendofcollege.

SaintLouisUniversity:EllenSilverstrandProgramCoordinator

 esilver6@slu.edu
(972)3551927
SaintLouisUniversityisamediumsizedCatholicprivateresearchuniversity
locatedinSt.Louis,Missouri,andiswellknownforitsBusiness,Computer
Science,andEngineeringmajors.Theyofferbothappliedmathandalltypesof
engineeringincludingcivilengineering.Theyalsohaveaverysimilarlearning
modeltoHighTechHigh,wheretheyhavemorelabandcomputerbasedprojects
forlessonsratherthanlectures.Becausetheirengineeringprogramsareveryvery
populartheycreatemoreclassestomakeclasssizesinengineeringsmaller
(around17studentsperteacher)andmaterialsmoreaccessibleforallstudents.
Theyofferfinancialaidtoabout80%ofundergraduates,andreallyencourage
internshipsandworkopportunitiesaroundjunioryearofcollege.Sincetheyhave
agreatreputationforbusiness,engineering,andcomputerscienceintheirarea,
lotsofthestudentsgetinternshipsfrommanyofthecompaniesthatworkwiththe
university.Itissaidthatalmostnoneoftheundergraduateshavetroublefinding
workintheirfieldaftercollege,andthatevensomejuniorsandseniorsgetjob
offersbeforetheygraduate.Theyevenofferedtosendmetoasummer
engineeringprogramtohelpmeseetheschoolandhowtheprogramisrun,as
wellashelpmedecidedwhichtypeofengineeringtogointo,whetherornotIam
interestedingoingtoSLU.

September29,2015
CollegeDayLetter

DearMrs.Abdullah,
IwouldliketogototheUniversityofRedlandsforcollegeday,mainlybecauseofthe
timerestraintsonreturningbacktoschool,asIhaveapreviouslymadecommitmenton
attendingmygymnasticspractice.However,Ihavealsodoneresearchbeforeturninginmy
permissionslip,thatRedlandsoffersmostofthemajorsIamcurrentlyinterestedin.Although,
HarveyMuddoffersagreatopportunityformetoseethetypesofEngineeringprograms

available,timeisnotpermittingme.IalsothinkthattheareaofRedlandsissomethingIwould
preferforacollegecity,andisactuallyarealisticoptionformetoconsider.Afterreadingabout
theUniversityofRedlandsMathematicsprogram,Iamevenmorecurioustoseewhatitislike
andwouldreallyappreciatethisopportunity.

Thanks,
TristenGamboa

Answerswithevidenceadrivingquestionbasedon1or2oftheessentialquestions
Describeshowbrainbasededucationandneuroscienceshouldinformyourcollegeandcareer
pathspecificallyfordevelopinggainsinskillsandmemoryrelatedtowork.
Details2collegesyouareplanningtoapplytobasedoninterest,offerings,alignmentwith
educationgoalsandschoolGPAandadmissionsexpectations.
Includesexcerptsfrom2interviews(Senior,CollegeStudent,CollegeStaff)
Concludeswithasuccessplanandprojectedoutcomesfromcollege
ProfessionalPresentationofPostertoaudienceofbothpeers(11thgradeandadvisory)and
collegeadmissionsadvisors

September23,2015
Whataspectofthesebig"lifedecisions"ismostchallengingandwhy?
(Howdidyougettothatchoice?)

Themostdifficultthingaboutmakingtheselifedecisionsgoingintothefuture,arethat
Imalwaysdoubtingmyselforfindingoneflawintheplan,everytimeIsettleonadecision.
WhetheritisthatImdoubtingifthemajorIwanttopursueisbothwhatImreallypassionate
aboutandifitsrealisticandfinanciallystable.OrwhenImtryingtochooseacollegeonceI
findonethatfitsthelocationandtuitioncostIlike,itdoesntoffermymajor,andviceversa.Its
alsoverychallengingtryingtofindsomethingthatisaffordableandhasrealisticacceptance
rates.IfounditverydifficultformetofindschoolsthatfitalmosteverysingleneedIhadand
werealsorealistic.TheonesthatIgeneratedorfoundthatofferedallmydegreeprogramswere
usuallyhighlyselectiveandhadverybigtuitioncosts.Definitelydecidingifthereturnon

investmentwasworthpursuingmypassion,cametoplayalotwhenIwasresearchingschools.I
wasveryanxiousaboutapplicationacceptanceandSAT/ACTscores,andaddingtheconcernof
tuitioncostsreallyoverwhelmedme.AndthenIwouldgobackintoacycleofdoubteverytimeI
thoughtIhadsettledonareasonableuniversity.Ikeepreassuringmyselfthatitsjustaproject
andthingsareboundtochange,butImtryingtotakethiscollegeresearchseriouslybutitonly
makesmemorenervousandstressedaboutthenextfewyears.Imeanthisprojectsofarhas
alreadyhelpedmesomuchinnarrowingdownwhatIwanttodoanddefiningmygameplan.
Ivelearnedalotofnewandusefulthingsforapplyingandpayingforcollege,butyetIfeelso
overwhelmedandunprepared.

September22,2015
HowSmartCanWeGet?

Mathgiftedpeoplehavefivetimesmoreparietallobeactivity
Graymatterisimportant,butwhitematter(connections)arejustascrucialinintelligence
Hopetomaphowwhitematterconnectsindifferentpeople
Pathdevelopmentisdeterminedat1516yearsold,whilegraymatterdevelopmentis
slowingdown
SavantDisease
Genius
Patternrecognition
Shiftsinpatternrecognition
Memorizingpatterns
Nottochokeunderpressure
Performanceatimportanttimes
CognitiveScience
Whathappenstoourbrainunderpressure?
1112%belowcapability
Messingwithworkingmemory(prefrontalcortex)
AmygdalaandEmotionalcentersgetoveractiveandcloudsthebrainsthinking

 Emotionalrelease,helpspeoplenotchokeontests,boostedtestscores
Offloadareasofthebrainfrombeingoverwhelmed
Performuptotheirpotential

September18,2015
Major:
AppliedMathematics
Idecidedtomajorinappliedmathematicsbecauseithasawiderspectrumof
careerpaths.Itcanleadtofinance,business,orengineering.Alsoapplied
mathematicsismoreapplicabletojobsratherthanadegreeingeneral
mathematics.Infact,mostpeoplewhohaveadegreeinappliedmathematics,do
nothavetogotograduateschooltogetpaidasmuchasthosewithgeneralmath
majors,whomostlikelyhavetopursueadoctoratebeforegoingintothefield.It
issomethingIfeelpassionately,andmostofthemathisusedinmyminor.Itis
alsoagoodminorifIbackoutofengineering,andgointofinanceoraccounting.
Minor:
CivilEngineering
Ichosetominorincivilengineering,becauseIthinkitisbotharealisticand
fulfillingfieldtobein.Itisalsoamoremarketablefieldofdesign,whichis
somethingIamverypassionateabout.Iliketheideaofplanninganddesigning
productsandstructures,andalsohavingtheabilitytoinnovatetheworldand
contributetothecommunity.Iwouldreallyloveajobthatallowsmetobe
creativeandactivelyinvolved,andalsocollaboratewithateam.Ithinkthatthis
careerfieldnicelyintegratesallofmyinterestsfordesign,math,andphysics.
ReachSchool:UCBerkeley
UCBerkeleywouldbeconsideredareachschoolforme,astheyhaveaselective
acceptancerateofjust34%.Whiletheyhavegoodacademics,tuitionispretty
reasonableforaninstateschool,andyetImstillfarawaytolivefromhome.
Theyofferbothofmydegreeinterests,andareevenrankedhighlyinthenation
forbothmathandengineering.Ilikehowlargeanddiversethecampusus,witha
verystrongsenseofcommunityasitisconsideredaveryresidentialschool.Ialso

likethesizeofthecity,andhowitsstillclosetothebigcityofSanFrancisco.
Thecampusisconsideredquitesafe,howeverdowntownareasarealittle
unnerving,buttheuniversityhassafetysupportforstudentsduringlaterhours.
Realistic(Fit)School:BoiseStateUniversity
BoiseStateisrealisticoptionformebecauseitoffersBachelor'sdegreesinboth
AppliedMathandCivilEngineering.Itisalsobothrealisticfinanciallyand
academically,astheyhaveahighacceptancerateof80%.Theiroutofstate
averagetuitionisalsothesameasinstatecollegesaveragetuition.Theonly
thingconcerningmeisthatittendstobeacommutercampus,whereasIdprefer
toliveoncampusclosetomyclasses.Whilethecityisquitelarge,thecampus
andcitytendstobeaverysafeareatolivein,withmoderatetemperaturesinthe
winterandsummerseasons.
PerceivedPrestige&PeerGroup

Prestigecantakeawayfromcolleges
Nontrackingpeopleperformliketheirpeers
LiberalArtsandsmallschools
ForeignCountrieswithEnglishclasses:
Switzerland,Sweden,Germany,andNetherlands
Findtherankingfor3schoolsonyour"CollegesI'mThinkingAboutList"

UniversityofOregon125thintheNation(WashingtonMonthly)
Stanford5thintheNation(WashingtonMonthly)
CalPolySanLuisObispo1stforbestPublicSchools(USNews&WorldReport)

September17,2015
LifestyleandCareerDecisionMaking

Whatdoyouwanttodoeveryday?
Iwanttobeabletodohandsonprojects,whereIwillbeplanninganddesigning,
innovativethingsfortheworld
Whatisrewardingtoyou?

 SomewherewereIfeellikeIcanfullycontributeanddosomethingfortheouter
community
Whatfuturelifestylehaveyouconsidered?Family?
IhopewhenIamolderIwillhaveastableandfulfillingjob,thatcansupporta
family
Whatareyoupassionateabout?
Iampassionateaboutdesignandmakingthingsmoreefficientandmoreeco
friendlyfortheenvironment.
Major:CivilEngineering
Minor:AppliedMathematics
EastCoastCollege:
Mid/SouthWestCollege:
Lessthan8,000undergraduates:
ReachSchool:
Realistic(Fit)School:
Whatdoyouwanttodoasacareer?Whatlifestyleanddailyworkdoyouhopefor?Whattypeofschoolwillsuit
youbestforyourcareer?(Thinkaboutthetypeofinstructors,classwork,opportunitiesandpeergroup)

Inthefuture,IamhopingIwillhaveafulfillingcareer.Iwouldliketodosomething
basedinmathematics,butinacreativeway.Iamthinkingofacareersomewhereinengineering
orproductdesign.Iwouldwanttobepartoftheplanninganddesignaspectofthings,lookingat
howwecanmaketheproductmoreefficient,stable,andcosteffective.Ihopethisallowsfora
quiteactivedeskjob,meaningIwillgettocollaboratewithcoworkersandalsogotodifferent
placestodesignproducts.AnimportantthingaboutthecareerIwant,wouldbethatIwantto
feellikeIamhelpingthecommunity.Whetherthatmeansprovidingaproductthathelpstheir
dailyneeds,ordesigninganenvironmentallyfriendlyfunctioningbuilding.Ithinkauniversity
whereitisveryhandson,andallowsforinternshipsclosetocampuswillbebestforme.Getting
workexperience,andnotsittingthroughtoomanylectureswouldsuitme.Imnotsurewhat
classsizeIwouldprefer,butIwouldwanttohaveanintimateclass,whereIfeelIcantalktomy
professor.Ifeellikesmallclasseswouldbegoodforme,butIalsothinkbigclassescanalsobe
beneficialtome.Ialsowanttobeinalocationthatisnttoourbanbutalsonottoorural.

MeaningIwillhavelessdistractions,butIwillalsohaveactivitiestodowhenImnotstudying,
likehikingorphotography.

September9,2015
Whydissectthebrain?

Dissectingabraincanbeveryusefulinhelpingusunderstandwherecertainpartsofthe
brainarelocatedandwhy.Itcanhelpusfigureoutwhysomepartsofthebrainarecloserto
othersandfartherfromothers,allowingustoseetheinterconnectednessofhowthebrain
functions.Itcanalsohelpuscomparewhysomeanimalshavelesssectionsofthebrainandwhy,
orwhysomeanimalshavelargergrowthinanotherarea.Beingabletodissectabrain,canhelp
ushowtheoverallbodyfunctions.

September8,2015
1.) Whatisyourperceptionofcollege?
2.)Growingup,hasyourfamilytalkedaboutwhatyouwanttobeandwhatcollegewillbelike?
3.)Whatisyourfamilyeducationhistory?
4.)Whatareyourhopesforcollegeandcareer?
5.)Whatareyouworriedaboutwhengoingtocollege?

Collegeformehasalwaysmeantbetteropportunities.Tomeitsaplacetogrowup,
learnsomenewthingsaboutyourself,andcollectexperiences.Inmyfamilyitisalways
expectedthatoneshouldgotoafouryearuniversity.Bothmyparentspaidforalltheirschooling
withouttheirparents,howevertheyhaveofferedmysiblingsandIeachtopayforourfirstfour
yearsofcollege.MyfatheronlywenttocommunitycollegeforhisAssociate'sdegreein
businesswhilemymomwenttoatraditionalfouryearuniversityoraccounting,andtheyhave
alwaysinsistedthatwemakeitaprioritytogetabettereducationandincreaseourchancestoget
workinsomethingwelikethatisalsofinanciallystable.Mydadalwaystellsusabouthowhe
regretsnotgoingtoschoollonger,butalwayssaysthathardworkandexperiencearewhathave
madehimsosuccessful.Myparentsalsotellusitsnottheschoolthatmakesyoubetteratyour
job,butthestudentwhoworkshardforit.Thatjustthetitleoftheschooliswhatmakesyou
goodinacertaindegreeornot,buttheeffortandknowledgethestudenthas.Myhopesfor

collegearetomakeitintoafouryearuniversitywithamajorinsomethingIreallylovetodo.
MybiggestconcernsarenotbeingacceptedintotheschoolsIwant,orbeingacceptedandnot
beingabletoaffordit.IamequallyworriedaboutifIllknowwhatIwanttodobythattimeand
ifitissomethingIamgoingtostickto.Mybiggestfearismakingmyparentspayforabig
universitytuitionandthenfindingoutIwanttochangemymajor.

DialogicalInterview
Onepersontalkingatatime
15minuteseach(listenerkeepstime)
Listeneraskspromptquestionsifthereissilence
ListenerDOESNOTADDTHEIROWNPERSPECTIVEUNTILITISYOURTURN

September2,2015
Whatisyourfavoriteexerciseforcardiovascularhealth?Whatmakesitengagingforyouandwhatarethebenefits.

Myfavoriteworkoutstoexercisemycardiovascularsystemisrunningandhiking.Any
intenseworkoutthatraisesyourheartrateexercisesyourcardiovascularsystem.Ireallylike
runningbecauseitsalwaysachallengetorunlongerorfarther,anditalsogivesyoutimeto
forgetabouttheworldandwhatsstressingyouout.Ispecificallylikerunningorhikinginthe
outdoorsandpreferablyawayfromthecitybecauseitallowsyoutoenjoythegreatoutdoorsand
getfreshair.Thereissomethingquitedifferentaboutrunningoutsidethanonatreadmill,or
runningonatrailversusasidewalk.

September1,2015
Howdoyougainstrength?Whathappens?(Givedetails)

Inordertogainstrength,amusclehastobestimulatedorexercisedtothemax.Thenit
mustbegivenenoughtimetorecoverbeforeworkingoutagain,sothatitgainsoptimalstrength.
Ifyouoverworkamuscleanddontallowittohealinbetweenitwillmostlikelyfeelstronger,
butnotasstrongasitcouldbe.Whenwestimulateourmuscles,itactuallydamagesthecellsin
thetissuemakingupthemuscle.Whenweallowittoheal,newcellsareactuallyregenerating

andrepairingthestructureofthemuscle.Asyougetstronger,themusclegetstighterandtighter
fromallthisrepair,that'swhyitsimportanttostretchtomaintainflexibilityanddurabilityofthe
muscle.Ifthemuscleistootenseandafreakaccidentpullshardonit,itwillprobablytearor
injurethetissuemakingupthemuscle.

August31,2015
Howisthenervoussystemconnectedyourhealth?
Whatarefourquestionsyouhaveaboutthenervoussystemand/orbrain?

Iknowthenervoussystemiscloselytiedtoyourhealth,asitcandeterminehowyour
nervesworkwithyourbraintokeepyourbodyincheck,andalsocontroltheamountofeach
hormoneyourbodyreleases.Iamwonderinghowmentalhealthdisorderssuchasdepression
andanxietydevelop.Howisitthatproblemswiththenervoussystemcanaffectotherareasof
thebodylikethebrain,gastrointestinalsystem,ormusculoskeletalsystem?Whatcausespanic
attacks,andhowcantheybemanaged?Howdothingslikemeditation,biofeedbacktherapy,and
medicationhelpmanagenervoussystemdisorders?Howismentalhealthandthenervoussystem
related?

August28,2015
Journal#3
Whatdoesitmeantobehealthy?Whatdoyoudotostayorgethealthy?Whyhaveyougonetothedoctorinthe
past?Howdoesthatconnectwiththedecisionsyoumake?

Beinghealthyisaboutbeingphysicallyfit,eatinghealthy,andmaintainingamental
health.Healthisallaboutbalancephysicallyandmentally.Itmeansyouexercisedaily,getthe
correctnutritionforyourbody,sleepconsistently,andkeepapositivemindset.Ifyouaskedme
afewyearsagoIwouldhavesaidthathealthisallaboutbeingphysicallyactive.Nowdays,I
believethatmentalhealthandnutritionplayjustasbigaroleinmaintainingageneralwellness.I
personallytrytoexercisewhenIcanandeatlotsofnaturalunprocessedfoods.Again,Ibelieve
balanceiskey,soeatingsomejunkfoodorskippingadayofexerciseisnotthatbigofadeal
becausenoonesperfect.Infact,lettinggoofdietorjusthavinglazydayshangingoutwith
friendsisjustasimportantasitcancontributetoyourmentalhealth.Ipersonallyliketotake

timetomeditateordestressdaily,andInoticedthishashelpedmyoverallwellbeing.Mental
healthisaboutinteractionandexperiencingnewthings,liketravelingeveryonceandawhile,or
tryingadifferentculturesfood.Ialsothinkthathygieneplaysintoanotherpartofbeinghealthy,
washingyourhandsoftenandgettingenoughvitaminscankeepsyoufromgettingsick.

August26,2015
Journal#2
Whataretheprosandconstohonors?Whydoyouthinkyoumightbeabletohandleitornothandleit?

HonorscanbeverybeneficialtofurtheryourlearningandupgradeyourGPA.Taking
honorsclassesisaverylargecommitment,asitcaneitherpositivelyornegativelyaffectyour
grade.Ithinkhonorsworkwillbealotoftimeoutsideofschoolspentonwork,howeversinceI
aminterestedaboutlearningmoreIdontthinkIwillmindit.Iamawarethathonorswillbe
difficultandthatunderstandingthecontentwontalwaysbeeasy,butIamstillmoreconcerned
aboutmeetingdeadlinesandmanagingmytime.Mybiggestfearthatispushingmeawayfrom
doinghonorsclassesisthefearthatIcanthandlethetimeandincreasedworkload.Istillwould
liketotakehonorsthoughfortheextrabenefits,suchas,deepeningmythinking,preparingme
fortheSATandopeningupmoreopportunitiesformyself.

August25,2015
Journal#1
Whatissomethingthatstoodoutasimportantordifferentthatotherclassesinthesyllabusandwhy?

Whenreadingthesyllabus,Ifoundthatwewouldbeusinglotsoftoolsandtechnology
everyday.Thisalsomeanstakingalotofsafetyprecautionsandrespectingthematerialssothey
last.Also,unlikeotherclasseswearegoingtobeassignedresponsibilitiesandjobstolookafter
specificaspectsoftheroomandkeepingthemtidy.Becausewearegoingtobeusingalotof
tools,itisimportantthatwepassthesafetytestswiththeinstructoronhowtousethem,and
askingforhelpwheneverweareunsureoforconfusedwiththenecessaryprocedures.

August24,2015

Iamabiologistbecause...
Tristenisabiologistbecausesheiscuriousaboutlife.Everythingfromhowthebrain
develops,tohoworganismsstructuresfunctioninsynchronicity,orhowasinglespeciescan
impactthefoodchain.Themostimportantthingaboutbeingabiologistisbeingcuriousand
observantaboutthelifegoingonaroundyou.Thesecondmostimportantthingisdocumenting
andsharingthosediscoverieswithothers.Eversinceshewasachild,shehasalwaysquestioned
whythingsworkedthewaytheydidandhowtheycouldbeimprovedormaintained.Tristenis
anoutdoorsmanandlovesexploringnewterrain.Asanavidtraveler,shelikescomparing
differentbiomesandhowlivingorganismswouldbeaffectediftheylivedindifferent
environments.Sheisalsoconcernedwithenvironmentalconservation,andworriesabout
preservingnaturalhabitatsandgettingmorerestrictionsonGMOsandpesticides.Asanathlete,
Tristenisalsoconsciousaboutthefoodshefuelsherbodywith,andlikessharingherinsights
aboutnutritionwiththepeoplearoundher.Tristenisabiologistbecauseshestrivestocarefor
andsustaintheworldaroundher.