Biology
Crime Scene Investigation: The San Juan Skeleton
In this project, We where assigned a partner and as a partnership where assigned one of three crime scenes. The purpose of this project was to discover the killer of the victim in our crime scene. We where to do this through reenactments of real forensic techniques and ultimately learn about these techniques. In the end, I learned about blood typing, DNA analysis, Forensic anthropology, and coroners reports.
Dissection Project-Fetal Pig
Project Reflection:
I chose to dissect a pig for this project. I chose the pig rather than a cat or a shark because I had a moral issue with the way the cats were collected and a pig was more closely related to the anatomy of a human. This meant that I could learn more about the body of mammals which I can relate to more. This project taught me about the different aspects of a pigs anatomy and the different functions of major specific body parts in a pig. Also, in a less obvious way it taught me to use my class time effectively and use the available resources to my advantage. One major thing that I learned about myself is that it is very difficult for me to stay on task with a specific thing that takes place over many days. I also learned that the brain really interests me because it is amazing to see the mechanics and specific parts that go into executing simple functions.
I chose to dissect a pig for this project. I chose the pig rather than a cat or a shark because I had a moral issue with the way the cats were collected and a pig was more closely related to the anatomy of a human. This meant that I could learn more about the body of mammals which I can relate to more. This project taught me about the different aspects of a pigs anatomy and the different functions of major specific body parts in a pig. Also, in a less obvious way it taught me to use my class time effectively and use the available resources to my advantage. One major thing that I learned about myself is that it is very difficult for me to stay on task with a specific thing that takes place over many days. I also learned that the brain really interests me because it is amazing to see the mechanics and specific parts that go into executing simple functions.
Honey Bee Project
Honey bees are important because they pollinate 90% of our fruits and vegetables. They pollinate countless types of flowers, fruits and vegetables. They also help distribute different flowers, fruits and vegetables to different areas to diversify the plant life. This is important because diversity equals stability. We need to be concerned about honey bees because their population is drastically decreasing. They are suffering from a disease called colony collapse disorder. The cause of this disease is unknown but it is destroying honey bee population. Without honey bees we would have no apples, nuts, berries, citrus, flowers and many things that we as a population needs.
For my project, I chose to focus on the plight of the honey bee. In researching this, I discovered that in the hierarchy of the bee, the absolute most important is the queen. The other bees are seen as relatively disposable. Whether they are drones (females) that collect pollen and other things from outside the hive, or broods (babies) growing in the cells of the hive. For my project, I created a couture dress representing the light of the honey bee. I was very proud of the outcome because it was polished and well done. If I were to do the project again however, I would create a model or something more concrete that could represent the plight in a less abstract way.