Food Chains and Invasive Species - Weekly Blog #16

http://www.freshvista.com/2014/patterns-in-nature-some-thoughts-on-invasive-species

Summary

This week, depending if we were in a triad or a quad table, we studied either invasive species, or endangered species and were told to make a project about it. I was in a quad table, so I studied invasive species. The invasive species i'm studying is the New Zealand Mud Snail. These animals are typically found in oceans and are native to New Zealand. The New Zealand Mud Snail is a quite interesting animal, that can be found all over the world due to its tendencies to cling onto nets and fishing gear. This species is invasive all over the word, and repopulates extremely quickly. This can lead to a lack of space for other native species to live and a lack of food for other species as well. This is what I learned this week in science.

S&EP - Communicating Information

This week, I communicated information through the means of a video about the New Zealand Mud Snails, and why they are harmful to the environments they live in. We talked about how they can take away things like food and shelter that belonged to the native species, away from them because of how easily they can spread. We provided the solution of properly cleaning fishing gear after use. This will stop the snails for spreading because they are prone to clinging on to fishing gear to travel around. Also, you can freeze your fishing gear after use to kill them off as well. We explained that using these methods will for sure stop the invasive species from spreading.

XCC - Stability and Change

This week, I showed the significance of stability and change that these species provide when they are in a certain habitat inhabited by invasive species. We also talked about how the invasive species can affect the food chain of the current ecosystem, and possibly bring disease or decrease the biodiversity. This all gives extreme change in stability in the ecosystem, as well as provides change on how things will work. The New Zealand mud snails also repopulate extremely fast, and could give less shelter and resources to the native species.  

Studying Interdependence of Organisms and Cycles: Weekly blog #14

http://www.smithlifescience.com/cyclesnature.htm

Summary

This week in science, we studied the works of nature that connects abiotic and biotic factors. A biotic factor is something in the environment that is alive, This could be something like the grass, people, animals, trees ect. An Abiotic factor is something in an environment that isn't alive such as the sky, cement, rocks, and even sunlight. We also learned about natural cycles, namely the nitrogen and carbon cycles. The carbon cycle is the cycle of carbon from plants and animals to the atmosphere to the ocean and several other place. Almost the same can go for the nitrogen cycle There are also other cycles in nature such as the water cycle and rock cycle but we already previously studied those so there is no point in learning them again.

S&EP - Communicating Information

I engaged in discussions with scientific peers. As I was researching about the different cycles, I had to show what I learned about our assigned cycle by communicating my ideas about the nitrogen cycle to a group that was assigned with the carbon cycle. They then told me about there journey through the cycle and what type of places they traveled to, as well as what changes occurred along the way. This is how I communicated information to other scientific peers this week.

XCC - Patterns

There is a large emphasis on the use of patterns as far as cycles go. Once the cycle goes through once, it will start again, thus making it a pattern. This can apply to all cycles because eventually they will repeat in the same or a similar sort of manor. However, if there were to a a disturbance or a change in the cycle, it would have a changed pattern, and would affect the whole system, including everything apart of it. This is how I communicated concepts about patterns this week.

Superhero Life Science - Project Blog Post

My Superhero that was the root of my project

Summary

I learned about a variety of things during this project. I now comprehend subjects about mutations, DNA, Genes, Heredity, Epigenetics, engineering, and GMO. A GMO is a genetically modified organism. This can be anything that is a organism, but can also apply to genetically modified foods. A mutation is when there is a change in genetic materials, that is found in a DNA sequence. This results in a substitution, insertion, or deletion of genes. Heredity is the inheritance of genes from parent to offspring. Epigeneitcs is the term used for the decisions a parent makes that can cause a changes in gene expression affecting the offspring. Another way to put it is affects on the offspring depending on the certain choices the parent makes. DNA is the instruction of genetic code found in the nucleus of the cell to develop and function. A part of the DNA is what get passed down from parent to offspring, and what make them look alike. I learned what a cam and cam follower are in engineering, as well as I learned how to create my own mechanism. These are the things I learned and now know over the course of this project.

Backward - Looking: Does this work tell a story?

I speak for myself, but I definitely think that my work tells a story. A great tale about the courageous Karmeleon. Besides the fact that this project is composed several story's in it, such as my origin story, love story, and rivalry story, I think that the work itself will tell the story of all the things that I learned and was able to convert into a story of a superhero. A story of a superhero that went to great lengths to protect the things that he cared about. The story of the rivalry of the corporation and the committee fighting for the greater good of the city. The committee has the help of Karmeleon, as well as his daughter, to serve in always saving the city from the evil corporation. This is why I believe that my project tells a story. 

Inward - Looking: What was especially satisfying to you about either the process or the finished product?

Something that was definitely satisfying in the end of my project was how much I wrote, and overall how much I created. Ranging from stories to drawings, I had a lot of elements in my project. I say that it was satisfying because getting all the work out of the way and getting done with that project after a few months will always be extremely relieving. Another thing that was satisfying was how much I got to write about in my stories. I was very satisfied about how in depth I got and what types of things I put into it to make it an interesting story.

Outward - Looking: What grade would you give it? Why?

I would most probably give my project an A. I put a lot of time and effort on everything that went into my project. This includes things like my story. I think my story's had a lot of thought into them as well as originality. Considering all the science we did, I believe that I filled out my worksheets and papers well and accurate according to what has been taught.  I also think that I did well and put considerable amounts of effort on my drawings and models. This includes my automata ,drawing of my superhero, villain, as well as child. This is why I think that my work deserves an A.

Forward - Looking: What would you change if you had a chance to do this piece over again?

I would most probably try to make my drawing overall a bit neater. I say this because on some of my drawings, the lines weren't as steady as I would have liked them to be, as well as they overall weren't as appealing as I would have wanted them to be. I would have also probably went in more detail in some of my body system description. I think I also think that if I was able to do this again, I would change a lot of things in my super-villain. I don't know why, but when you see the content that goes with my super-villain, it looked pretty rushed and overall not as good as I would have wanted it to be.

Finalizing Our Superhero Project: Weekly Blog #13

https://www.pinterest.com/agordon3082/animals-waving-goodbye/

Summary

This week in science, I worked on finally finishing up our superhero projects. I compiled all of the documents, drawings, and files that we worked on for the past few months, and taped them onto a poster to be submitted. I learned about several things during this project, I learned about GMO, Mutations, Genes, DNA, Heredity, Epigenetics, engineering, and so much more. A GMO is a essentially what it stands for, a genetically modified organism. This can be anything that is a organism, but can also apply to genetically modified foods. A mutation is when there is either a change in

My Superhero Meets His Villan! - Weekly Blog #12

http://www.playbuzz.com/jackstein10/which-superhero-villain-relationship-matches-your-personality

Summary

This week in science, I learned more about the structures of each body system, as well as how there can be affects on the body systems. We learned this topic by making our superheros villain, and having affects on their body systems to make them more powerful. Essentially, we changed how there body systems function when they transformed into their nefarious state. This helped us create a totally different body system for a villain and give him powers depending on how we changed it. I also learned what a cam, and a cam follower are when creating our automata.

S&EP - SP4: Analyzing and interpreting data

I used data collected from my research about body systems from the past few months,] to create a villain for my superhero. I made this drawing based on different affects that were from the changed body system. The body systems I choose to be affected were the eyes/nervous system, skin, and muscular, and made a drawing reflecting the changes in the body systems. This is how I analyzed and interpreted data through a drawing.

XCC - Cause and Affect

There is a strong cause and affect in my body system drawings in my villain. In the skin of my villain because its in its nefarious state, it causes it heats up. The affect would be there being damage and blisters to the skin cells. This serves as a downfall in battle, because the blistering skin causes exposure of the muscular system. There is also a cause and affect relationship in the eyes. The cause would be the superhero being in his nefarious state, and the affect on the eyes would be them to to roll back. To go even further, this would cause there to be little, to no vision. This would benefit my superhero because it makes him to be in even more of an unconscious state.

How My Superhero Got His Superpowers! - Weekly blog #11

http://einerd-static.petaxxoninformat.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Superman-49.jpg

Summary

This week in science, we learned about genetically modified organisms (GMO) as well as mutations. We had to incorporate what we learned about this into our superhero origin story. I based mine off of a mutation. I learned that a mutation is a change in genetic material. This change is found in a DNA sequence. This can be due to either an external, or internal factor. A mutation results in changes of proteins, and the result could be bad, neutral, or good. The reaction on a body that is mutated is either a substitution, insertion, or deletion of genes. 

S&EP - Constructing explanations and designing solution

I evaluated information regarding mutation to explain how my superhero got his superpowers and form my hypotheses. I formed a hypotheses on how the potion would act on the the genes, through the basic rules of mutation. With the information I learned this week, I was able to create a story on how my superhero got his superpowers. That is how I constructed an explanation this week in science.

XCC - Cause and Effect 

There is a lot of cause and effect when it comes to mutation. The cause being the insertion, deletion, or substitution of alleles, and the effect being a negative neutral or positive affect on the body. This can be tied in with my origin story by the cause being the potion, and the affect being a mutation. This is how I used a cross cutting concept this week.

My Superhero Has a Child! - Weekly Blog #10

newsroom.niu.edu

Summary

This week in science, we worked on our superheros as well as we learned about epigenetics. We drew our superheros children based on the outcomes of our punnet squares. I learned more about homozygous and heterozygous traits. A homozygous trait is when there is 2 dominant alleles, this can also be known as a purebred. A heterozygous is when there is one dominant allele and one recessive, also known as a hybrid. We labeled traits by using these terms, and found out what traits would be passed down from the mates.

S&EP - Analyzing Data

I used the data that we got from our punnet squares to analyze how our super hero child would turn out to look like or what powers they would have. We also had to calculate the chances of our child receiving those traits through the help of punnet squares. We also had to look at the possible diseases or medical conditions depending on whether or not the mother did certain actions.

XCC - Cause and Affect

If the mother decided to go on a whole grain diet, than the affect was a healthy baby with normal organs. If the mother decided to eat junk food, than the baby will end up obese and with diabetes. If the mother had low stress and didnt have to worry about money, than it was shown to have a healthy baby. If the mother had high stress, than the affect on the baby would be undeveloped/abnormal organs. As you can tell, there is a great cause and affect factor that we have been studying this week.