Frogger, hogger, logger...BLOGGER!
Colleen Dunning, my biology teacher, is crazy. Just kidding. But maybe a little...anyway my point that I am trying to make is that the students of Colleen keep blogs for biology as well as a DP page. Being a student of Colleen, I do indeed have a blog, however being a disorganized person, be prepared for some confusing because I now how TWO sites to take care of instead of just one. Through my fear of completely losing it and forgetting passwords, I have come to the realization that Colleen is actually helping us out by requiring us to stay organized because life is disorganized. To get to my biology blog, click here>>>>BLOG OF LIFE!
Crime Scene Investigation
Leading up to the crime scene investigation project we studied blood typing, DNA fingerprinting, and procedures used in crime scenes. In class we listened to a radio broadcast of This American Life about four young men wrongly convicted and exonerated through DNA testing. Also, we watched an episode of Extreme Forensics to gain more knowledge on investigations. Then, our teacher designed 3 crime scenes to solve. We were assigned partners and a crime scene. The first day of the project we got a debriefing of our project and took pictures of the crime scene. Then we worked for the next couple weeks to analyze different pieces of evidence such as blood spatters, DNA (mitochondrial and nuclear), dental records, forensic entomology, fingerprints and tire tracks. Each case worked through multiple steps and critical thinking to close their case. My partner and I were assigned Crime Scene 2. In this case, a skeleton was found in the San Juan Forest by a couple hiking. We took the skeleton and based on the beetles found on the body we could determine that the time of death was greater than or equal to 3 years. Then we analyzed the pelvic and sacrum bone to determine that the victim was a male. The humerus, femur and radius were used to determine the height of the victim: 5' 3"-5' 7". Then missing persons files were obtained and the victim's identity was narrowed down to two males: Miguel Soto and Nathan Herron. A dental record of Miguel Soto was compared to the skeletal remains and the two jaws were not congruent. From this, Nathan Herron was the main identity match to the skeleton. In order to prove his identity, we compared mitochondrial DNA, found in the hair, of the victim to the mother of Nathan, Lori Herron. The DNA matched and the victim had an identity. The only thing left to do was to figure out who killed him and how. The skull had a large hole in the front and a smaller hole in the back when the coroner completed the autopsy. From this we know that Nathan was shot through the head. Two suspects were found; James Newell and John Hannah. The DNA of each of these men was collected and compared to the DNA found under the fingernails of the victim at the crime scene. Neither man matched the DNA. Our case was concluded as being a "cold case," meaning there are currently no other leads and no criminal.
For me, the most positive part of this project was the structure. We were given specific hand outs and information packets on how to complete the analysis necessary to solve the crime. In a project like this, students are bound to get confused and require the teachers attention. However, we only have one biology teacher and she can't duplicate herself. So when my partner and I needed help, we would go back to the sheets provided and work through our difficulties on our own. If that didn't bring us to our answer, we always had other classmates working the same crime scene and finally if we still were stumped we had Colleen. Overall, having information to find our own solutions was really helpful. Also, the way that the project was laid out was very organized and clear to follow, making it easier for us to work independently.
Looking back on the whole process, I would have done a couple things differently. One thing I would have done differently would have been having a clear vision of the final poster board before crunch time. This means I would have taken more photos at the crime scene, saved every sheet of paper handed out to us and kept a list of the evidence that needed to be included in the board for exhibition. This would have helped us fill our board with relevant information and know what our final product was going to be early on so we could work with that goal in mind.
For me, the most positive part of this project was the structure. We were given specific hand outs and information packets on how to complete the analysis necessary to solve the crime. In a project like this, students are bound to get confused and require the teachers attention. However, we only have one biology teacher and she can't duplicate herself. So when my partner and I needed help, we would go back to the sheets provided and work through our difficulties on our own. If that didn't bring us to our answer, we always had other classmates working the same crime scene and finally if we still were stumped we had Colleen. Overall, having information to find our own solutions was really helpful. Also, the way that the project was laid out was very organized and clear to follow, making it easier for us to work independently.
Looking back on the whole process, I would have done a couple things differently. One thing I would have done differently would have been having a clear vision of the final poster board before crunch time. This means I would have taken more photos at the crime scene, saved every sheet of paper handed out to us and kept a list of the evidence that needed to be included in the board for exhibition. This would have helped us fill our board with relevant information and know what our final product was going to be early on so we could work with that goal in mind.
Ecology Project Reflection-Colony Collapse Disorder
Through this project we focused on an ecological issue. We had four topics to choose from; Invasive Species in Colorado, the Human Bear Conflict, Mega Fires in the West, The Great Pacific Garbage patched and Colony Collapse Disorder, the topic I shoe to focus on. To start the project, we read a lot of articles and news pieces covering our topic. For one whole week, all we were doing was reading from books, websites, and articles, just reading to get enough information on the issue and what was being done about it. We then wrote a short introduction that just outlined the problem and the cause as well as touching on what was currently being done. Then we took another week of sifting through articles that focused mainly on management and monitoring of the issue and wrote about if anything currently being done about it were effective or not. Then we made an outline with three new solutions that either combined two of the other options or was completely innovative
In my management plan, my strongest strategy is definitely the third solution. In the third solution, I wrote about how bees are similar to humans and they get stressed out. If they are stressed out, they are unable to function properly and then they don’t have as long of a life span and the colony collapses. Bees are attacked by miniature mites called Varroa destructors, “vampire mites”, as well as being exposed to pesticides meant to kill the mites and pesticides on the plants and travelling. All of these factors stress the bees out. Beekeepers rent out their hives to farmers to pollinate the farmer’s crops, and these farms are not always close to where the bees are being kept. My management plan talked about how it is possible to raise awareness in the general public and make people aware of what an issue colony collapse is. Through this, people will be encouraged to start keeping bees in the local area and so the colony’s wont collapse due to stress. I think this is my strongest plan because it is most achievable for Durango and it is also realistically a potential solution.
In biology we have been working on writing technically and objectively and through this project we utilized those skills. For me, it is extremely difficult to write objectively because I am a strong writer in Humanities were descriptive language is essential. Although it was hard and not fun at the beginning of the project, I pushed through and I am so thankful for what I have learned about technical writing because I know that that is a skill I will need to have on lock in chemistry next year with Steve Smith. I also learned some valuable researching skills. Before, I would Google something and click on the first link thinking that it would be the best, since it came up first. However, I this project I learned how to effectively find articles through Googling my topic, and then adding “scholarly article” on the end of my search term. Even though I didn’t like the research and I didn’t like the technical writing, I am thankful for the practice at this straight forward type of assignment. I learned about ecology in this project as well. One of the most valuable things that I learned is that diversity equals stability. However, in my project I saw that it was relevant. If that statement is true, then it would mean that the mites in the hive would be providing stability instead of making the colonies collapse. Although I did not specifically research the different diversity in the hives, I did note this strange contradiction to the umbrella concept of diversity equating to stability.
I also learned that there are so many different elements to each issue and solution and so many scientist working towards a solution, some things turn into an international effort and it is amazing how through the destruction of each other and each other’s countries, there are still ways to work together for a common cause. To me, ecology turned into this tool to connect countries and people, ecology turned into a path to peace. Click on the heading above to see my management plan!
In my management plan, my strongest strategy is definitely the third solution. In the third solution, I wrote about how bees are similar to humans and they get stressed out. If they are stressed out, they are unable to function properly and then they don’t have as long of a life span and the colony collapses. Bees are attacked by miniature mites called Varroa destructors, “vampire mites”, as well as being exposed to pesticides meant to kill the mites and pesticides on the plants and travelling. All of these factors stress the bees out. Beekeepers rent out their hives to farmers to pollinate the farmer’s crops, and these farms are not always close to where the bees are being kept. My management plan talked about how it is possible to raise awareness in the general public and make people aware of what an issue colony collapse is. Through this, people will be encouraged to start keeping bees in the local area and so the colony’s wont collapse due to stress. I think this is my strongest plan because it is most achievable for Durango and it is also realistically a potential solution.
In biology we have been working on writing technically and objectively and through this project we utilized those skills. For me, it is extremely difficult to write objectively because I am a strong writer in Humanities were descriptive language is essential. Although it was hard and not fun at the beginning of the project, I pushed through and I am so thankful for what I have learned about technical writing because I know that that is a skill I will need to have on lock in chemistry next year with Steve Smith. I also learned some valuable researching skills. Before, I would Google something and click on the first link thinking that it would be the best, since it came up first. However, I this project I learned how to effectively find articles through Googling my topic, and then adding “scholarly article” on the end of my search term. Even though I didn’t like the research and I didn’t like the technical writing, I am thankful for the practice at this straight forward type of assignment. I learned about ecology in this project as well. One of the most valuable things that I learned is that diversity equals stability. However, in my project I saw that it was relevant. If that statement is true, then it would mean that the mites in the hive would be providing stability instead of making the colonies collapse. Although I did not specifically research the different diversity in the hives, I did note this strange contradiction to the umbrella concept of diversity equating to stability.
I also learned that there are so many different elements to each issue and solution and so many scientist working towards a solution, some things turn into an international effort and it is amazing how through the destruction of each other and each other’s countries, there are still ways to work together for a common cause. To me, ecology turned into this tool to connect countries and people, ecology turned into a path to peace. Click on the heading above to see my management plan!
Durango Nature Studies Research Paper
As a class, we went out to the Durango Nature Studies land and observed the Leopard Frogs and their relation to the Bullfrogs. Through the data that we collected, we wrote a research paper recounting our findings as well as introducing a solution to the issue at hand: the Bullfrogs threatening the existence of the Leopard Frogs. I was thoroughly disappointed in myself at the end of this project. The grade that I received was less than I was hoping to get, but it made sense to me why I was marked down so low. I had never really had very much experience writing objectively or scientifically, nor did I have any practice really compiling data into writing. Not only did I not know how, I didn't put in very much effort to learning how and therefore I came out on the other side of the project, frustrated at myself. Click on the link above to read my paper!
Animas High School 3206 North Main Avenue Durango, CO 81301 (970) 247-2474
My Contact Information: [email protected]
Updated on: 5.3.13
My Contact Information: [email protected]
Updated on: 5.3.13