CSI Project
Description This project allowed us to apply the knowledge we acquired in our biology class to a real world situation, namely solving a crime. In order to achieve this goal, we needed to learn about biological topics that could be applied to this field. We all learned about forensic entomology, blood typing, fingerprints, and DNA processing in order to achieve this goal. After that, we were assigned a crime scene and began to solve our cases. My group was assigned to a hit and run case. When we began, the first step was to collect evidence in the form of photos, and log the evidence we found. Next the groups began to learn different things based on what the crime required. After this step, ours cast footprints and tire tracks in an attempt to acquire some suspects. Then, we found suspects, and found blood on their vehicle. Blood typing proved inconclusive, but a DNA analysis proved that the victim's blood was on the car. However, we also acquired a coroner's report and a toxicity analysis on the dead man's blood that proved he had already been dead from an overdose by the time that the suspects had run him over.
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Reflection This project was not interesting to me. The majority of the work was dull and too easy to engage me. Part of teh reason for this was also the fact that I had a partner who didn't help with collecting or logging the evidence. At times she would just sit there and do nothing while I worked. While this accounted for some of my disinterest, the rest came fro the ease of the work. Each day I would find and analyze the evidence about the first fourth of the class and was left with nothing else to do. I got very bored very fast. For these reasons I was not engaged at all by this project.
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DIssection Project
The dissection project was interesting. For this project each student had the choice to dissect either a shark, cat, or pig fetus. If you were extremely squeamish, there was an option that allowed you to opt out and create a model of human anatomy. I chose to dissect the shark. The first day of dissection allowed us to complete an external examination of the shark to identify the fins, gills, etc. the second day brought us to the digestive tract. Me and my partner cut open the shark and looked at the liver, stomach, esophagus, and other aspects of the digestive system. On the third day, we explored the circulatory and respiratory systems. After that, we spend the next few days reviewing and memorizing the positions of organs and other body parts in all of these systems. After we finished this, we signed up for a day to take the final exam. The final exam came in the form of creating a video of ourselves locating, naming, and explaining the purposes of these body parts. My final exam video is posted below.
Finnal Exam
Part 1 |
Part 2 |
Community Connection
For my community connection I volunteered at Durango Nature Studies. During this time, I aided in the removal of the tumble weed from the DNS property. The tumble weed is an extremely invasive species, and there weren't any on the property just two years ago. I was assigned this job in an attempt to remove them from this area. Over a two-day period my mother and I removed a total of four flat-bed truck loads from the area, and there were still many of the weeds left. The weeds we did pull were taken off of the property and destroyed.
Monkey Meal Plan Project
For this project we were given the opportunity to create recipes for monkeys and chimps that would be used at a primate rescue center. We were then given minimum and maximum limits for total calories of glucose, protein, and other dietary requirements. There were different guidelines for chimps and monkeys, as each animal requires a different amount of calories. Once we had this information, we chose what group of primates we wanted the meal to be cooked for. We could choose, monkeys, chimps, or both. We then began to chose ingredients to create our recipes. Once we had an idea of what we wanted to use, we calculated the amounts we would need to use to stay within the guideline calorie amounts. Once we had completed this step we had our final recipes. After all of this I had created the breakfast salad; a salad that combines eggs, spinach, cheese, bananas, honey and croutons. This recipe is posted below.
Durango Nature Studies Habitat Assessment Project
Reflection
This project allowed us to learn how to measure the population size of the leopard frogs in the Durango Nature Studies habitat, gauge the stability of the habitat, and measure the water quality of the habitat. To conduct these tasks, the first step was to learn to identify different species of amphibians and insects. We accomplished this step by studying ways to identify these species and then taking a quiz on the subject. After we had learned the basics of identification, we then went to the DNS habitat to conduct fieldwork. This fieldwork consisted of catching and marking leopard frogs, taking water samples from both the pond and the river, taking samples of aquatic macroinvertabrates (insects), and sampling the plant life to determine biodiversity. Once we had accumulated the data from this fieldwork, we needed to analyze it and discover its meaning. We organized this data into various tables and charts in Excel. From this data, we learned that both the pond and river are partially polluted and that the habitat is diverse enough to be stable among other facts. We concluded the project by writing a scientific paper on the DNS habitat.
I am satisfied with the results of this project. At first I found it challenging to write technically, but I was able to work through these challenges and create a result that I am proud of and that I believe is beautiful, scientific work.
This project allowed us to learn how to measure the population size of the leopard frogs in the Durango Nature Studies habitat, gauge the stability of the habitat, and measure the water quality of the habitat. To conduct these tasks, the first step was to learn to identify different species of amphibians and insects. We accomplished this step by studying ways to identify these species and then taking a quiz on the subject. After we had learned the basics of identification, we then went to the DNS habitat to conduct fieldwork. This fieldwork consisted of catching and marking leopard frogs, taking water samples from both the pond and the river, taking samples of aquatic macroinvertabrates (insects), and sampling the plant life to determine biodiversity. Once we had accumulated the data from this fieldwork, we needed to analyze it and discover its meaning. We organized this data into various tables and charts in Excel. From this data, we learned that both the pond and river are partially polluted and that the habitat is diverse enough to be stable among other facts. We concluded the project by writing a scientific paper on the DNS habitat.
I am satisfied with the results of this project. At first I found it challenging to write technically, but I was able to work through these challenges and create a result that I am proud of and that I believe is beautiful, scientific work.
insects_in_pond_water.xlsx | |
File Size: | 79 kb |
File Type: | xlsx |
bio_exectutive_summary.docx | |
File Size: | 48 kb |
File Type: | docx |