Lifeboat Dilemma

Imagine yourself in a ship which just struck an iceberg and the captain is lead to choose who will be thrown out. Now every passenger needs to convince the captain the reasons they shouldn´t be thrown out. This is basically the task given by my teacher but instead of being humans, each student was given an assigned cell part. The class was divided in two main cells, prokaryotic and eukaryotic. This represents the ships.  The passengers are the different cell parts present in either a prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell. 
My assigned part was the endoplasmic reticulum. The speech I presented was the following: 

The endoplasmic reticulum is a network of membranes, classified in two types: rough and smooth. The main functions of the rough endoplasmic reticulum are synthesis and storage of proteins which are made by the ribosome’s attached to it. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum plays a role in the lipid synthesis and, in muscle cells, in the conduction of the contraction stimulus.

Proteins are needed in the cell for numerous functions and the RER (rough endoplasmic reticulum) is responsible for synthesizing proteins. They can either produce a protein to reproduce or to replace a degraded one. Their procedure is to first transcribe DNA into RNA. The RNA will translate into chains of amino acids, then, the amino acid chain will fold into specific proteins.

The same as the nucleus acts as the brain of the cell, the endoplasmic reticulum acts as the transport system by sending protein to the golgi apparatus. 

What kind of cell I would like to be and why

Throughout the week, my class and I have been studying the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.  Based on what I researched, I came with the conclusion of choosing to be a eukaryotic plant cell. 

These cells are surrounded by a cell wall made of cellulose important for producing numerous products. Such as textile, paper, pharmaceuticals, and explosives! The cell wall allows very high pressures to build up inside them because of osmosis (diffusion of a solvent).  In other words, it prevents over-expansion when water enters the cell.  It avoids plant cells from exploding when put in distillate water. This is one of the main reasons I´d like to be a plant cell.  Since animal cells lack a cell wall, they need to excrete excess of water. Otherwise, your kidney will stop working causing your blood to get very dilute each time you drank water. Then water would start to go into your cells by osmosis and they might burst: the end of you! 

Plants cells also contain chloroplasts which contain chlorophyll, necessary for photosynthesis. This contains DNA which controls how other chloroplasts work. The information in the DNA is needed to make enzymes and eventually used for photosynthesis.  

At last, plant cells have a large vacuole which occupies most of the space in it. It can hold many substances from organic molecules to simple excess of water. The central vacuole is important in maintaining plant turgidity (the state of being turgid or swollen). Turgidity is very important for plants for keeping them rigid and upright. 

Project "Meals on Wheels"

Everything started when the owner of “Meals on Wheels”, Sarah Jones, decided to hire us, nutritionists. A task was given to my group; team violet. We needed to choose from the three given menus; a healthy and balanced menu for a long-term period and for one week quick weight loss. It was asked to evaluate each menu and decide which fits on the company list.  The group was supposed to research the consequences from the lack or excess of nutrients in each menu. Not only did we have to evaluate the menus but to explain the directors´ board the reasons for our choices.

Our team´s first goals were to list the things we needed to research and assign a role to each member. However, the plan didn´t work properly because the work wasn´t divided evenly among the group. Hopefully, a sign of optimism appeared- the teacher´s clarification of the task. So, we created a new plan divided in four parts: introduction, menu 1, menu 2, and menu 3 evaluation and research. While working on the third menu, I discovered some of the consequences of lacking vitamins and minerals: scurvy, myxedema, blindness, etc.

Though, which was our final decision? We chose menu #1 as a short term diet since it lacks proteins and fat. This is a fine way of losing weight, though, not a long term period due to the health problems it will cause you. Inadequate levels of proteins during a long time will you’re your body´s ability to regulate blood sugar. Lacking fat for a long period will affect the protection of vital organs such as the heart. On the other hand, my group chose menu #2 as long term diet because it includes small amounts of all nutrients and provides you with snacks throughout the day. 

Overall, this project did contribute on my science knowledge by providing me with information about the lack or excess of each nutrient. This was done by either my own research or/and by the oral presentations.  Also, it let me work on different skills such as leadership, organizational, teamwork, and time management. It was complicated to express my opinion in my group since I´m quiet by nature. Yet, I felt confident about my own knowledge and could solve my groups’ doubts and make decisions to improve the projects quality more easily.

Science project 9

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What was the purpose of these first two days of school and what are my plans for this year?

I entered the Science with a fresh mind. Came in as a 9^th grader for the first time and the teacher directed us with a brand new assignment; the marshmallow challenge. Using 2o sticks of spaghetti, tape, string, and one marshmallow; teams had to build the tallest free-standing structure in eighteen minutes. The task sounds simple however when the marshmallow is placed on the top, everything may come down.

The next day, the class watched a video about the physics of skateboarding. This showed a professor trying to make a new trick on his skateboard. He failed many times until he finally got it right. However, I still didn´t understand the reason of doing the marshmallow challenge and watching the video. At that moment, the teacher gave us the connection or lesson: to be good at something you need MANY hours of practice. In other words, you´ll fail several times.

My expectations for this year are just a few. First, I´d like to interact with different people on group work. Last year, I normally worked with the same person which got me bored. It doesn´t mean I hate that person it´s the way this person works. By interacting with different people I can learn many different ways of working. At the end of the year I´ll chose the most efficient one. Second, I´d like the class to be entertaining. Sometimes the class could do activities which require movement instead of sitting down the whole period. This can change the students’ daily mood related to Science.