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Are we alone in the universe?

Wow, getting paid $25,000 to write an essay about a cool science topic!  It doesn’t get much better than that.  For full details, visit this site: http://www.newfrontiersinastronomy.org/student-essay-competition.html

You will have a test on proteins on Monday, 5/7/12.  The test will include everything we covered related to proteins, such as: structure, function, transcription/translation, protein folding, peptide bonds, RNA vs. DNA, enzymes, inhibition, digestion, immune system, blood types, The Structures of Life book, etc…

You will be provided with a codon table to determine amino acid sequences.

Here is a picture of a list of terms generated by my G-period class.  It may not be all-inclusive but should help.

Log into the molecular workbench software and complete assignment #10: Diffusion, Osmosis and Active Transport.  Be sure to click the links in the green boxes on some pages to complete all the sections and create a full report.  Don’t just keep hitting the ‘next’ button at the bottom of the page or you won’t see everything and won’t get full credit.

Due: Friday, 4/27/12

On May 1st, biology students will take the ‘End of Course’ biology DCAS assessment.  Here are some links to help you get ready for that test.

• There is a practice test located here https://dept.tds.airast.org/student/
• I have collected the ‘End of Course Specifications‘ for biology as a PDF document.  You can use that to see everything you are expected to know for the test.
• Make sure to pay special attention to the items given a ‘priority’ of ‘essential’
• You can mostly ignore the items given a priority of ‘compact’
• For items we have not covered in class yet, you should go to my biology page and click the appropriate links to investigate those topics.  Here are the items I suggest you look over that we won’t get to before the test.
• Diffusion and Osmosis – I will be assigning a Molecular Workbench activity this week to address this.
• Punnett Squares – I have a general description and lots of practice opportunities available on my wiki page.
• Dominant and Recessive relationships and Genotypes and Phenotypes – you can look these up most anywhere, but we will also be covering them this week in relation to blood types and blood type inheritance.
• You might also want to read through the Classical Genetics section at the DNAFTB website
• pay particular attention to #11 – which details ‘crossing over’ during meiosis.  This just means that parts of the homologous pairs of chromosomes swap a section of DNA.  The end result is more variation in the offspring, which is one reason that sexual reproduction gives more variation than asexual reproduction.
• Energy – Photosynthesis and Cell Respiration – you can mostly just read the appropriate sections of the ‘specifications PDF’ above.  It will list the facts you need to know.  For the chemical equations you can see my wiki pages on photosynthesis and cell energy (as well as many other sources).
• Cells – to learn about cellular organelles and about meiosis and another view of ‘crossing over’, you should read the Inside the Cell book from NIGMS.  We are going to read this book soon anyway, so you might as well do it now.  It is a very interesting tour through the cell and discusses many things we can and can not do with regard to disease and aging.  It is by the same people who wrote the ‘Structures of Life’ book.  I also have copies in school of the physical book if you want to read it during activity period or your study hall.
• Also, don’t forget to use your textbook as a source of information.  After all, it is written with students in mind.

If you have never seen this, you should definitely check it out – very funny

http://www.flycatfly.com/cat-and-dog-diary

Your final proposal for junior research is due in class on Tuesday, April 17.  Remember, you must address all parts of the project as described in the final proposal handout given to you in class.

You will use the Molecular Workbench software to explore protein structure and the processes of transcription and translation.

The homepage of the molecular workbench software is: http://mw.concord.org/modeler/

You can run/install the software from that page.  After you install and run the software, sign in and you should see a list of activities for my class.  The protein structure activity is number 12.  The DNA to Protein activities are the top two items.  You should answer the questions throughout each activity and submit a report online to me at the end of each activity.

1. Molecular Workbench – Four Levels of Protein Structure (#12)
2. Molecular Workbench – DNA to Proteins Part 1 (#1)
3. Molecular Workbench – DNA to Proteins Part 2 (#2)

Due:  Monday, 3/26/12

Read the book The Structures of Life.  You should type the answers to all the “Got It” questions at the end of each chapter.  Afterward, read page 86 in your textbook (in chapter 3) and summarize the cause of cystic fibrosis in 2-3 sentences in the same document as the “Got It” answers.   Remember, you can view the book online or download a free pdf version of this book or order a free print version from the NIGMS website.

Due: Wednesday, 3/21/12

I received the following announcement about a contest and wanted to pass it along.  GIS is an interesting and fun technology so the contest sounds like it would be fun.

K-12 GIS Contest

Maps Tell the Story:  The Adventure in Your Community

Entries Due:  March 23, 2012

I recently received this email from Jennifer Sykes from Delaware Technical Community College.  They have a summer research course that sounds quite interesting.  The program is free unless you want college credit.  I have pasted her email below.

The Biology and Chemistry Department at Delaware Technical Community
College’s Stanton Campus is offering an exciting summer experience for
high school students. Please pass along the below information and
attached flyer to school administrators and teachers that would be
interested in sharing this opportunity with their students. If you would
like color copies of the flyer to distribute or post, I am more than
happy to send them to you.

If anyone has questions about or would like to register for the program,
they can contact me directly. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Sykes

Department of Biology & Chemistry
Delaware Technical Community College
400 Stanton-Christiana Road
Newark, DE 19713
(302) 453-3725

SMART Start to Research Techniques is 2-week, half day summer experience
gives high school students the opportunity to earn college credit while
learning about research techniques used in the fields of biology,
chemistry, and biotechnology. The summer experience will be held at
Delaware Tech’s Stanton campus on July 16-20 & July 23-27 at 8:30 a.m. -
12:30 p.m.

Faculty from the Biology and Chemistry Department at Delaware Tech will
be teaching students both laboratory and field research techniques.
Hands-on field research will include the investigation of local
waterways through macro-invertebrate sampling and water quality testing.

Laboratory research techniques will include DNA isolation, amplification
(PCR) and sequencing. Guest speakers and field trips are scheduled
throughout the camp.

This program is free for students not seeking college credit. For
students interested in receiving college credit, a payment of $124.25
(the cost of tuition and fees) will be required. Please note that space
is limited and preference will be given to students seeking college
credit.