To begin with, I’d like to offer my readers an explanation as to why my blog last week was so short. As you may have read, I had my third test within the timespan of a week coming up, and I was trying to learn all about photosynthesis and the citric acid cycle and glycolysis regulation. I took a break to write my blog, but while typing, I accidentally hit a wrong button, therefore deleting all of my words except for those in my first paragraph. If you return to my previous blog and look at the comments, I’ve commented on my own blog and filled in some details.
Okay, now on to this week. Once again, I’ve miscounted the weeks until the end of school. I thought we had four weeks of classes left. Oh, no – we have 2.5 weeks of classes left, and then a week of exams. (I don’t know how I always miscount. I’m really not that terribly bad at counting…) Anyways, I feel like I still have a lot to do for school and otherwise. This past Friday, a few of my friends from the Biological Sciences Organization (BSO) and I went to the Science Center to celebrate DNA with Science Center visitors. Next week, on April 25, it will have been 60 years since Watson and Crick published their groundbreaking paper in the scientific journal “Nature” that described the structure of DNA. That determination has literally changed and affected all areas of biological sciences, ranging from cell biology to molecular biology to biochemistry to biotechnology to genetics. At the Science Center, we had a big DNA birthday card for visitors to sign, and we had spin-the-wheel trivia. We also had a fun craft activity that allowed visitors to make-and-take their own DNA strand, which they made using two different colors of pipe cleaners. (And boy, was I exhausted afterward. That night, when I was explaining to my mom what we had done, I said that we used “pipettes” to make DNA strands. True story.)
Next week, the BSO will be celebrating that monumental day in style with a party for biology majors on campus. Be sure to look for us, as we’ll be wearing our “DNA Is Life. Everything Else? Just Details.” shirts around campus. And the week after, BSO will have a very big Wednesday. We will be having our annual seniors’ graduation party in the morning and then going on an Owl Prowl in Forest Park that night. (Our new librarian, Mark Glenshaw, works in conjunction with Forest Park Forever and the World Bird Sanctuary, and he offered to take a few of us to Forest Park to show us owls’ nesting and habitat. We’re all really excited about it.)
So, for once, my social calendar is actually full. What about my school calendar, you may ask? Well, yes, my planner is chock full of due dates and the like. However, for the first time ever, I don’t feel like I’m completely panicking about finishing all of my work. Just give me a couple more days, though, and I’ll assure you that the panic will have begun…
~ With Carly and Kaniz at the BSO table at the Science Center! ~
Tagged as:
Biology,
BSO,
End of the Semester,
Owl Prowl,
Science Center
Since my very first blog two and a half years ago, I’ve been talking about the facts that I’m majoring in biology and that I want to pursue a career in biomedical research. However, it recently occurred to me that I’ve never actually explained how I got into this major.
If you would’ve told me that I’d be a biology major when I was a freshman, sophomore, or even a fall-semester junior in high school, I would’ve told you that you were crazy. In high school, I loved English, Spanish, and communication classes. I took as many honors and college credit English and Spanish classes as I could. I remember loving my sophomore-level biology course; however, I had that purely American stereotype of science: if you go into science, you’re going to be a doctor. Since I can’t stand the sight of blood coming out of a human body, I thought that science was a field I’d never enter.
During my junior year of high school, I took an honors chemistry course. As it turned out, I was pretty good balancing chemical equations and performing titrations in lab. However, I still had that American stereotype of science. I did NOT want to be a doctor.
Then, right around Halloween of my junior year, my chemistry teacher took us on a field trip to the Science Center for SciFest, an event during which scientists from around the globe gave presentations on all aspects of science. I saw a presentation about the manufacturing of medicine that was given by a local pharmaceutical company. The entire time, I was fascinated by the entire process of bettering people’s lives by bettering the medicines that they take. A few months later, when I got serious about looking for colleges, I looked not for English and communication programs but for biology programs.
There are definitely days when I wonder what my life would be like if I’d never gone to SciFest and see that presentation that inspired me to completely change my mind about the field that I wanted to go into. I think about what it would be like to study British literature instead of the relatively-high rates of genetic HIV resistance found in Northern Europeans. But then I think about how blessed I am. I think about how I’ll be able to change the world by helping to advance our knowledge of medical treatments and cures, and I think about my work at the Science Center and about the potential I have to inspire younger generations to go into science due to my presence there.
All in all, I guess you could say that life is a full-circle trip. Do I actually know where I’ll end up? Definitely not. But I’m excited to find out.
Tagged as:
Biology,
choosing a major,
high school,
Science Center
As those of you who’ve read my previous blogs of this semester know, I am a St. Louis Sciene Center volunteer. I absolutely love the Science Center, and I’ve been all excited about two of the newest limited engagements. One of those is a traveling exhibit called “Wildlife Rescue,” which is an awesome, interactive exhibit about orphaned animals and conservation efforts that help save those animals. The other is an Omnimax film called “Born to Be Wild,” which is, as of last Saturday when I first saw it, my favorite Omnimax film of all time. (It took the place of “Everest,” which was my previous favorite Omnimax film of all time.)
Yesterday, some BSO members went to the Science Center to see the Wildlife Rescue exhibit. It was a really fun time, especially since last week was full of tests, quizzes, and midterms. It was also a great experience because the Wildlife Rescue exhibit really coincides with the BSO’s theme of this school year, which is “We are all connected in the great Circle of Life” (which is lovingly derived from that famous scene where Mufasa shows Simba what will one day become his kingdom in the epic movie “The Lion King”).
If you’re looking for a fun afternoon trip that’s only about ten minutes away from campus, I totally suggest that you go see both the film and the exhibit. In fact, if you show your Fontbonne student ID, you’ll get a discount. I think I can speak for all of the BSO members that were present in saying that we had a “roaring” good time. If you go to the Science Center and see the movie and/or the exhibit, I can assure you that you will have a “roaring” good time, too.
~ Me, Mary, Steph, Amanda, and Kaniz at the Science Center ~
Check out the “Born to Be Wild” trailer! But beware – you’ll fall in love with the adorable baby animals!
Tagged as:
Biology,
Born to Be Wild,
BSO,
Omnimax,
Science Center,
Wildlife Resuce
