Kayla Cindric

In 10th grade Biology, I grew in my knowledge of proteins, genes, and cells. During this year, we completed many projects that involved learning about cells, proteins, and genes which was a creative and hands on way to understand and remember what they care and why the play a role in our body and diseases. Before any of these units, I did not understand what cells, genes, or proteins do. My knowledge of them only scratched the surface. After going in detail and depth with these topics, I was able to know and learn more about them and what they can do.

 

One learning endeavor was the Genetic Disease unit. We were learning about diseases and what happens to a gene on a chromosome that causes the disease. We learned how genes can be passed down from generation to generation. In this project, we were to properly diagnose a patent that the juniors and seniors created. Each patient had a unique and different disease that we had to research and become knowledgeable on the disease to correctly diagnose the patient. In order to complete this project, our class was separated into groups of two to three students that shared the same geometry and biology class. We first were assigned a patient with a certain disease. We receives a sheet of paper telling us the patient’s overall appearance, gender, name, age, chief complaint, history of present illness, past medical history, social history, family history, vital test results, and general notes from the physical exams. We, then, took the information that we knew and researched what the disease could be. After we found the accurate disease that matched with all the symptoms that the patient presented, we created a diagnostic report. In this report, we needed to include the patient’s name, age, gender, and chief complaint, the diagnosis and justification of the disease, inheritance pattern and proposed pedigree, a pedigree, a description of the disease and what is happening to the gene, protein, cell, and trait levels. We also included proposed treatment options along with lifestyle implications. After we completed the diagnosis report, we brainstormed questions to ask a client that is related to the patient (a junior or senior playing the role of the client) during an interview. The next day, we had the interview, writing notes down and extending our pedigree based on the client’s answers. In geometry, we were to create a Genetic Counseling Report to show the client what the possibility of her/his child being born of this disease if he/she were to have a child. We included the clients, family history, genetic counseling question, the patient’s pedigree, an explanation of the pedigree, possibilities for the unknown genotypes on the pedigree, an explanation of the probabilities of the unknown genotypes, possible outcomes regarding client’s questions, and an explanation of possible outcomes. We finished this project by creating a slide with the pedigree and the possible probabilities and genotypes of the people in the families and the future child and presenting it in front of the class.

 

My artifact My group’s diagnostic report’s description of disease on the gene, protein, and cell section because it shows that I can properly diagnose a patient and explain what is happening to the genes, protein, and cell when a patient has this disease. As I mentioned before, it shows in a non-complicated way what it happening to the gene, cell, and protein, and how the symptoms come to be. It shows that I took information from a reliable website about Cystic Fibrosis and put in it a way that it informative and understandable. It shows that I can explain what is happening to the gene, protein, and cell when a person has Cystic Fibrosis: Cystic fibrosis is caused by a mutation on a single gene on chromosome 7. The gene has code for building a protein called cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). There are only three bases out 6,100 that are missing because of this mutation, but without them, the instruction for putting the amino acid called phenylalanine in position 508 in CFTR are missing. I can also explain that when there’s no mutation in the gene, the CFTR protein “sits” in certain cell membranes and controls the passage of chloride ions going in and out of the cell.  However, when the protein is mutated, instructions produce a CFTR that doesn’t function correctly. As a result, the protein doesn’t open to let the chloride ions in and out of the cell. Because of the CFTR coding being incorrect, the protein is still made, but the cell “quality-control” system sees it as an error as the protein travels to the cell membrane. However, the control system for the cell “flags” it down to destroy it. Because of this action, the cell usually doesn’t have CFTR in its membrane.  I can explain the traits: In sweat glands, the missing of CFTR causing the production of saltier sweat—the salt rises towards the skin, but chloride ions are not reabsorbed and stops the sodium ions absorption which causes the sweat to leave the body saltier than normal.  In addition, it affects the digestive system because CFTR “pushes” the chloride ions to other organs where it prevents digestive enzymes from reaching the intestines. There is no slurry to carry the enzymes away, so the enzymes begin to digest the organ (pancreas) itself which results in inflammation and thick mucus. The lungs are also affected because the mucus supports the bacterial growth in the lungs which the lungs are prone to which causes damage. The mucus builds up causing infections in the lung tissues, and when the body’s immune cells release enzymes to kill the bacteria, they kill the lung cells—this causes chronic infections. Since I know this information now, I can continue to research more diseases and see what is happening and why as well.

 

Another learning endeavor that supports my growth is the Healthy Living Unit. In this unit, we were learning about proteins and nutrients and how our bodies desperately need them to properly function. The purpose of this project/assignment was to learn about healthy living and healthy eating, what our body needs in order to function, why we need those nutrients, what is happening to those nutrients in our body (digestion), and what eating habits contribute to diseases (Type 2 diabetes and Heart Disease). In this project, we created an event that encourages others to eat healthier/ exercise. In order to complete this project successfully, first we were dividing into groups of students that share the same Biology and Wellness class. (Groups contain 2-3 students). Each individual in each group brainstormed an ideas for an event to host to a certain audience that is relevant and can be backed up (reasoning) by data we collected from daily food and exercise diaries that 10th graders (to represent the high school students)  and 8th graders (to represent the middle school students) filled out earlier this quarter. We, then, as a group shared our ideas, compromised, and chose an event. After we chose that event, we created a PowerPoint based on what our event was (more information about the proposal presentation in next paragraph)     If our event was approved due to inaccurate content or insufficient evidence to justify our event, we were to revise our proposal to meet the standards and will meet the project requirements in an alternative way. I do not know more specifically about what we had to do if our event was not approved because our (my group members and I) event was approved. Our event took place at 11:45 in the morning on Tuesday, December 16, 2014. We created a grocery list, a script, and practice that script (how we were going to set up, and what we were going to say) We created all those things and were ready by that Monday. We had to wash the fruit, get all the tables set and ready to begin when the participants (6th graders) arrived. We followed the script and interacted with our audience to make eating healthy seem fun (because it is). After we were finished with our event, we cleaned up and passed out recipes for the food that we created with them to take home. At the end of the project/assignment, we created this interactive and successful event created to encourage and inform the 6th graders at the Dayton Regional STEM School to eat healthier.

 

One artifact that supports my growth is my group’s Healthy Living PowerPoint slides called “Science behind the needs” and “Consequences if the needs are not met”. These slides show that why we need proteins and what is happening in the cell that causes type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It explains why we need protein and that the food for our healthy living event has protein in it. It explains what proteins do in the cell and how we simply cannot function without them.