Blog Response to Aug. 17

     I found the first set of lectures very interesting. I enjoyed how I was able to learn something new to get my mind back in the swing of things without having to fully jump into learning the course material right away. Specifically, what I learned was the science behind hand-washing. It never occurred to me that there was such a detrimental effect that took place before Dr. Semmelweis finally realized and hypothesized that having dirty hands was the root of such a high maternal death rate. After learning about this, it made me wonder who else in history had similar realizations and normalized behaviors we do habitually today, such as brushing our teeth. 

    Another part of the lectures I found interesting, and surprisingly related to, were the different mindsets we have in relation to learning. Throughout high school I always considered myself to be more of a “math person” compared to any other subject. With wanting to go to dental hygiene school, I knew my main focus in college would be science. Because of this, I have actively practiced the three primary components of successful learning without even realizing I was doing so. 

Finally, I had never heard of the Pomodoro Technique, but I really enjoyed learning about it. I find myself procrastinating often, so I like the idea of working hard at something, giving myself a little break, then going back to work. I am definitely going to try this technique and see how well it works for me.


Comments

  1. Morgan PringnitzAugust 25, 2020 at 8:15 AM

    Hi Jessica! I also found the story of hand washing very interesting! It is kind of crazy to think that doctors didn't wash their hands before surgery because it is such a routine requirement now. It was also surprising to learn how doctors and the scientific community resisted and did not believe the benefits of hand washing at first. I had also never heard of the Pomodoro Technique! I am hoping this technique will help me improve my study habits this year. I hope you have a great semester!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carlos Barrios PerezAugust 25, 2020 at 8:22 AM

    Hello Jessica,

    I enjoyed your takes on the first lecture because I had many of the same thoughts. I never had seen or known much about how it was our hand-washing techniques came about but it was extremely shocking. I feel like we take much of our knowledge for granted because to imagine someone going from a live autopsy to birthing a child without even thinking about washing their hands is insane!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousAugust 25, 2020 at 8:40 AM

    Hi Jessica,
    I also had never heard of the pomodoro technique until these lectures but I agree with you that it might be useful to give it the ole college try. I also really like how you included your personal experience in regards to mindsets.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aaron FaulkAugust 25, 2020 at 2:52 PM

    Hi Jessica,
    I totally agree with you on our responses to normalized behaviors. The story about Dr. Semmelweis is a good reminder to always questioning why our "normal behaviors" are normal, and if any changes need to take place.
    Also, you should definitely give the Pomodoro technique a try! I've been using it for a couple years and it's been really helpful against my procrastination. I have an app on my computer called "Be Focused" that makes it really easy to do, and it tracks how much time I spend studying for each subject so that's cool to look at.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousAugust 25, 2020 at 11:30 PM

    Hey Jessica!

    You opened my mind, I never even thought about how the brushing of teeth came to be... EWW! It is crazy how something so common today was rare and caused so much trouble in the past. I enjoyed math in high school myself as well, however, I hate it in college! I miss the algebra aspect of everything to be honest, simpler times.. lol. This technique should definitely help you in your studies! Its already helping me out.


    (Mine have been posting anonymously so just in case. - Catalina Perez)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog Response to Aug. 31

Image
The variation that I found most interesting is the hybridization of species. As young scientists, most of what we learn relates to the fact that a species is its own, and cannot cross breed with other species. Because of this, when I think of hybrid species, I tend to think of hybrids as fictional creatures shown on Vampire Diaries or Teen Wolf. However, hybrid species are in fact real and are nothing like the powerful creatures we see on shows.  Hybridization of a species occurs when two different species mate to form a completely new species, who is reproductively isolation from those two parent species. An example of this are the Heliconius butterflies. Researchers believe there are at least 39 known species of Heliconius species, meaning they are able to interbreed to create brand new species.  Shown above are a few different species of the same Heliconius genus of butterflies. As you can tell, they are all similar in wing shape, but their patterns are quite different.
Read more

Blog Response to Oct. 15

 Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an organism to alter its phenotype in response to the environment without altering its genotype. In "The Genetic Basis of Adaptation following Plastic Changes in Coloration in a Novel Environment," a study was done on lizards that live on lava rocks. When on these lava rocks, the lizards expressed a dark color that was similar to that of the lava rock. However, researchers found that when taken off the lava rocks and put into sand, the lizard's expressed a lighter color in response to the change of substrate.  Additionally, the researchers compared the lava rock lizards to lizards not living on the lava rocks. They found that both groups of lizards expressed dark phenotypes when on the rocks. However, the lizards that already lived on those rocks had a darker phenotype than those who did not. When placed on the sand, researchers found that both groups of lizards expressed the same color of lightness.  Phenotypic plasticity is what ...
Read more