Letter to a Biology Student

To whom it may concern:

My name is Ananya Vadlakonda, and I’m a freshman who is 14 years old. Well, by the time you will be reading this I’ll be 15 years old and a sophomore here at Saratoga High. Outside of school, I participate in the Synopsys Silicon Valley Science Fair, I do indian classical dance, I do indian classical singing, and I play piano. Like many of my classmates, I took 7 classes: Journalism, Spanish 2, PE, Algebra 2 Honors, World Geo/Health, English 9, and Biology. Before coming to Saratoga High, I attended Redwood Middle School, and Saratoga Elementary, so I’ve basically been in this district for a few years now. I came into this year really looking forward to Algebra 2 Honors, and Biology, because I have always really enjoyed math and science.But nonetheless, I was still fairly intimidated and nervous coming into freshman year. I was most nervous about Mr. Orre’s teaching style because I had heard that it was a “flipped classroom” model, but after the first month or so, I started getting used to it and actually really enjoyed it.

Right from the first day of class, Mr. Orre made it very clear as to what his expectations were. Since this was a flipped classroom, we would learn the material at home and apply it in class through labs. As a result, he expects a mature student who is ready to learn and try their hardest every single day. So basically, his everyday in class expectations are that immediately after you come into class everyday, he expects you to quietly take out your biology notebook, look at the agenda, and do the Do Now. Regarding homework, he expects you to not only watch the vodcast assigned for homework but also take the CFU’s, or the Check for Understanding quizzes. Although the vodcasts can get fairly long will sometimes challenge you to stay attentive, it is always important to watch every single vodcast and complete the CFU’s honestly, because first of all homework is weighted pretty heavily in this class, and also if you slack off on even 1 vodcast, you will truly regret it when it comes to the unit test. Also, make sure you do the CFU’s because it will be REALLY helpful when it comes time for the test.

In this class, we also maintained a blog. It became like a journal of all our labs and unit reflections. In order for you to really get the most out of any blog post, it is important for you to try your hardest on your blog post. This is my favorite post because I put my all into it.

There are some pet peeves that you should watch out for. He absolutely hates it when someone talks when he talks. He also hates it when students put their chairs up before he has dismissed them, But his biggest pet peeve is not cleaning up properly after labs. I remember at the beginning of the year, there was one lab where we truly screwed up in cleaning up. There were kids that had no clue what they were doing and were putting the microscopes away the wrong way. This led to Mr. Orre canceling the lab for us and taking out labs for the rest of that unit, which was really bad because it was a really interesting lab.

It isn’t really tough to do well in this class if you try your best. If you do your homework and you study for tests you should do fairly well in this class. And yes, like I said earlier, homework is vital in receiving a good grade, not only because it is weighted pretty heavily when he grades it, but it will help you when taking the unit test.

There were some mistakes I made this year which I really hope you won’t make:

• I had procrastinated on my vodcasts, making it really tough to really put my all into learning the vodcast.
• I had ignored some of his CFU’s, and after I took the unit test, I was deeply regretting that decision.
• I started to slack off on the relate and reviews after some of the vodcasts, but I ended up realizing that, in the end, it doesn’t hurt anyone else but you.

But although I made some mistakes, I was able to fix them, learn from them, and continue on. This class is all about growth and a growth mindset, and as I am writing this letter to you, I’m really starting to understand how much I grew as a student, which is what made this class truly enjoyable. If I would sum this class up in a few words, it would be labs, vodcasts, growth, 20 time (a passion project that we had class time to work on). Next year I will be moving on from Biology and taking Chemistry Honors, a class that I have been looking forward to taking for so long!

Well, good luck to you. This class will be enjoyable at times and feel boring at times, but it will be a class that you will look back and remember. I learned a tremendous amount and I grew so much as a student, and I hope the same goes for you. Give this class a chance, give this learning approach a chance, and give Mr. Orre a chance, because you will really enjoy this class.

Good luck,

Ananya Vadlakonda

Pig Dissection Reflection

In this lab, we dissected a pig with the purpose of understanding its anatomy and physiology. The essential question to this unit was, “How is homeostasis demonstrated in each system?” This dissection showed us how in order for each system to function and be useful, they rely on homeostasis. This dissection was vital, as we were able to see each of the different organs and its placement, and thereby understand how each system depended on each other to maintain homeostasis, or balance in the body.

This lab was one of my favorites because it most directly applied the lessons we were learning in class. My favorite part of the dissection was dissecting the heart, because the circulatory system is one of the most interesting systems in the body. It is fairly complex and I was really only able to understand how the heart works by analyzing the pig’s heart, which is why I thought it was my favorite part.

This dissection was very valuable because I learned a lot. Not only did I learn about the various system I learned a lot about myself. I was able to apply my knowledge gained from this dissection to the human body. I started to understand how my entire body really just functions as a result of the blood going through the vena cava’s and then through the ventricle to pump to the lungs. Then the blood circulates back to the heart via the pulmonary vein in order to pump it back to the body to actually make the heart function. Before this dissection, I understood the intricacies of the rest of the systems except for the circulatory system, but after analyzing the heart by locating the vena cavas, the atriums, the ventricles, and the other aspects of the circulatory system, I was finally able to understand the circulatory which really gave me closure in this unit, which is why I considered this dissection a very valuable experience.

We made 2 videos: Day 1 and Day 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW1REKnDW6E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lWrsM2a2Ls

20 Time Reflection

For my 20-time project, I worked on improving the diagnostic test for Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), along with my partner Veda. I have been passionate about ADHD for a while now, mainly because so many people are affected by it as they are either misdiagnosed with ADHD, diagnosed properly but aren’t receiving proper treatment, or not diagnosed at all. So for my 20 time project, I wanted to address the most problematic aspect of ADHD — its diagnostic process.

ADHD patients rely on a survey, that is by no means comprehensive, that is completed by adults that regularly interact with the child. However, this method doesn’t allow the test to properly assess the brain composition of the child. ADHD patients have smaller brains, and specifically have smaller frontal lobes, temporal grey matter, caudate nucleus, and cerebellum.

Our initial was to create a test that would replace the current one and actually address the brain composition with a test for the child. I came into this project thinking that all we really had to do was just fix it. Fix the diagnosis. Fix ADHD. However, little did I know the vastness and magnitude project would have.

ADHD is such a complex disorder with little research and barely any awareness, which is what made it especially tough for us. The lack of information made it difficult to get the background information to do the test.

However, in the end, we were able to come up with an idea for a viable test that addresses the parts of the brain that are noticeably different from non-ADHD patients. Our idea includes testing memory, concentration, and reflexes through ways that aren’t difficult for doctors to embrace and use.

20 Time has been an immense learning experience for me. Although I learned a lot and truly enjoyed this experience, there were a few things that I wish I could have changed. ADHD has been a disorder that I have been extremely passionate about, and this project has been one that I have been thinking about doing for a long time, and I just wish I had done this project individually. After all, I was the primary contributor, as it was my idea, mostly my research, my hard work, and my passion that drove this project and got it to where it is today.

But, I was still able to really enjoy this experience. I have always had the mindset of not giving up, and this experience showed me the results of this. This experienced showed me how hard work will get you places. By not giving up, we were able to create an idea for a diagnostic test for ADHD.

Due to the deadline of 20 Time, we weren’t able to refine our idea and create our test. However, this project just made me more passionate about ADHD, and our idea made me extremely hopeful and excited about the future of ADHD research. I am definitely not done with my research on ADHD, and regarding this test, there is a long way to go, and I will definitely continue my work on ADHD. I want to spread awareness. I want to encourage others to work on ADHD.

I am very excited about ADHD research and I am even more excited about our project. Until there is a proper diagnosis, a cure, and until everyone knows about ADHD, my work will not be done. There is still a long way to go, but I am willing to go the distance.

For further information about our 20 Time project:
http://twentytimeadhd.blogspot.com/

Unit 9 Reflection

In this unit, we learned about how different organisms were classified. The levels of classification are Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

After learning about these levels, we learned about the 3 domains, which are Bacteria, Eukaryotes, and Protists. We then went further into identifying key Phyla and Classes in each Kingdom, especially those within the Eukaryote domain.

This unit was fairly different than previous units, specifically regarding the teaching style. This unit allowed us to learn about the general topic through the vodcasts that were assigned for homework, but in addition, the “What on Earth Evolved?” presentation allowed us to apply our knowledge and research specific examples that have or had a major impact on our life.

My presentation was about viruses, and its major effect on civilization. Without viruses none of us would be here. In my opinion, my presentation went fairly well. Although I was a little nervous, I was still able to convey the information and get through it. This year, we hadn’t done many presentations in this class, so I enjoyed switching it up a little bit and getting the opportunity to be taught by others and to teach others something new.

This unit was fairly tough for me, because of the many minute details. This unit entailed both memorization, but also a strong understanding of the concepts. The main reason why this unit was one of my favorites was because of how the presentations directly correlated with what we were learning at home through the vodcasts, making it much easier for the information to stick in my head.

Throughout this semester, I have been working on becoming more assertive and becoming more confident in the information. Although there weren’t very many group projects this unit to attest to being very assertive, I still believe that I have made immense growth.

Geologic Timeline Reflection

The three major events in Earth’s history include the formation of Earth itself, the mass extinction that marked the end of the Cretaceous Period, and the first humans. Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago and without the creation of Earth, none of the history that followed would have occurred. So, as a result, the creation of Earth, is pretty obviously an integral event in Earth’s history. Next, the mass extinction during the Cretaceous Period was extremely important in Earth’s history. During this extinction, dinosaurs went extinct, and a fair amount of species on the planet also went extinct. With an abundance of animals going extinct, there was room that opened up for other smaller, but modern animals to come into existence. This mass extinction was extremely important and significant in Earth’s history because it not only made dinosaurs, an influential organism, extinct, but also opened up the possibility for more animals to come into existence. Lastly, the evolution of the first humans were extremely important. Although humans haven’t been on the Earth for too long, we have made a significant impact on the Earth. We have been extremely influential in the history of Earth, making it another significant event in Earth’s history.

As I previously stated, the Earth has been in existence for 4.6 billion years, but of those 4.6 billion years, humans have only been there for only a small portion. It really surprised me that although humans have made a significant impact on the Earth, we have been on the Earth for a very small time. Our impact is far greater than many of the other species on Earth. For example, we’ve made many advancements in technology and many other things.

The scale of Earth’s history really surprised me when my group and I were making our geologic timeline. Our timeline was about 9.2 meters and 1 million years was shown by every 2mm. This really put the time period into perspective for me, because I was able to understand truly how gradual change really is.

After doing this timeline, this unit came full circle. I have no questions. Before this timeline, I was still not understanding truly how long evolution and change takes, and by completing this timeline, my questions were answered.

      

Unit 8 Reflection

This unit revolved around the concept of evolution, specifically what drives evolution and its effect on other populations. Evolution is caused by either artificial selection or natural selection. Artificial selection is calculated and less random than natural selection, in the sense that artificial selection has breeders breeding a specific population for the best, desired traits. Natural selection is the survival of the fittest, as the traits that don’t help the individuals survive get weeded out and the better traits become more common in the population, as concluded by Charles Darwin.

As the better traits become more apparent, the population is evolving, and the best evidence to support evolution is the measuring of genetic variation. In order for evolution to be occurring, the allele frequency for the desired trait will increase, showing, genetically, that the population is starting to look like winners. In the Hunger Games Lab, we were able to see how competition and other external factors lead to the population looking like winners.

But as the population evolves, the different traits can cause different species to come about, which is speciation. We learned about two types of speciation, one being gradual speciation where new species arise very slowly and after many generations, and the other being punctuated equilibrium, where the new species arise suddenly.

There is much evidence out there showing that evolution has occurred, but the best evidence comes from fossils. With fossils, scientists can physically observe the changes that had happened over time instead of inferring a common ancestor.

Towards the end of the unit, we learned about how long evolution truly takes. I had been struggling to truly understand how long this process really is, but the geologic timeline truly put it into perspective.

I also learned how to become more assertive throughout this unit. By really understanding the concepts, I started to become more confident in my knowledge and thereby more assertive.

Hunger Games Lab

1. In the Hunger Games lab, we portrayed a population trying to survive, and we stimulated competition and natural selection. There were 3 genotypes with its corresponding phenotype that were shown in this lab: “AA” for Stumpys where they could only pick up food with their wrists, “Aa” for Knucklers where they could only pick up food between the second knuckles of their index and middle fingers, and “aa” for Pinchers where they could only pick up food between their thumb and fingers. Each of the individuals in the populations was either a Stumpy or a Knuckler or a Pincher, and their goal was to survive and reproduce, stimulating a real world population.
2. The Pinchers were the best at capturing food because of luck and because they had the most favorable phenotype as they were able to carry more food between their thumb and fingers compared to Stumpys who could only pick up food with their wrists and the Knucklers who could only pick up food between their index and middle fingers.
3. The population evolved as evidenced by the change in allele frequency in favor of the “a” allele. The population started off at an allele frequency of 0.5 for both the “A” allele and the “a” allele. However as shown by the data, for every generation that followed, the allele frequency for the “A” allele started decreasing and the frequency for the “a” allele was increasing to the point where the population started looking more like winners, or the “a” allele.
4. Similar to a real environment, there was an element of randomness. The food placement was random. It was either scattered or clumped up in a corner and the individuals that were closest ended up getting more food, showing a genetic drift. However, the non-random element was the distribution of phenotypes throughout the population and making a 0.5 to 0.5 allele frequency at the beginning of the lab. Starting at that even ratio just made it easier to observe the evolution that occurred. In addition, the mating process wasn’t random as most people mated with people they thought would give them the best results, leaving fewer people to mate with the Stumpys and ultimately reducing its population size by a great deal.
5. If the food had been smaller, the Knucklers and the Pinchers would have thrived because they would have been able to pick up more pieces of food, but the Stumpys would have struggled even more because the smaller the food gets, the harder it is for the Stumpys to even pick up the food. However if the food was bigger, both the Knucklers and Pinchers would have struggled because the bigger the food is, the harder it is for it to fit between the knuckles or the thumb and index finger. But, the Stumpys would have thrived if the food was bigger because it makes it easier for them to pick up.
6. If there wasn’t any incomplete dominance, there wouldn’t have been any Knucklers at all. There would be 2 extremes that would battle for survival, and since only the fittest survive, the other phenotype would completely die off, leaving the best one to dominate over everything.
7. Natural selection causes evolution. Natural selection is when nature chooses which traits or phenotypes the individual will keep and which ones will die off, based on whichever ones helps them survive and reproduce the best. Evolution is the change in allele frequency, and since natural selection chooses the phenotypes the individual will keep, natural selection causes evolution.
8. The Pinchers, Knucklers, and Stumpys all started to figure out what helped them get the most food. They all, except for Stumpys, started to pick up multiple pieces of food at a time instead of one at a time, increasing their allele frequency. This increased the gap between the Stumpys and the rest of the phenotypes.
9. In evolution, the population evolves. The less desirable traits are taken out and the winner traits or the desirable traits dominate the population. Natural selection acts on both the phenotypes and genotypes. Natural selection causes the change in allele frequency, which in turn affects the phenotype.
10. This lab truly explained to me what evolution is and how it is applied in a realistic setting, which is why I don't have any questions.