Reflection
This project was the last project of sophomore and I thought it was very successful. To start, we got to choose our groups and I worked with some of my friends. This made the project a lot more enjoyable and our final product was very solid and we were all very proud of it. We stayed focused when we needed to be and we could have fun as well. This was probably one of my favorite projects this year. One of the things we did really well was the research and having the entire presentation come together. We focused on the information and created a solid idea from it. I had a full understanding of the topic by the end. Another thing we did well was communication. We could easily talk about our ideas and how to improve our presentation. One thing we could work on is attitude. At some parts of the project we were a little bit confused with our material and what to do. This caused us to be negative and not as productive. In the end this was not an issue. Another thing I can work on is my presenting skills. Public speaking is one of my weak points and even though we practiced the presentation many times, I personally could have done a little more. Overall, this last project was extremely successful and it was a great way to finish off the school year.
This project was the last project of sophomore and I thought it was very successful. To start, we got to choose our groups and I worked with some of my friends. This made the project a lot more enjoyable and our final product was very solid and we were all very proud of it. We stayed focused when we needed to be and we could have fun as well. This was probably one of my favorite projects this year. One of the things we did really well was the research and having the entire presentation come together. We focused on the information and created a solid idea from it. I had a full understanding of the topic by the end. Another thing we did well was communication. We could easily talk about our ideas and how to improve our presentation. One thing we could work on is attitude. At some parts of the project we were a little bit confused with our material and what to do. This caused us to be negative and not as productive. In the end this was not an issue. Another thing I can work on is my presenting skills. Public speaking is one of my weak points and even though we practiced the presentation many times, I personally could have done a little more. Overall, this last project was extremely successful and it was a great way to finish off the school year.
Content
All of these terms relate to our product and help with understanding our presentation. They were used in the explanation of our product, how it works, and in some background information.
Parkinson's Disease- a progressive disease of the nervous system which is caused by the degeneration of the basal ganglia (part of brain) and a deficiency of dopamine within the brain. Symptoms include tremors, muscular rigidity, slow, imprecise movement, etc. Parkinson's mainly affects middle-aged and elderly people.
Dopamine- a neurotransmitter in the brain that is responsible for transmitting signals between other nerve cells. It is also known as the "happy drug" and has effects on certain movements and thinking skills.
Stem Cells- A type of cell that can be manipulated in a certain way and later create more cells of the same type
IP stem cells- can be generated/modified directly from adult cells of a patient and later reintroduced into the body
Embryonic stem cells- can only be derived from embryos; are extremely controversial because of this
Clinical trial- a research study in which human participants are used to test one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes.
All of these terms relate to our product and help with understanding our presentation. They were used in the explanation of our product, how it works, and in some background information.
Parkinson's Disease- a progressive disease of the nervous system which is caused by the degeneration of the basal ganglia (part of brain) and a deficiency of dopamine within the brain. Symptoms include tremors, muscular rigidity, slow, imprecise movement, etc. Parkinson's mainly affects middle-aged and elderly people.
Dopamine- a neurotransmitter in the brain that is responsible for transmitting signals between other nerve cells. It is also known as the "happy drug" and has effects on certain movements and thinking skills.
Stem Cells- A type of cell that can be manipulated in a certain way and later create more cells of the same type
IP stem cells- can be generated/modified directly from adult cells of a patient and later reintroduced into the body
Embryonic stem cells- can only be derived from embryos; are extremely controversial because of this
Clinical trial- a research study in which human participants are used to test one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes.
Our Project
For our final project in Sophomore STEM we were tasked with solving a world problem using biology and biotechnology. This project was very similar to the creative engineering project we did freshman year. My group (Hannah Bergo and Casey Elmhirst) and I decided to focus on incurable diseases, specifically Parkinson's disease. This project consisted of 6 stages all getting more and more specific as you reached the final product.
Stage 1: Looking into 6 different problems our world is currently facing and how we can fix them
Stage 2: Pick a specific problem and research it, coming up with three possible solutions
Stage 3: Focus on 1 specific problem and come up with a detailed description. During this stage we had to contact a virtual mentor for advise.
Stage 4: Go over any tests or procedures that should be done or addressed for the product to be successful
Stage 5: Create a detailed plan
Stage 6: Put all the information into a presentation
At first we looked into problems such as clean water, cancer, malnutrition, over eating/obesity, Parkinson's, and others. Then we started looking into Parkinson's disease (PD) and its potential solutions. We looked into stem cell therapy and modifying current medicine to make them more effective. In the end we went with stem cells because they could potentially offer a permanent solution to Parkinson's rather than a partial solution that only subsides effects of this disease. Our next step was to reach out to a mentor who specializes in our subject and talk to them about our project. We contacted my uncle, who is a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, and he gave us some information and pointers about PD and its relation to dopamine. Using these pointers and lots of research we solidified our idea for a stem cell that would create dopamine within the brain, replacing the dopamine that is being destroyed by PD. Finally, we transferred all this information into a presentation and pitched the product to a group of biotech specalists.
For our final project in Sophomore STEM we were tasked with solving a world problem using biology and biotechnology. This project was very similar to the creative engineering project we did freshman year. My group (Hannah Bergo and Casey Elmhirst) and I decided to focus on incurable diseases, specifically Parkinson's disease. This project consisted of 6 stages all getting more and more specific as you reached the final product.
Stage 1: Looking into 6 different problems our world is currently facing and how we can fix them
Stage 2: Pick a specific problem and research it, coming up with three possible solutions
Stage 3: Focus on 1 specific problem and come up with a detailed description. During this stage we had to contact a virtual mentor for advise.
Stage 4: Go over any tests or procedures that should be done or addressed for the product to be successful
Stage 5: Create a detailed plan
Stage 6: Put all the information into a presentation
At first we looked into problems such as clean water, cancer, malnutrition, over eating/obesity, Parkinson's, and others. Then we started looking into Parkinson's disease (PD) and its potential solutions. We looked into stem cell therapy and modifying current medicine to make them more effective. In the end we went with stem cells because they could potentially offer a permanent solution to Parkinson's rather than a partial solution that only subsides effects of this disease. Our next step was to reach out to a mentor who specializes in our subject and talk to them about our project. We contacted my uncle, who is a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, and he gave us some information and pointers about PD and its relation to dopamine. Using these pointers and lots of research we solidified our idea for a stem cell that would create dopamine within the brain, replacing the dopamine that is being destroyed by PD. Finally, we transferred all this information into a presentation and pitched the product to a group of biotech specalists.
Here is the full presentation: