I would like to thank you for teaching me and others about life. I am so glad I was able to learn and experience so much about you in the past year. Not only have you taught me content varying from topics related to the characteristics to life to genetics and body systems, but you have also taught me about communication, collaboration, time management, and self-care. Oh I am so proud of what I have accomplished and I have to thank you and the awesome and smart people I met because of you. I will truly miss the labs, daily backstage episodes, performances, class activities, and finales. Although they challenged me and sometimes left me in doubt, I knew I had my team by my side to help me succeed. Before every finale, my peers and I would encourage each other and test out how much we studied the night before. I will always cherish all the acts of kindness and memories I made with my peers and teacher.
Now let me tell you about what you prepared me for, the AP Biology exam went relatively smoothly. I had good rest the night before and I had enough food that did not make me too full nor leave me feeling hungry. I was glad I was able to be in a little bit of AP Biology class before my exam so I could do breathing exercising to calm myself down and do an energizer to get pumped! I will certainly do more breathing exercising and energizers whenever I need to do any performance.
When the test began, I was pushing myself to do my best and answer all parts of the essays. When I saw the first essay prompt, I was nervous at first because there were many diagrams and graphs, but when I began to actually read the content, everything seemed familiar. Some topics I recalled during the test related to the lac operon performance, the electron transport chain, and scientific experiments. I also remembered that I would constantly repeat in my head, “claim, evidence, reasoning” and “how and why”. I connected so much content together that I never knew I could do. I guess that is the beauty of science because everything connects! In the second prompt, I instantly connected what project related to the prompt. Now that I think about how I had a flashback, I am proud that I was able to retain so much information in the past year. I believe a big part of why I was able to do so was because we did interactive projects and assignments!
Since the test was online, one problem I had was that I had to continuously scroll up and down to reference different figures. Unfortunately, this strained my eyes, but nonetheless, I was able to complete the test! I will always remember that scores don’t define one’s intelligence and there is always room for improvements.
“Focus on the learning. There is always room for improvements.”
– Mrs. Girard
Prior to starting AP Biology last year, I remember my first pilot backstage episode and telling myself that I am able to push myself in this class. As more and more seasons have come to an end with a finale and I was faced with the series finale, I realized how close I was to the finish line. This made me feel disappointed that I could not keep going. However, now that this has ended for me, there’s space for another show to create my own episodes, seasons, and finales.
All images were taken by Mrs. Girard. Taken from Mrs. Girard’s Twitter.
Thank you for following me on this journey. You guys are rockstars.
HAPPY EARTH DAY GUYS! I am so thankful that we call this beautiful planet our home. Every place I have been to has shown me why this planet is so awesome. Of course, AP Biology class really emphasized, taught me how amazing the Earth is, and even made me appreciate Earth’s beauty. Let’s get together and keep Earth beautiful. I made this video about how you guys can help the Earth! I hope you can use these tips going forward :).
I bet that you didn’t know that each seed an apple produces grows a completely new/different tree. Did you also know that the most beautiful and rare tulips are the ones that are infected with a virus? Where did all this information come from? I learned this in the movie The Botany of Desire. Within the movie, I learned that common organisms or crops have integrated themselves in the human population. In the film, the apple, tulip, cannabis, and the potato were used as examples to show how human desires have lead these organisms or crops to develop a relationship with human, resulting in evolutionary adaptations because of human intervention. The movie had me thinking if the organism/crop was in control of humans or vice versa. Each organism/crop had a major impact on the human population that helped the product to become known in various places of the world.
The movie begins with the journey and history of the apple, which is known for their sweetness. When I go to the store, I usually see the typical Fuji apple that is vibrant red and crunchy. Apples are seen all over the world and are featured in films, phrases, and religious stories. With that being said, we can say that the apple has become a pretty successful fruit among humans. Apples originated in Kazakhstan, where there are so many different types of apples. Unfortunately, humans today artificially select and produce only the sweetest or most desired apples, disregarding the other amazing types of apples and ruining the biodiversity of the fruit. Thinking back to our childhood, do you remember Johnny Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed? He actually had a major role in preserving the biodiversity of apples by straying away from the grafting method that many farmers did to produce only a particular type of apple and grew apples straight by seed, resulting in so many different kinds of apples that could adapt to new environments. I think that the apple is in control of humans because the apple’s sweetness had influenced humans to produce them all throughout the world. Since the apple was cherished in the eyes of humans and are massed produced, I believe humans are manipulated by the sweet fruit!
Look at all these different apples!
Following the apple is the tulip, which particularly caught my attention in the movie (maybe because of the beauty)! Tulips are popularly known and produced in the Netherlands. Two years ago, I traveled to the Netherlands and visited a tulip garden. I was surprised by the size of the garden that was filled with so many different tulips. Each tulip I saw had a different shape, color, or size! I was overwhelmed by the beauty and biodiversity of the plant. At one point in history, tulips were worth a fortune because of their beauty and their symbolism of wealth. What I found interesting was that the most beautiful tulips were the ones suffering from a virus and become more fragile the more the infected tulip is produced. I think that the tulip is in control of humans because their beauty has influenced humans to produce more of them and try to produce unique tulips, even if the flower itself has no real use for humans! In a way, the tulips are manipulating humans to reproduce them, make the species more diverse, and spread them all over the world!
Some photos my sister and I took at a tulip garden in Amsterdam!
This next organism relates to the tulip because the plant is openly seen in Amsterdam. The intoxication affect of the cannabis has played an immense role in the overall success of the plant. Cannabis has opened new discoveries and understandings on the human mind. Originally, the plant was used by patients to cope with pain; however, in many areas of the world, cannabis use is illegal since many people abuse and can become addicted to the drug. However, many people still seek this product because the plant provides them a new human experience that they may not attain without the drug. The chemical THC is present in cannabis and causes intoxication in those who use the product. Since this plant is illegal in many places, people have become desperate and began growing cannabis indoors. How is this done if the original plant is tall? Well, scientists have cross-bred the plant so the plant was smaller in size, grew at a fast pace, and was stronger than the original plant. These plants grown artificially indoors now need specific conditions to thrive, such as high amounts of light. As the number of cases of depression increases, I fear that the demand of cannabis will only increase. When I visited Amsterdam, I noticed that cannabis was sold in many places, such as local grocery stores. There were even museums dedicated to cannabis. I believe that humans have control over cannabis plants because they have been able to alter the plant so the plant could be stored indoors, grow faster, and have a higher intoxication affect by making female plants produce more resin. This plant has such fascinating abilities!
Cannabis museum in Amsterdam
When the film began the next section, the potato, I immediately thought about french fries and the Irish Potato Famine. Humans eat potatoes in so many ways, like french fries, mashed potatoes, gratin, baked potatoes, potato salad, potato casserole… the list goes on and on. The potato has become such a popular food because of the nourishment we obtain from the crop and can be used in numerous ways. I learned a lot about the risks of monoculture. The Irish Potato Famine occurred because people were planting on type of potato. When that potato was in contact with a virus, they were all affected. This sheds light on the importance of biodiversity because having different types of potatoes increases the stability of potatoes because some types are resistant to harmful bacteria or viruses. I was also surprised to learn that some potatoes we have eaten were genetically modified, since the modified organism had a Bt protein, in order for the potato to become resistant to bugs. The worst part is that the Food and Drug Administration chose not add a label about the change on products containing genetically modified potatoes. McDonald’s is a big food company that used these genetically modified potatoes in their fries and did not inform the consumers. Of course, this raised bioethical questions and caused protests. Since the government has such a big impact on their people, I hope they can encourage farmers to avoid monocultures, but rather focus on more conventional approaches by using less toxic chemicals and to plant various forms of potatoes to maintain the biodiversity of plants. I believe that humans are more in control of the potato because they are able to genetically modify the crop.
Irish Potato Famine image
In the paragraphs above, I bolded key words. These key words (sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and nourishment) are what attracted humans to these successful plants/crops. The Botany of Desire emphasizes the importance and the affect of human interaction or intervention among other things or organisms.
Many of the scientific and medical discoveries today link back to one specific person. Let me tell you a story about a woman named Henrietta Lacks. In the novel The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman who passed away from cervical cancer. What she didn’t know was that doctors took her cells to do further research. The research was used to advance medicine, such as cancer research. As the story progressed, issues relating to patient confidentiality, injustice, racism, and exploitation. Skloot worked to aid the family and bring justice for Henrietta Lacks. Since, Henrietta Lacks’ cells, or HeLa cells, constantly divide, they are considered immortal and are used to further various types of biomedical research.
Interested? Purchase the book on Amazon. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is available in paperback, hardcover, audio CD, audiobook, and Kindle.
Henrietta Lacks’ story contains so many important themes and lessons that everyone should understand and learn from. The novel depicted several scenes in which those of color were discriminated against. Fortunately enough, our world has strayed away from discrimination and segregation. Hospitals, such as the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and research centers now have strict rules in regards to patient consent. I appreciate Rebecca Skloot’s hard work to help the Lacks family understand the major contributions Henrietta’s cells have made on a global scale.
If doctors stole cells or tissue from one of my family members, I would want to take action to get justice. I would confront the doctors and hopefully make a greater impact by explaining to numerous people the importance of patient confidentiality and consent. Fortunately, I have social media and several other platforms that easily connects to people to spread awareness and make my voice heard.
If I had cells that had the potential to many great biomedical discoveries, I would donate them for “the good of science” and would stray away from selling them. I perceive the world as one big community; so, I believe we should all support each other in any way we can. I would not want my cells to go to waste if my cells had the ability to lead so many discoveries for illnesses or answer questions that remain unanswered. Having the chance to better the world and partake in the world’s advancement would also feel like a huge accomplishment.
Learn more about Henrietta Lacks’ and her cells!
I would give this book 5 stars! I am beginning to like nonfiction science books now! After watching GATTACA, reading The Hot Zone by Richard Preston in Honors Biology, and now The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, I have become a geek for this content! Can you recommend any good ones?
Check out this infographic I made about Save the Bay!
On the field trip, I spent most of my time with my group collecting data. One memory I had with my group members (Chloe, Kristen, and Alysa) was when we were analyzing the biodiversity of the specific areas. I recall working together to obtain the information faster by allowing each person in the group to count the amount of plant species in a specific area. I believe we worked well and efficiently together. Another memory was when my group and I were calculating the biodiversity in the data table. We were all huddled near the car under the shade, completing out our calculations. I had a fund time collaborating with my awesome group.
Photos by Mrs. Girard
I would not change anything about the experience because I had such a fun time! I really hoped to stay longer and do more data collecting. The warm and cool weather made the experience even better! I loved this field trip and the experience exceeded my expectations. This field trip should be done annually for the AP Biology class. I enjoyed the trip so much that I was not scared of getting my hands dirty for once! I wanted to learn more and integrate myself with the awesome SF Bay. I 100/10 recommend this trip!
Left photo by Arabella Sunga. Upper right photo by Mr. Retelas. Bottom right photo by Mrs. Girard.
Citations
“Citizen Science: Partnering the Public and Professional Scientists.” Citizen Science Association, http://www.citizenscience.org/.
You know that feeling when you are so excited and looking forward to something, you feel like time goes by slowly? That is happening to me right now! I am excited for my field trip tomorrow to work with Save the Bay to learn about our local environment in the Bay Area. I believe this is an awesome opportunity since my AP Biology teammates and I are so fortunate enough to live in a biodiverse area where so many organisms flourish! I love going on field trips because I get to learn outside of the classroom and apply what I learned at school to my environment. Experiencing this first-hand are essential to learning because I think students become much more curious and intrigued by the topic. Save the Bay would be such an awesome opportunity for me and my teammates to do fun, collaborative activities relating to our local environment. I hope to learn more about collecting data and developing my analysis when analyzing organisms. I want to take these skills and apply them when I go outdoors with my family. I also want to learn more about our local estuary and find ways to encourage others to keep our environment clean and healthy! I do my best to keep my environment healthy by reusing bags and limiting water usage. Small things can help SAVE THE BAY… and beyond!
Guess what?! I recently listened in on a guest speaker presentation by Anusha Shankar… but through a live video call with other schools in the United States. This live presentation was possible through ExploringByTheSeat, which I think is such an awesome experience for students to learn more about the world and should be utilized by all teachers.
Meet Anusha Shankar
Anusha Shankar is an animal ecologist. She is studying how hummingbirds conserve their energy. I learned from Shankar that hummingbirds can die within 2 hours if they do not eat because they exert so much energy in a short amount of time. Hummingbirds get the most amount of energy in sugar water and nectar! What was was interesting to learn about was that hummingbirds enter a certain state called a torpor state where the birds enter a state deeper than sleep to lower their metabolism and conserve energy! The body of the hummingbirds goes cold and shuts down. In Shankar’s research in Ecuador, she was able to see the temperature of the bird with the use of infrared cameras to see energy use of hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are fascinating creatures because they can basically switch from warm-blooded to cold-blooded birds!
Check out this image of a hummingbird in torpor!
Fun facts about hummingbirds!
Shankar also did research on African grass rats to study Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Those who are more prone to SAD are those who live farther from the equator. These people are more susceptible to this disorder because they do not receive as much light. Light plays a role in how we function and even affects our psychological conditions! Shankar was able to test SAD in rats by conducting experiments where the activity of the rats were studied when put in an environment with lights on and off. One great treatment that Shankar mentioned was having light 15 minutes a day with the help of a device. Who knew how much light made an impact on our emotions! I certainly did not realize how big of an impact light influences our emotions.
There is so much research being done about so many different things! Like Anusha Shankar, I would want to participate in differing research programs to learn about many things and know more about my own interests. I encourage you to put yourself out there and learn more about science!
Each day I step into AP Biology class, I learn so many bizarre things that are going on in the world and all around us. Change.I consistently see and hear about change and advancements. From designer babies to a small change in our DNA sequence, we are now able to do things to change our appearances or even find a cure to diseases just by the current biotechnological advancements.
Have you heard about gene therapy? Gene therapy is the introduction of a normal gene into a patient, usually to treat diseases caused by a single defective gene. Scientists are treating patients with diseases by adding a new allele in strands of RNA which are placed in a retroviral vector. The vector is then inserted in somatic cells, such as bone marrow cells, so the normal allele is inserted in chromosomes and is reproduced. One genetic disease gene therapy treats is severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). SCID patients show a very weak immune system, which makes them susceptible to all kinds of illnesses. Since bone marrow reproduces throughout our entire lives, includes stem cells, and even produces our blood and immune system cells, bone marrow cells are a prime candidate to help SCID patients. Gene therapy has been used to treat Leber’s congenital amaurosis (LCA), which is a retinal degenerative disease that causes vision loss, a blood disorder, and even a degenerative disease of the nervous system.
Learn more about how gene therapy works!
One of the awesome things that AP Biology course equips the students are the several guest speakers that come in and share their insight about biology. Recently, Mana Anvar, an MS student at UCSF, shared her story working in UCSF’s Baraban Lab. There she studied pediatric epilepsy on zebrafish models in order to gain more understanding and research on Dravet Syndrome. One big connection that I learned in class that she mentioned is CRISPR-Cas9, which essentially edits a genetic sequence. In this lab, she was able to use CRISPR-Cas9 to edit or remove the gene that causes Dravet Syndome in zebrafish to observe seizure activity. She performed several tasks such as genotyping, sequencing, cannabinoid drug screening, and tracking. To experiment and understand how the drug could essentially help individuals with Dravet Syndrome, she analyzed and tracked the distance, movement, and velocity of the zebrafish treated with the drug. Anvar not only explained her work relating to biology research, but she also inspired me to pursue the subject because biology is interdisciplinary. Biology never fails to amaze me.
I found this super helpful when learning about CRISPR-Cas9!Can you believe researchers are editing genes using CRISPR-Cas9 on these small zebrafish?!
All of these advancements are pretty awesome to think and learn about, but of course, there are ethical concerns. We must think about the extent to which we use these technologies and gene editing. This is a great transition into our class conversation on bioethics! Keep that in mind and as the Amoeba Sisters say, stay curious ✌️.
I know, I know, that is a really random quote, but I was thinking about dreams and that song was on my mind. I was thinking about dreams because I watched Diana Nyad’s TedTalk about accomplishing her lifetime dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida and her epic journey! What surprised me is that she did that at the age of 64! Her story is extremely inspiring because through her many attempts, she never gave up. She was persistent and determined to cross the finish line. I believe we can all take a many lessons from her. Age is not a number that determines if we can accomplish our dreams and goals. We say that we are too old to do something we have always wanted to achieve. As a result, we live our lives regretting not ever accomplishing our ambitions.
Between you and me, just last week I said that “I’m too old to learn how to ice skate” (Remember: this is just between you and me 🤐). Is that really true though? Is there really a certain age that tells people what you can and can’t do? Nyad’s TedTalk really inspired me to do not only the small things I want to accomplish in life, but also my big ambitions. I learned to not let any factors, such as age, fear, or doubts, get in the way of my dreams.
The photo on the left is me attempting to ice skate before 2019 ended.You can say that I am improving.
When Nyad said, “Isn’t life about the journey, not really the destination?”, I thought about how what we make of our short lives determines who we become. Challenging yourself to becoming a better overall person is how we can live our lives to the fullest. When I was watching the video, I thought to myself, what is life if we live in complete fear? Nyad was swimming in complete darkness and she knew there were marine animals that could harm her, but she did not let that get in the way of her dream. Living and complying with our fears and staying in our comfortable bubble prevents us from really living. Remember that life is what you make of it and you have the power to choose what you do with this life. Through Diana Nyad’s journey, she had the help of a team to guide and motivate her until the end. In our path to pursuing our dreams, we all need a support system to help push us to our goals.
I want to pursue medicine to help people in third-world countries that are in need of free healthcare. Growing up, I knew I wanted to continue my mother’s legacy of performing medical missions in the Philippines and beyond. I saw how the majority of the people living in the Philippines were impoverished and I could not ignore this issue. I believe that with time and my diligence, I will be able to help these people who cannot afford simple check-ups at clinics. Each person in my life has been supportive of my dream and never have I once doubted myself about this. At a young age, my mother caught me emulating medical diagrams from her textbooks. I am still the same curious and determined girl that wants to make a difference in the world through medicine.
Hi guys! I am back from winter break and I feel extremely ready to start a new semester of AP Biology! The last break replenished my mind for another fun semester of learning!
Looking back at semester 1, I learned so much about biology! From learning about ecology to genetic disorders, I was fascinated by the process and study of life! My favorite season was the Characteristics of Life and Genetics unit. Within these seasons, I learned about ecology, properties of water, macromolecules, and different genetics disorders. I especially loved being able to integrate technology and enhance my technological skills in my education. One of my highlights was the Vortex Swim project because I was able to research about an itching question that connected to the unit. Understanding biology at the molecular level and seeing connections to several units has been intriguing to me so far.
AP Biology taught me a lot about myself and my teammates. I learned much about my own learning styles, time management, stress management, and motivation. Since AP Biology is an everyday course, I was able to conquer my challenge of procrastination and began focusing on excelling in time management. As a result, I was able to spend more time on my other interests, friends, and family. I also discovered that I learned best by consistently reviewing physical, handwritten notes. In just one semester, AP Biology taught me how to become a better and more efficient student. In the classroom, I loved learning and listening to lectures because Ms. Girard always had a fun way of teaching and conveying the lessons. The energy in the room from my peers and teachers motivated me to continue putting hard work in studying, assignments, and projects. Now that semester two is rolling in, I am so excited to learn about biotechnology!
During my first semester, I went to the Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Below are some photos I took that connected to what we learned in my first semester of AP Biology!
One of my favorite ongoing project of this college-level course is my digital site! I love connecting with other people and sharing my projects/investigations worldwide. When I first started this website, I had no idea how to update the site. Through research, public forums, and persistence, I was able to understand not only how to work WordPress, but also enhance my site to intrigue other people. Although I have faced several technological setbacks, I was able to learn more about finding solutions and reaching out to other people for help. This upcoming semester, I am so excited to post more about my investigations, labs, and blog posts to inspire other young and amazing scientists around the world. So far, I everything that I have learned, such as technology and learning skills, will always be in my back pocket for for future use.
Arabella Krystienne's AP Biology Blog 