Core Earth Science Honors Class Planetary Projects

This quarter's project assignment for the Core Earth Science students was to prepare a PowerPoint Presentation on a planet or heavenly body within our solar system.

Alberghine Frayne Venus by Charles Ippolito

Connor Elder Uranus by Charles Ippolito

Drygulski Neptune Presentation by Charles Ippolito

Giangola Mroz Mercury by Charles Ippolito

Grant Huang Io by Charles Ippolito

Huncke SUN by Charles Ippolito

Louka Owen Jupiter by Charles Ippolito

Lynch Shultz Earth Ppt by Charles Ippolito

McCann Walsh Mars by Charles Ippolito

Minoli Redpath Saturn by Charles Ippolito

Chrappa Gay Mars by Charles Ippolito

AP Biology Students Genetic Diseases Projects

          For their third project the AP Biology students were asked to research a genetic disease.  Their project could be be a well-made PowerPoint Presentation, a Web Site presentation, a comic strip, a storyboard, an animation, video or almost anything. The end product should be a Museum Quality Presentation on a Genetic Disorder. The display should incorporate your creative and artistic talents as well as scientific information.

           The final presentation must include the following sections/information: 

History of the Disease

         A description of when the disease was first identified and by whom.

Symptoms of the Disease

          A description and discussion of how the disease affects those who have the disease and also how it may affect their families.

Cause of the Disease

          A description and discussion of the known/hypothesized etiology of the disease. Be sure to be very specific in this section, if possible describe the exact “mutation” that is thought to produce the ineffective products that are at the root of the disease.

Treatments for the Disease

          A description of any procedures that may be used to alleviate/cure the affected individual’s symptoms.

Identification of the Disease

          A description of any protocols that may be used to determine carriers and/or individuals who might have the disease and the probabilities of their passing the disease to their offspring.

Bioethical Considerations

          A description and discussion of any ethical problems/considerations that may arise in relation to the disease.

 

Adamiyatt Cyrus 11100419 AP Bio Autism Project by Charles Ippolito

Bonfiglio_Brooke_11100436_AP Bio Stickler Syndrome by Charles Ippolito

Borcich Declan 11100310 AP Bio Hemophilia by Charles Ippolito

Choi_Gee-Young_101069_Usher-Æs Syndrome by Charles Ippolito

Chrappa Argentina 11100324 Congenital Heart Defects by Charles Ippolito

Chrisanthopoulos Marika 300453 Cleft Lip and Palate by Charles Ippolito

DeJoy Peter 11100450 Thalassemia Powerpoint by Charles Ippolito

Donohue Timothy 11100338 Glaucoma Presentation by Charles Ippolito

Dougherty Jack 11100340 Color Blindnes by Charles Ippolito

Elbert Gina 11100343 Angelman Syndrome by Charles Ippolito

Jones Andrew 11100364 Gaucher Disease by Charles Ippolito

Laurence Malika 101165 Progeria Final by Charles Ippolito

McGough Elizabeth 11100379 Osteogenesis Imperfecta by Charles Ippolito

O'Toole Grace 11100387 Bloom Syndrome by Charles Ippolito

Past_Samantha_11100388_ap Bio Third Quarter Project; Bipolar Disorder by Charles Ippolito

Petnuch Alexis 300526 Alzheimer's by Charles Ippolito

Petnuch Nicolette 300527 Schizophrenia by Charles Ippolito

Soroori-Motlagh_Nastaran_200705_(SCID) by Charles Ippolito

Weirens Naomi 11100536 Cerebral Palsy by Charles Ippolito

Core Biology Students Gel Electrophoresis (DNA analysis)

          Of the three billion nucleotides in human DNA, more than 99% are identical among individuals. The remaining 1%, however, adds up to a significant amount of code variations between individuals, making each person's DNA profile as unique as a fingerprint. Due to the large number of possible variations, no two people (with the exception of identical twins) have the same DNA sequence.

          For every 1,000 nucleotides inherited, there is one site of variation, or polymorphism. DNA polymorphisms change the length of the DNA fragments produced by the digestion of restriction enzymes, so the exact number and size of fragments produced by a specific restriction enzyme digestion varies from person to person. The resulting fragments, called Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs), can be separated, and their size determined, by electrophoresis.

          Most of the DNA in a chromosome is not used for the genetic code; it is uncertain what, if any, use this DNA may have. Because these regions are not essential to an organism's development, it is more likely that changes will be found in these nonessential regions. The regions that contain nucleotide sequences that repeat from 20 to 100 times (e.g., GTCAGTCAGTCAGTCA) are the strands cut by restriction enzymes to create RFLPs.

          The difference in the fragments can be quantified to create a "DNA fingerprint". Distinct RFLP patterns can be used to trace the inheritance of chromosomal regions with genetic disorders or to identify the origin of a blood sample in a criminal investigation. Scientists have identified more than 3,000 RFLPs in the human genetic code, many of which are highly variable among individuals. It is this large number of variable yet identifiable factors that allows scientists to identify individuals by the number and size of their various RFLPs.

          This technique is being used more and more frequently in legal matters. Using DNA fingerprinting, the identity of a person who has committed a violent crime can be determined from minute quantities of DNA left at the scene of the crime in the form of blood, semen, hair, or saliva. The DNA fingerprint matched to a suspect can be accurate to within one in 10 billion people, which is almost twice the total population in the world. Certain limitations in the technique prevent two samples from being identified as a "perfect match", yet it is possible to measure the statistical probability of two samples coming from the same individual based on the number of known RFLPs that exist in a given population.

          DNA fingerprinting has many other applications, since half of a person's genome comes from each parent, DNA fingerprinting can be used to determine familial relationships. It has a much higher certainty than a blood test when used to determine fatherhood in a paternity suit. DNA fingerprinting can be used to track hereditary diseases passed down family lines, as well as to find the closest possible matches for organ transplants. It can also be used to ascertain the level of inbreeding of endangered animals, aiding in the development of breeding programs to increase animals' genetic health and diversity.

Students use micropipettes to load their samples into agar rose gels

The gels are placed in the electrophoresis apparatus and submerged in a buffer. Once this is done the micropipette is used to load the wells in the gel

Core Earth Science Students Model Impact Craters

Impact craters are geologic structures formed when a large meteoroid, asteroid or comet smashes into a planet or a satellite. All the inner bodies in our solar system have been heavily bombarded by meteoroids throughout their history. The surfaces of the Moon, Mars and Mercury, where other geologic processes stopped millions of years ago, record this bombardment clearly. On the Earth, however, which has been even more heavily impacted than the Moon, craters are  continually erased by erosion and redeposition as well as by volcanic resurfacing and tectonic activity. Thus only about 120 terrestrial impact craters have been recognized, the majority in geologically stable craters of North America, Europe and Australia where most exploration has taken place. Spacecraft orbital imagery has helped to identify structures in more remote locations for further investigation.

Meteor Crater (also know as Barringer Crater) in Arizona was the first-recognized terrestrial impact crater, currently 170 impact craters have been identified on the Earth.

The students were using six different types of projectiles to form their impact craters. They dropped them from different heights, calculated their kinetic energies, made measurements of diameter and depth of the craters.  They will use this data to compare the craters formed by different projectiles.

Construction papers are used to try to capture the rays formed by the materials that are thrown out of the point of impact.

Crater with its "projectile" still intact. The projectiles used were of different sizes and made of materials with different masses.

Matt D. Vivian M. Danny G and Xiao H. are obviously enjoying the controlled destruction they can mete out to their model planet surface. You can see some of the varied "projectiles" in the weighing cup on the lab table.

Brendan W. and Jack M. are carefully removing the "projectile" before measuring its dimensions