Past projects 2
We Are Researchers in the Making!
Funded Jan 20, 2025We have been having a lot of fun reading and discussing the book.
Below are reflection pieces from a few students, following the reading of chapter 4 and 5. Thank you again for offering this wonderful opportunity to my students.
" Reflection on "Flowers He Loved" and "A Certain Mendel"
In the chapter "Flowers He Loved" one thing that stuck with me was Mendel's perseverance. Although he failed the teachers exam numerous times, he was still able to make monumental discoveries about science, and more specifically heredity. Mendel did not let his failure in one quadrant dominate his ability to succeed; although he may not have been able to test well, he was able to use his knowledge of the garden, which he gained from the abbey, to make a hugely successful experiment. The reason this stood out to me so much is because I too often struggle in certain areas or situations at school, and Mendel's success serves as an example of why you should never let failure in one area stop you from succeeding on a larger scale. Although I might not be able to score perfectly on my tests, this does not stop me from being able to gain a well rounded understanding of the course. As for "A Certain Mendel", I found it interesting that there was so much overlap between the scientists studying heredity (Mendel, de Vries, and Benson among others). It seemed that people could not study heredity, or create experiments around it, without running into Mendel's work. But this made me wonder, if his work was so important to heredity, why was it not more well known? If his discovery of the dominant versus recessive gene was so monumental, why were other scientists not immediately familiar with it? Was this study, the study of heredity, not very major at the time? Additionally, I found it interesting how at the end of the chapter Mukherjee foreshadows eugenics. I think his choice to do this really highlights how powerful science is, and how we need to approach the study of genetics and human existence carefully, and not exploit the knowledge we gain. " Student A.B
"The first thing that came to mind while reading was how much of the scientific process we have all been taught is captured in Mendel's initial experiment. His whole concept of curiosity, resulting in recording of information until a pattern is found, then forming a hypothesis and continuing is a display of the ideal scientific process. Something that stood out to me though, is Mendel's idea "small thoughts bloom into large principles." (Mukherjee 52) This kind of reminds me of how my grandpa was an engineer who for a short time worked with nasa. He was a part of a team helping to design a satellite or probe of sorts. With the help of his whole team, they successfully designed a tiny part of the whole machine. With hundreds of other engineers the whole probe was designed, yet he and his team only played a tiny role. This concept is evident in any natural science, being that large complex human systems can always be observed in their smaller primal forms. Mendel's method of using plants is this exactly. Being able to observe a scientific phenomenon that may pertain to humans outside of our own bodies is the best way to explore, plants providing the most ethical vessel. Yet what I wonder is the limits of this plant research. As much as plants emulate some human functions, their cell structure and energy generation is different. Mendel, wanting to experiment on mice, was shut down by the monks. In modern science experimentation on mice is very common, but the ethics on that are debatable." Student L.B
"I found it very interesting how in chapter one the author goes into detail about Mendels's experiments on hereditary traits and inheritance in genes. It was fascinating to observe and read how Mendel managed to experiment and figure all of this information out on his own, when he had failed the qualifications to be a professor and was just a substitute teacher. He didn't come to these findings because he was amazing at biology, but because he was a gardener and plants are what he knew. I'm upset that his work was never appreciated during his time alive. In chapter two Darwin died and people were using his work to build off of, which is actually pretty cool. I think it would be more effective if multiple people worked on the same ideas than just one guy. Science is a scary and intimidating concept that explains literally EVERYTHING that we know and don't know, it's terrifying. " Student Z.U”
With gratitude,
Dr. Ilboudo
Financial Literacy for Teenagers! Learn It With Snacks!
Funded Oct 8, 2024Thank you so much again for your generosity. Thanks to your support, my students were able to learn more about financial literacy in a relaxed, joyful and snack filled environment. The topic can be quite overwhelming, but thanks to the games and workbooks, my students truly embrace the leaning and ended the session with a renewed sense of confidence, a better understanding of some of the financial skills they will need for a well rounded life.
They are excited to come back to the workbooks and the games at later times in the semester, so they can continue the learning on a consistent basis.
thank you so much again! We appreciate you!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Ilboudo