"Eppur si muove."
– Galileo Galilei, purportedly
– Galileo Galilei, purportedly
Introduction
My name is Julia Keller, and I would like to major in evolutionary sociobiology in order to conduct interdisciplinary research with humanitarian applications. This is the e-portfolio documenting the experiences I made in AP Biology as a senior at John F. Kennedy High School, Berlin, Germany from August 2014 to June 2015.
Reflections
1. How has your experience in AP Biology compared to your expectations from the start of the year?
The labs were much more engaging than I expected; I didn't know that we would be allowed to design our own Inquiries! The material was as vast and complex as I anticipated, but I learned a tremendous amount of detail that helped me recognize the endless connections between different fields within biology.
2. What was your greatest triumph in AP Biology?
During the cellular respiration lab, a molecular process that at first seemed very convoluted to me became much clearer, and I experienced a moment of great joy that made me much fonder of the laboratory experience in general. When science works, it's incredibly rewarding!
3. What was your greatest challenge in AP Biology?
A substantial portion of the class revolved around molecular biology, whereas I was mainly interested in animal behavior. In the beginning it was difficult for me to absorb all of the detailed information about subcellular processes and biochemistry, but once I realized how crucial this information was in order to dimensionally understand much more complex phenomena like cognition and altruism, I began to appreciate the challenge.
4. What was your favorite unit or topic? Explain why it was your favorite.
My favorite topic was animal behavior. I am fascinated by the interactions between nature and nurture, genes and environment, chance and choice, in driving animal behavior. This unit felt like a tremendously intricate and beautiful culmination of all the information we have learned so far.
5. What was the most memorable lab experience you had this year? Why was it so memorable?
During Lab #5 (rate of photosynthesis), my first attempts at floating the chads were unsuccessful, and as a result my team’s first version of the experiment had inadequate and unreliable results. Ms. Lyon generously assisted us in order to complete the experiment despite the significant time crunch. Everyone pitched in and after carefully re-reading the directions and putting extra effort into it I was able to successfully float all but one chad in two tries, so in the end we had a solid set of data.
6. In which lab did you learn the most? Explain how it helped you learn the concepts.
I learned the most in the mitosis and meiosis lab. Symbolically repeating these processes on a scale visible to the naked eye was very helpful in augmenting my ability to remember the information. The karyotyping activity also taught me a lot about the precision and patience that many biologists need in order to successfully conduct their research; often, I think, the scientific procedure resembles solving a logic puzzle.
7. How has your understanding of scientific reporting and presentation improved from the start of the year?
I have developed a greater appreciation for the importance of scientific rigor and repeatable methodologies and much greater awareness of the amount of preparation and theoretical planning that goes into laboratory work. Formulating data tables and writing reports myself has helped me feel more comfortable with assessing data in professional experiments like those I read about in science magazines.
8. What is the most valuable lesson or skill that you’ve learned through your lab experience this year?
Above all, I think accuracy is the most valuable quality an experiment can offer future generations of researchers. Precision is not only numerical, but also a question of scientific integrity, all the while maximizing efficiency. I have a whole new appreciation for the value of time management.
9. What was your favorite project (not lab experiment) that you worked on this year? Why?
My presentation on the nervous system was by far my favorite project this year, excluding lab work. I was fascinated by the way in which this subject connected subcellular processes to the complex expression of human behavior. Trying to formulate and organize the information in a way that was most useful to an audience was an engaging challenge that made me much more confident about this particular topic.
10. What is the most valuable lesson or skill that you’ve learned through your class experience this year?
In AP Biology, more so than in any of my other classes, it was important for me to make connections between the subject material and my everyday life in order to internalize and really learn the information. I enjoyed reading outside of class, drawing diagrams to help me remember and organize the information, and trying to think like a scientist in a variety of extracurricular contexts.
The labs were much more engaging than I expected; I didn't know that we would be allowed to design our own Inquiries! The material was as vast and complex as I anticipated, but I learned a tremendous amount of detail that helped me recognize the endless connections between different fields within biology.
2. What was your greatest triumph in AP Biology?
During the cellular respiration lab, a molecular process that at first seemed very convoluted to me became much clearer, and I experienced a moment of great joy that made me much fonder of the laboratory experience in general. When science works, it's incredibly rewarding!
3. What was your greatest challenge in AP Biology?
A substantial portion of the class revolved around molecular biology, whereas I was mainly interested in animal behavior. In the beginning it was difficult for me to absorb all of the detailed information about subcellular processes and biochemistry, but once I realized how crucial this information was in order to dimensionally understand much more complex phenomena like cognition and altruism, I began to appreciate the challenge.
4. What was your favorite unit or topic? Explain why it was your favorite.
My favorite topic was animal behavior. I am fascinated by the interactions between nature and nurture, genes and environment, chance and choice, in driving animal behavior. This unit felt like a tremendously intricate and beautiful culmination of all the information we have learned so far.
5. What was the most memorable lab experience you had this year? Why was it so memorable?
During Lab #5 (rate of photosynthesis), my first attempts at floating the chads were unsuccessful, and as a result my team’s first version of the experiment had inadequate and unreliable results. Ms. Lyon generously assisted us in order to complete the experiment despite the significant time crunch. Everyone pitched in and after carefully re-reading the directions and putting extra effort into it I was able to successfully float all but one chad in two tries, so in the end we had a solid set of data.
6. In which lab did you learn the most? Explain how it helped you learn the concepts.
I learned the most in the mitosis and meiosis lab. Symbolically repeating these processes on a scale visible to the naked eye was very helpful in augmenting my ability to remember the information. The karyotyping activity also taught me a lot about the precision and patience that many biologists need in order to successfully conduct their research; often, I think, the scientific procedure resembles solving a logic puzzle.
7. How has your understanding of scientific reporting and presentation improved from the start of the year?
I have developed a greater appreciation for the importance of scientific rigor and repeatable methodologies and much greater awareness of the amount of preparation and theoretical planning that goes into laboratory work. Formulating data tables and writing reports myself has helped me feel more comfortable with assessing data in professional experiments like those I read about in science magazines.
8. What is the most valuable lesson or skill that you’ve learned through your lab experience this year?
Above all, I think accuracy is the most valuable quality an experiment can offer future generations of researchers. Precision is not only numerical, but also a question of scientific integrity, all the while maximizing efficiency. I have a whole new appreciation for the value of time management.
9. What was your favorite project (not lab experiment) that you worked on this year? Why?
My presentation on the nervous system was by far my favorite project this year, excluding lab work. I was fascinated by the way in which this subject connected subcellular processes to the complex expression of human behavior. Trying to formulate and organize the information in a way that was most useful to an audience was an engaging challenge that made me much more confident about this particular topic.
10. What is the most valuable lesson or skill that you’ve learned through your class experience this year?
In AP Biology, more so than in any of my other classes, it was important for me to make connections between the subject material and my everyday life in order to internalize and really learn the information. I enjoyed reading outside of class, drawing diagrams to help me remember and organize the information, and trying to think like a scientist in a variety of extracurricular contexts.