Biome Travel Brochure Projects

Biome Brochure Projects

The first project for the fourth quarter required the students to devise a "travel" brochure to tout the marvels to be found in the various biomes on our planet. They were asked to devise a "triptych" three panel double sided travel brochure. These brochures are unedited work. Students were not asked to produce drafts and revise them. These products are their designs using available templates on the web. They were advised to examine brochures produced by previous AP classes and they were given a rubric describing what needed to be included in the brochure. Some students felt restricted by the trifold brochure and chose to submit travel booklets to tout their assigned biome.

Ava'S_ Amazon Rainforest Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Peter's Savanna Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Clio's Grassland Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Olivia's Coniferous Forest Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Charlie's Broadleaf Forest by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Mia's Tundra Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Andrew's Waterlands Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Peyton's Freshwater Lakes Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Alex's Marine Intertidal Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Ellie's Marine Coral Reef Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Katie's Oceanic Benthic Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Luke's Savanna Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Isabel's Desert Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Abby's Chaparral Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

David's Boreal Forest Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Hannah's Temperate Broadleaf Forest Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Mairead's Tundra Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Isabella's Estuary Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Sarah's Freshwater Lake Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Susie's Freshwater River Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Kirsten's Mediterranean Intertidal Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Fiona's Great Barrier Reef Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Kunzang's Marine Benthic Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Julia's Amazon Rain Forest Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Nathan's Savanna Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Robby's Desert Biome Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Viktoria's Chaparral Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Amanda's Alpine Vista Travel Brochure by Charles Ippolito on Scribd

Do Sunscreens’ Tiny Particles Harm Ocean Life in Big Ways

Hannah Beldotti

AP Biology

Current #23

April 29, 2018

“Do Sunscreens’ Tiny Particles Harm Ocean Life in Big Ways”

Welch, Craig. “Do Sunscreens' Tiny Particles Harm Ocean Life in Big Ways?” National Geographic, National

Geographic Society, 29 April. 2018.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/150514-sunscreen-nanoparticle-nanotechnology-oceans-mari

e-beach-boat-toxic/

Do Sunscreens' Tiny Particles Harm Ocean Life in Big Ways? gives insight into an important debate that is still occurring. Some scientists fear that the nanomaterials used in some sunscreens and other cosmetics, as well as

boat paint, could “harm marine creatures by disabling the defense mechanisms that protect their embryos.” According to a recent study, the nanomaterials in these products could have the potential to be dangerous to marine life, such as tiny marine worms, crustaceans, algae, fish, mussels, and other sea creatures. Most people are oblivious to the harm they can initiate when tens of people all step into the ocean with sunscreen on at the beach. Gary Cherr,  interim director of the University of California, Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory, says, “"When they were exposed to these nanomaterials, even in extremely low concentrations that you wouldn't expect to have an effect, we saw all sorts of unusual patterns of development.” However, other scientists disagree with this experiment because they feel that the amount of nanomaterials used was a much larger amount than any of the marine life would realistically encounter. So, people such as, Paul Westerhoff, a professor at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, believe that the experiment and conclusion were inaccurate. He continues to say, “It could be the amounts we tested are, in fact, higher than you would see. But when you look at the potential for a busy enclosed beach, we don’t know that.” Although the focus of the experiment was on marine life, scientists are also looking to view the effects on the environment itself.

I commend how the author included two point of views on the topic at hand. On one hand, Gary Cherr performed an experiment that exposed urchin embryos to nanoparticles. Through this experiment, he claimed that his conclusion led him to believe that these nanomaterials are harmful even in the smallest amounts. On the other hand, Paul Westerhoff claimed that the experiment was somewhat invalid dude to the fact of nanomaterial that was used. This made it so that you know that the article is unbiased by comparing and contrasting the two scientists opinions and data. Also, you get to read the article in two different perspectives both supported with valid evidence. However, I do not think that the scientist Gary Cherr could possibly make a conclusion based on one experiment. It seems more reasonable to do multiple experiments with a realistic constant amount on nanomaterials(the control variable). Also, instead of simply testing just one animal with the nanomaterials, a variety of animals should have been tested in an environment with nanomaterials.

The authors conclusion made it so that you learned something after the article and that you could take away information from it. For example, in the last paragraph, the author says, “The advocacy organization Environmental Working Group has named zinc oxide as the best available sunscreen option for most consumers.” After reading the article and seeing the problem, you are able to take away this piece of information in this last sentence and learn and apply it.

Forty-Four Genomic Variants Linked to Major Depression

Nina Veru

AP Bio, C-odd

Current Event 23

4/30/18

“Forty-Four Genomic Variants Linked to Major Depression.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 26 Apr. 2018, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180426130031.htm.

In an article I found on Sciencedaily.com, I learned that there has been 44 genomic variants associated with depression.  Throughout this study, scientists discovered 30 new and 14 previously identified loci. In addition, 153 significant genes proved that “major depression shared six loci that are also associated with schizophrenia.”  

Two hundred scientist participated in this study from all other the world that work with the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium.  The studies co-leaders include Dr. Patrick F. Sullivan of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Dr. Naomi Wray of the University of Queensland in Australia.  Sullivan claims that this study is a “game changer” because “figuring out the genetic basis of major depression has been really hard.” What makes this study so reliable is the fact that a variety of scientists across the globe have contributed.  Although life experiences are the largest factor in depression, Wray claims that “identifying the genetic factors opens new doors for research into the biological drivers.”

According to Dr. Josh Gordon of the NIH, the study is important because it shows how essential large scale collaboration is when conducting scientific studies.  In addition, the study shows great importance because depression impacts many people and is considered one of the world’s most pressing health problems. Doctors believe that insight into the genetics of depression will enable researchers to develop more beneficial treatments.  The study can be used to target antidepressant medications to each individual. In addition, the study showed that the genetic basis of depression correlates with other psychiatric illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and insomnia.

Overall, I think this study is extremely important due to the prevalence of depression in our society.  This study is definitely reliable due to the many contributors. I liked how the article mentioned the amount of contributors several times to show the study’s accuracy.  In addition, I liked how the article contained many quotes and opinions from numerous scientists. However, the article could have benefited from identifying some of the illnesses mentioned, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.         

Injecting Drugs Can Ruin a Heart. How Many Second Chances Should a User Get

Ava Austi

AP Biology

Current Event  #23

April 29, 2018

“Injecting Drugs Can Ruin a Heart. How Many Second Chances Should a User Get?”

Goodnough, Abby. “Injecting Drugs Can Ruin a Heart. How Many Second Chances Should a User Get?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Apr. 2018.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/29/health/drugs-opioids-addiction-heart-endocarditis.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=sectionfront

In the article, “Injecting Drugs Can Ruin a Heart. How Many Second Chances Should a User Get?” by Abby Goodnough from The New York Times, it discusses how a growing number of people are getting endocarditis from injecting the drugs — sometimes repeatedly if they continue shooting up. Many are uninsured, and the care they need is expensive, intensive and often lasts months. All of this has doctors grappling with an ethically fraught question: Is a heart ever not worth fixing? “We’ve literally had some continue using drugs while in the hospital,” said Dr. Thomas Pollard, a veteran cardiothoracic surgeon in Knoxville, Tenn. “That’s like trying to do a liver transplant on someone who’s drinking a fifth of vodka on the stretcher.” As cases have multiplied around the country, doctors who used to only occasionally encounter endocarditis in patients who injected drugs are hungry for guidance. A recent study found that at two Boston hospitals, only 7 percent of endocarditis patients who were IV drug users survived for a decade without reinfection or other complications, compared with 41 percent of patients who were not IV drug users. Those hospitals are among a small but growing group trying to be more proactive. Dr. Pollard has been lobbying hospital systems in Knoxville to provide addiction treatment for willing endocarditis patients, at least on a trial basis, after their surgery. If the hospitals offered it, he reasons, doctors would have more justification for turning away patients who refused and in the long run, hospitals would save money.

Without a doubt, this issue has affected societies. Addiction has long afflicted rural east Tennessee, where the rolling hills and mountains are woven with small towns suffering from poverty and poor health. Prescribing rates for opioids are still strikingly high, and the overdose death rate in Roane County, where Ms. Whitefield lives, is three times the national average. Jobs go unfilled here because, employers say, applicants often cannot pass a drug test. Across Tennessee, some 163,000 poor adults remain uninsured after state lawmakers refused to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. For them, and even for many covered by Medicaid, as Ms. Whitefield is, evidence-based opioid addiction treatment remains meager. More common are cash-only clinics, or abstinence-based programs that bank on willpower instead of the addiction medications that have been proven more effective.

Goodnough had both strengths and weaknesses in her article. I chose to read this article because for my last current event, I wrote about a drug problem among the elderly and I wanted to learn more about the issue of drugs in different societies. I found it very interesting to contrast the drug issue among the elderly to this issue. Goodnough provided a ton of information which allowed me to grasp a lot of detail about the topic. However, at some points I found myself lost because there was so much detail to get confused about. I also wish that Goodnough provided more quotes from researchers because this would have allowed me to get an idea of what researchers opinions were on this problem. Overall, I believe the author did a excellent job of addressing the effects that infecting drugs can have on your heart.

How Strenuous Exercise Affects Our Immune System

AP Bio

Olivia Scotti

Current Event #23

Reynolds, Gretchen. “How Strenuous Exercise Affects Our Immune System.” The New York

Times, The New York Times, 25 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/well/move/how-strenuous-exercise-affects-our-immune-system.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=sectionfront.

For my current event this week I read the article “How Strenuous Exercise Affects Our Immune System.” This article discusses how strenuous exercise like running a marathon affects the immune system. The article started off by talking about how throughout time people believed that participating in a strenuous exercise would lead to a weakened immune system. However, recently scientists at the University of Bath in England believed exercise could not lead to a suppressed immune system. With the help of their updated scientific techniques they discovered that “ But newer experiments that actually tested saliva showed that less than a third of marathon runners who thought they had caught a cold actually had. Statistically, their odds of becoming sick were about the same as for anyone else in the race’s host city.” This demonstrates how the immune system could not have been weakened because everyone in the ame area had the same odds of getting sick. The article continued by discussing studies done on animals immune cells. In this study they tracked the movement of the immune cells through the bloodstream. They found that “In essence, the rodents’ immune systems had bolstered their defenses in vulnerable areas of the body after exercise by directing cells from the blood.” Although this taught them about the immune system they could not be positive it would be the same in a human's immune system.

Most people typically exercise so understanding how different workouts affect the immune system is prevalent to almost everyone’s life. Also everyone has gotten a cold in their live so it's interesting to understand what is causing that and how are body reacts. Most people don't run marathons but putting some strain on the body can affect the immune system and its important we understand that. Although this topic is not something that will change are daily lives it is valuable to understand how are immune system can change from justin running, biking, or any other exercise you partake in. I believe it is of value for people to continue to exercise because it could help the immune system but also it improves our overall health.

Overall I felt this article had many strengths and weaknesses. Some of the strengths of this article was the many quotes the author added from outside sources. Not only did it make this article more credible but also made the article more interesting. Another strength of this article was the incorporation of the many studies conducted about this topic. Although this article had many strengths their were some weaknesses that hurt the article. One thing that this article lacked was a definite conclusion on the study. Also I wish the article had explained each of the studies in more detail so the reader could understand the topic more. Ways that this article could be improved is by adding more information on what modern technology has discovered about the immune system. Also the consequences of having a weakened immune system.

3-D human 'mini-brains' shed new light on genetic underpinnings of major mental illness: Using human stem cells, researchers create 3-D model of the brain to study a mutation tied to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.

Robby Schetlick

AP Biology

Ippolito

CE 22

4/19/18

Brigham and Women's Hospital. "3-D human 'mini-brains' shed new light on genetic underpinnings of major mental illness: Using human stem cells, researchers create 3-D model of the brain to study a mutation tied to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 April 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419141530.htm>.

The article I am reviewing is called is about the new use of “3-D mini brains” in research of mental disorders posted recently on sciencedaily. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital are using new technology and techniques to investigate a gene- DISC1- which when mutated is a likely factor in many mental illnesses. This is evidenced by many families with mental illness history all have mutations on this gene. What these researchers are essentially doing is using human stem cells to culture “mini brains” to model human brain development. Using this new technology, they can investigate the interactions in the human cells from a three dimensional perspective, which opens up many more new routes of investigation than previously available when technology only allowed for two dimensional models. After various testing described in the article, the researcher used the new model to conclude that the WNT pathway (which is a signaling pathway for patterning organs in development of the brain) may be responsible for observed structural disruptions in the DISC1 mutant brains. This opens many possibilities for future mental illness therapy, if the researchers can identify the problem more conclusively in the future.

This article is relevant to our society because of how it exemplifies technology as an important part of progressing in science. These researchers that were previously limited by 2D technology are now able to investigate and continue their research in literally a whole new dimension. Already, this has lead to discoveries and hypotheses regarding the brain topic. But on a larger scale, technology is becoming increasingly necessary in our lives, and now even more so in our development as a species. It is always important to continue investigating using new technologies, as eventually we will be able to cross over past roadblocks with ease by approaching them from a new angle with new technology.

The article is generally is a nice, simple, and eye catchy article. It is strong because it makes sure to define all its concepts and vocabulary so that the average reader can get the gist of the article. Although, it could be improved by trying to stick to its main points rather than get very specific, which detrated from the focus of the article, especially when it is clearly already compressed for length. It could be improved by cutting out all of the examples of the DISC1 experiments, and just going straight to the WNT conclusion, for example. Other than those minor errors, it’s a good article.

E. Coli Outbreak Tied to Romaine Lettuce Expands to 16 States.

Luke Redman

Mr.Ippolito

AP Biology

Current Event #22

Chokshi, Niraj. “E. Coli Outbreak Tied to Romaine Lettuce Expands to 16 States.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/19/us/e-coli-romaine-lettuce.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront.

This week, I read Niraj Chokshi’s article for the New York Times, “E. Coli Outbreak Tied to Romaine Lettuce Expands to 16 States.” Recently, there was an outbreak of escherichia coli (E. Coli) from chopped Romaine lettuce from Yuma, Arizona. “The agency was first alerted to the outbreak by health officials in New Jersey, who had noticed an increase in E. coli cases in the state, said Dr. Laura Gieraltowski, an epidemiologist at the C.D.C. After some discussion, it became clear that many of those infected had eaten chopped romaine lettuce at restaurants before getting sick.” The disease has now spread to multiple restaurants in 16 different states and has now affected 53 people, with over half of them being admitted to hospitals. All restaurants have been advised to throw out lettuce from the area, even if they are not sure if it is Romaine.

This affects us all because most of us have eaten salad within the past couple of days, and there is a possibility that some of us could have been affected by E. Coli. The widespread outbreak affects the local communities where the victims are located, and also the victim’s families.

The overall article was very well written, the quotes from officials were woven in beautifully. Also the pace of the article went well with the topic, urgent but not panicked. The only thing i wish that the author included was the side effects of E. Coli, but that can be fixed with a very quick search. I look forward to reading more articles from this author.