Author: Zill Ratanji

When we originally began the course, I was actually quite intimidated by the list of the assignments and due dates that were covered on the first day of class. However, as the course progressed, I quickly realized that the assignments were nothing like I had originally thought. I know I was especially nervous about the healthcare innovation that we were to create, but that turned out to be the best project! Although the amount of times we had to present in class got a bit tedious, I really liked the end result. At the STEAM fest, our class’ projects were definitely the highlight of all the projects being presented. Not only did some of the professional spectators enjoy out designs, but the students were also very much intrigued by them. Overall, I thought the STEAM festival was a really great experience to have and I learned quite a bit about the process of creating a healthcare innovation and 3-D printing.

BioBlitz was an event that, at first, I really did not like the sound of. I am not a fan of getting “touchy” with nature, especially dragonflies. When I was told that I was the dragonfly group, I was extremely disappointed and thought that the next couple hours of my day where going to nerve wracking. Surprisingly, it was the complete opposite! I never thought that I would ever hold a dragonfly in my life, let alone on my own will! It was probably one of the most satisfying experiences I’ve had.

All in all, I really think that course was very well organized with each of the assignments having a vital motive behind them!

I would say that the purpose of doing a lab in school is to be able to apply the scientific methods we learn and be able to see it being put to work in person. It also teaches one to be able to write a report based on the results of the lab to explain what the lab entailed, what the importance of the testing was, and what errors occurred to perhaps deviate the results. I think the fact that there is a set experiment with a set result is helpful in the learning process because it gives a student some guidance while doing the test with a clear end result that they are eager to reach. Moreover, I think labs are also quite important even if it isn’t really a non-specialist course like ours. Although it isn’t the center of the course, it is still crucial to be able to learn this vital skill that is part of the scientific world. I want to be able to properly follow directions and see the problems that could possibly arise during an experiment then finally understand how to solve such a problem on the spot. A “lab” in a non-science course like History would be about discussing events that occurred in history and explaining what was wrong about the course of action a person took in the situation and how they could have done it better. Then through a social experiment, they would follow through with it and see how people respond differently to that technique. Lastly, you cannot use standard English for a lab report because there are many terms that have different meanings in the scientific world that coincide with the jargon and so if a scientist were to read the lab report, they may get confused by the test if the wrong terms are used.

As I began reading the article I was worried that it would be almost incomprehensible for me in terms of jargon. However, as soon as I began, it caught my attention quite quickly. Galton was very wise to start the article off by depicting how this hormone, that is to be explained all throughout the article, has helped historically in such a significant way. It gives the reader a picture in their mind so they can easily identify with it. It also proves how Galton has a great deal of knowledge sense since he was able to hook the readers by identifying the most interesting use for this hormone in the human body. If Galton hadn’t incorporated the example of using prostaglandins in inducing labor, I don’t think I would have been nearly as excited about reading the rest of the article.

Looking at the article and how it was written, as a whole, I really appreciated the manner Galton chose to convey the information: narrative form. Going through the history of prostaglandin then proceeding with how it was later manipulated to work in many different ways for the body, I felt like I learned the whole history, background, and all the functions, in such a short article, in and out. Even the way he phrased the content of the article, as if some sci-fi mystery was being solved, it kept me engaged all throughout. One clear example is, “As investigators have worked with increased supplies, they have been able to resolve a number of seemingly unrelated mysteries.” Then by using bold statements like “Even the reason for the high concentration of prostaglandins in human semen-as much as 100 times greater than anywhere else in the body-remains a mystery,” it shows Galton’s data and number sense and his well-rounded knowledge, not only on prostaglandin, but on all the elements that are working with it as well.

All in all, I found the article to be pretty informative and an enjoyable read. I am usually not fond of reading science related articles, but this one managed to capture my attention very well. I also learned quite a bit about how prostaglandins work and the uses of them in the body and was amazed by how versatile one hormone could be. I would probably recommend this article to someone who enjoys expanding their realm of knowledge in the medical field.