Reflection
The most interesting topic that I am grateful for Professor Joyner to have gone over is on the topic of clinical trials. We always see the commercials promoting medication for various illnesses/diseases but we never take a moment to understand it’s background. There are multiple stages of trials that it must pass through before it is permitted to be advertised for sale. Our professor also explained why medication is so costly. It is because there is so much going into making/approving the pharmaceutical drug. The reasoan why pharmaceutical companies must undergo clinical trials is that every aspect of the drug must be understood before it is available for the public. Unknown potential side effects can be extremely dangerous if left unknown thus explaining why the process is both rigorous and costly. Furthermore, this operation has heightened its regulatory policies in that the trials are becoming costlier and longer. Many pharmaceutical companies, in response to this, aim to cut costs and quicken the wait as much as possible to construct better profit margins.
This applies to my education in that I am now researching at an oncology lab and an affiliated company studying lung cancer is in the stages of approving their early detection drug. This class subject opened my eyes to the backgrounds of what it takes to approve and begin advertising for a pharmaceutical drug. It highly sparks my interest because the public is not aware of how rigorous this process is. A common misconception is that there are too many drugs available on the market/ being pumped onto shelves but we must understand that each and every one went through intense review processes. This, however, cannot be farther from the truth. The escalating costs and tedious stand by discourages many companies from developing the number of drugs they seek to; the consequence, however, is the limited amount of new drugs on the market for the public.
Reflections
My favorite topic this semester was our discussion on Alzheimer’s and the research that goes into it’s treatment. It was the type of review that did not seem too focused and allowed for me to go as in depth as I wanted with what I was researching which is always a plus. I have never studied the possible treatments of Alzheimer’s, mostly because I deal with a lot patients suffering from cognitive disability in my clinical research, so this added a side to a topic that I’m already heavily involved in. The videos assigned on the topic were also a lot more interesting, specifically with the woman who was an extra on The Wizard of Oz. I bring this up since it demonstrated a sense of humor in the subject, as she jokes about giving away her brain for research, which is something I tried to do with my post. The writing assignment for this topic was also my favorite because of the free-form style, developing my own research project is never something I did officially so it was really fun to observe all the aspects of design that are needed for a proper study. On top of that, it pushed forward serious discussion in class on something I feel like I learned at home which was great.
In terms of this topic, we did knock off a lot of learning outcomes. Population sizes play to the sense of scale we need to understand. I was able to observe data collection performed in research by looking at the graphs these papers on Alzheimer’s presented. The main topic was experimental design, and as a research study the end goal is to employ this data for a hopeful positive change. Skepticism played a huge role with the pseudoscience analysis of the treatment. Communication through a blog post as well as in class discussion was also employed. It doesn’t really demonstrate how seemingly disparate fields connect but it was okay. In terms of daily life I started eating maple syrup after my interest in making this study, so it shows how applicable this is to my own life.
Reflections
When taking stock of the last semester, I have found that the most enjoyable moments of this class were those that overlapped with my academic interest in public policy, anthropology, and law. These science topics included climate change, ethics, pseudoscience, and more recently artificial intelligence. When discussing climate change and other environmental issues such as the amount of energy used in food production, I was able to focus on the actual calculations of energy rather than the social implications. In the past, I worked at farmers market through Grow NYC and we frequently discussed the environmental impact of importing food and the average distance it must travel. Additionally, I appreciated this course because it often complimented what I was learning in my other classes. For instance, in my archaeology class, we discussed pseudoscience at length in regards to scientific racism. Additionally, the ethics portion of the class emphasized my interest in law, especially when we discussed artificial intelligence. I find that with the rapid growth of technology, our legislation and understanding of its possible applications is often far behind the actual innovations leaving most of it unregulated. I find it reminiscent of Although I enjoyed these moments the most, I still found myself challenged and intrigued by other topics covered. I found it fascinating to learn about different disciplines in science and design my own research poster. I learned to appreciate what went into the planning and design of an experiment. With this in mind, I think my science skills have grown. In particular, I believe my ability to collect, analyze and display data improved over the course of the semester. Additionally, my critical thinking skills improved because I was able to connect my interests to topics even when the connections weren’t necessarily clear. With this, my ability to communicate scientific topics has improved making me a more well rounded student.
Reflections & In-Depth
The overall assignment of creating your own scientific study intrigued me greatly. Since, I never got a lot of exposure to clinical studies this assignment allowed me to expand my horizons. In a sense, the “Finding the cure for Alzheimer’s” assignment allowed me to “think like a scientist.” I learned how to properly format a scientific study while asking the question, “Is this ethical?” to ensure that my study would actually be appropriate. Coming into this topic, I was aware of the basics of Alzheimer’s, however, further research allowed me to actually understand the topic much better. Especially since multiple relatives of mine have been affected by Alzheimer’s, this topic hit close to home which is what piqued my interest from the start.
Also, while scientific and medical, this topic added onto my common knowledge. Growing up, I was aware that coconut oil was extremely good for your health, however, after reading about the benefits of it, I am inclined to add it into my diet.
In terms of establishing “Science Sense,” this assignment helped me greatly with dipping my toes deeper into the medical field. I was able to reasonably flesh out the proper guidelines for a clinical study along with understanding what would be required and certain criteria that would need to be met for the study to be ethical. I was able to familiarize myself with such a thought process while completing the assignment. Before researching about Alzheimer’s, I never realized how many remedies there were that could possibly offset symptoms of the disease. Although Alzheimer’s does not have a cure as of yet, possibilities have continuously popped up showing that, although little, progress is being made.
Genetics of Cancer
Cancer results from the uncontrollable replication of a cell; it impacts millions around the world, yet a cure has still yet to be found for such a prevalent disease that causes countless deaths per year. After years of research observing cancer cells and their abnormality, the disease has still yet to be fully understood. There are multiple types of cancers originating from each organ, each based on the different genetics of these specific cells. In fact, different cancers may require different cures. Two specific types of genes are involved in the development of cancer: onocgenes and tumor suppressing genes; the former causes cancer by activating when not required and the latter when inactivated.
A protein, p53, was found to prevent cancer by putting a stop to cell growth and division. It is a tumor suppressing gene seen to be mutated in about half of all tumors. When mutations are found within DNA, p53 has the ability to control proteins that can suppress mitosis to fix any mistakes. P21, one of the proteins affected by p53 interacts with the cell cycle and ultimately can control a G2 checkpoint, forcing the cell to go through apoptosis. Through research, it was apparent that inhibiting the proper function of p53 leads to the development of cancer. Using this information, from Bunz’s study in 1998, it would be possible to insert DNA damaging agents causing major damage to both cancer and normal-functioning cells. However, the cells with p53 will be able to rid of the mutations while the cancer cells will eventually die due to the amount of damage eventually leading to its own destruction. This, however, poses a problem when developing drugs because normal cells may be impacted greatly in other ways other than just the cell cycle.
While it is plausible to imitate the cell growth seen in cancer cells in vitro, human testing will always be last where many details have already been finalized. Humans cannot be tested on until proper care has been taking ensuring that the drug has passed previous trials and inspections. To transition from animal testing to humans, “translational research” can be done by determining a cure for mice and then utilizing it for human subjects. Not only does the drug need to go through countless trials passing multiple tests before reaching the clinical stage, it must prove its validity due to the unexpected nature of humans. A control, specifically, a placebo must be present within the experiment, however, the researchers themselves must not know which patients are receiving them; that way there is no bias for both the researchers and the subjects. Yet, clinical trials are an extremely delicate research that requires the scientists to put their full effort in perfecting the drug along with ensuring the safety of the participants. In the end, clinical trials revolve around ethics. Sarah Schlesinger in the Science Forward interview, states clearly that being a researcher requires one to take on the role of physician and scientist; however, priority must always be given to the role of the physician.
References:
https://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/p53-gene-and-cancer
https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/scienceforward/portfolio/cancer/ https://www.scienceintheclassroom.org/research-papers/arrested-development-when-cells-make-mistakes
Reflection
I enjoyed the biomimicry and AI segments of the class. I find AI really fascinating and I have programmed some and it can be very powerful and philosophical. It makes you quantize and priortize choices and break down a desicion making process. It is also related to behaviorism. Very interwtingi stuff. By learning about these topics we had to engage in the ethics and processes that proffesionals had.
I enjoyed learning about the self filling water bottle which I hope one day exists as not a scam.
Reflections
Favorite topic gone over in class thus far: biomimicry
Reasoning: it’s just fascinating that even though we’ve progressed technologically and scientifically leaps and bounds beyond our imaginations, we can still default to what nature has provided us and gain inspiration to further advance what we’ve invented and innovated. Also, sometimes the solution to problems we face whether it be societal or within a niche community may very well be readily available within our reach all this time in the form of what nature has given us. In order to thoroughly comprehend the idea of biomimicry, as I had no prior knowledge nor understanding of the topic before this class, I think back to our mini-assignments where we had to read up on various organisms and how they fit in the realm of biomimicry. I read up on the kingfisher bird and its impact on the design of Japanese bullet trains. This tiny bird that I had no idea existed managed to influence the efficiency of an entire system of transportation for a country that is already so incredibly industrialized like Japan. To take notes from what evolution and nature has provided the kingfisher in the form of their sleek and narrow beaks and apply it to something seemingly so drastically different like industrial trains is mind-boggling, but simultaneously fascinating. It’s incredibly to know that such a bridge between technology and science exists, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here.
Application to learning outcomes: in terms of how well learning and engaging in this topic applied to the learning outcomes for me as the student and for my classmates as well, I very much did become familiar with scientific inquiry and research, but I would say the most successful outcome to come out of the biomimicry lesson is gaining a greater in-depth understanding of “how science makes progress and changes through time based on newly available evidence.” If anything, I think that outcome applies to biomimicry word for word. Communicating science was also done through our respective blog posts and verbally sharing out what we found from brief research. I most definitely left the class that particular day with an appreciation for this topic and its implications not only within my life, but for the course of history.
Reflecting on My Favorite
- ethics & Alzheimer’s
I’m biased to a degree after choosing it for my video project, however, the conversation and the blog post that followed the topic had been a topic that wrapped it all together for me in a literal and figurative sense.
Bioethics is a topic that I’ve always been interested in since it crosses the boundaries of science and philosophy. This grey area is home to the ethical questions that dictate how policy and regulations evolve with science. Pondering the ideas about a limit or a restriction set in a scientific context are the random things I like to think about since it forces me to think about counter-arguments about the issues that plague us every day and in science. Working in both clinical and laboratory settings has given me experience on both ends of the spectrum, informing my opinion on both sides and showing me how the arguments unfold and affect both the lives of the researchers and the user/patients. However, being exposed to it also brings an increased frequency that I think about these things on my own and with others that forces me to think about the issues that do challenge my own knowledge, beliefs, and understanding.
The in-class application of ethics in pharmaceuticals and the branch off into the topic on Alzheimer’s showed me that I knew so much more about this topic from experiences and not formal studying or research. It didn’t occur to me until that moment that I’d been exposed to it all my life, personally, professionally, and academically. As someone who has had family members with dementia and as someone who’s spent nearly four years in nursing homes with Alzheimer’s patients, this class and discussion made me realize all the things that were obvious to me and not others. I realized how the prior experiences that I would do for fun informed my opinion and my future choices in both academics and research subconsciously. It also allowed me to apply methods and things I’ve learned in my biostatistics course in a practical and real sense that pulls the material from one course into a real-life situation and in one that I was able to control.
- Learning Outcomes Achieved:
This topic flushed out the ideas of pseudoscience in a real-life context, distinguishing between science and non-science and how pseudoscience is all around us. It also brought to the forefront of experimental design and taking into consideration the ethical basis behind designing a proper experiment involving people and or animals. Being a major that is a crossover of science and engineering this is a side I’m all too familiar with, with regards to designing for real people and understanding the risk involved when communicating and when applying science to real people. This basis for thinking about regulation and for cautions in science to avoid ethical issues was a look into an all too real side of science that gets overlooked when considering new innovations and new discoveries. It also employed critical thinking and a recognition of the humanity behind the science we see.
Reflection on biomimicry
Personally, my favorite topic from the ones we have covered in class this semester was biomimicry. Although I was aware of the idea that many of the things we enjoy today were inspired by the natural world, I was unaware that there was a term and even an entire subject devoted to it. I have always been fascinated by not only how certain technologies work but also the inspiration that was behind the primary stages of its development or discovery. I really enjoyed the idea of “converting” natural things to man made mechanical ones. The fact that something as irritating and seemingly insignificant as mosquito bites can be converted to micro needles is extremely interesting to me.
As a biomedical engineering major, the primary reason for me leaning towards this field is my interest in integrating concepts of biology and engineering, I loved exploring the combination of nature and technology to create solutions for human problems. The fact that something as complex as airplane designs can be found from the structure of bird wings that it is seen everyday made me wonder what other doors towards technological advancement can be made from simply observing our surroundings. Biomimicry makes me realize that a lot of problems seem to be unsolvable, may have already been solved and been in use for years by members of the plant and animal kingdom. Since the natural world is a perfect model of a system that has been optimized (after centuries of evolution and adaptations) for an extended amount of time, it is probably one of the best places to look towards for innovation and progress.
Although the student learning outcomes were achieved by almost all of the topics, it was particularly noticeable for me while discussing and exploring biomimicry. Learning how as different technologies were invented or are currently under development allowed me to understand that science is an ever moving and expanding field. The progress and changes are made through the accumulation of new evidence and inspirations. In addition, the research project and poster assignment gave me an opportunity to learn about a topic of my interest and convey it to a wide range of audiences. I really appreciated how I could take a question of mine and delve deeper using background research as well as data analysis.
Reflections
Having always considered myself a person who thinks scientifically, and as a person who plans on going into a scientific field, I imagined that a class meant to be about science for people who aren’t necessarily science savvy wouldn’t engage me in the slightest. On the contrary, though, it turns out that there was a certain edge to the class that kept me interested in the discussions. In my other science courses, I’ve usually found that the focus is almost entirely on theory, rather than on the implications of the content taught, but in this class, we were having critical discussions on the basic scientific concepts taught.
The astronomy and physics portion of the semester had the greatest impression on me. At the beginning of this semester, I was considering switching majors from physics to psychology, and was trying to suppress my interest in physics. The first class was one that expanded on topics of astronomy, and listening to those topics that I so loved to hear about and discuss was an almost immediate halt for the track I was trying to veer onto. Talking about rocket science and hearing about future prospects for astronomy and physics with Russell Joyner was a wonderful opportunity to come face to face with someone who went down the same path I had planned initially and was doing something incredible with it. It was an incredibly validating experience that brought me back in contact with my roots and inspired me to continue on my physics path.
The topic also brushed up with a lot of the learning outcomes for the course. The progress made in physics and astronomy both in terms of space exploration and in energy innovation was thoroughly developed here, and students were able to use their critical thinking skills to talk about the future of rocket science as well as energy efficiency. The blog posts made on the topic of energy as well served as a good way to hone our skills in communicating science.
Reflection
My favorite topic that we have covered this semester was ethics. Much of the topics that we learned about this semester were difficult for me to understand at times because I struggle with science frequently and am not as well-versed in it as some of my peers. I enjoy ethics because it does not require much background knowledge on scientific information/data, but relies more on critical thinking. As an English major and a college student, critical thinking is something that I do on a daily basis, and I liked being able to employ this into a science class. In the philosophy class that I took last semester, ethics was a major topic of discussion, and I was able to bring some of what I learned from that class into this one. Additionally, I think that it is an important topic and I like how there is not always a clear “right answer” and that there is such a wide amount of room for debate. I feel that ethics is something that should be taken seriously, especially when the ethical issues at hand have the capability to interfere with someone’s life. Although some people may look at ethical issues through a lens that attempts to achieve the highest possible level of gain, I think that how these decisions affect individuals is a topic of great importance and that a value cannot be placed on a human life.
When looking at the syllabus and how it conveys the topics that we have covered in class this semester, I think that, for the most part, we have been able to accomplish this. Specifically when it comes to being able to interpret scientific data and derive knowledge from it and then communicate this with an audience, I think that the end-of-semester research projects have been extremely helpful. The critical thinking component that was mentioned in the syllabus is even a main component of ethics, which was my favorite topic. We also brought critical thinking into our research projects when anticipating what kinds of questions this project might spark. This certainly helped with presenting our projects at the STEAM festival to students and professors alike.
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