Chloe Powell's AP Bio Blogspot

AP Exam Reflection

This year’s AP exams were an absolute roller coaster. The AP biology exam went from a four hour test to one that was open note and taken in 45 minutes. Overall, I think I did okay on this exam. The first question was really difficult for me. Having so little time meant I had to think fast and unfortunately I had to read the question multiple times before I even understood it. I think I got some of the key components graders were looking for, but given that I was forced to leave some of the questions unanswered, I am not super confident on this part of the test.

Luckily, the second part of the test went a lot better for me. While I was given less time, the question was also shorter and easier for me to understand. I answered pretty much every portion to this question and I also think I talked about most of the key points they were looking for. That being said, I don’t think I did well on my first question so who knows if the second one will be enough to save me or not.

My overall experience with AP’s this year was probably more of a negative experience. Not only was the test difficult, there was an increased amount of stress for me because so many students had issues submitting the test. I also felt like the test wasn’t a fair indicator of how much I had learned, given that I had to condense a lot of information into basically nothing. Overall though, I am glad the AP tests are over and I hope next year I get to take them in person.

Body Systems

Hey you guys! Check out the video I made on my understanding of Season 10 below!

My Season 10

This season there was a ton of content! Unfortunately, we were not able to be at school in person, but we were still able to learn a lot about our own bodies. One of my most memorable moments this season was dissecting a fetal pig. This experience allowed me to see the parallels between our human body and the body of a pig. Thinking about a pig’s internal body parts is not something I do frequently but I was very thankful for this opportunity. For me, it is very unfortunate that we did not get to do this dissection in person. I would have enjoyed being able to actually do the lab myself just because I really enjoy hands on experience. All things considered, however, I do think the virtual dissection was definitely one of the highlights this season.

Works Cited

Anatomy: Excretory system, illustration. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.

quest.eb.com/search/126_487865/1/126_487865/cite. Accessed 8 May 2020.

Bailey, Regina. “How Ventricles Keep Your Heart Pumping.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 8 Oct. 2019, http://www.thoughtco.com/ventricles-of-the-heart-373254.

“How the Heart Works.” How the Heart Works | Michigan Medicine, www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/tx4097abc.

Human skeletal system, artwork. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Mar 2018.

quest.eb.com/search/132_1524833/1/132_1524833/cite. Accessed 8 May 2020.

“Knee Cartilage Injury Treatment Options.” Summit Orthopedics, 5 June 2019, www.summitortho.com/2016/03/08/dr-skendzel-explains-treatments-for-knee-cartilage-injuries/.

Nervous System Photography Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.

quest.eb.com/search/132_1289083/126_487865/cite. Accessed 8 May 2020.

Paul, Susan. “How to Get Faster Without Getting So Out of Breath.” Runner’s World, Runner’s World, 13 Dec. 2019, http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a20845181/help-i-get-out-of-breath-easily/.

Written by Editor

Respiratory System Photography Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.

quest.eb.com/search/126_487865/1/126_487865/cite. Accessed 8 May 2020.

Immune System Sketchnotes:

Here are my sketchnotes for the immune system!

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day everyone! Today was a beautiful day to acknowledge our beautiful home! Originally started by Gaylord Nelson, Earth day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970. Millions of people swarmed to parades and other activities to honor this planet. Ever since that day, Earth Day has been an annual celebration for fifty years.

To celebrate Earth day, I went around to some of my favorite outdoors spots in my neighborhood. Check out my video below!

Happy Earth Day!

Works Cited:

“The Official Site: Earth Day Network.” Earth Day, http://www.earthday.org/.

The Botany of Desire

This week we have been watching the Botany of Desire in AP Biology class! I was not really sure what to expect going into this documentary but I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised! Not only did the music and cinematography give an odd sense of tranquility, but the information presented in the video to be very interesting. In many ways, this documentary opened my eyes to plants and their effect on humankind. The Botany of Desire was a great introduction to Kingdom Plantae.

The actual layout of the video was quite simple: it systematically went through four types of plants and their place in worldwide history. The producers picked the apple, the tulip, cannabis, and the potato for the plants to be explored within the video. The video first began with the apple. This section of the video was probably one of my favorites simply because of how wholesome the content was. The documentary discussed how the apple’s sweetness affected its role in human society and how human selection was causing many apple species to disappear. This section also covered some of the background of apples within American history, with a special focus on Johnny Appleseed and his role. I thoroughly enjoy learning about American history, so I liked learning about apple’s role in the early stages of our nation. I also never knew there was a difference between the apple’s used for cider and the apples that were just eaten so I found this fact really interesting as well.

The next plant discussed was the tulip. One of the main aspects talked about was the tulip market in Amsterdam. A huge portion of the world’s tulip population is bought and sold there. I thought it was really interesting to learn about how one single flower could transform a country’s economy so much. The video also talked about the history behind the tulip. Here, I learned that in early Europe a single tulip bulb could be sold for as much as a modern-day house. I never would have guess that something as (no offense) useless as a tulip could be sold for this much money. What’s more, the tulips that were actually considered so “valuable” were diseased! That’s right, these tulips actually carried a virus. If nothing else, I enjoyed the section on tulips because it showed me how much the modern world has changed.

Cannabis was the next plant to be discussed. While the apple’s section was my favorite, I probably learned the most in this section. The documentary focused on cannabis’s journey from Mexico to American and why it became illegal. I thought this part of the video was very interesting because I never really thought why cannabis might be illegal. The Botany of Desire also discussed how growers adapted their cannabis plants after outside growing production was being halted by the government. Overall, I found this section of the video to be really interesting.

The final section of the video was about the potato. If I am being completely honest, I probably found this section the least interesting out of the other four. While I understand that potatoes have been considered a food staple since pretty much the beginning of time, I always found them pretty uninteresting so learning about them felt about the same. One of my favorite parts of the potato section was when the documentary focused on french fries and McDonalds. While I have been to McDonalds in multiple countries, I never considered how the food in each was pretty much always the same (with the exception of a few cultural twists). Specifically, I never realized that the french fries in every country were always the same. McDonald’s always uses the Russet Burbank potato for their french fries which was a fact I never knew. I do not get to learn about the management/production of fast food companies very often which is why I found this aspect of the section to be particularly interesting.

Overall, I really did enjoy this documentary. It gave me the chance to explore the connections between humans and plants throughout time. The Botany of Desire also opened up an interesting dialogue about who is really in control, humans or plants? I enjoyed watching this documentary outside of school and then discussing our thoughts in class. I hope we will continue to watch interesting films such as this one, as videos such as these make learning far more entertaining.

Works Cited:

Apples. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.

quest.eb.com/search/132_1358690/1/132_1358690/cite. Accessed 26 Mar 2020.

“Johnny Appleseed.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 4 Sept. 2019, http://www.biography.com/historical-figure/johnny-appleseed.

Potato “Gold Rush” (baking potato). Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 31 Aug 2017. quest.eb.com/search/139_1879157/1/139_1879157/cite. Accessed 26 Mar 2020.

Tulips. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 31 Aug 2017.

quest.eb.com/search/139_1872736/1/139_1872736/cite. Accessed 26 Mar 2020.

Henrietta Lacks

Looking for a good read on a lesser-known topic? I think I may have just the book for you! This semester in AP Bio, my class and I read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Smoot. This book was about the creation of HeLa cells, why they were and are so important, and the lives behind the family who the HeLa cells originally came from. While the science portion of the book can occasionally be a bit heavy, I think the stories behind the characters make for a really good read.

I was able to learn a lot of information from this book! When I first started reading it, I had no idea what HeLa cells even were or why they were so important. Within the first five chapters, I already understood so much more about topics such as cervical cancer and the initial distribution of HeLa cells. While I do not necessarily know when I would ever use this information, I think if someone wants to go into the medical field or a research field involving cells, they should definitely read this book.

In many many ways, Henrietta Lacks and I are very different people. Even after I finished the book, it was still hard for me to imagine the pain her family went through to get the closure they needed about her cells. I think I would be upset if my cells were being used without my permission. I think I would at least have the right to know what my cells are being used for and should be kept updated on their status. Interestingly enough, however, if science needed my cells, I would give them up, free of charge. I think for me as long as I felt like the doctors weren’t trying to go behind my back, I would feel comfortable donating.

Overall, Henrietta Lacks was a really great book. It changed the way that I saw current medical practices and opened up the door to good conversation within my class. I really recommend that everyone read the book which is why I linked it here:

If you really don’t have time to read the book, there is a great video on it as well (linked below)

A good resource as well

Works Cited

Butanis, Benjamin. “The Importance of HeLa Cells: Johns Hopkins Medicine.” The Importance of HeLa Cells | Johns Hopkins Medicine, 11 Apr. 2017, http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/henriettalacks/importance-of-hela-cells.html.Long, Karen R. “In ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,’ Writer Rebecca Skloot Shows Us Science’s Unsuspecting Benefactor.” Cleveland, 7 Feb. 2010, http://www.cleveland.com/books/2010/02/in_the_immortal_life_of_henrie.html.

Protista Exploration!

This week in AP Biology, we learned about the Kingdom Protista! At first, you may be wondering what in the world Kingdom Protista is all about. That was me in the beginning as well. However, I have now learned so much about this kingdom and why the organisms under this classification matter so much.

Kingdom Protista is one of the most diverse kingdoms that exist. This is because protists are basically any organism that does not fit under Kingdom Animalia, Fungi, or Plantae. Some organisms even had to be moved out of their original kingdom after new discoveries were made! But what must an organism have to be considered a protist? Well, for starters, all protists are eukaryotic and majority are unicellular as well. There are hundreds of different protists, and all of these organisms play such an important role in the Earth’s environment. For example, kelp has a symbiotic relationship with otters. Sea urchins normally eat away at the kelp but sea otters eat them as part of their diet. Meanwhile, the kelp protects the sea otters from predators. Overall, protists are a very important part of the ecosystems on Earth!

Works Cited

Bratcher, Rory. “Symbiotic Relationships in the Kelp Forest Ecosystem.” Sciencing, 22 Nov. 2019, sciencing.com/symbiotic-relationships-kelp-forest-ecosystem-7273.html.“What Are Protists?” LiveScience, Purch, http://www.livescience.com/54242-protists.html.

Save the Bay Post Trip Reflection

Hey guys! I made this video to talk about my recent field trip with Save the Bay. Check it out!

My Save the Bay Reflection

Works Cited

BOY SCOUT SELLING POPCORN. Photography. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.

quest.eb.com/search/300_1826680/1/300_1826680/cite. Accessed 5 Mar 2020

“CitizenScience.gov.” CitizenScience.gov, http://www.citizenscience.gov/.“Russell.” Pixar Wiki, pixar.fandom.com/wiki/Russell.

All photography was from either George Retelas or Rebecca Girard

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Save the Bay Pre-Trip

When looking back at my early years as a student, field trips were some of the most memorable days in my entire education. Not only was it a chance to experience new things, but field trips also gave us the opportunity to learn about the topics we had studied in class in a new environment. Unfortunately, as I grew older, the importance of field trips did not seem to be recognized nearly as much as I thought it should be. While in middle school I participated in multiple field trips every year when I get to high school this totally changed. Field trips were once a year – if that – and only in a very select few classes. During my freshman year, I don’t think I went on a single field trip.

I am extremely excited to go on this trip for many reasons. Asides from the fact that I rarely get to leave the school campus, I also really like what we are doing. Today we will be working with Save the Bay to help restore plants and maintain the environment in the Palo Alto Marshlands. There are so many important species that require these marshlands to even survive. Doing this work is vital to help maintain the environment and therefore the species living in it. Not to mention, going off campus gives me the opportunity to learn in a more interactive environment. Many of the topics we have been studying in bio, I will get to witness first hand. I am really hoping to learn more about how to help the environment in my day-to-day. I also want to learn more about the species living in the areas I am helping and why they are important. Overall, I am very excited about this field trip.

Works Cited

San Francisco. Photography. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.

quest.eb.com/search/132_1240837/1/132_1240837/cite. Accessed 4 Mar 2020.0.“Save The Bay San Francisco Bay Area Restoration.” Save The Bay San Francisco Bay Area Restoration, savesfbay.org/.

Rabies Infographic:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Hey guys! Check out this PiktoChart I made on the virus Rabies!

Works Cited

Newman, Tim. “Rabies: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and Prevention.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 15 Nov. 2017, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/181980.php.

“Rabies.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 Sept. 2019, http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html.“Rabies.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rabies.