Claudia's blog

Reflection with research
This week, we learned more about tobacco and how different companies used different strategies to protect their market. I wanted to know more about the origin of tobacco and how it came to be used worldwide. In the video, it was mentioned that tobacco known as “Nicotiana tabacum originated in Mesoamerica, the central part of the Americas”. Europeans were able to get the plant through exploration. Later, different slaves were used to plant and harvest this plant which was used to make cigarettes. It is disappointing to see how people believed that it was medicine but in reality, it was the main source of all diseases including cancer. Banning tobacco advertisements and usage in some places helped to reduce the number of people who smoke. It was needed that different scientists inform people the negative effects of tobacco so that they know how their life was being damaged. To quit smoking might be hard but, visiting a doctor especially, a therapist, and doing physical exercises can help.

MUSK, Arthur William, and DE KLERK, Nicholas Hubert. “History of Tobacco and Health.” Respirology (Carlton, Vic.), vol. 8, no. 3, 2003, pp. 286–290.) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1440-1843.2003.00483.x

Discuss a piece of fiction (a book, play, tv show, movie, etc.) that portrays or uses science in the story. 

One of the movies that I watched and enjoyed was Maze runner: The Death cure. It was a fiction novel written by James Dashner and was later played by different actors. There was a plague which was killing people and different scientist were working together to find the cure. They were using different people without their consent or permission in their experiment which seemed inappropriate. There is usage of different samples of people’s blood and it was used to finding out if the given blood could be used to make the cure to fight against the plague. I could relate this to some of the epidemic we covered in class like AIDS or cholera and this show a fiction way of how scientist might act against a disease. Even though it is not related to science, I appreciated how the actors valued friendship and how they would do whatever it takes to see each other safe and healthy.  

Short reflection. 

From this week’s class, we talked about how to write history or science-related papers. Writing a science-related paper is different from writing a usual English paper. Sometimes depending on what is being written about the structure might be the same but with different content. Writing the paper together as a team was interesting because I was able to see different viewpoints of what others thought about what we covered in class. It was challenging to write an essay from the thesis statement because we ended up writing about something else which might have challenged the last group which was writing the body and the conclusion. In general, it was nice to work in teams and helping each other to find what we can do to address what was required.

A YouTube video about science.

This video show explains what are hiccups and how they happen. He started by explaining the roles of different parts of the respiratory system and what happens when we breathe. After, he explained what occurs when there are hiccups by using tissues(not real). I used to ask myself what might can I do to stop the hiccups. When I am home, we place a piece of paper on the forehead but some people do it differently. I also wondered which way might be effective than the other. The audience might be all the people who want to know more about hiccups and how to stop them. This video teaches more about the human body and how it operates when something unexpected happens. I learned that to stop hiccups we just need to stop the reflex arc, and this is by jumping or doing something that normally works for you.

In the game, I participated as Peter Waggett. I was a member of the special Sanitary Committee of the Board of Governors and Directors of the Poor of St. James Parish. I agreed with William Lauder Lindsay’s research and I supported many things he demonstrated about cholera and how it affects humans as well as lower animals. To build my character successfully, I had to read the pages shared on my document and find out different pieces of evidence I could use in my introductory speech. I enjoyed playing this character because I learned other ways in which cholera was viewed. To understand the role of the broad street pump and how it affected nearby residents, I watched Extra credit’s videos on YouTube. Unfortunately, I didn’t present any motion during the game. But I supported motions that were presented by different members like the one which mentioned that further research can be done before taking any action. A motion that will remain memorable was the one about releasing the waste in the river and move it from the land. I raised a question about the life of species that will be affected by the waste being thrown in the river because in William’s research lower animals were also being affected which was concerning.
It was my first time learning more about this game, and I think that having different people playing different characters and arguing was a better way to understand and consider how people felt during that time. What I was looking forward to was to challenge the idea of removing the Broad Street pump. I had a secrete objective of suggesting and voting that it can be removed temporally instead of being removed permanently. Unfortunately, there was no motion raised about it. I was not sure if I was one of the member who was supposed to raise a motion about the Broad Street pump but, I was looking forward to debating about it.
This game was not boring but I guess it was confusing to understand the concepts of miasma, how to support it, and the different ways which doctors used to treat people. It was stressful for me in the beginning because I was confused about what to include in the speech but, everything was clear when the debate started.
I have done Model United Nations before. It was more serious than this game which made it so stressful and scary. I feel like I enjoyed this game more because it was relaxed, and we didn’t have to stand up or dress formally, which made it more relaxing. I would have loved to see different members involved and presenting motions and amendments as they argue on how the issue can be resolved.

-Short reflection

There was a video about how to survive a plague. Reading the title, I didn’t think it will be about the documentary of HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1980s. It was disappointing to see how people survived the plague. Many people died and the government was not helping them as much as they could have helped them. I was amazed to see how people stood up for themselves and started to push the government to help them. I guess that if the government would have helped them it would have been easier and many would have survived.  

-Reflection and research  

We learned about how HIV/AIDS affected the United states in 1980s. When I learnt about AIDS the first time, I learned about its effect, how it is infected and how we can protect ourselves from it. After this week’s class, it inspired me to learn more about the origin of HIV/AIDS, how was the disease introduced? It is said that it originated from Democratic Republic of Congo in 1920s and due to increased human interaction, the spread was faster. Most of the infected people died from it because there was no medication. HIV is a mutated version of a chimpanzee or monkey virus known as SIV (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus). There are HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is commonly known but HIV-2 is found in certain regions like West Africa. Unfortunately, HIV/AIDS is a long-term disease, it is not cured completely. But it is essential for infected individuals to take medication because it increases the survival rate for patients. 

-Discuss a piece of fiction (a book, play, tv show, movie, etc.) or a piece of art or music that portrays or uses science in the story. 

I want to talk about Maria Sibylla Merian who was a painter in 1600s. It was my first time to hear about her when we learned more about history of women in science. As I mentioned in my earlier blogs, women were not included in science most of the times but their exclusion allowed them to learn more and develop their skills. I am used to seeing paintings about different emotions of people or random drawings of materials. Seeing her painting, I was amazed by how much thought and analysis she used while painting. The painting illustrates the life cycle of different species and their interaction. Every painter or artists in general, uses lots of energy to be able to produce an effective piece. I admire all the produced pieces because they allow us to view science and life in different ways.  

-Short reflection.  

In this week’s lecture we covered about history of vaccination and how it was developed. It was interesting how Edward Jenner came up with the name of cure of small pox which introduced vaccination. Small pox killed many people but with the introduction of vaccines they were all cured and today small pox is seen rarely. I think that having the vaccines and using it to save people might have been one of the amazing inventions which might have been made.  It helps us to train and protect our immune system from diseases which keep us healthy and safe.  

-A video about recent event related to what we were talking about this week. 

This week we talked about the origin of vaccines and how they were used to cure and protect people from different diseases like measles, polio and many more. As people were getting infected with corona virus, they have been given different medication to help their immune system to fight against the virus. From 2020 until today different scientists and researchers have been working together to make a vaccine that would protect people from being infected with SARS-CoV-2.  This vaccine was produced faster compared to other vaccines. Many companies are using the approach of using mRNA or DNA in the vaccine instead of a weakened or dead virus to help the body to build its own immune system to fight against the virus if they get infected. Today the vaccine is being given. I hope that as days goes on every individual will be able to stay immune and with time people can be able to go back to their normal routine. 

-Discuss a piece of fiction (a book, play, tv show, movie, etc.) or a piece of art or music relevant to our topic this week that portrays or uses science in the story. 

There are many pictures and drawings which show how vaccination is important. I don’t know how much these drawings help people but I think that placing them as posters in different areas can help to encourage people to take the vaccines and be protected from different diseases. This image is about fighting flu and it is encouraging people to was their hands and take flu shots so that they can stay safe. Sometimes using songs can also inform people about the importance of vaccines but I guess that drawings can be helpful as well.  

With the vaccine of corona virus being given, there is also a song which was made to remind people the importance of vaccines and encouraging them to take the vaccine.

1. A conversation I had with someone.

I was with a friend that I work together with. During our break, we talked about how she wanted to become a neurosurgeon and a researcher as well. She told me how she was interested in many things and we ended up talking about the bubonic plague which happened in mid 1300s. Bubonic plague was considered as black death due to how the lymph nodes turned black when the individual was infected. Those who survived the plague were able to pass on their genes to the next generation. We talked about how their genes can be observed closely by scientist maybe they can be used to save different lives of people. Due to how I knew the history of bubonic plague, I was able to engage and learn from the conversation easily. After the conversation it made me wonder was it the genes of people that allowed them to survive or also the way they lived, what they ate enhanced their immunity.  

2. A video about some sort of recent event related to what we were talking about this week.

This week we talked about how some people lost their trust in science and medication due to what happened in the past. With the vaccine of Coronavirus being given, many people don’t want to take the vaccine because they think that they might have bad side effects after taking the vaccine. In the video Doctor Mike Hansen addresses the case of a doctor who died after taking the vaccine and he also mentions that it is rare that not everyone will have the same effects.  Many doctors have been advising and calming people about how safer it is to take the vaccine than not taking it but due to fear, financial problems and mistrust, some people are not willing to take the vaccine. I guess that with time people will see how the vaccine is helping many people where they will start to take the vaccine and be safe from being infected with coronavirus.  

3. Short reflection. 

We watched the video of how Henrietta Lacks’s cells and how they helped different scientist in their research. From the deadly deception I learned a lot about Tuskegee Syphilis experiment and how black people were not treated well. It was my first time to learn about it and I was shocked to see how certain groups were treated poorly. It made me appreciate how today consent is essential in every experiment conducted on living things. Before any study is conducted; researchers make sure to not harm anyone or anything which makes the experiment more considerate and safer. 

Reflection with research.

From this week’s HSCI 1113 lecture we learned more about women in science and how they were viewed while working in scientific field. Women’s ability was underestimated and sometimes they compared their hard work and computation skills as doing a house work. Women in STEM field were capable but they were underestimated and this affected the confidence that women had while working in a STEM field. The society viewed scientific field as a male dominated field. I guess that this kept on going until today that women now realized that they are also capable and that they can do research and work in STEM fields like men do without being scared.  

By raising awareness and encouraging girls, it is a good way to increase their confidence. Parents and teachers play a big role in promoting a growth mindset, if young girls don’t feel capable parents or teachers can encourage and tell them that everything takes time and that step by step they will be able to achieve their goal. Today we have many women who work in STEM fields and they have amazing inventions. A lot can be learned from them because even though they had their hardships and insecurities they were able to overcome them. Different Ted talks also help to make sure that young girls who are interested in STEM fields fell like they are not alone which allow them to do what they are passionate about.

2. Discuss a piece of fiction (a book, play, tv show, movie, etc.) or a piece of art or music relevant to our topic this week that portrays or uses science in the story.

The movie I wanted to talk about was Hidden figures. The movie portrays how women especially black women were treated in STEM field. Watching this movie demonstrated to me how much energy women used to be appreciated and noticed. The story in Hidden figures was a way to show young girls that working hard with a growth mindset helps to achieve your goal.

I am majoring in biomedical engineering and I am interested in the creation and invention of medical devices and wearable technology. It is fascinating how they get created, used, and change over time as new technology gets introduced. Scans like MRI and CT are used to detect diseases in the body but, they were not created from the beginning. They were invented and improved during a particular period. I am interested in learning about the history of different scans and wearables like the Apple Watch. I will be sharing what I am interested in learning about wearable technology.
By looking at the old pocket watch that was used in the early 16th century and looking at the new apple watch being formed, it shows a great change and evolution of technology.

From this source I can learn more about development of wearables and how they changed overtime. I found the sources when I searched for evolution of wearable technology. It was not hard to understand the sources since most of them were in English. But it was challenging to find an accurate primary source because every picture I found it could not be embedded in the blog.