Students will be able to analyze critically and apply the major principles of cell and molecular biology.

Cell and molecular biology is the component of biology that connects the molecular activities between cell components, like DNA, RNA, protein synthesis, and cell regulation. I received an introduction to this principle of biology during my introduction to genetics and cell biology course. We studied some genetics, mutations, RNA splicing, etc. I then received a more in-depth education on this principle when I enrolled in developmental biology. This class allowed us to learn more about genetics and cell biology, but with a realistic application.

I think that the experiments that we got to form were very interesting and helpful in understanding cell and molecular biology because it engulfed everything that we had learned throughout the semester. The experiment that we did had to do with tissue regeneration. Each group had a sample of brown flatworms. These flatworms are unique in that they can regenerate damaged tissue. Our group wanted to find out what would happen if we performed a specific “cut” to each of our flatworms. Would they heal themselves or would they form new body parts based on the cuts? Our “cut” involved splitting the tapeworms in half at the midline. This separated their heads from their tail regions. After a certain amount of time, we came back and observed what happened to these flatworms. We counted how many were alive, how many were dead, and which live flatworms formed from the head pieces and which came from the tail pieces. After analyzing this data, our group created a poster in order to present our findings. Poster presentations are unique because they must encompass everything that the experiment entailed, like background, hypothesis, methods, findings, conclusions, and future directions, while also being presentable and easy to follow. It’s a difficult task, but it’s one that I think my lab group was successful at. The link to the poster is included below.

In my senior capstone biology class, I was required to create an “integrating biology” presentation. Each group was tasked to compile a 60 minute-long presentation about a “hot topic” in biology. My group’s topic was on stem cells and metabolism. We chose to mold our presentation around a paper that researched a treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. This presentation was difficult, as it was the longest presentation that I have had to give. However, after this presentation, I feel more confident and adept at creating more in-depth presentations about complex biological topics. The link to this presentation is listed below.

A few weeks later, I was required to create a second “integrating biology” presentation.  This time, my group chose to complete this presentation on the size matching between pollinator proboscis and flower nectar tubes.  This presentation went well!  In the last presentation, it was my responsibility to present the paper background.  This time around, I presented the figures.  Presenting the figures was definitely harder than presenting the background, but it gave me a better understanding of the paper as a whole and helped me to get out of my presenting comfort zone!  The link to this presentation is also below.

Flatworm Poster

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nfyKSJK3ZHuqCwkKNeZiuyDgEz_wPMCM/view?usp=sharing

Integrating Biology Presentation #1

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Og2Bmn_du7w02kSRCDdoN3KKRD9Z7z6MERXckxWtYoc/edit?usp=sharing

Integrating Biology Presentation #2

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17WkbzN7hehmcC9gxjqIYbIyChQwjSenE/view?usp=sharing