Students will be able to identify and describe the major principles of biology.
From cell biology to immunology to anatomy and physiology, the relationship between structure and function has been stressed throughout my learning in just about every context possible. I have learned about this from the subcellular level with proteins and enzymes to the organismal level with bone and muscle, and many places in between. One place where this can be seen is in a poster presentation that I gave for a project in my Immunology class. This project had us exploring the effects of different phytoestrogens on the immune system. We chose to look at phytoestrogens because their structure is similar to that of estrogen which allows them to function as an estrogen mimic when in the body.
Biological pathways and the flow of information are what drive/dictate the many functions of all living organisms, so it is safe to say that I have had a lot of exposure to this concept throughout my time here at Longwood. The class that stressed this the most in my opinion would be Cell Biology. Much of this class was spent learning about biological pathways, signaling pathways, cascades, feedback loops, and more. This can be seen in a poster presentation that I gave for a project in the class. This project had us exploring various genes in different strains of brewing yeast and the pathways that they were involved in.
I have been able to explore the interconnectedness of living species in many contexts throughout my time here at Longwood. From ecology and evolution to cell biology, I have learned of many different ways in which different species interact with one another. From smaller organisms like yeast and bacteria to larger organisms like humans and wildlife, interactions between and amongst species are seen frequently, whether they are directly represented or indirectly implied. One class in particular where I explored this concept was Sophomore Seminar. In this class, I wrote a paper exploring the impact that humans have had on coral reefs. I talked about the effects of pollution, industry practices such as fishing and tourism, and climate change on coral reefs, and how humans have both directly and indirectly contributed to their decline. As I have learned throughout my time here at Longwood, interspecific interactions are everywhere and can be both negative and positive.
The relationship between structure and function, biological pathways and the flow of information, and the interconnectedness of living species are all major principles of biology. Learning of these major principles has helped to give me the foundation I needed to better understand more complex topics. I will always be able to refer back to these core concepts when learning something new.