Students will be able to identify and describe the major principles of biology.
One of the most important principles of biology is genetics and understanding the fundamental units of life. In Biology 250 and Biology 234 genetics courses, I was introduced to the molecular mechanisms that govern cellular growth, homeostasis, and response to external stimuli. I was expected to think critically on a broad range of biological topics focused on the cellular, molecular, and genetic basis of life. I learned how to use PCR as a method of DNA amplification and verified green fluorescent protein in the pGLO plasmid for pathogen transmission analysis. Through these courses, I developed a greater understanding of pathogen transmission and portrayed that through an end-of-semester poster presentation.
Additionally, ecology and evolution are equally important as genetics in understanding the major principles of biology. In Biology 251 I learned about the remarkable interactions that different organisms have with one another, with their environments, and with human beings. The study of ecology entails studying, observing, inquiring, discussing, and researching aspects of local and global ecosystems. One of my favorite projects in this class was a human demography study that our class conducted in the Farmville area. I wrote a final paper on what I learned from this study. I also completed a study on bird prevalence on Longwood’s campus that provided me with an opportunity to learn more about species richness and how to use descriptive statistics to analyze large amounts of data.