The last big push for Team 2019-2020 AP Biology was the AP exam that we took on Monday, May 18th from 11am-12pm. This AP test was formatted as a 50 minute, two question, free-response style test that coved six main topics in the subject. This is a completely new style than the previous 3 hour, half multiple choice and half free response question test. Overall, I did enjoy the format of the new test since I could take it from home, the timing was a lot shorter, and there were less topics covered. This test and the AP exam season overall is definitely an experience I will never forget.
In case YOU find yourself taking the AP Biology exam next year or further into the future, here are some tips that I’ve compiled from my experience taking this new style of exam.
General Advice:
Take your time reading the question as soon as you start the test.
I ended up reading the same sentence about 5 times because I was reading too fast and couldn’t understand what it was saying.
Make sure to do a normal pre-test taking routine before sitting down at your computer for the exam.
This includes (but is not limited to): getting a lot of sleep, eating a good breakfast, going to the bathroom, taking deep breaths, and of course getting pumped up beforehand!
Be CONFIDENT!
You know a lot more than you think you do, so show some self-love and confidence! Any test does not define you as a person, so don’t be afraid to fail. No matter what happens in life, there are always ways to improve and learn!
What I used to study:
Full length, timed AP exam practice videos on YouTube produced by the CollegeBoard
I was able to practice the timing, grapple with the fast-pace of the test, and review content all at the same time!
Review slideshows posted by Mrs. Girard on Schoology
Really useful, but don’t spend so much time getting all of the details of every process down. Look overall at the main concepts and how everything can be interconnected
Practice FRQ’s on MyAP (CollegeBoard website)
These FRQs are so helpful in finding your weak spot in test taking. Make sure to set a timer so you know how much time you take, and always score yourself afterwards to see where you can improve!
I hope you enjoyed these tips and advice! I was fairly concerned about being unable to submit my exam, so when I got this message at the end of my test I was so relieved. Now we wait for the test results in July!!
Botany of Desire is a four-part film that our class watched and discussed together, that talked about how apples, tulips, cannabis, and potatoes have all had an influence in the way humans reproduce organisms. These organisms may not seem like they have something in common, but they are all plants! Each has also been incredibly important in representing how sweetness, beauty, potency, and reproducibility have caused humans to grow mass numbers of these items.
The first part of the video talked about apples, and I found it interesting that the narrator said that plants, such as apples, cause humans to do the plant’s work. Apples would not have been as successful if the fruit was not sweet, easily transportable, and diverse in variety. If the fruit had never been as sweet as it is, there is a good chance that the apple would not be the world’s “universal fruit”. Today, Americans use apples through apple pies, cider, crisps, sauce, and countless other foods. Popular quotes have also been associated with the apple, such as “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” when people were emphasizing a healthy and balanced diet. Another interesting part of the video was that the fruit in the Garden of Eden was most likely a pomegranate and not an apple, but Renaissance painters decided to paint an apple since the apple was viewed as a “perfect fruit”.
Interested in apples? Watch this video describing why there are so many different kinds of them, produced by Ted-Ed:
The second part of the video, the narrator mentioned how the more beautiful or sweet smelling the flower, the more likely it is to be replicated by humans. This reminds me of the tactic that apples used, because the sweeter the fruit, the more likely someone would want to eat or reproduce it. One thing that surprised me was that after the “tulip mania” faze of the 1600s was over, many people were blaming tulips for being the cause of society’s economic burdens. Many people had spent fortunes on these flowers, but once the flowers were overvalued, they soon became worthless when nobody bought them. These flowers in particular were very popular because they had been infected with a virus that caused them to have two different colors on the bulb of the flower and were extremely rare to find. Behind every famous or popular plant, like apples and tulips, there seems to be times when they are loved and hated by society due to the influence they have on people to reproduce and sell them.
Tulips originally were discovered in Europe, specifically the Netherlands. This country has become extremely popular in producing tulips that are exported throughout the entire world! If you’d like to learn more, check out this video:
The third section of the video covered cannabis, and the reason why people are so attracted to cannabis is because of the chemical THC. This chemical provides people with a high that changes their ability to experience the normal everyday life in a completely new way of thinking. For example, Louis Armstrong used cannabis in order to cause a difference in the way his music was played. Something about the way that he played the notes or blended with the other instruments made people sense a change in his music. One thing that I found interesting was that forgetting information is prefered in nature because it’s simply about editing out the unnecessary information that is stored in the brain. It is not beneficial to the human brain to hold on to every face, object, and sentence that occurs in their life, so it is up to the brain to forget some bits of information. Another way THC is used medicinally is through treating patients with PTSD or anxiety, in order to calm them down or lessen the extreme fluctuations of feelings they may experience.
Another popular chemical found in cannabis is CBD, also known as cannabidiol. This chemical can be found in items such as drinks, lotions, and chocolate, but do not provide the same high as THC. For more information check out this video from Vox:
The fourth and final section talked about the potato, which is an important staple to people all around the world, and originally developed in the Andes region around 8,000 years ago. One thing that I found interesting was that humans found a way to produce many varieties of potatoes on the same hill/mountain depending on the altitude the plant was growing at or if the potato faced the sun. This way, if one crop suddenly died on one side of the mountain, farmers had plenty of other crops they could rely on for food in the same area. The diversity of the potatoes on one mountain alone was able to produce countless varieties in the colors, shapes, and sizes of the potatoes that descended from the original crops. Another thing that I found interesting was that since all of Ireland was dependent on one monoculture of potato, and when a wind-borne fungus was spread throughout the country, the country found itself in a devastating famine. If Ireland had not become dependent on one type of potato, then the death toll in the country would not have been as high. This event was known as the Irish Famine, and one in every eight Irish people died due to starvation.
Potatoes are a staple to human life today and are extremely versatile in their uses. To learn more about the history of the potato, check out this video:
Overall, I really enjoyed watching this movie because it opened my eyes to how plants can manipulate humans to grow and reproduce them. If apples, tulips, cannabis, or potatoes had never been discovered by humans to have many desirable traits such as beauty or versatility, then they never would have been reproduced and delivered to all parts of the world. In this way, plants have a tactic of controlling humans, whether they “know” it or not, to ensure the survival and reproduction of their species.
If you’re interested in watching the full Botany of Desire movie, check out the trailer here:
Works Cited:
“The booming CBD craze, explained”. Vox. Youtube. 28 November 2018.
“The Botany of Desire Trailer”. Kikimmedia. Youtube. 20 May 2013.
“History through the eyes of the potato – Leo Bear-McGuinness”. Ted-Ed. Youtube. 14 December 2015.
“Why are there so many types of apples? – Theresa Doud”. Ted-Ed. Youtube. 22 September 2016.
“Why the Netherlands Is The Tulip Capital Of The World”. Insider. Youtube. 17 April 2019.
Henrietta Lacks; a name you might not be familiar with, but a name that has definitely helped you. The use and application of the cells has shaped modern medicine by contributing to the understanding of influenza, Parkinson’s disease, AIDS, and in vitro fertilization. These cells have literally been all over the world in and traveled to more than 100 countries, which is more than most people do in their lifetimes. But what makes these cells so special?
Quick Summary:
The original HeLa cells were taken from Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman who was born in 1920 and grew up in Virginia. In 1951, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, but by then, it was too far in advance for the cancer treatments at the time to be effective. While in the hospital, a doctor took a sample of the mass of cancer cells from Lacks and had them analyzed. They later found out that these cells never stop dividing in a cell culture, which provides an unlimited number of cells to do experiments on. This was an extremely important breakthrough, but instead of Lacks receiving some of the money from the selling of her cells, she never found out that doctors had been making a profit while her family was living in poverty. Fast forward decades later to 1988, the author of the book, Rebecca Skloot, hears about HeLa cells in her college biology class and becomes interested as to the story behind them. Skloot is determined to learn more, and speaks to the family members of Lacks and eventually publishes Lacks’ full story in 2010.
My Reflection:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks touches on many fields besides science, such as social-justice issues, racism, gender inequality, poverty, and basic human rights and dignity. All people can see themselves in Lacks some way, maybe in how she was discriminated against in the hospital by saying she did not need painkillers, how she was taken advantage of by the doctors took her cells without her consent and made a profit off of them, or how she was struggled to support her family while battling cancer. This book is so encompassing of her story that all people can find some interest in this book, and not just science nerds like me.
I really enjoyed reading this book because it opened my eyes as to how medicine was like during the Jim Crow era, and how modern medicine would not be as advanced without the suffering of so many people who were taken advantage of. This book has caused me to see a strong connection between two fields that I am involved in, social justice through Mock Trial, and science through my passion for Biology. I feel that this is a book everyone should read because you learn more about the history behind normal things you may take advantage for, such as a vaccine. I am thankful that there are laws in place that make sure doctors receive full consent from patients before medical testing, and I hope that in the future, we learn from the suffering of Henrietta Lacks in order to advocate for those who may not have a voice.
Here is Rebecca Skloot’s website, where you can find out more about her experience in writing the novel: http://rebeccaskloot.com/
Here is a TedTalk video that explains more about Lacks’ cells and how useful they were:
Our first AP Biology field trip has come and gone, and after coming home, I took away so much new information and many fun memories. Take a look at the images below where I explain all of the fun experiences that I had!
Three Scientific Pieces of Information I learned:
Photo by Mrs. Girard
Photo by Mrs. Girard
Photo by Kristen Carpio
Connections to Class:
Photo by Kristen Carpio
Photo by Mrs. Girard
What is Citizen Science?
Photo by Mr. Retelas
My Favorite Memory:
Photo by Mrs. Girard
Conclusion:
Photo by Mr. Retelas
Thank you for reading my blog! I hope these pictures and captions inspired you to go outside of your comfort zone and become curious about places you have in your backyard!
Tomorrow is our AP Biology class’ first field trip and I couldn’t be more excited! We will be traveling to SF Save the Bay in order to restore part of the park and collect data. I think field trips are a great tool for learning because field trips apply education to places we can visit outside of the classroom. We are able to make more connections with what we learn in class to the real world when we are able to step outside and see the things we are learning about in action! Field trips also encourage us to become more curious about how science is applied to all aspects of our life, and trips like the one we are taking encourage us to volunteer and help our planet.
I hope to learn more about more ways that we can make a positive impact on our planet while on the field trip. Also, I would like to learn about how restoring the natural creeks and wetlands for animals in one part of the San Francisco Bay has an impact on all of the people that live around the bay. I want to make a positive difference on the environment, such as allowing the growth of baby animals in the wetlands by restoring the animal’s natural habitat. I am so excited to learn more!
Last Friday, my teammates and I watched a livestream on YouTube of Anusha Shankar, who is a biologist and has studied how hummingbirds enter a state of torpor, where the animal becomes physically inactive in order to minimize energy usage. I found this extremely interesting because I have only heard of animals hibernating during the winter season to not consume as much energy, but never of the state of torpor. Hummingbirds get energy from nectar in plants, but due to their small size they are constantly spending the energy that they consume, and can die within 2 hours if they do not have enough food. In order to save energy, they enter a state of torpor where their body temperature lowers and their brain becomes extremely inactive.
In addition to studying hummingbirds, Shankar currently lives in Alaska and studies Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which analyzes the effects of the amount of daylight overtime in relation to people’s moods. I found this very interesting because I was curious to find out how the weather affects people’s moods. I am still curious to find out whether or not having family that has lived in places with little daylight for generations has an impact on how you respond to the limited amount of light.
I am so thankful to have the opportunity to participate in engaging activities such as this livestream because we are provided with even more ways of learning that we haven’t experienced before. If you would like to watch the livestream that my teammates and I viewed, you can click the link down below. I have also included educational videos on the state of torpor and Seasonal Affective Disorder, so check them out!
Another Season in AP Biology has come and gone in a flash, but has also been comprised of plenty of long days of work. Season 7 was about Biotechnology, a field in science that blends the use of technology in order to modify how organisms work, such as in bacteria or hormones that are produced. A very important lab that my teammates and I performed this season was the pGLO lab, where we inserted a plasmid into bacteria in the hopes of making the bacteria grow and glow on a plate of agar containing LB, Arabinose, and Ampicillin. This lab was definitely one of my highlights for the season because we had been working very hard in order to understand the process of bacterial transformation, and I felt very rewarded when plenty of colonies of bacteria grew and glowed under UV light.
Image of the glowing bacterial colonies that grew on the agar plate
Going along with the topic of biotechnology, Mrs. Girard invited a former NDB student, Mana Anvar ’14, to come into our classroom and talk about her work with studying zebrafish in hopes of finding a medicine that would best treat Dravet Syndrome, which is caused by a mutation on the SCN1A gene. I found this work very interesting because of her use of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology, where she was able to cut out the DNA of the zebrafish and test different medicine on the pieces she cut out. I also look up to her because of how hard she has worked in school, through studying at UC Berkley and majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology, and later doing a graduate program at UCSF. She has even been able to combine her passions of biology, journalism, and law by never waiting for an opportunity to come to her, and I hope to as driven as her in the future.
Check out this video on the pGLO lab from Bozeman Science!
In 2013, Diana Nyad became the first person to swim the 100 mile journey from Cuba to Florida, and she gave a TedTalk on how her incredible experience was a way of strengthening her perseverance and determination. One interesting idea that she mentioned in her talk was that during the night, she couldn’t see the front of her hand when she was swimming since the ocean was pitch black. Her and her team did not use any lights during this journey because it would attract jellyfish, sharks, fish that would attract sharks, and other animals that could potentially harm her. For extended periods of time, she did not have any visual sensations, but instead relied on the playlist of songs she listened to and the pounding of the waves against her skin to keep her grounded. With the help of her team, Nyad was able to complete her 100 mile journey at the age of 64 – a time where most people would not believe that one could accomplish their goals.
A dream that I would like to achieve would be to work in the neurological field in the future, whether that be through research or the medical field. I have a strong passion for neuroscience and I believe that I could help change the lives of others. There are definitely times where I have doubted my ability to complete this dream because I have worries of what college I get in to, what opportunities I will have in the future, and my ability to handle the challenges that are thrown at me during these times of my life. However, I know that despite these challenges, I will be able to persevere through my problems and always turn back to why I started a challenging path in the first place.
Nyad’s TedTalk has inspired me to always stay motivated when my workload seems unbearable. Especially last semester, I felt very burnt out by the time November and December rolled around, and I was not getting enough sleep over extended periods of time. This semester, I hope to balance my sleep schedule with my workload since I have experience in all of my classes. I would also like to improve in remembering my passion for my classes whenever I become overwhelmed with the amount of work I have on my plate, and to realize that everything will be okay in the end.
If you would like to learn more about Nyad and listen to her inspiring TedTalk, I highly suggest you watch the video below!
5 months have already passed by, can you believe it?! It seems like just yesterday that I started AP Biology and was eager to see what the class had in store. Last semester was filled with plenty of labs, blog posts, and projects that helped us learn about the properties of water, cell division, enzymes, cell membranes, cell signaling, cell respiration and photosynthesis, and even more fun topics. Overall, I feel that I have a strong grasp on all of these topics, but might need more work in understanding cell respiration and photosynthesis since there are a lot of components to those two processes.
Last semester, I also started this digital portfolio where I post all of my blog posts, lab investigations, and fun science videos I find online. This site has given me the opportunity to reflect on my work and keep track of all the progress that I have made throughout this course. Over the semester, writing blogs has become easier since I have more experience in writing. I find it engaging to be able to share my thoughts and reflections on topics in the class and post them for others to see.
Looking forward to the rest of the year, I am super excited to learn more topics in depth and go on field trips! I really enjoy having AP Biology everyday since we’re always learning new things. I know that this semester will be filled with a lot of projects, blog posts, and experiments, and I will be more prepared since I already have a semester under my belt. Second semester here I come!
AP Biology with Kristen 