Over a 4
month period, Celia and I had 5 classes at the Wisconsin Institutes for
Discovery. Here are some things we did during that time
On February 5th, 2013, we dissected cow eyeballs. To start, we poked the front of the eye (cornea) with a probe. The liquidly clear gross aqueous humor squirted out. Then we cut the eye in half. We removed the vitreous humor. Then we removed the hard lens. Lastly, we removed the iris. It was thin and hard to remove without tearing. Next we saw a presentation on GMOs.
What did you have for breakfast today? Chances are; some part of it was from a plant whose genetic composition has been mixed with the DNA of another organism. This is called a genetically modified organism (GMO). To achieve GMOs, a scientist would have to remove part of one DNA sequence and set it aside. Next they would remove part of another DNA and mix it with the first DNA; replacing the first DNA’s removed part with that of the second. If you don’t like this, you can see if your food says non-GMO certified on the label.
In the second session we got to play on a relaxation application called Tenacity. We experienced technical difficulties, and as a result I was the only one who got to play Tenacity.
In Tenacity, you tap in the middle of the screen (which is usually some sort of garden background) when you breathe out, and on the fifth breath out, you tap two times, and then repeat the pattern. The fun thing is that when you tap, flowers grow!
The other people played a game called Virulent, where you are a virus trying to break into a cell, replicate yourself, and escape.
Then we looked at rose petals with a high-tech microscope.
The third day at the Science Thingy we saw the stimulated transformation path of stem cells. Stem cells can transform into 220 different types of cells.
For the experiment we used fake stem cells, GFs (growth factors) A, B, and C, and also GFs 1, 2, and 3.
To make endoderm cells, which turn into pancreatic (internal organ) cells with the right growth factor, we added GF B, and then added GF 3 to make pancreatic cells.
To make mesoderm cells, which can turn into muscle cells or red blood cells, we added GF C. Then we added GF3 to make muscle cells, and GF 1 to make red blood cells.
To make ectoderm cells, which turn into skin cells and nerve cells, we added GF A, and then added GF 3 to make skin cells, and GF 1 to get nerve cells.
At the next science cohort, we studied microfluidics, which is the movement of liquids in small spaces. We first developed hypotheses of what would happen if you pump multiple colors of liquid into a larger channel versus a smaller one. As expected, the larger channel, having space for turbulent flow, mixed the colors, but as nobody expected, the smaller channel, having no space for turbulence, thus laminar flow, kept the liquids separate. Also, we began molding our own microfluidic devices.
At the following science cohort, Celia and I continued work with our microfluidic devices. There was one device that created what looks like a rainbow. This was of the laser cut examples already made. We also played a review game to see if we learned anything. It turns out we did.
On February 5th, 2013, we dissected cow eyeballs. To start, we poked the front of the eye (cornea) with a probe. The liquidly clear gross aqueous humor squirted out. Then we cut the eye in half. We removed the vitreous humor. Then we removed the hard lens. Lastly, we removed the iris. It was thin and hard to remove without tearing. Next we saw a presentation on GMOs.
What did you have for breakfast today? Chances are; some part of it was from a plant whose genetic composition has been mixed with the DNA of another organism. This is called a genetically modified organism (GMO). To achieve GMOs, a scientist would have to remove part of one DNA sequence and set it aside. Next they would remove part of another DNA and mix it with the first DNA; replacing the first DNA’s removed part with that of the second. If you don’t like this, you can see if your food says non-GMO certified on the label.
In the second session we got to play on a relaxation application called Tenacity. We experienced technical difficulties, and as a result I was the only one who got to play Tenacity.
In Tenacity, you tap in the middle of the screen (which is usually some sort of garden background) when you breathe out, and on the fifth breath out, you tap two times, and then repeat the pattern. The fun thing is that when you tap, flowers grow!
The other people played a game called Virulent, where you are a virus trying to break into a cell, replicate yourself, and escape.
Then we looked at rose petals with a high-tech microscope.
The third day at the Science Thingy we saw the stimulated transformation path of stem cells. Stem cells can transform into 220 different types of cells.
For the experiment we used fake stem cells, GFs (growth factors) A, B, and C, and also GFs 1, 2, and 3.
To make endoderm cells, which turn into pancreatic (internal organ) cells with the right growth factor, we added GF B, and then added GF 3 to make pancreatic cells.
To make mesoderm cells, which can turn into muscle cells or red blood cells, we added GF C. Then we added GF3 to make muscle cells, and GF 1 to make red blood cells.
To make ectoderm cells, which turn into skin cells and nerve cells, we added GF A, and then added GF 3 to make skin cells, and GF 1 to get nerve cells.
At the next science cohort, we studied microfluidics, which is the movement of liquids in small spaces. We first developed hypotheses of what would happen if you pump multiple colors of liquid into a larger channel versus a smaller one. As expected, the larger channel, having space for turbulent flow, mixed the colors, but as nobody expected, the smaller channel, having no space for turbulence, thus laminar flow, kept the liquids separate. Also, we began molding our own microfluidic devices.
At the following science cohort, Celia and I continued work with our microfluidic devices. There was one device that created what looks like a rainbow. This was of the laser cut examples already made. We also played a review game to see if we learned anything. It turns out we did.