Coming into AP biology, I was scared but excited. Not really knowing what to expect from the class, I carried my knowledge from biology honors and my passion for learning about science. This semester I learned a lot more than I had anticipated and I know there is still so much I can learn. I learned about the properties of water which connects to why ALL life on Earth relies on water. I learned about cell organelles and functions such as osmosis, the mitochondrion, and the chloroplast. I also had the opportunity to further my knowledge of enzymes. All these pieces of information later connected to lessons on cell signaling and metabolism. I learned about the steps of cell signaling that is caused by a cascaded of activating and deactivating enzymes. I learned about the chemical reaction that converts light energy into molecular energy contained in glucose through the process of photosynthesis. Also, cellular respiration which is a chemical reaction that converts glucose into ATP energy organisms needs to do work. Finally, I learned about genetics an excited and recent topic that contains a lot of information on what makes up human beings but also holds so many unanswered questions on what makes up human beings.
Some of my favorite assignments/projects from the class would be the Vortex Swim video, the yogurt lab, and the DNA extraction above and beyond. The Vortex Swim was my favorite project because I got to create a video on a topic I chose. I chose to focus on the effects of plastic pollution in the ocean has on the reproductive systems of Seas Turtles- my favorite animals. Growing up, I had always thought about the ocean as clear and blue with colorful animals, such as turtles, swimming and living peacefully. However, after doing the Vortex Swim video, I came to the realization that ocean life is suffering because of the mass consumption and pollution of non-biodegradable plastic. The yogurt lab was my favorite lab because I was able to explore concepts that directly connect to my major for college- food science. The yogurt lab taught me about fermentation and how simple but amazing the process is of making yogurt from milk. While I was not able to complete the DNA extraction above and beyond, I did enjoy the experiment because, again, food was involved. Again, I was blown away at how science can be traced behind every process and part of the food. Because of the assignments I list above, I have become even more certain of what I wish to accomplish in college and in my future.
This semester did have challenges and struggles but overall, I was able to grow as a student. I learned to take every failure as a lesson for future success. I took every success as something to improve and work on for the future. While I did not end the semester the way I wanted to, I have become even more motivated to succeed this next semester and push to succeed in my future.
I enjoyed learning to set up a website because I feel better prepared for my future which will inevitably have to do with technology. I learned not only how to start my own website, and I also learned how to set up pages, categories, and make dropdown menus. I hope that in the future when I hopefully start my own small business, I will use the technological skills I have learned from developing my digital portfolio.
Works Cited
Sunga, Arabella, and Noosha Steward. “Extracting DNA From Strawberries!” YouTube, YouTube, 8 Dec. 2019, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FG2xNZ1Poc&w=420&h=237.
Alysa's AP Bio Blog 