Synthesis Post

WRA Science Group

Prof Sarah Gibbons

WRA 101. 055

27th November 2016.

                                                         STEM MAJORS

Science has proven to be the stepping stone of technology. Life sciences focuses on the study of living things and their relationship to their environment.  This can be anything from the relationship between a predator and its prey to the interaction between a new cancer drug and the targeted tumors.

Understanding these interactions has led to numerous advances in many technologies we use every day. These advances influence many areas of our lives including the food we eat, good health, security and much more.

A clear understanding of what life science is, is vital to understanding the world we live in.

Examples of STEM majors and what is happening in these respective fields are:

• Dentistry
• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Plant biology
• Medicine

Biochemistry Biochemists are involved in the process of identifying the perfect cancer therapy to treat cancer. They do this by studying the interactions of the cancer cells to their environment. After they find a drug that will cure any type of cancer, that will reduce the death toll of people with cancer every year. Below is a link that will give you insights on what is actually happening in this field. (https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7720359546669080061#editor/target=post;postID=5971779224276335577;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=35;src=postname)

Dentistry Dentists have identified new painless and effective techniques to treat tooth infections. Today’s Dental technology has improved, making dental treatment easier. People no longer have to worry about dental infections for the new technique is effective for curing dental infections completely. Below is a link explaining more on how the technique will be beneficial to the world.    (https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7720359546669080061#editor/target=post;postID=1295963853185951272;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNu=2;src=postname)

Plant Biology Plant biologists make predictions through research and testing for the betterment of the plant community and the world in general. While all STEM majors apply some form of the scientific method, a majority of the work plant biologists do takes place within a laboratory. Research and discoveries in plants will help to feed the growing world population, create new medicines for various illnesses, slow the progression of climate change, create new fuels for cleaner energy, and much more. Links to various types of research taking place in plant biology: (http://wrasciencegroupmsu.blogspot.com/2016/11/rising-co2-levels.html) (http://wrasciencegroupmsu.blogspot.com/2016/11/photosynthesis-and-energy-crisis.html) (http://wrasciencegroupmsu.blogspot.com/2016/11/plant-regeneration-and-agricultural.html)

Medicine and surgery The medical field has ensured that both human and animal health are taken care of. With qualified doctors who understand the human and animal’s body, doctors are saving many lives every other day. Inter-relation with other fields in science has improved technology on the medical field that has enabled efficiency of procedures and treatment administration. For more knowledge on what actually is happening in this field, check the link below (http://wrasciencegroupmsu.blogspot.com/2016/11/job-outlook-in-medical-field.html)

Science can give solutions to world’s challenges. The relationship between living organisms and their environment has proven to be a key driver for technological advancement. Using various STEM majors we will understand the world around us better and we will be able to change it positively for future generations.

Job Outlook in the Medical Field

The medical field has high projected job growth as a whole. The increase was projected to be 19 percent over ten years in 2014. This is higher than the average for other occupations which makes a medical profession a more secure job market. All medical professions combined have an average median salary well above the average in the US, but the people working as assistants such as home aides actually make less than the national average. This makes certain professions in the medical field more secure than others but in general there is increasing need for medical professionals.

This report on healthcare occupations made me more comfortable with going into the medical field. I know most people would be relieved to find out that there's a good chance they are going to have a job whether it's after college or medical school.

-Alex Wallace

"Healthcare Occupations." Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 nov. 2016, www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm  

prompt #10

Image by: The conversation

Hey guys,

Today i'll be talking about the implicit perceptions people do have regarding STEM majors. This being my last post, I hope I will end up answering your doubts and unclear thoughts about the STEM field.

I'll start with a simple question; What do you see when you look at the above image?

I know you are now assuming that this is what anyone pursuing a STEM major goes through but this is not true. This is just what the media feeds to your mind as you grow up and sticks to your mind. Until you interact with a STEM major student, your perception of this field may discourage you from even considering doing anything related to science.

An research study feedback below conducted by Pos Mori ascertains that even young kids have the same perception about science.

The feedback was straightforward and with no doubt that scientists are perceived a nerds and freaky beings in the world. But the question remains; what can we do to change this perception of the society towards the STEM field?

Well, if you wish to know more about the STEM field, please go through our posts and youtube videos and see what is really being achieved by this field. The STEM field is just like any other major, you need dedication like you do in other fields. The only difference is when you get to understand science, you will love science.

I hope this post helped you reconsider your perception about the STEM field.

Thank you,

Expery

Learning from public attitudes to science 2011, http://www.slideshare.net/marilyneb/bisipsos-mori-learning-from-public-attitudes-to-science-2011, accessed on 20th November 2016.

Six Month Smiles

Good evening, tonight I am excited to share with you information about a new dental technique that will help adults and teenagers in college with crooked teeth who do not want to wear braces.   Braces are known to be generally worn by kids between the ages of 10-16years old. After that period of time most people refuse to wear braces or any sort of device to fix their crooked teeth because the process can take over two years in severe cases.   I know what you are thinking - “Invisaligns are old news”. This new breakthrough is useful for those who many who may need work that is too complicated for Invisaligns and it allows adults to complete treatment in less than one year!

(Image found on Dentistrytoday.com)

An article found on Dentistrytoday.com, explains a new way to straighten your teeth in a shorter time period by using a system known as Six Month Smiles. The system utilizes a clear retainer similar to Invisaligns in conjunction with  tooth colored wires. In most cases treatment can be completed in 6 months, hence the name Six Month Smiles.

(Image found on Dentistytoday.com)

As I was reading this article I kept questioning if it is actually possible to shift crooked teeth to a perfect smile in six months. Further into the article it explains that this is not an alternative for going to the orthodontist. This is just used for general dentists to use on people who decline treatment from the orthodontist. Though Six Month Smiles will shift your teeth, it will not make them perfect. If cost is a factor, consider this:  treatment with Six Month Smiles can cost up to $4,000 while the cost of traditional braces range top out at $7,000; this.  Given this information I feel that  this technique could be very helpful for anyone who can not afford braces or want wires in their mouth for up to three years. They  will allow your teeth to shift just enough for you to be comfortable with your smile.

I am saddened to say that this is my last blog post on the WRA science page. My goals for this blog were to educate  you, my loyal readers on the latest and greatest dental techniques designed save time and money and also to introduce you to innovative ways to keep you teeth and gums healthy.   I hope you enjoyed this post and my entire blog!

Robert Mora

Siteground, “A Simple and Effective Way for General Dentists to Cosmetically Align Teeth”, Dentistry Today, 1 Nov 2015, http://www.dentistrytoday.com/articles/quick-technique/item/533-a-simple-and-effective-way-for-general-dentists-to-cosmetically-align-teeth, accessed 20 Nov 2016

Photosynthesis and the Energy Crisis

With the ever changing world around us, the need for alternative energies is becoming more pressing.  Scientists have long known that fossil fuels cause harm to the environment be adding greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.  A new idea in the science world has come about, plants are the best energy harvesters on the planet, what if it were possible to mimic how photosynthesis works?

http://www.genome.jp/kegg-bin/show_pathway?map00196

This is has stemmed new branches within the energy department focusing on understanding Photosynthetic antennas, which aid in the capturing of light energy.  They are made up of a collection of proteins and pigments, but differ in each organism they inhabit.  Understanding their make up will help us to tackle a possible new energy source in the future.

Department of Energy, Office of Science. "Photosynthesis: Gathering sunshine with world’s smallest antennas." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 November 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161117082656.htm>.

Garrett Mulanix

Prompt #4 >< Bringing them together

  Two totally different articles on different topics actually have a lot in common. Well they one little thing in common. They are both related to the dentistry field; however, one is speaking about human dental and another is elaborating on a issue in veterinary dentistry. I myself did not know that there was a dentist for animals. Okay, let's steer back on topic. I found a blog called: The Dental Warrior.

This blog was obviously not intended for a student body audience. The choice of vocab is mainly words from the dental field. Throughout reading this blog I found myself looking up some of the vocab; and, I am quite familiar with dental vocab. One thing that did catch my eye with this blog post is the amount of links and pictures that were used. The vocab was hard to understand; but. the pictures that he included kind of helped you understand. 

I would include some of the pictures from the blog; but, due to copyright reasons the author has disabled right-clicking on the webpage. Feel free to go and view the pictures if you would like at: TheDentalWarrior.com

              I also found another source related to my field through an article. The source was an article I found on scholar.google.com. The website had over a million articles related to dentistry and other types of science related fields. There was one that caught my eye that is related to veterinary dentistry. Many people like myself are unaware that there is a such thing. I question 20 people from my floor and every 0 out of 5 people knew that existed. My roommate even questioned why would animal need a dentist? I am not sure... But the article I read basically dealt with the mouth structure of a rat.

This article bored me to death. The use of vocab was once again intended for others of that field. Not your everyday college student. After awhile I gave up on trying to understand the vocab. I did make sure that I could grab a general understanding of the article. The delivery style was brought in with a bunch of reading and charts. The page had little to no coloring at all. It was all grey-scale, and tiny words. There was absolutely nothing that caught my eye in this article besides the title and topic. 

 

The articles were both related to dentistry, and they had the same intended audience, The style was quite different but they both relayed their message. The authors made sure they had something to catch and keep the audience's attention. I believe they both did a good job. The source I would recommend to my classmates would be source 1. Only reason would be because the minimal reading and the pictures used helps the reader understand more. 

-Jarrett Graham 

How Doctors Cope With Stress

Being a physician is an incredibly stressful job because of the long hours, hectic work space, and finally the patients. The main way that doctors cope with the stressful environment in which they work is to detach themselves professionally. Patients demand a lot of sympathy and time which can put a lot of stress on those taking care of them. Most doctors choose to detach themselves and suppress most emotional responses in order to get through their shifts. This is generally done in the moment and they deal with the consequences after work. Doctors do this because the job they perform has the highest rate of suicide as well as relatively high rates of substance abuse and divorce. Many doctors appear to be cold white coats because of this detachment.
This is a somewhat sad side of being a medical professional. I was aware that doctors distanced themselves from patients so if something went wrong they can move on. However, the suicide rate of being a doctor speaks to how stressful and emotionally taxing being a doctor is. I think more should be done by the medical field to counteract these problems, but i don't know how this might be accomplished. I hope that gave you an insight into what baggage comes with saving lives.

-Alex Wallace

Shadowfax, "Dealing With Psychological Stress of Being a Doctor," 13 nov. 2016, www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/01/dealing-psychological-stress-doctor.html