sbrownstein's blog

In comparing the hilly area to the flat area, the results portrayed that the hypothesis that there would be less diversity on a hilly area compared to a flat area because it would be very hard for the plants to absorb the nutrients was correct. Though it seems as if a hill would help to spread nutrients over a broader area of plants, the water would run down too quickly resulting in only a minimal amount of nutrients able to be absorbed. However, the nutrients would most likely be too little of an amount to fully saturate the roots of the plants. However, on a flat area, the nutrients can fully sink into the ground, providing much more room for diversity. In Table 2 of the hilly area, the data showed that species 6 dominated the area. From this, it can be assumed that this species is more suited for survival on a sloped area than most species of plants. This may be due to the plant having shorter roots or the plant being more self-sufficient and only requiring a small amount of nutrients to survive. It can further be presumed that on hilly areas specific types of plants will be found.

In this lab, the diversity of plant species in different types of environments was observed. In this case, the diversity of plant species were collected on a hill and a flatland. Depending on the slope of the environment the plant was growing on, the diversity of species were examined. Diversity is good in an environment because it makes it more stable and suitable for diseases and other changes to its surroundings. An environment is healthy when it is very rich. Richness is the number of species in a community. The most common way to determine whether an environment is diverse or not is through the Shannon diversity index. The Shannon diversity index is a way to mathematically measure a community’s diversity (Beals). This is important to biologists in order to observe how rare or common a species is in an environment (Beals). In this lab, the types of environments were observed to see if they make a difference on the diversity of plants in the given area. On a hill the nutrients and soil will run down to the bottom, preventing plants from using them. The assumption can be made that there will be less diversity on a hill than there would be on a flatland because of the decreased amount of nutrients on a hill due to its slope.

Every morning is a monotonous cycle that started with my alarm going off. The loud buzzing startled me into awakeness. I slowly rolled out of bed and threw my sheets back into their original position. I carefully placed my pillows upright to make my room look presentable. I would continue my routine in the bathroom, washing my face to wake me into a functional being for the rest of the day. My routine finished with me getting dressed and finishing my look off with my makeup and hair.

    Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and therefore I never skipped it. I made myself some eggs and paired it with a side of yogurt. This energized me until lunchtime. After my first class, I walked to the Newman Center to get my favorite crispy chicken wrap for lunch.

    I was lucky enough to have one of my friends drive me into school yesterday. This made my life so much easier by saving me over fifteen minutes that I would have spent walking to class in the morning. I enjoyed walking to my other morning classes and to lunch yesterday morning. The fresh air relaxes me when I am stressed from the overbearing schoolwork.

Two contradicting stereotypes were given to the Native Americans in the United States: bloodthirsty savages who attacked the white settlers or helpless victims who had their land and resources striped away from them. The two stereotypes are opposites, yet they possess the same stereotypical image. Native Americans are thought be be wearing feathers, braids, beads and holding spears. Modern Indians do not wear that apparel in this era, therefore society has a preconceived idea that they are no longer present in America. This idea is not true due to the large amount of Native American populations and land that still exists. Native Americans blend in with contemporary society.

Native Americans are not aknowledged by most of the nation due to the fact that their history and culture do not fit into the “Master Narrative”. The “Master Narrative” is the idea that all Americans have one single experience. This experience is a success story of our nation’s growth, based on unity, liberty and equality (Calloway 2-3). Native American history did not follow the typical American experience of accomplishment and therefore was ignored by many historians and Americans to this day. Native American history included hardship, resistance, and tragedy. Most Native American history is not accurate because it has been documented by non-Native Americans. The biased opinions skewed the truth behind the Native Americans beliefs, intentions, and actions in the past. This created a misconception across the nation and has shaped many of the stereotypes seen to this day.

I would be ecstatic if I had the opportunity to meet with you in order to talk about potentially joining one of your research labs. I am particularly interested in your research about intrinsically disordered proteins and furthermore, its effects on the humans. Yet, I would be more than willing to even shadow another available lab in order to gain experience and learn as much as I can about abnormal protein behavior, fibril growth, or coupling mechanisms of protein channels.

Your advanced research on intrinsically disordered proteins is what captivated me. The contradiction between whether disordered proteins create diversity or disrupt normal protein function and the ambiguity on how they physically interact within the cell intrigues me. I would genuinely love to learn more about this topic and IDPs outcome on the human genome. I believe I would contribute beneficial time to the research and hope learn about not only the topic itself, but new techniques and methodologies I may be introduced to along the way.

As mentioned earlier, the typical stereotype of a Native American usually involves a traditional skirts with tunics, moccasins, beads, feathers, and braids. With this image plastered in many American heads, they often do not recognize or acknowledge the Native Americans that may be present in their everyday lives. Native Americans in this era wear normal clothing, go to work, have a family, and live in a house, like the majority of the population. In the short film, “I’m not the Indian you had in mind” by Thomas King, it was displayed that stereotypes of an average Native American prevented Americans from noticing Native Americans in their everyday lives (King). The short film continuously referred to well known cartoons and movies that portrayed Native American stereotypes. Those displays lead many to believe that savage behavior and traditional attire was how one can recognize a Native American. The Native American actors challenge the stereotype because they are dressed in casual or work apparel and describe their normal everyday lives (King). This proves that in addition to the negligence of Native American history, the stereotype of Indigenous peoples continues to ostracize and dilute their presence in modern society.

An additional reason as to why the nation may not acknowledge the Native American population is due to the fact that their history and culture do not fit into the “master narrative”. The “Master Narrative” is the idea that all Americans have had one single experience. This experience was a success story of our nation’s growth based on unity, liberty and equality (Calloway 2-3). Native American history did not follow the typical American experience of accomplishment and therefore was ignored by many historians and Americans to this day. Native American history included hardship, resistance, and tragedy. In addition, most of Native American history recorded is not accurate because it is documented by non-Native Americans. This has caused biased opinions to skew the truth behind the Native Americans beliefs, intentions, and actions. This has caused a misconception across the nation and has shaped many of the stereotypes seen to this day.

Native Americans were given two contradicting stereotypes in the United States: bloodthirsty savages who attacked the white settlers or helpless victims who had their land and resources striped away from them. Although both stereotypes are opposite to each other, they possess the same stereotypical image of native attire and appearance. Native Americans are thought be be wearing feather, braids, beads and holding spears. Due to the fact that modern Indians do not wear that apparel in this era, society has a preconceived idea that they are no longer present in America. This idea is not true due to the large amount of Native American populations and land that still exists. Native Americans blend in with contemporary society.

The spider was relatively large compared to the others. I had a dark mustard color with black colorations on it's leg joints. Although the spider may have been large, the body of the spider was the size of a sunflower seed. The underbelly of the spider was transparent and displayed a white spot on it's rear. It's legs extended about an inch beyond it's body. The two front legs of the spider stretched further than the other six. There were small hair follicles that covered all of it's legs. The spider obtained two small balck dots for eyes, in which could not be observed anymore without a microscope. The spider wandered aimlessly in the container in search for an escape. Yet, the spider's movements were rapid. There wereno visible signs of web secretions made within the container. Yet, there was a carcus of the spider's previous meal.
 

The spider was a yellowish, brown color and had long, pointy legs. The spider had a small body, the size of a sunflower seed, with legs extending far beyond itself.The spider has two small, black dots for eye. There are sall black colorations at it's joints in it's legs. The spider seemed to move around aimlessly, looking for an escape. It layed next to the carcus of it's previous meal. No webs were visible. It's movements were rapid and difficult to follow. The spider would shrivle up when it would fail attrying to move and escape. It's legs bent high over it's body. When the spider was not moving, it would seem unbalanced and easy to tip when the container was tilted. It had eight legs. The spider has small follicles of hair on all of it's legs. It's two front legs were longer than the rest. The spider has two joints in each leg. The spider has a white dot on it's rear end. The spider's underbelly is transparent.