Blogs

When examining the effects of age, sex, and age by sex variables on circularity of IMCL droplets, it is apparent that there is a significant difference between circularity with respect to sex (p=0.01). It appears that men have a circularity much closer to 1 (a perfect circle) than women do, with younger men accounting for most of this difference with an average circularity of about 0.805. Older men appear to also have a much higher average circularity than both young and old women (Figure 3). Both age differences and age by sex differences were found to be insignificant (p=0.14, p=0.061 respectively).

When comparing the differences in IMCL area across age, sex and age by sex, it is apparent that there is a significant difference in both age differences and age by sex differences (p=0.014 and 0.01, respectively). When examining figure 1, the graph demonstrates that the age and age by sex differences are mostly resulting from the large difference in lipid size from older women. Older women seem to have a significantly smaller IMCL area when compared to young women, and older and younger men. However, there was no significant difference between sex and IMCL area (p=0.251).

I visited the greenhouse the other day to see which plants I would be interested in doing a project on. There were many different types of plants in there that it was difficult to choose. I saw flowers, bonsai trees, cacti, and so much more. At the end of the greenhouse was a section that looked just like a rainforest. There were bamboo trees, a water reservoir with fish, pathways made of pebbles, benches, a bridge going across the reservoir, and lots of other beautiful plants. I got to feed the fish because the person who was watching the greenhouse gave me fish food. I went onto the bridge and fed the fish from there. I put my hands under a misty waterfall that was next to the bridge which felt great. I felt like I was in a fairy tale. Everything was so stunningly beautiful despite it not being my first time inside. 

    The purpose of this project is to provide a chance to practice preparing part of a scientific paper. In scientific writing, there are divisions that nearly every paper includes. One of these divisions is a methods section. This section allows the reader to understand the steps followed by the researcher, and if desired, to recreate the experiment. Allowing the reader to see how the research was done not only helps the reader understand the experiment, but also makes the data more trustworthy. Being able to write a coherent methods section is an important skill to have for an aspiring biologist.

I keep learning about action potentials in all of my biology courses so far this semester. The professors always start off with the resting membrane potential of the cell. This is when the inside of the cell is negative compared to the outside. When there's a stimulus, the cell goes through depolarization as its first step. This is when the charge inside the cell becomes more positive that the outside. If and once the cell reaches threshold, an action potential will occur. The cell will then go through repolarization where it starts becoming more negative again. The next step is hyperpolarization which is when the cell becomes even more negative than it was at its resting membrane potential. The cell finally goes back to its resting membrane potential until another stimulus makes it reach threshold again. 

The majority of my day at Umass Amherst is spent walking to different locations on campus. When I wake up in the morning I walk to the bathroom, and when I’m going to class I walk to the classroom. Not only am I walking very frequently but the majority of the walks are very long. The size of the campus at Umass Amherst makes it very difficult to not have to walk very far on a daily basis. Even my dining hall which at most campuses would be a relatively short walk can sometimes take ten minutes to walk to. Students who plan on attending this school should be prepared to walk roughly two miles a day when trying to go to class and get food. The amount of walking at Umass is also made even more difficult by the amount residential areas and buildings that are found on steep hills. After a student’s first year at Umass Amherst they will notice a significant increase in the size of their calves and hopefully avoid the freshman fifteen by always attending class.

Attending class includes a variety of preparation and engagement to do well. The least complicated aspect of doing well in a class is also the most obvious: Show up on time. Knowing what time the class starts, where it is, and how long it will take to get there sets me up for success every morning but what actually happens in the classroom is just as important. I sit down and listen to what the teacher is saying and i bring notebooks and pencils for writing down important concepts. I'm confused about something so I raise my hand and asked a question and make sure i understand the answer in my notes. Having a well prepared backpack with notebooks, textbooks, and writing utensils helps me keep up with the class.I also take sips of tea throughout to help myself stay awake throughout.

Walking is an activity we all perform throughout every day. Ranging from walking to grab a tissue or walking to class. I love to walk because it’s a good start to the day and also a good way to stay healthy. Throughout my Thursday schedule, an activity that I engaged in an abundant amount of time is walking. I walk to all my classes and extracurricular activities throughout the day. Starting from the morning I wake up and do my usual routine and then head out to my Cancer Genetics lecture at Goodell. Then I walk to the library to do any assignments or get breakfast. Then I walk to my Population Genetics course located in Morrill III and after that walk to a seating area in Morrill II. Then walk to my Mammalogy course in Morrill II. Then walk to the gym to a group fitness class. Overall, throughout my day I do an abundant amount of walking. This is a common activity in my everyday lifestyle.      

On the day of Tuesday January 30th, I used the bus to travel to my destinations several times. At about 2:25 PM I went to the Totman bus stop outside of the North Apartments and waited for about fifteen minutes for the Route 35 bus to arrive. I got on the bus at approximately 2:45 PM. The bus arrived my bus stop in front of the Fine Arts Center at about 2:52 PM. After going to UHS and class, I walked back to the Fine Arts Center bus stop at approximately 5:15 PM and waited for the Route 31 bus to take me into South Amherst. The bus arrived about two minutes later. After attending to my activities in town, I waited at the bus stop next to the gas station and took the Route 31 bus to the Arnold House bus stop at approximately 5:50 PM. After returning home and dropping off my things, my roommate and I went back to the Totman bus stop at 5:35 PM and waited for ten minutes for the Route 35 bus to take us to the Mullins Center. After watching the basketball game, we attempted to take the Route 34 bus home. However, after finding out that the bus driver was going to the parking garage, we got off of the bus and walked home.

    Yesterday, February 1st, 2018, I indulged in many different foods throughout the day. It started off like any other Thursday, I grabbed a coffee from the small cafe in the Morrill Science Center and sipped on it throughout my Developmental Biology class. Lunch time was enjoyed at Franklin Dining Common, where I filled my plate with yaki udon noodles, a taco, and some green beans, accompanied by a glass of sparkling water.  Dinner, however, did not go as planned. Upon my arrival at the Newman Center cafe, in great anticipation for my long awaited grilled chicken wrap with garlic parmesan sauce, I was regretfully informed that the kitchen was fresh out of both burgers, and all styles of chicken. Disappointed, I returned home and made pasta with garlic and herb sauce. Late at night, my roommate and I decided to get Insomnia Cookies, and I ordered a peanut butter cookie with vanilla ice cream on top, and a red velvet cookie on the side.