Writing in Biology

I thought of 10 possible jobs or fields I can enter as a Pre medical biology major after I graduate from UMass. I hope to continue school by getting into medical school.

1. Surgeon (South shore plaza / Mass General Hospital, trying to get into the medical school)

2. Dentist (Dental school after college, doctoral)

3. Researcher (Job right after college maybe?)

4. Nurse (Need to get volunteer hours?)

5. Pediatrician (Always been interested, grad school maybe?)

6. Musician (Love music, maybe grad school for music education?)

7. Biology teacher (High school)

8. Professor or assistance in some sort (College)

9. Banker (Makes bank)

10. CEO (Business school after college)

Mudflats, or also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of estuarine silts, clays and marine animal detritus. Most of the sediment within a mudflat is within the intertidal zone, and thus the flat is submerged and exposed approximately twice daily.  Mudflats dissipate wave energy very effectively and therefore are an excellent tidal defense against eroding saltmarsh, damaging coastal defenses and flooding low-lying land. Mudflats may also be important for pollution sequestration, as the organic material draws in pollutants and they may therefore contain large concentrations of heavy metals. Mudflats have high biological productivity but low diversity.

Michael Kim

204 Sunset Ave.

Amherst, MA 01003

(781)708-1552

michaelkim@umass.edu

Peter Houlihan

352 Morrill II South

North Pleasant St.

Amherst, MA 01003

peteh@bio.umass.edu

Dear Dr. Houlihan,                                                                                      March 1, 2018

            I am writing to you to apply for the conservation biology research lab that you offer over the summer for my internship. Many of my friends have worked with you in the past and they said it was an unforgettable internship experience. I have taken your general biology class my freshman year about two years ago and it was one of the best biology class I have ever taken. It would be my very first research internship and I would be very interested and willing to give it my all this summer. My mom who works at Mass General Hospital and South Shore Hospital told me to get an internship with you since I had you as my professor already and it will be a great opportunity for me to work in the fields of biology. I am trying to get into the medical school after I graduate from college, so this internship really would help my resume. I am hardworking and am a fast worker, not only will I get my work done, I will get it done fast and well.

            For my high school senior year project, I researched about breast cancer in depth. To raise the awareness, my two friends and I set up a volunteer fundraiser work with the South Shore Hospital called the Moonlight Gala. We ended up raising about 12,000 dollars for the patients. I like to take pride in the work I can do and take pride in something I love, helping out others and doing the research that are needed. From hiring me, not only can I bring a positive attitude and vibe, but I can promise the good outcome. I have done many volunteer work and I have taken many laboratories so I believe that I can help your summer internship in the conservation biology research lab.

            As it is my first internship opportunity, I would like to pick the best one there for me for this summer which I think is why this internship would fit and benefit me perfectly. In the laboratory settings, I believe the hard workers can succeed which is why I ask that you look into my diligence and hire me. I would like to contact you within 2 weeks to give you more information if you guys are in need of them. My phone number is 781-708-1552 and my email address is michaelkim@umass.edu. Thank you so much for your time Professor Houlihan, hope to hear from you soon.

Much appreciated,

Sincerely,

Michael Kim\

This is the first formal organic chemistry lab experiment report that we are required to do as a Biology major. Procedures were pretty straight forward and simple as we had to basically practice everything we have learned so far in the class such as recrystallization, distillization, thin layer chromatography, and more. It took about 3 hours to get the graph of my cyclohexene that displayed how it was affected by the other liquids that we have used. The whole point of the lab was to compare the color of the cyclohexene with this types of liquid. The first one was bromine in dichloromethane and the second one was potassium permanganate. Some of them were unaffected as some turned light brown, violet, dark brown, and reddish-orange. Now I'm in the process of writing the post lab results, discussion and the post lab questions. Procrastination at its finest this whole spring break, I haven't really gotten anything done.

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. This cancer growth occurs when there is unrepaired DNA damage in the skin cells, predominately due to ultraviolet radiation due to the sun and tanning beds. However, it can also be caused from family history and other factors. There are many stages for melanoma, like many other cancers. Early stages being the start of these tumors which can end up being treatable, with the later stages being deadlier. Many can prevent this cancer from limiting exposure to the sun and using proper products if you are spending a lot of time outside such as sunblock. If someone gets this cancer, there are many treatment options, the most common treatment is one can go through surgery to remove these cancers and areas around it. This is the most common because it is skin cancer and stay on the surface of the skin rather than spread through the body, if caught early.

Fad diets are diets that promise quick weight loss through what is usually an unhealthy and unbalanced eating habit. This is mostly intriguing to those who are overweight and who need to lose weight but do not want to exercise. One fad diet I have looked at is the Zone Diet. The Zone dies claims that one will lose 1 to 2 pounds a week by reducing insulin and diet-induced inflammation which are the drivers of obesity. In this diet, one needs to balance every meal with 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats. However, the carbs must be from fruit and vegetables, no bread or any grain. The protein needs to come from lean meats, such as chicken breasts, and the fats, need to be healthy fats such as nuts and avocados. Males must consume no more than 1,500 calories a day and women no more than 1,200 calories. This differs from other fat diets because this diet balances all categories rather equally, most others fad diets strictly limit the carb intake that is allowed. I do not think fad diets are healthy or the best way to lose weight. One needs to eat a good amount of carbs to be used for energy every day and need to exercise to lose weight and to improve physical and mental fitness. Exercise has many health benefits and is key to losing weight, along with this, you must have a healthy diet, not fad diet.

This was an organic chemistry lab experiement. First was given an unkown, unkown #5. FOr the first part, having to mix it with water after taking exactly .250 grams of the unknown. Then turned it into a crystal which .098 gram out of the .25 grams turned. When neutralized and recrystallized the product, I was left with only .009 gram when .098 gram was given which is about 8% recovered. It melted completely at 120 degrees. For the second part, had to do a very similar work as the first part. The only difference was that hexane and TBME were used instead of water for the second part. More crystals were formed than with the one with the water. Our of .098 grams, .039 grams crystals were formed which is about 40%. It melted or dissolved completely at 123 degrees. So on average, the melting point of the unkown 5 was 121.5 degrees. With 48% recovered including both water and hexane &TBME. Which makes the compound benzoic acid with melting point of 122 degrees.

            Eating oily fish such as salmon, has many health benefits. Eating the fish can help prevent or lower one’s chances of cardio vascular disease, stokes, cancers such as prostate and breast cancer, and age related illnesses such as vision loss and Alzheimer’s. Eating these fish also has many good fats that we need. However, many do not get the right amount of these oils and fats in their body, mainly omega-3 fatty acids. In a research conducted by Harvard University, they have claimed that a deficiency of these fatty acids are one of the 10 top causes of death in the United Stated, taking almost 100,000 lives a year. There is a supplementary pill that can be taken to aid those who do not eat enough of these acids, it is called fish oil pills. Taking these pills as directed can help in many ways. It has been proven to reduce ADHD, which was found to significantly improve children with relentlessness, aggressiveness and overall academic performance. Another benefit is that it reduces other behavioral factors such as anxiety and depression. Most importantly, in a scientific study, it has proven to prevent and even kill certain cancers such as colon, prostate and breast cancer. If taken throughout their life time, women were shown to have a significant decrease in risk of breast cancer.

Playing sports is good for our physical health. Not only for our health it is good for our body as it will benefit our cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness. It is scientifically proven that playing sports can increase our life expectancy and better our bone health. I grew up playing sports and my mom always said that too much sports was bad for me as I was always sore. I would play basketball everyday for about 3 hours at least in high school and I almost forgot how being sore felt because my body got so used to it. Playing sports is one of the best ways for weight maintanence. But because some sports are dangerous to play, I wanted to play something that didn't put me in a great risk but also was physical and competitive to play. I chose to play basketball tennis and track in high school and I still play them in college as I enjoy playing. 

I have caught up on my sleep ever since I have been back home for spring break. How does sleep affect human's body? It is found that sleep affects two levels of our hormones. They are leptin and ghrelin. They are in charge of controlling our feelings of hunger and fullness. You release higher level of insulin after you eat if you are sleep deprived. Insulin can control your blood sugar level so it is very important for your body. Lack of sleep affects your brain as well as it may trouble the brain with ability to solve problems. The study was found that humans need at least 7 hours a day to properly function the next day. 7 to 9 hours are the best, teenagers and kids need a little more. Oversleeping was found better than sleeping less to humans.