Hi All,
This week on Tuesday Dr. Goodman was guest speaker. Our IdeaFest final abstracts are due to the dropbox in D2L and must be uploaded Thursday. I need a hard copy from each of you. Assignment Read: Science Matters: Achieving Science Literacy (SMASL) Ch 5. Midterm Debate Groups/topics finalized this week.
Have a great week.
Dr. E
I would like to comment on this weeks class. First of all we started off the week with a good practice for our debate. We each were given a controversial issue that the medical field is facing today, and we were supposed to form arguments that were written by the author. I was given some good insight on some of the topics that were presented. Especially the topic of designer babies was very interesting. Is it fair for people to pick and choose the traits they want their child to have? Is it our moral obligation to make the human race better? There were some very controversial issues that were addressed that I thought needed to be addressed.
ReplyDeleteLastly this week my group and I really got some good work done on our abstracts and continued the group effort in getting our projects organized for the coming weeks.
Chapter 5: The World of the Quantum
ReplyDeleteIn this particular chapter, the phrase quantum weirdness is introduced. Anybody that has taken a physics course and has been introduced to the world of quantum mechanics would definitely agree that weirdness is appropriate in describing this field of study. The book does a good job of giving examples that help introduce this idea.
Class Activities:
On Tuesday we participated in "mini debates" over medical ethics issues. This was particularly interesting because the field of scientific research is plagued with a number of ethical issues. I was not in class on Thursday, so I am unaware of the activities we did.
Tuesday: In class we had a quest speaker and with her we did somewhat of a small debate. Possibly just a little preview of what is to come. It was interesting to hear the different ethical views from each side.
ReplyDeleteThursday: I was not in class due to being sick still.
Chapter 5: Talks about Quantum mechanics. The text states that the word Quantum is the brach of study devoted to atoms. I am not very interested in atoms mostly because I don't understand, but again this book seems to put it in terms that I can understand and I appreciate that!
Rose Hervagault
Tuesday- Dr. Goodman was our guest speaker. We were to use the pro/con side of an article based on a certain topic and list the main points of that article. It was a short practice for our midterm debate coming up. I will be more excited when the actual debate comes up, when we have more researched information to back our side up, and when we have MORE TIME to present our side. There was so much more I could have said about our topic and other groups' topics, there just wasn't enough time!
ReplyDeleteThursday- We finalized our debate topics. Now it's time to start researching information to back our side up. The topic we chose was CON- GENETIC ENGINEERING. Another group easily said they would take the PRO side of this topic. Our group decided we would gather information including books, articles, etc... and meet next week to bring it all together, and decide who is going to do what. I think a division of areas within our topic might be the best way to go. It will be interesting to see what we come up with.
Readings- Chapter 5 The World of Quantum- This chapter and the following Chapter 6 were a lot to take in! This chapter talks about quantum mechanics, which is a "branch of science devoted to the study of the behavior of atoms and their constituents." The example of light reflecting off a book, bouncing back to you, etc... was a very puzzling example. Who ever thinks about the details of such things? The amount of time and effort put into discovering something such as this is unimaginable! There are so many interesting "science things" to think about, I cannot find the time to think about all of them! Although I would love to!The question of whether objects are waves or atoms is another puzzling topic! This book is the first time I've encountered that question. This chapter was a little much to comprehend on the first try- as I am not a science major- but after browsing through a second time made a little more sense!
Chapter 5
ReplyDeleteThis chapter introudced the topic quantum mechanics. Chapter 5 focuses in on atoms, more specifically, electrons. It takes on the concept of whether electrons are particles or waves. In the end, it labels as being more like "tidal waves." Quantum mechanics can be a very confusing subject, but I felt that this chapter was able to introduce it to us in a way that laid things out as easily as possible. It made the idea much easier to follow and understand, and I liked that.
Class Activities
Tuesday we did a practice debate in class. I t was a good opportunity for us to get a glance at what our midterm debates will be like in March. On Thursday we finished our abstracts for IdEAfest and submitted them. This was a chance for us to finalize everything and know what we need to do to get the project ready for the outreach and for the poster session.
Class: Tuesday we did a mini-debate in class. I found it interesting and I think that it covered some important and controversial issues that we deal with a lot in science.
ReplyDeleteThursday we finished up our ideafest application and decided what we would be doing for the upcoming debate.
Chapter 5- The chapter introduced the idea of quantum mechanics. This can be a difficult subject, but the chapter introduces the subject in a way that is easy to understand. Quantum mechanics is an important and interesting subject and the chapter shows that.
This week in class we discussed many things about our Idea-fest projects and submitted final abstracts. Additionally our guest speaker guided a class debate on several topics in the medicial research field. My group had the issue of whether or not to place organ donors at the top of organ recipient lists. We argued both sides, noting that it is a difficult subject to determine what is ethical or not. Should organ donors be the first to receive organs on the organ transplant list? Or should they wait the same amount of time as someone who is not an organ donor? These are not easy issues to decide and it was interesting to debate them and hear other topics as well.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed attending and participating in the mock debate facilitated by our guest speaker Dr. Goodman. Many of the topics debated were hot topics that had more than two sides. I enjoyed hearing the views of the classmates and Dr. Goodman on the topics.
ReplyDeleteThe process of the IDEA Fest application and abstract proved to be stressful, yet mildly entertaining. The process allowed for insight on the groups determination. I appreciate all the hard work the group has put into the projects thus far.
The choosing of the Mid Term Debate topic has me excited about the research that needs to be done. In my opinion, the best part about debating is the research that is involved.
The Chapter Five reading assignment was new information for me. If I did take a class or course about Quantum Physics in the past, I did not retain one line of the information. I have to admit that physics is understandably my least favorite science. However, I am grateful to have another attempt to understand the knowledge of Quantum Physics by reading the Chapter five assignment.
During Tuesday’s class we practice for our upcoming midterm debate by having a small debate about stem cell research. This was a very interesting debate because we each had to read a differing opinion about stem cell and argue that point instead of how we actually felt. Mine was about ways they are trying to get around the ethical issue of having to kill a fertile egg in order to use the research and how these ways are much more expensive and are still somewhat unethical. Personally I am on the other end of the spectrum because if it could save my life or the life of someone that I love I have no problem with stem cell research, but it did introduce ideas that I had previously not given any thought too.
ReplyDeleteThis week we read about quantum mechanics. The chapter was really confusing, and honestly, I don't understand some of what I read. All I know is that energy comes in units and somehow it's not possible to measure anything without change. I know that energy only comes in units becasue I see that everyday with electrical equiptment around the house. I'm still not sure how it is possible to measure something and always change something about it.
ReplyDeleteIn class this week we broke up into groups and talked about the outcomes of pig organ transplantation. Other groups ran a practice debate about other topics. We turned in our abstracts to IDEAfest. Our group decided on a topic to debate in class. I'm a little nervous because I haven't debated since I was a freshman in high school. I remember it seemed like such a challenge to read all of my research before time ran out. It was a great way to learn about worldly concerns that I would never have found out about if I wasn't a part of debate in high school. I remember it was fun to win debates, and I was always scared of losing them. I quit early because many of my classmates would have shed blood to win their debates! It took alot of time after school, and I was already in so many other school activities.
This week in class we focused on our midterm debate and IDEAfest applications. On Tuesday, Dr. Goodman was our guest speaker and she helped us to prepare for our midterm debate by having us do mini-debates regarding certain medical issues. I thought this activity helped us prepare for our debates and see what they will be like as well as what will be expected of us. On Thursday we submitted our IDEAfest applications and discussed the debate more throughly. The group I am in chose to debate the con side of global warming. Although we think it may be hard to debate, we are hopeful that we help help persuade others to be on our side of the issue.
ReplyDeleteChapter 5: This chapter focused on quantum mechanics which is the branch of science that is devoted to the study of atoms. For the most part, I thought this chapter gave a lot of good examples in explaining quantum mechanics. However, I have not gotten into science this deep so I found some of the information hard to understand.
Class Activity:
ReplyDeleteDuring class this week we had a guest speaker and my group was able to practice for the debate by choosing a side on the issue of fetal genetic testing and whether or not it is ethical. Unfortunately I was unable to attend class on Tuesday.
On Thursday our group posted and finished our Ideafest application. We also talked about our midterm debat project and were matched up with another group, who we will be debating.
Reading:
Chapter 5: The world of Quantum
I have never taken a physics class or plan to. So I was a bit confused during the first part of the reading but the author does a great job of using analogies to help clarify the message. I enjoyed the piece about the uncertainty principle and when it was explained by comparing two cars traveling through a tunnel I seemed to grasp the concept further. It is some what strange to thing there must always be something uncertain. The rest of chapter talks about the small word in motion. Either by waves by the moving of atoms in lasers. I found this chapter interesting, although some termonology is over my head I think with more reading things will become more clear.
My group got a lot of things accomplished this week by getting our IdeaFest abstract submitted. We also decided on what topic to debate about, my group is arguing the con side of genetic experimentation. My views are in the middle on this topic but I believe I can argue the con side well. There are certain benefits that can come from genetic experimentation but there are also a lot of problems the experimentation. I don’t believe we should use genetic experimentation to create some kind of super humans were everyone is strong, beautiful and a genius, that would be unethical. But I do believe that they could use genetic experimentation to benefit people like solving genetic diseases or defects, like Huntington’s Disease. My grandfather died of this genetic disease and my uncle is currently suffering from this disease and I support any efforts to find cures for illnesses like that.
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 was all about quantum physics or the study of “little bundles in motion”. Some of the information was hard to understand but I think that the author did a fine job of conveying the information so you could understand. I find it interesting how the uncertainty principle says that by measuring something more closely to find its position your uncertainty in velocity increases. So even as you measure you will always be uncertain of something to a degree. I found the chapter very interesting and am looking forward to seeing what the next chapters bring.
Tuesday - Was absent, so I feel unable to comment on that class.
ReplyDeleteThursday - Our group got the abstract refined out a bit and submitted, feeling pretty confident in terms of our project, and the outreach and all that it entails. Additionally, we made some headway on the midterm debate, feeling pretty good about that as well though I don't think we have too many of the specifics figured out quite yet.
This week we started off by practicing for our midterm debate. Every group was given topics that were controversial issue in the medical field that related to the future of scientific work. We were to read the argument of the author and form an argument that supported the author’s view points. This was a very good precursor to the development of thought that will help us research and perform during the midterm debate. Our topic for the practice debate was “The Current System of Allocating Organs is Unfair and Unethical” by David J. Undis. He talks about the ways in which currently everyone has the right to donated organs. He thinks this is unfair because the list should be narrowed down to having organ donors at the top of the list and be in line for the first organs that are available to the public. This process is logical because organ donor can preserve the organ donor process so that they can pass along their organs once they die.
ReplyDeleteThe week ended with our group making and revising our abstracts for our group presentation. We are beginning to get organized and producing a great topic for IdeaFest.
Tuesday's class, led by Dr. Goodman, was a great introduction to the debate portion of the course. We were given a selected reading and discussed its merits in regard to the ethical issue at hand. This was an effective way to begin thinking of how to approach a debate and to get the entire class engaged in a meaningful discussion. Unfortunately, I was out of town on Thursday and thus was not in class. However, I have reviewed my groups finalized abstract and feel excited to dive further into the topic.
ReplyDeleteChapter 5, "The World of the Quantum", was a very stimulating read. The onset of the chapter focuses on the conceptual framework of quantum mechanics, specifically the important notion of the uncertainty principle. I found this portion to be fascinating because of how our knowledge of the physical world becomes inverted at the atomic/subatomic scale. The remainder of the chapter covers quantum mechanics impact on atomic theory and the concepts of waves/particles. Although I am not particularly interested in physics, this chapter provided an easy to understand and enlightening explanation on advances in theoretical physics.
On Tuesday's class we had a guest speaker. Unfortunately, I was absent on this day so I did not get to take part in the "practice" debate. On the up side, I think our group has decided upon genetic engineering as our debate topic and even found a group to take the opposing side. Now we just have to do the research to support our 'side' of the debate topic, and be knowledgeable about both pros and cons of genetic engineering.
ReplyDeleteOn Thursday, we finalized our IDEA Fest abstract and got everything submitted. I think that writing a rough draft of the lesson plan before constructing what we wanted to do for the IDEA Fest presentation was a good tactic. This way we separated what the most important information to put on the poster was, and what extra information and activities can be kept to the lesson we teach in the classroom. Keeping what type of audience we will have in mind is important here. All in all, I think that all of the class projects we're doing will be a great experience and very fun.
Alright, a little late is better than never, Tuesday we had our guest speaker Dr.Goodman come in and present some topics that we did a group debate in front of the entire class for about 5 minutes each. The topic Shannon and I had was over Stem Cell research and how the ethical stand points were considered and nothing was to be wrongly done in advancing research. Thursday we finalized the abstract of our the IdeaFest project and submitted our project online. Also we discussed our topic for the debate and we are doing the con approach to global warming. It should be a challenging topic to debate and a fun experience.
ReplyDeleteChapter 5: The World of Quantum
ReplyDeleteTwo basic principles that are discussed in the chapter, Everything- particles, energy, rate of electron spin- comes in discrete units, and you can't measure anything without changing it. Quantum mechanics can be translated to "so much study of motion." The Heisenberg uncertainty principles are very complex way of thinking. The book gives an example of reading the book and automatically measuring the photons to and from your eyes and this seamless operation does this by chemical receptors and transducers. Talking on the subject of the lasers, we only see about 5%, that is crazy because at the grocery line one can see multiple crosses and lines coming from all angles. Quantum entanglement shows great progress for a secure communication. So to conclude on reading the chapter, it sounds like a very interesting topic and the field is endless in the possibilities that it could produce in the near future.
The exercise in which we discussed a particular writers viewpoint on a science matter was very enlightening. Andrew and I took on the subject of human stem cell research and why, according to the author, it was unethical. The article brought up several good points, the least of which was that stem cell research was "abortion plus slavery" which completely confused me.
ReplyDeleteChapter five was also intriguing, the subject of quantum mechanics has always fascinated me and the chapter did a good job in discussing it. More specifically, the notion of quantum entanglement fascinates me and exemplifies yet again that all things are connected in some way.
Lastly, our group came a long way in the development of our various projects. In particular we finalized our abstract and our debate topic.
In class with Dr. Goodman we had a mini-debate. It was really interesting but I wish there was more time for discussion. It was good practice presenting a certain side of an issue and being able to get familiar with the class and some of their views. Later in the week we finished the application for Idea Fest and finalized our debate topic. It's going to be interesting in the weeks to come to see other debate groups and their positions.
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 in our book covered Quantum Mechanics. I really like that Kayla pointed out that the book introduced Quantum Weirdness. Like she said, it is definitely a great word to describe it. Quantum Mechanics is definitely something that I (and few others, I'm sure) don't really understand. So this chapter was actually very informative and somewhat interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteI was not in class on Tuesday of this week because I had to be absent for personal reasons. My group informed me that they took part in a practice debate to kind of prepare for the upcoming debates and help us to choose our topic. My group decided on arguing the pro side of genetic engineering.
On Thursday we got our IDEA Fest abstracts taken care of and submitted for our applications.
The practice debate was very helpful in getting us prepared for the real thing for our midterm. I have done debates for classes in the past, but they are always different. For this reason I feel that the practice debates were very beneficial.
ReplyDeleteLeading up to IDEAfest things were pretty crazy. None of us were exactly sure what to expect, so that was a little nerve racking. This made getting the abstract done a little more difficult than what it needed to be. Just the uncertainty made it tough to get anything down on paper.