1. I went to Clarke County High School to help the high school class with their soil samples!
2. First, we plated soil samples of our own and of a high school class with various levels of antibiotics and analyzed the bacterial growth in each plate. Then, we went and helped the high school class enter their data correctly online.
3. The lab helped to show antibiotic resistance and natural selection at work. Because we were going to the high school to help them with the same data, I had to become familiar with the terms we would be using and the questions they might ask. The majority of my information came from our in class powerpoints which correlated with the antibiotic resistance.
4. We did not really present anything to the high schoolers so I don’t feel that these 3 characteristics were used. We mainly just went to help them with entering the data and counting the bacteria on the plates.
5. This project was the closest thing I’ve had to a science lab in college, and I found that I did really enjoy it. I also saw how working in teams can be very helpful. Any instructions I wasn’t sure about were clarified by the other members of my team and vice versa.
6. Again, I didn’t really present anything, but being a freshman in College, I do still feel close to high school, which let me easily communicate with the students we helped and explain things to them.
7. Next time, I would be more involved in helping the students and making sure that they understood what was going on.
8. Getting to physically see the growth of bacteria under different levels of antibiotics really helped me to better understand the concept of antibiotic resistance that we had been discussing in class.
9. I can use these examples of antibiotic resistance to help explain the dangers of overuse of antibiotics and why that can lead to antibiotic resistant bacteria.
10. I think that me and my group did a good job helping out at the high school just like we wanted to. We all tried to be helpful and kind whenever anyone had a question.
11. Yes this assignment was very helpful to me! It really did help me feel more confident in the materials of the course and the concepts that we addressed such as natural selection and antibiotic resistance.
Tag: Griffin Tillman
Infographic
For the 3 characteristics of effective informative delivery: The infographic is intellectually stimulating in the way it makes the reader decide what it is that they’re looking for in their composting solution. The flow chart style also makes it more personal and relevant to each person looking at it. The reader can get only the information that THEY need from it. This let’s each person focus on the essential parts to them. The infographic also shows creativity in it’s design. Not many infographics I found were flowcharts. It also uses simple language that’s fun and easy to follow.
Overall, I was very pleased with the entire infographic. It was so easy to read and the information it delivered was helpful. Composting can be an overwhelming concept especially getting started. This infographic takes out all the hard work of deciding how to get started and boils it down to just a few simple questions. The only thing that may have been even better is if somewhere near the bottom it had a description of what the different composting options were and how to do them. The colors, font, and drawings help make the infographic cute and unintimidating.
A lot of these concepts for composting I had not even considered or heard of. I really appreciated getting to see the variety of options out there. This widened my perspective to how there’s not really any excuse not to compost since it can be done in some form no matter the circumstances. There aren’t really any sources on the infographic and more seems to be the author’s thoughts on what would work best. I don’t know how helpful this would actually be for our class composting project. The university seems to already have in mind what way they want to compost, so I don’t think they’d need this infographic to help decide how they want to compost.
UGArden
- In this picture, you can see UGArden’s compost pile and the barriers they use to divide the various stages.
- One of the most striking things about this picture is the size of the compost pile. It’s much more spread out and larger than I initially expected it to be. The pile that can be seen at the front of the photo is only the first step in the composting process. Once the first pile has been churned up and properly composted it moves to the next barrier and stays there for a while.
- I think if someone saw this picture, they may be able to recognize it as a compost pile. However, they may not know all the other steps that will be involved in the process. Before visiting, I just assumed that you leave the compost in one large pile like the one seen in the photo. I had no idea it had to be moved around and put in different stages.
- When I look at this picture, I feel proud of all the innovation that UGArden has accomplished. Those barriers seen in the photo were once barriers for the Air Force building. Now, they serve as a backboard to help scoop up the compost more easily, as well as prevent rain from running downhill and dampening the compost piles.
- I think this picture is about the amount of work and time that really goes into composting. The various stages barricades help show just how many different stages of decomposition a pile of compost must go through before it’s actually ready to be used. It also shows just how many different things can be composted. The pile is full of a wide variety of scraps and plants.
Introduction
In high school, I only took a few life sciences. I started with biology freshman year and then took anatomy/physiology senior year. Anatomy ended up being my favorite one, just because of how much I liked the teacher and how enjoyable the class was as a whole. I took physical sciences throughout high school, both APs and normal. However, this will be my first science course of any kind in college. For this class I hope to gain a better knowledge of biology and the environment, and especially how the two of these interact.
To find out more about antibiotics in the soil, I guess I would ask not only how they are getting there, but also what effects they have on the soil and crops. The videos we watched largely addressed carbon, compost, and soil, but never really the harmful effects of antibiotics in the soil.
I think composting would be the best issue to approach other students about. It’s a pretty simple thing to do that can make a big difference, and wouldn’t be a large inconvenience on someone. Because of this, other students would be more likely to listen and even try composting.
The service learning project sounds like it could really help expand the way I think about helping the environment. By contributing to a national database, it shows just how easy it can be to help make a difference. The project also will help demonstrate the effect antibiotics has on the soil in various locations.
