Honeybee Project
Honeybees are actually one of the most important creatures on our planet today. Without bees we wouldn’t have most of the fruits and vegetables that we enjoy. Grapes and apples for example could not grow if bees didn’t pollinate them. Bees are responsible for pollinating most of our crops around the world, and without them we would simply not have the food that we do. Those little creatures are part of a system that has sustained our crops for a long time.
Unfortunately, honeybees are dying in large numbers. For an array of reasons, entire hives are dying off and we are not quite sure how to stop it. We need to be concerned about this because without honeybees, we don’t have almonds, grapes or many other foods that we enjoy and need for survival. Humans need to open their eyes and see what is right ahead of them, a species that needs us just as much as we need them. We need to keep our beehives humming by not using pesticides as much as possible and relocating instead of exterminating.
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Unfortunately, honeybees are dying in large numbers. For an array of reasons, entire hives are dying off and we are not quite sure how to stop it. We need to be concerned about this because without honeybees, we don’t have almonds, grapes or many other foods that we enjoy and need for survival. Humans need to open their eyes and see what is right ahead of them, a species that needs us just as much as we need them. We need to keep our beehives humming by not using pesticides as much as possible and relocating instead of exterminating.
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Click here to see my Honeybee Project Research Notes
This project, I focused on why honeybees use a hexagon. I have always found it fascinating that animals have instincts to do certain things, and I wanted to know the reasoning behind the hexagon shape and not, for example, a circle. I used mathematics and photoshop to study different shapes and determine why the hexagon become the honeycomb.
On this topic, I learned that honeybees chose the hexagon for several reasons. It does not use large amounts of wax and very efficient to produce. Several honeybees can be working at the same time rather than just one working than moving on to the next. Hexagons also have the most surface area of any shape that could also fit. It is the perfect use of space, not leaving any gaps and allowing for maximum storage due to the high surface area. I think that largest takeaway I had was that bees are math geniuses. They knew this all along.
For the exhibition, I produced a poster board that described in detail why the honeycomb is a hexagon. I used photoshop to produce several pictures of different shapes and was also able to display a synthetic honeycomb and a natural honeycomb at the same time to show what bees actually do with the hexagon.
I am very proud of the graphic design that I put into my project. I used photoshop for the entire project and was able to produce quality work to put on my poster. I am very proud of my simple, yet informative design that conveyed all of the information that it needed to in a clear and minimalist way. People at exhibitions don't like to read, they like to see and that it how I designed my poster.
If I were to do this project again I would put more time into my equations and math to make sure that they completely make sense. I rushed through them because I didn't really want to do math and I'm almost sure that two surface areas are wrong. I compared them in the correct way, I just needed a better control measurement. I could have also made the hexagons to scale so that people could get even more of an accurate description of the hexagon.
On this topic, I learned that honeybees chose the hexagon for several reasons. It does not use large amounts of wax and very efficient to produce. Several honeybees can be working at the same time rather than just one working than moving on to the next. Hexagons also have the most surface area of any shape that could also fit. It is the perfect use of space, not leaving any gaps and allowing for maximum storage due to the high surface area. I think that largest takeaway I had was that bees are math geniuses. They knew this all along.
For the exhibition, I produced a poster board that described in detail why the honeycomb is a hexagon. I used photoshop to produce several pictures of different shapes and was also able to display a synthetic honeycomb and a natural honeycomb at the same time to show what bees actually do with the hexagon.
I am very proud of the graphic design that I put into my project. I used photoshop for the entire project and was able to produce quality work to put on my poster. I am very proud of my simple, yet informative design that conveyed all of the information that it needed to in a clear and minimalist way. People at exhibitions don't like to read, they like to see and that it how I designed my poster.
If I were to do this project again I would put more time into my equations and math to make sure that they completely make sense. I rushed through them because I didn't really want to do math and I'm almost sure that two surface areas are wrong. I compared them in the correct way, I just needed a better control measurement. I could have also made the hexagons to scale so that people could get even more of an accurate description of the hexagon.
Dissection Project
The dissection project was one of the hardest projects that I have had to do. I was not able to handle the physical dissections and so I completed the virtual pig dissection. I really wished that I was able to do the real project but my stomach just could not handle it.
During the project, I still did learn about the pig and how close their systems are to ours. Through pictures I was able to learn about the circulatory system. I have always been fascinated by our hearts and blood flow, and I learned how blood flows through the heart and our bodies. This is just one of the many things that I studied on a pigs body.
During this dissection, I learned that I do not have a good stomach for seeing open body parts. I was able to look at my pig, and before I had even opened it I had to leave the room and do the virtual dissection. Honestly, I wish that I could have handled the real dissection because that is supposed to be a major high school project. It just wasn't possible and I didn't know that until I started this project.
During the project, I still did learn about the pig and how close their systems are to ours. Through pictures I was able to learn about the circulatory system. I have always been fascinated by our hearts and blood flow, and I learned how blood flows through the heart and our bodies. This is just one of the many things that I studied on a pigs body.
During this dissection, I learned that I do not have a good stomach for seeing open body parts. I was able to look at my pig, and before I had even opened it I had to leave the room and do the virtual dissection. Honestly, I wish that I could have handled the real dissection because that is supposed to be a major high school project. It just wasn't possible and I didn't know that until I started this project.
Forensic Analysis Project
Crime Scene Pictures |
Click Here to See My Evidence Reports |
Project Summary To begin this project, we learned about exoneration. We learned how DNA analysis could be used to prove convicted people as innocent, or vice versa, in a court of law. DNA has been used to exonerate thousands of wrongfully convicted individuals and has improved the accuracy of hundreds of cases. Then, we were given our own crime scenes to begin examining. From a hit and run to a suspicious shooting, all of the crime scenes were all unique. I was given the shooting crime scene. We had 15 minutes on the first day to take pictures, log evidence and begin to examine the crime scene. Then, we began to analyze the evidence that we had.
I began by examining our crime scenes bullet trajectory, blood splatter analysis and the bullet wound. Using a wooden dowel and laser pointer, we determined the bullet’s trajectory, and determined where the victim was when he was shot. Afterward I studied how iodine is used to find fingerprints on paper, and then used that science to examine an eviction notice found next to the victim. Finally, I ended the project by examining the DNA evidence using several processes. The DNA is what solved the case for us, showing the Scott Henderson, the victim’s son, was the killer. I really enjoyed learning about the fingerprinting. I found it incredible that we could see latent prints by using iodine or superglue. It is also incredible that there is a database with all of our fingerprints that the police can use to find us using our fingerprints. Fingerprints can be the crucial evidence that links someone to a scene. I think that during this project I stayed very organized and managed my time really well. I turned everything in on time and because I managed my time well, I was able to put in ample effort into everything that I did. I think that if I were to do this project again, I would put more effort into trying to understand the DNA analysis and the other sciences that we learned about. I understand them however I would like to go more in depth. |