Blog Posts
Invasive Species - 4.23.2018
Invasive species are species that are brought into another ecosystem and "invade" and cause negative impacts on the native environment and organisms. An invasive species usually does not have any native predators in the area and is able to multiply quickly without any obstacles. The invasive species is able to thrive in the new environment it is put into because it has the ability to find food from the native organisms and is able to protect itself and not be eaten by any predators in the area. Invasive species usually cause great harm to the ecosystem that it invades.
Two invasive species talked about in class are the cane toads and lionfish. Cane toads are a species that were first introduced to Australia in 1935. The cane toads were brought in to eat the cane grub that was eating the sugar cane plants. However, the cane toads did not eat the cane grubs and beetles, but ate everything else instead. Cane toads have no natural predators in Australia, and contain a poison that kills anything that eats it. Cane toads will eat almost anything, and with no predators to keep the population in check, Cane toads have multiplied and now cover a significant portion or Australia. Lionfish are another species that are invasive to the Atlantic Ocean. Lionfish have poisonous spines, and cannot be easily eaten, which allows the population of Lionfish to multiply quickly. Currently Lionfish are being hunted manually by people, but there is no super efficient way to handle the growing Lionfish population.
Two invasive species talked about in class are the cane toads and lionfish. Cane toads are a species that were first introduced to Australia in 1935. The cane toads were brought in to eat the cane grub that was eating the sugar cane plants. However, the cane toads did not eat the cane grubs and beetles, but ate everything else instead. Cane toads have no natural predators in Australia, and contain a poison that kills anything that eats it. Cane toads will eat almost anything, and with no predators to keep the population in check, Cane toads have multiplied and now cover a significant portion or Australia. Lionfish are another species that are invasive to the Atlantic Ocean. Lionfish have poisonous spines, and cannot be easily eaten, which allows the population of Lionfish to multiply quickly. Currently Lionfish are being hunted manually by people, but there is no super efficient way to handle the growing Lionfish population.
There are five invasive species management methods:
Manual - anything that is done manually (by humans, without machines), ex. physically pulling out invasive plants
Mechanical - machines/technology used to get rid of or manage invasive species, ex. controlled burning or mowing of plants
Chemical - herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides used to control the invasive species
Biological - introducing a new species that will prey on the invasive organism, ex. insects to eat certain plants or a predator to eat a certain animal
Cultural - limiting the areas and habitats that an invasive species might breed/live in, ex. planting more native plants to shade out invasive species
Citations:
Halder, Joydeb. "Cane Toad." Wikimedia Commons, 14 Feb. 2018. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cane_toad_-_ABC_News.jpg
Petersen, Jens. "Pterois Volitans." Wikimedia Commons, 1 Oct. 2006. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterois.
Manual - anything that is done manually (by humans, without machines), ex. physically pulling out invasive plants
Mechanical - machines/technology used to get rid of or manage invasive species, ex. controlled burning or mowing of plants
Chemical - herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides used to control the invasive species
Biological - introducing a new species that will prey on the invasive organism, ex. insects to eat certain plants or a predator to eat a certain animal
Cultural - limiting the areas and habitats that an invasive species might breed/live in, ex. planting more native plants to shade out invasive species
Citations:
Halder, Joydeb. "Cane Toad." Wikimedia Commons, 14 Feb. 2018. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cane_toad_-_ABC_News.jpg
Petersen, Jens. "Pterois Volitans." Wikimedia Commons, 1 Oct. 2006. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterois.
Winter Break and Goals for 2018 - 1.8.2018
During winter break I had the chance to travel to Fukuoka and Tokyo in Japan for nine days. It was fun to explore both cities, shop, and eat delicious Japanese food every day. My family also visited Hiroshima and learned about the atomic bomb that was dropped on the city. It was not an exciting event to learn about, but I think that it is important to learn about what happened so that such an event will not happen again.
After my trip to Japan, I slept in and reconnected with old friends. Some of my parents friends came over for dinner so I also had fun cooking for them.
For 2018, my main goals are time management and figuring out my priorities. I am a huge procrastinator and, although I don't think the habit will go away quickly, I hope to at least not procrastinate as much by planning out my week and figuring out exactly how much time I have each day for homework and extracurriculars. Also, I want to make more time for myself. Even though I enjoy working, volunteering and have schoolwork that I am responsible for, it would be nice to have some time to destress and take care of myself in between. This links in with my procrastination because if I stop procrastinating, then I will have more time that I can spend on myself.
My goal for the environment and how I treat the environment is that people will become more aware of each thing that they use from the Earth, and understand how each of their actions impacts the planet. For myself, I definitely want to be more mindful of how much I consume and where I am throwing things away. For example, my family does not have a compost bin in our house. I hope to talk to my parents and try to get one, as I noticed my brother and parents often just throw food they cannot finish in the trash.
Overall, in the new year I am looking forward to new experiences and opportunities, as well as chances to connect and strengthen my relationships between my friends, family, and peers. I am hopeful for the new things to come and hope that there will be more positivity and kindness in 2018.
After my trip to Japan, I slept in and reconnected with old friends. Some of my parents friends came over for dinner so I also had fun cooking for them.
For 2018, my main goals are time management and figuring out my priorities. I am a huge procrastinator and, although I don't think the habit will go away quickly, I hope to at least not procrastinate as much by planning out my week and figuring out exactly how much time I have each day for homework and extracurriculars. Also, I want to make more time for myself. Even though I enjoy working, volunteering and have schoolwork that I am responsible for, it would be nice to have some time to destress and take care of myself in between. This links in with my procrastination because if I stop procrastinating, then I will have more time that I can spend on myself.
My goal for the environment and how I treat the environment is that people will become more aware of each thing that they use from the Earth, and understand how each of their actions impacts the planet. For myself, I definitely want to be more mindful of how much I consume and where I am throwing things away. For example, my family does not have a compost bin in our house. I hope to talk to my parents and try to get one, as I noticed my brother and parents often just throw food they cannot finish in the trash.
Overall, in the new year I am looking forward to new experiences and opportunities, as well as chances to connect and strengthen my relationships between my friends, family, and peers. I am hopeful for the new things to come and hope that there will be more positivity and kindness in 2018.
Body Worlds and the Tech Museum - 11.20.2017
Today my Environmental Science class visited the Body Worlds exhibit at the Tech Museum! It was so interesting to actually see the body parts that are usually hidden under skin. I learned much about how our organs, muscles, systems, and other body parts looked in real life, rather than through a drawing in the textbook. I also learned about how different organs were affected by different things, and was able to physically see the differences between a healthy organ and an affected organ, such as the the brain and liver. For example, I was able to see a real brain that had been affected by stroke. I also learned about many new developments and goals in health. In one of the interactive exhibits, I learned about how vaccines were mass produced as stickers instead of with needles. It was amazing to learn about how the sticker vaccine was created to help people get vaccinated faster with more sanitary supplies. The vaccine also got rid of the fear of needles people have when they go to visit the doctors; I definitely would want one of these vaccines instead of a needle vaccine!
Here are some pictures taken of the exhibits I visited:
Here are some pictures taken of the exhibits I visited:
I personally greatly enjoyed visiting the museum! It was really fun to learn something outside of the classroom, and about different topics. Before arriving, I was a bit scared about the "real bodies" that would be displayed because I thought that the exhibit might be a bit more graphic than I could handle, but when looking at the different bodies, I found the exhibit very professional and didn't have anything to be nervous about. I would definitely recommend this exhibit to others, especially if they are interested in learning more about bodies and health. I think that the Body Worlds exhibit is appropriate for all ages, but feel that a person can only appreciate the exhibit when they have learned more and are a bit older; perhaps seventh grade and up.
The exhibits I visited at the Tech Museum relate to Environmental Science in the way people are affected by the environment around them. In order to prevent negative effects on a person's body due to the environment, one must take care of the environment. I also learned about how different environmental factors can affect how healthcare is provided. For example, countries with higher birth rate but are higher in poverty often cannot have incubators for the babies when they are born, which is why cheaper "sleeping bag" incubators were created in order to increase the baby's chances of survival. The Sticker Vaccine also was created in order to mass produce cheaply and to vaccinate people sanitarily in poorer countries with less advanced healthcare and technology. I also learned about how, based on a country's geographical features, it was harder for certain people to get to a hospital or a doctors office, so small portable machines were created (such as an eye checking machine) in order to bring the healthcare to those who needed it. Overall, these exhibits were connected to Environmental Science because people are apart of the environment, use the environment, and weigh environmental factors in order to achieve what they want.
The exhibits I visited at the Tech Museum relate to Environmental Science in the way people are affected by the environment around them. In order to prevent negative effects on a person's body due to the environment, one must take care of the environment. I also learned about how different environmental factors can affect how healthcare is provided. For example, countries with higher birth rate but are higher in poverty often cannot have incubators for the babies when they are born, which is why cheaper "sleeping bag" incubators were created in order to increase the baby's chances of survival. The Sticker Vaccine also was created in order to mass produce cheaply and to vaccinate people sanitarily in poorer countries with less advanced healthcare and technology. I also learned about how, based on a country's geographical features, it was harder for certain people to get to a hospital or a doctors office, so small portable machines were created (such as an eye checking machine) in order to bring the healthcare to those who needed it. Overall, these exhibits were connected to Environmental Science because people are apart of the environment, use the environment, and weigh environmental factors in order to achieve what they want.
NOAA Marine Debris Program - 11.8.17
My Environmental Science class went on a field trip and participated in citizen science to collect data for the NOAA Marine Debris Program. We were given a set area marked by flags and scoured our plot of sand for any human-made items, picked them up, and collected data. We collected data by categorizing each item and counting up how many of those items showed up in our plot of land.
The NOAA Marine Debris Program's goal is to create clean oceans free of marine debris. In order to achieve this goal, the program's mission is to monitor and investigate marine debris in order to reverse the impact of marine debris in the oceans. The Marien Debris Program has a Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP) which calls for citizen science to help with regular monitoring and recording of marine debris on beaches such as Ocean Beach (which is the program my class participated in). This way, the program can compare existing marine debris to the new data being collected in order to study the movement of debris as well as ways to prevent and reduce marine debris.
Here are some pictures from Ocean Beach!
The NOAA Marine Debris Program's goal is to create clean oceans free of marine debris. In order to achieve this goal, the program's mission is to monitor and investigate marine debris in order to reverse the impact of marine debris in the oceans. The Marien Debris Program has a Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP) which calls for citizen science to help with regular monitoring and recording of marine debris on beaches such as Ocean Beach (which is the program my class participated in). This way, the program can compare existing marine debris to the new data being collected in order to study the movement of debris as well as ways to prevent and reduce marine debris.
Here are some pictures from Ocean Beach!
Although is was very cold when we went out to Ocean Beach, I had a lot of fun. I also had a sense of responsibility because we weren't just doing a beach cleanup, every item that we picked up was a piece of data that would be used in actual scientific research. It was amazing that I could make an impact and help the scientific community by participating in citizen science. I was also shocked at how much trash there was hidden in the sand. From far away, the beach looked clean, but when tallying up the items, there were large amounts of waste for such a small portion of the beach. In conclusion, I learned a lot of information about why we were called to help collect data, the marine debris program, citizen science, and was also able to bond with some of my classmates while cleaning up the beach.
Project Green Challenge - 11.7.17
For the month of October, my Environmental Science class participated in environmentally themed challenges. This challenge is called Project Green Challenge (PGC). New challenges were released every day. Each day there would be a winner that would receive certain eco-friendly prizes. The purpose of PGC was to promote environmental awareness and influence a ripple effect of responsibility for the environment. PGC was available to high school and college students worldwide throughout the whole challenge in order to educate the younger generation that will be soon taking care of the world.
My favorite entry/challenge from PGC was Day 26. I enjoyed this challenge because this day asked me to interview someone making an environmental influence in my community. I interviewed one of the members of the Green Club at my school. I admit that I didn't take notice of the Green Club that often, so it was an eye opening experience to find out all the different things Green Club had done in my school as well as the club's views on the importance of the environment.
Here is a link to my entry from Day 26 of the PGC:
docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQGwB3JpYv5wHxjxv-RMEaxu_q-HHZGAI8VpRCe5cORXuTvBVTHvd30PHAzs9TufXjOx7QV494PfAn6/pub
I overall thought that Project Green Challenge was an eye opening and engaging experience. PGC helped to remind me to think more closely about the environment much more often. I also enjoyed how there were different and unique challenges every day. For one challenge, my entry was about what people use on their beds, while another one of my entries was about the importance of pollinators in our community. PGC definitely made me think about how what I use in my everyday life could be changed to be greener, or more environmentally friendly. For example, using other types of pillows other than down or synthetically filled pillows. In conclusion, PGC was a great addition and experience to my Environmental Science class that made an impact on my mindset when thinking about the environment, and made me become more aware of the events happening in my community that involve the environment.
My favorite entry/challenge from PGC was Day 26. I enjoyed this challenge because this day asked me to interview someone making an environmental influence in my community. I interviewed one of the members of the Green Club at my school. I admit that I didn't take notice of the Green Club that often, so it was an eye opening experience to find out all the different things Green Club had done in my school as well as the club's views on the importance of the environment.
Here is a link to my entry from Day 26 of the PGC:
docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQGwB3JpYv5wHxjxv-RMEaxu_q-HHZGAI8VpRCe5cORXuTvBVTHvd30PHAzs9TufXjOx7QV494PfAn6/pub
I overall thought that Project Green Challenge was an eye opening and engaging experience. PGC helped to remind me to think more closely about the environment much more often. I also enjoyed how there were different and unique challenges every day. For one challenge, my entry was about what people use on their beds, while another one of my entries was about the importance of pollinators in our community. PGC definitely made me think about how what I use in my everyday life could be changed to be greener, or more environmentally friendly. For example, using other types of pillows other than down or synthetically filled pillows. In conclusion, PGC was a great addition and experience to my Environmental Science class that made an impact on my mindset when thinking about the environment, and made me become more aware of the events happening in my community that involve the environment.
Laudato Si - 10.5.17
Yesterday was the day when Laudato Si, Pope Francis' second encyclical was published in 2015. Laudato Si means "Praise be to you" and talks about a big issue in the world today; the care of our common home. This official document talks about not only the treatment of the environment, but the distribution of money and lifestyles of different people. Pope Francis addresses the issue that the rich keep spending and wasting resources instead of providing to the poor. There are six chapters in this encyclical that address many different themes. Some of these main points include consumerism, the right balance between respect of the environment and humanity, how water is a fundamental human right, social media's affects on our way of life, and ways that individuals can change to help take care of the environment. Each person, including me, can do simple actions such as recycling and composting, turning off unnecessary lights, or take a weekend to plant trees instead of staying home and watching TV. Laudato Si is different from other encyclicals because it addresses an audience of all people rather than just believers. The encyclical is a call to all people to step up and take action because the Earth is in our hands, and we should protect and care for the world that God created for us.
https://focusoncampus.org/content/summary-of-laudato-si-pope-francis-encyclical-on-the-environment-eb60806a-fe2c-41fc-8723-4ffdc631f861
https://focusoncampus.org/content/summary-of-laudato-si-pope-francis-encyclical-on-the-environment-eb60806a-fe2c-41fc-8723-4ffdc631f861