tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14852574976217983372023-11-15T09:58:34.480-08:00Mizzou Sciences of Life AcademyGenevieve Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07917944542559328651noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-51808562820594422782008-07-26T14:08:00.001-07:002008-07-26T14:10:12.714-07:00Blogger OutJust a quick thank you from all of us campers to all of you wonderful people who fed, clothed, and entertained us this week! It was way more than just a learning experience for me, and I hope to end up at Mizzou, whether it's in a year or four. But really, its sleep time.<br />Thank you again,<br />Allison BrennanAllison Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12516148897399979704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-25562373643158948772008-07-25T21:36:00.000-07:002008-07-25T22:31:38.731-07:00LAST DAY! :PYou should know that we're all exhausted. Today was a big day. No one has cried yet, except for John and Brent when I nailed them with water balloons. But we're all pretty sad that its the last full day.<br />We started out with breakfast at the usual dinning hall, and then shuffled very quickly (and slightly late) in the rain to the College of Veterinary Medicine. This was by far my favorite part of the week; I was totally in my element. We started with a discussion with Doug <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Tindall</span>, who works admissions at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">CVM</span>, and a second year vet student. We heard all about admittance, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pre</span>-admittance, what classes are like, specializing, and what it takes to be a vet student. Then we looked at some bones (including an elephant vertebrae, and a chunk of elephant skin). Then, for the piece <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">de</span> resistance, we got an up-close and personal tour of the 24hr. veterinary hospital (which is less than 50 yards from the school). Everyone kind of went <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">berserk</span> when there were a couple of dogs in the waiting room; we're a little pet-starved i guess. Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Tindall</span> took us back past all the initial exam rooms to the restricted areas of the hospital. We saw the ICU, a hydro therapy water treadmill (with a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">basset</span> hound being exercised on it), and where the admitted small animals are kept. Then we went downstairs where we looked at the large/food animal sections of the hospital. We saw the chute where the cattle and other food animals are driven into the hospital (the chute actually runs in a loop through the hospital, so the animals can be stopped at various places to be worked on depending on what it needs). We also saw a surgery table for small cattle. Then we went to the equine section of the hospital (obviously the best part. duh). We saw the stall areas, surgery rooms, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">anesthesia</span> areas (which are large padded rooms), the unloading station, and the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">lameness</span>-check sand arena. We also saw one of the few equine <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">lameness</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">eval</span>. treadmills in the nation, donated to the school by the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">walmart</span> people.<br />After the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">CVM</span>, we were supposed to go to see the nuclear reactor, but our tour was cancelled for some reason. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Sabotage</span> is the general assumption.<br />Instead we went to lunch at the dinning hall, and from there went to the Life Sciences building for a wrap-up discussion with Dr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Freyermuth</span> about ethics. It got kind of heated. I'm disappointed in John (who can't keep the video camera out of our faces, even when SLEEPING) for not getting us on video when we were yelling at <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">each other</span> across the room and being noisy. We have heard several times a day that we are too quiet...<br />Then we went to South Farm Research Center where we were "introduced" to atmospheric science by Dr. Neil Fox. He got stung by a wasp.<br />We looked at a lot of instruments that measure/predict/analyse the weather; everything from <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Doppler</span> to rainfall meters. Then Haley uh... attacked Kyle (who's been tagging along all week and taking our pictures, which I'm sure will be interesting to watch in a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">slide show</span> tomorrow) with a kite.... After that I really had to reconsider what the highlight of my day was.<br />From South Farm, we went to Bradford Farm where Tim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Reinbott</span> took us on a tractor-wagon tour of the farm. He explained to us the issues on genetically altering crops such as corn. Then we talked about alternate fuel (uh, sugar cane???). Then we saw some native plants, many of which were wild flowers (very pretty). Then we um were taken to septic city. At first I was kind of confused; this was just a farm studying new methods and genetic alterations of crops, right? Wrong. The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Bradford</span> research center is pretty dedicated to raising awareness about the affects not just farming but also that our lifestyles have on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">environment</span>. So septic city was a project to research and showcase different septic options and explain to others how they benefit/harm the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">environment</span>. We also saw a pond that is home to several hundred fish in cages; its a relatively new project which is supposed to apply to small farmers as an easy way to add to their income.<br />After Bradford we came back for a really quick dinner, and then we threw together our things and headed over to the Ag. building for project presentations, which actually went well. At least no one was physically harmed. Mentally, though... :)<br />After we presented our counsellors took us downtown (after I sneak attacked and soaked John and Brent. Actually they both saw it coming and I got just as wet. But revenge was so sweet). We were treated to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Coldstones</span> for <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">ice cream</span> (smoothies for some), and then we shuffled over to the Quad, where we sat around on the columns, making small talk and checking out the view.<br />The day ended with a tour of Greek town, which John new all the dirty little secrets about, at 10:00 p.m.<br />Its now 12:28 a.m. and I'm really looking forward to sleeping in, but its not going to make any difference if I don't get off this computer!<br />Signing off for the final time,<br />AllisonAllison Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12516148897399979704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-52845526096374895402008-07-24T19:58:00.000-07:002008-07-24T20:36:15.727-07:00Thursay Update!So we're all shaking our heads at how fast this week has gone by. Almost every minute of our day is planned and its just flying by. We're learning so much each day, and today was no exception. This morning we split into two groups again and went to the session that we didn't attend <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Tuesday</span> morning. I saw the lasers in medicine on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tuesday</span>, so today I went with my group to Bacterial <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Genomics</span> with Dr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Freyermuth</span>. This was a really interesting biochemistry presentation (considering how thrilling biochemistry typically is...). We actually prepared spliced DNA of a certain bacteria (which had been placed inside plasmid strands in E. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Coli</span>). Oh excuse me, we did a "plasmid <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">preparation</span> to obtain the DNA for sequencing".<br />Then we checked other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">pre</span>-prepared samples of the DNA to check for a certain insert in the plasmid, by taking some really cool pictures. Lastly we used computers to sort through previously obtained DNA data to find what organisms (in this case, bacteria) shared certain DNA. While it was two hours of A LOT of information, Dr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Freyermuth</span> did an amazing job of explaining to half-dead seventeen/eighteen year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">olds</span> the more complicated aspects of our lab and walked us through every step. I really hope my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">biochem</span> professors are as helpful as she was.<br />We left the Life Sciences Center and went to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Hulston</span> Hall, which is in the Law School, for a pizza lunch and a short discussion on some law school options. Michelle Heck opened up some doors that I personally hadn't even considered. She talked about duel degrees, shorter law school scholar's programs, and the admissions process for Law School. She <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">definitely</span> cast a new light on Law school for me, and I think, my fellow campers.<br />We once again split into two different groups (an obvious attempt by our meddling <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">counsellors</span> to prevent absolute anarchy) and attended two different sessions. One group went to a discussion about microbes in the food we eat, with Dr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Azlin</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Mustapha</span>, during which I was told they spent a long time discussing the microbes that are "everywhere!"<br />I went with eight others to a session on Why fertility is important in Farm animals and Humans, with Dr. Peter <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Sutovsky</span> in the Animal Science research center. We spent a lot of time talking about, looking at, and making slides of ah... sperm. It was enlightening to say the least.<br />After this we left for the Thomas Jefferson institute, which although it sounds like a library with some old crone stalking book shelves and shooting scathing looks, was actually an educational farm. The goal is to provide education for urban people and farmers on how to run a farm successfully while being friendly to the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">environment</span>. The farm is relatively new and with all of the ... "FUN" weather we've had lately, many of their crops were just beginning to peak above the soil. It was really cool to see the beginnings of an orchard, with several different types of each plant (from blueberry bushes to peach trees). There is a 7+ acre man-made lake that contains various water plants and a couple of types of fish. They also have a lily-walk that has more than 100 types of lilies planted next to a path that tours some of the smaller vegetable and fruit crops. They also have a small barn which had two <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">halflinger</span> ponies (which slobbered over my hands for a solid ten minutes searching for treats), a couple of sheep, and some young goats. There are plans to soon have a couple of cattle. I really miss my horse, so this was pretty much the highlight of my day (other than jumping <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">on top</span> of my suite-mate this morning to wake her up :)<br />Once we arrived back at the dorms, we had dinner at the Plaza 900. From here everyone but me went to a discussion on Insect Diversity with Dr, Richard Houseman (i had a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">migraine</span> and missed out). I heard the bugs were "cool."<br />Later the counsellors treated us to some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">ice cream</span> with multiple, sugar-rush-inducing toppings (not sure they know what they got themselves into). After <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">ice cream</span> we played a game of catch-phrase, and then attempted to play a game Chrissy uh... sort of explained called connections. It was really noisy and fun. So that brings me here, at 10:31 wrapping up my second-to last blog. We're all having a lot of fun, even the two boys (i think; they don't talk much...). I'm really looking forward to visiting the college of vet med tomorrow morning, and then we have a pretty full day after that, so <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">I'd</span> better work on our project (which the lady at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">walmart</span> assured me is designed just so that the counselors can laugh at us... we'll see).<br />AllisonAllison Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12516148897399979704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-39869513822346723742008-07-24T18:12:00.000-07:002008-07-24T19:58:37.457-07:00Midweek UpdateThis is a day late because of our ongoing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ag</span>. projects; my group took the majority of last night to work ours. But I can still give you an idea of what we did yesterday.<br />After breakfast we took the vans to Rock Bridge State Park. The park was gorgeous with a system of walking trails that ran in loops all leading back to the parking lot. There we met Dr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Vaught</span>, who introduced us to hand-held GPS. But first he dished out handfuls of bubble gum, and we were instructed to see who could blow the biggest bubble. I think John won when it ended up in his ear and on his hair... Dr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Vaught</span> explained to us the uses and limitations of GPS, asking us to keep in mind the effect this technology has on the human population.<br />Then came the fun part, we split up into groups of 4-5 and were given a set of clues for landmarks to find along the trails. Each landmark was described and then had coordinates that we had to use the handheld GPS to find. While we were wandering through the park, we came across The Devil's Icebox, which is a kind of gorge with a spring or creek running through it. Its called the Devil's Icebox because the air is cool around it.<br />After our hike (no worries, no one fell off any cliffs or was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">permanently</span> lost), we came back to the dorms, went to lunch at the plaza, and got ready for the float trip.<br />Once we arrived at the launch site, we split into two groups; the first went on the Missouri conservation boat for the first half of the float. We paddled (some kayaked) the first stretch and then stopped at the foot of a natural spring that fed into the river. The entire group climbed the bank and we splashed around in the chilly spring which flowed from a wide mouthed cave. Here we switched groups and my group went on the conservation boat. We whipped around the river and took a cruise down one of the places where the river is being re-routed. It was interesting to learn about how the river has been changed in the last two hundred years, how it will continue to change, and what efforts are being made to salvage some of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">original</span> ecosystem.<br />After a good hard <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Missouri</span> river <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">mud fight</span>, we all ended up back at the dorm, cleaned up and headed to dinner. But, surprise, instead of dinner at the Plaza 900, we were taken to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Eckle's</span> hall where we were served a fantastic dinner by the hotel & restaurant faculty and students. It was really yummy and a nice break from the cafeteria. After dinner we slaved over our urban <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">agriculture</span> awareness projects until we eventually crashed. Another day well spent.<br />AllisonAllison Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12516148897399979704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-23165482837267321812008-07-23T10:07:00.000-07:002008-07-23T10:09:25.545-07:00Blog Entry 2: Our Second Full DayBy Allison Brennan<br /><br />It’s 10:00 p.m. Tuesday night and most of us are pretty tired. We just got back from the movie theatre, where some of us saw the new batman movie, mama mia, or journey to the center of the earth. It was the perfect end to a busy day’s activities.<br /><br />Our day began with a sprint to our first session after breakfast, in the monsoon-esque downpour that lasted all morning. I went with half of the group to an hour-long session with Dr. Viator about the use of lasers in medicine. In his laboratory we heard and saw how lasers can be used to identify cancerous cells in the blood once the cancer has spread, called metastases. Not only did we get to see this relatively new technology, we got to play with it! After an hour of shooting various light wavelengths across the room, creating beams of color, sound effects and wavelength graphs, we left the seminar and returned to the dorms before lunch.<br /><br />The other half of the group went to a session on bacterial genomics, with Dr. Freyermuth, which I’ll attend later in the week.<br /><br />After lunch the entire group went to a discussion with Marivern Easton to learn about medical school options. While the discussion was very down to earth and honest about the highly selective application process, about what it takes to prepare for and be in med school, the MCATS, etc., it was really informative and gave us an idea about what we should aim for (if we’re considering medicine).<br /><br />Once again our group split in half. My group stayed put and heard a seminar from Dr. Linda Blockus about life science undergraduate research options. She really encouraged us to seek out research opportunities while working on our undergrad degrees to give us some experience in a related profession. I learned a lot about undergrad research that I didn’t know, like how some professors consider the research a part-time job and pay students for their time spent working on a project.<br /><br />Next we heard a presentation about studying abroad while at MU. We saw some really awesome pictures, like several MU students riding elephants in Thailand, and others standing in front of the Eiffel tower. They also dispelled the “myths of studying abroad” for us, such as it being too expensive, setting you back for graduation, being unsafe, etc. We learned a lot in that short session about how international studying can be beneficial to our education.<br /><br />Next we left the classroom to tour MU’s Yeckel and Glen Smart collections (basically large game and water fowl trophies stuffed and labeled for our benefit) with Dr. Walter Wehtje. There was everything from a rhino head to a whole stuffed swan. It was really interesting to see all of the large game trophies placed side by side for comparison. I was surprised to find that the elk head was almost twice as large as the moose head (who would have thought…).<br /><br />From there Dr. Wehtje took us to his lab to see the rest of MU’s taxonomy collection. We learned how you can differentiate the different classes of small animals by observing their skulls and teeth. We looked at the skulls of an opossum, two foxes, a gopher, a couple of weasels and others.<br />After the taxonomy tour, we returned to the dorms (where I promptly scrubbed my hands), for some down time, and then headed off to dinner.<br /><br />From dinner we went to the movies where I (and other people I’m sure) drooled over Christian Bale and Heath Ledger.<br /><br />Upon returning from the movies, we broke up into our small groups to work on our projects. The project is to create a product/service that we will sell to investors that will be beneficial to the environment. Those are still a work in progress and will be presented to the group Friday night.<br /><br />Everyone is looking forward to the float trip tomorrow and we’re hoping for nice weather after today’s downpour and Monday’s heat. Personally I can’t wait for Friday to check out the college of veterinary med. But it’s now 11:08 p.m. and I’m off to get some much needed rest.<br /><br />Will write more tomorrow,<br />Allison BrennanGenevieve Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07917944542559328651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-75319221764966717052008-07-22T08:31:00.000-07:002008-07-22T08:33:11.951-07:00Day TWO!By Allison Brennan<br /><br />Monday morning was an early wake up call. Somehow we all ended up at breakfast in the Plaza 900, which is a really nice buffet-style cafeteria. After breakfast we went to the Brady Commons building, which houses a small food court, a giant bookstore/convenience store where we all had photo IDs made, and downstairs a bowling alley and arcade (more about that later).<br /><br />From Brady Commons we were whisked away on a very warm but informative campus tour. Personally I loved the new Rec. center and I didn’t have to be assured by our tour guides that it was the best in the nation, but they did anyway. We also ambled through the building that houses the admissions offices, through the Quad with the infamous columns, and eventually ended up at the Life Sciences center for our first seminar.<br /><br />For the next couple of hours Dr. Freyermuth conducted a discussion on the ethics regarding scientific research, specifically cloning, in reference to the book The House of the Scorpion which most of us had the chance to read prior to camp. The discussion was heated and interesting, which I think brought us closer as a group even though we had dissimilar opinions.<br /><br />Later in the afternoon we attended a short seminar called the Secrets of the Wildlife. We were introduced to the frequency transmitters that MU and the Missouri department of Conservation use to track wild animals. We also got to see some of the newest video technology that is being experimented with in regards to wild animal behavior.<br /><br />After this we left from the dorm to tour the Mizzou basketball arena. We got a really close up look at the court, the locker rooms, the TEAM (which was practicing…), and pretty much everything else in that awesome building.<br /><br />After the arena tour we went to dinner at the Plaza 900. Later the counselors took us back to Brady commons, to the bowling alley and arcade, which had been rented out for a few hours for our personal use. After getting beat in bowling, an alien-slaughtering arcade game, and pool by my suite-mate, several of us returned to the dorm.<br /><br />Once everyone gathered, we were divided into groups and given a project, (which I will tell you more about later, because Ben is kicking me off the computer). So that was at 9:00 p.m. and now it’s 11:00 pm and nothing much has happened since. I’ll be back to write more tomorrow.Genevieve Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07917944542559328651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-5274400862694718222008-07-22T08:21:00.000-07:002008-07-22T08:30:32.942-07:00Blog Entry 1: One and A Half Days over… Four and a half to go<div>By Allison Brennan</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It’s 10:15 p.m. on Monday and thus far there have been no fatalities. It’s been an amazing first two days. After all of the parents cleared out on Sunday we were taken to Venture Out, a team challenge course on campus. For the next few hours we played “ice-breakers”, name-games, and completed challenges that required team work and lots of trust. For example, we had to balance a group of ten people on a 3’ by 8’ (ish..) plank that was suspended on a 12”-wide log. It was practically a giant teeter-totter, with five people standing at each end and only three touches on the ground before we died and had to start over. </div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://cafnr.missouri.edu/images/prospective/sciences-of-life/year2008/july20-b.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 30px 10px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://cafnr.missouri.edu/images/prospective/sciences-of-life/year2008/july20-b.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><div>In another challenge there were three small (4’X4’) raised platforms that were in a line separated by several feet. Eventually we had to move everyone in the group from the first platform to the last one using only two 2” by 4”s that were alone not long enough to stretch the distance between the platforms. Oh, and no touching the grass because it was “lava” (they’re actually looking for funding for real lava if any of you parents would like to make a contribution). </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Once again we had to work as a team to correctly apply the laws of physics to safely move everyone to the last block, and we suffered as a team when someone made a mistake and was blindfolded or not allowed to use their arms.<br /></div><br /><div>Around eight o’clock we were done at the team challenge course (and a little tired) and we arrived back at the dorm. We then had 45 minutes to shower and meet in the lounge on the second floor (called the “Portal” ?). Forty-five minutes for groups of four girls to use one shower and get dressed. So really the team challenges weren’t done for the day. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>At nine our counselors treated us to Shakespeare’s pizza, and afterwards we played even more ice-breaker games. By then everyone was laughing at everyone else and we were all successfully not dying of awkward silences. From the Portal room (give me a couple of days and I’ll figure out how it got that name), we meandered back to our rooms and crashed for the night. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Genevieve Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07917944542559328651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-8353380992852328552007-07-13T22:57:00.000-07:002007-07-13T23:45:37.553-07:00Farewell to Our Red RangerOh, so we thought we were all going to get to sleep in until ten o'clock today before we had to go pet some alligators...not the case. I got up at about eight o'clock. Without an alarm. This camp has rubbed off on me way too much. Since today was Scholar's Day, I thought I'd try to make a good impression on any of my future professors and wore a yellow dress. I got to the Journalism Lecture at nine and by 9:05 had decided that dresses are stupid. <br /><br />We met back at Responsibility around ten thirty to take a trip to Gator Land and meet Sam, the two year old gator. They didn't know its gender because they're apparently not interested in that sort of thing? Kelly is the representative for Busch Gardens in Tampa and...some place in Virginia. They also have a partnership with Sea World. She did a presentation on the type of work she does called "edutainment." "Edutainment" teaches kids a lot about animals, but tries to keep it really fun.<br /><br />We stopped for lunch at noon and Dr. Freyermuth's son, Jacob, Alana (whose grandparents originally set up the SLAM program that allowed us to come for free. And we like free) and her friend Riley left us once we started acting younger than them and played aggressive Duck, Duck, Goose. Nothing was broken, but Vidhi did get a rug burn on her foot. <br /><br />And Dr. Freyermuth returned to help us end our week by making us come up with an ethical scenario that dealt with one of each day's sessions. Although some of the arguments got a little heated, we were able to keep our cool and continue the discussions. Sort of. <br /><br />Our final two sessions were about the weather and septic waste. It was called <span style="font-weight:bold;">Septic City!</span> I got beat down in a water fight. And then helped the girls lose in a kickball tournament. Because this was our last day here, there was a lot more picture taking, and many more thoughts of, "I can't believe we're leaving." We explored the corn fields, one block of the evolution of corn and the other of the mutations of the corn's ten chromosomes. Lots of midgets and one that actually had the ability to get a sunburn. It was the consummation of my corn self. <br /><br />When we went down to the lake and were supposed to have canoe races. It turned into canoe tipping. What started as a peaceful sailing adventure ended as a fight to stay aboard the canoes. Somehow, Jonathan and Adam ended turning their canoe over. And then Jake tipped over Mia and Nikki. So Andrew and I chased after Adam and Jonathan with Dani and Kevin. Adam tipped us over and as we dragged our sorry selves ashore, Jake and Chris swam out to the middle of the lake just to tip over Dani and Kevin's boat. Andrew then thought it would be funny to pick me up and take me into the lake and dump me. Finally, we got John to put down his electronics because the boys dragged him in. And we smelled like poo all the way home.<br /><br />There was a nap on my part after we got back, until about ten when we left to go to the Ag. Building and presented our inventions to the American Life Sciences Judges (Ce Ce and our counselors). Like American Idol, with no funny British guy, only John. and then it was time for Kevin to leave, so we all piled up on the stage to take some more pictures. On the way in, we had passed the very first picture they took of us at camp. And the one thing everyone noticed was how much space we kept between us. Our final group picture shows the friends we made and the fun we had. And there is no space. <br /><br />Then it was time for one last game of poker and another round of pictures before ending our final blog of the camp. Can we stay four weeks longer?<br /><br />(Brunch is at eleven in the Reynold's Alumni Hall. Mom, that means you have to be here by ten thirty.)Katelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00005151424646567223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-73676219159867415962007-07-12T21:24:00.000-07:002007-07-12T22:01:09.861-07:00The Day in Which We SleepThe day was supposed to start at seven thirty when I was going to try and get the sand out of my hair. But...I decided that sleeping until eight and then running to Plaza 900 and getting dressed in fifteen minutes was a much better plan. Ra-aight.<br /><br />The good thing was that there were only three sessions today. First was Lazers in Medicine where they talked extensively about their amazing cancer research using blue light frequencies to which when cancer is present gives off a different sound than normal. I didn't actually experience these sounds, but I have total faith in them. <br /><br />Next Team Power Rangers went to the nuclear reaction facility, MURR (MU Reactor Reasearch) sans Jonathan because he forgot a picture i.d. They also had a lot of different ways to help cure different cancers, one that had between 35-50% chance of stopping cancer spread in its tracks on the bones. Another used small irradiated beads that once in the blood stream would get caught in the smaller underdeveloped capillaries of the tumor. The final one which was still in development, was placing Boron in microscopic carbon baskets and shooting them with neutrons. The Boron would then split and release high amounts of energy, killing the cancer and producing no amounts of radiation. Muy Bueno!<br /><br />Andrew fell in love with the nuclear reactor. Her name is Veronica and they plan on being very happy together. No, but seriously, the blue glow eminated from the reactor core was faster than the speed of light is possible in water, and we were drawn to it like bugs to a big bug zapper. However, if we were to swim in the water surrounding the reactor, it wouldn't hurt at the time but afterwards we would have to take a very painful acid bath. And then you can say buh-bye to your skin. For Serious.<br /><br />Naps and learning about the dirty things that grow on stairwells during Microbes in the Food We Eat. I lost count after Vidhi and Andrew both broke slides, how many were broken. <br /><br />We went to Chipotle for dinner, and I'm still stuffed as I right this. Then we finished our projects and watched the Prestige. Or slept. Or talked on the phone. Or hit me in the face with a pillow. <br /><br />Funny Thing That John Said in the Last Five Minutes<br /><br />"You're googling things right now. And that's a verb. When what you should be doing is going to bed."Katelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00005151424646567223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-50850769691846944992007-07-11T22:16:00.000-07:002007-07-11T23:06:08.573-07:00Day the Third (like Shrek. but funnier)The first day we learning activity we had here was an ethics discussion with Dr. Freyermuth. but before that she had gone around and asked us all what we were looking forward to the most about the week. And I would guess probably 95% of us answered, "the float trip." So even though we were more tired this morning than we had been the first and second mornings, we were still eager to jump out of bed and wear our lime green float trip shirts to breakfast and aid in any way that would get us closer to the float trip.<br /><br />The first order of business was to learn GPS tracking in Rock Bridge National Park and split into three groups while we raced around and found points that had been marked earlier and have Rachel sketch them. It was A LOT of walking. Uphill, backwards through the snow and sleet. And that was just for lunch. We met crossed the other group about halfway and John switched groups and started following us. Apparently, the first half was easier so he wanted to film that part. He made us go down into Devil's Icebox and climb around in the opening of the cave. Which wasn't a bad idea, considering it was about sixty-five degrees down in the Icebox.<br /><br />After our long romp through Rock Bridge state park, we quickly boarded the buses and headed back to Responsibility to get ready for the float trip. We were stoked. Really, really stoked. Like kids on Christmas. We went to Plaza 900 for lunch, scarfed down a quick meal and grabbed towels and sunscreen. Well, some of us did anyway.<br /><br />I was in the first group that went out kayaking while the other group went and scared flying Asian Carp. After we stopped at the sandbar and frolicked in the current, I was tired. I got dunked a lot, okay? When it was time to get back in the kayaks and canoes, we walked along the muddy, gross, squishy riverbed and then hopped into our boats. And then Jake tipped Adam and Andrew's canoe over. He claims they had it coming. I would like to point out that I got splashed the most and could not figure out how to splash back, but you didn't see me tip anyone's canoe. We switched places at a cave with freezing cold water in it. Using the chain-buddy system, we walked what felt like a hundred miles back into the pitch black cave. I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. <br /><br />The second boat group didn't get to see any carp, but we stopped at another sandbar where David, our most quiet and beloved counselor started a mud fight. Which I valiantly lost.<br /><br />Dinner was a five star event put on by the Hotel and Restaurant Management Dept. by the spectacular Chef Jeff. After dinner cooked by the Dept., we were given the tools to make our own dessert. The only thing that was nerve-wrecking was watching John try to flip our Banana's Foster with one hand. But it still turned out delicious. Afterwards, we stopped in at the Summer Welcome '07 Review and laughed our ice cream off.<br /><br />The night ended with Andrew, John, Jake, David, Jonathan and Chris trying to teach me to play soccer. They didn't succeed. Actually, they failed, miserably. But we still had some good, wholesome fun. When we made our way back to the dorms, James used his magic teaching powers to get us to work on our projects. Eh...we still have tomorrow to finish. <br /><br />And now, Andrew and I will go pass out. And not talk about music with David anymore. But he's going to the same Snow Patrol concert as I am. I'm so excited!Katelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00005151424646567223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-66321624114999372402007-07-10T21:03:00.000-07:002007-07-11T06:36:28.164-07:00You're a Power Ranger, sit down!If there's one thing Ce Ce didn't underestimate, it's our will to exceed expectations. We must've done more in one day than most camps do in their entire stay. Adam called me this morning at what still feels like an ungodly hour, but in truth I would have been late if I'd woken up at seven on a school day. Still in a Frankenstein haze, I walked up to a table of boys. They all turned looked at me with wide eyed stares strong enough to leave me wondering if I'd suddenly grown a third arm.<br /><br />Turns out, they went running. Yeah. Andrew, John, Kevin, and Jake got up at six thirty this morning. I thought I was at science camp, not athletics camp. Me and any sport with a ball aren't exactly, on speaking terms. As we split up, I toured an Animal Hospital. When we went back to see the run away cow who had somehow made it up a flight of stairs into the Equine Quarter, we put on a pair of boot covers and stepped onto a sanitizer mat that squirted urine colored liquid. Ewwww.<br /><br />Next, we were sprinting off to see the Hall of Heads, and the Bird Wall. Lots of stuffed animals. Not my favorite. Although anything that involves trying to stump a professor who says he can name any duck in any country has its potential. Then our professor brought out our competitive nature and asked two teams to be the first to classify eight small animal skulls. Two winners received the only stuffed bird you are allowed to have in a private collection. That's okay, I didn't really want to win anyway.<br /><br />For lunch, we were finally on our own(ish) for about an hour to just relax and eat. Andrew, Nikki, Kevin, John played hearts. Andrew shot the moon and John got twenty-six hearts. He was ticked. I was wise and napped.<br /><br />Bacterial Genomics = crazy lab coats that they are going to embroider with our names. Andrew's started a running tally of all the things we've been given this week. And we don't mind. Food Microbes = two agar plates to check for bacteria where ever they want. John's checking the bathrooms. I've got bets on either the keyboard or a cell phone. Everyone remember to ask Jonathan about his funny time at the Bacterial Genomics lab.<br /><br />At night we traveled to New Franklin and obtained some funny pictures on the way of Andrew snoring in what we've decided is a Magic Seat of Doom. Anyone who sits there instantly starts to feel it's magnetic pull into sleep. We went miniature golfing and I hit a golf ball 125 yards. John says that's pretty good for a girl.<br /><br />We went to Cold Stone and I got some delicious watermelon and we dicussed how many calories are in the brownie, caramel, nut and fudge creation. And now I have to go because I'm five minutes late for curfew (I know you're all surprised) and the counselors are closing in on me.Katelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00005151424646567223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485257497621798337.post-28587319382338534992007-07-09T20:21:00.000-07:002007-07-09T21:22:08.033-07:00SLAM!"You will have seven minutes to present your project with your group to us on Friday night," James tells us the first night. I can feel my heart drop. This feels a lot like school. You know, that place I thought I had escaped for three months? Even worse, it's a group project. If there's one teaching theory I know, it's the group project formula. Put an overachiever with two okay workers and one slacker stir twice and watch what happens. In theory, the overachiever sets the bar high and inspires the others to achiever their potential. Quickly, I came to my senses. It was a camp full of nerds. Chances are more likely that we'll beat each other over the head with a club trying to out-perform one another. <br /><br />Our first assignment for the night was to a) come up with a name, b) come up with a Life Sciences invention, c) assign two shoppers to get supplies on Wednesday, one leader and one notetaker and d) put it together and present it Friday night for our (at the time) three counselors: Jon, Devin Doughnuts and Dr. James.<br /><br />I guess Dani summed our counselors up best tonight after bowling: "James, you're like our dad. You tell us when to go to bed and what to do. Set the rules and stuff. And Devin's like our mom, she takes care of us. And you, Jon, you're like our big brother." <br /><br />To which Jon replied, "I don't want to be the big brother, 'cause I deserve some respect. Can I be the crazy uncle?"<br /><br />I've never been to any other camp before. Not bible camp or Girl Scout Camp or any other kind of camp. But I guess I didn't expect our councelors to be so enthusastic. I expected college kids who would rather be hanging out with their friends but really needed the college credit, so here they were. W-R-O-N-G. James just got his doctorette. That is WAY more dedication than even I want to think about. At least in one sitting anyway. When we got to Venture Out for some experiential education, they were probably more stoked to be there than we were. In retrospect, because in all likelihood they planned at least part of it. After playing something with a blob, we split into two groups: ninjas and giraffes by closing our eyes and making what sounds the two groups make. I'm pretty sure all the giraffes ran around saying, "Giraffe?" or "Not a ninja!"<br /><br />We did several team building excerises, but none of them included climbing the scary tower that over shadowed us. Which was good, because one of the common threads of topic when getting to know everyone was, "Tell me again whose idea it was to send a bunch of nerds to a wall climbing place? Don't they realize we lack upper body strength?" We had to get a marble (our goal) through our tubes (steps taked to achieve the goal) to the bucket (the finish line), get everyone across the river, and have three groups finish three puzzles (when we all work together, everyone wins). Showers ("This is how it's going to be all week," James told us, and a chorus of groans went up), pizza, cards, games and in rooms by eleven thirty ensued. My head seemed to barely touch the pillow before I was waking up to go eat breakfast.<br /><br />Just so you know, the Plaza 900 is uh-mazing. Every sugared cereal, bacon, biscuits, omelettes, juices, milks, butters, jellies, and fruits you can imagine. I made myself a handsome waffle with an MU insigna in the middle. Monday was a blur of walking, first to Brady Commons to get our student I.D.'s (Will I ever take a picture in which I don't look stoned?), then on a campus tour (Summer Welcome '07 is also going on. Adam pointed out two BSSHS kids.), and finally to a discussion in the Life Sciences building. The most comfortable chairs and some of the most interesting discussion about ethics in science (stem cells, abortion, cloning, animal testing, you name it, we talked about it). The garden path outside was shaped like a double helix. I know, you're jealous.<br /><br />Then we split into three groups: lazers, deer, and biotechnology. Biotechnology consisted of a forty-five minute lecture and two lab activities. Then the Dept. of Law tried to steal us away and we toured the arena. The most expensive suite is 40K a year. You have to own it for at least seven years, as well as make a very generous contibution to some part of MU. Everyone was eager to get their AP scores and most of dinner was spent dicussing our cities and different friends. Then it was off to bowling where they gave us tokens. I challenged Adam to air hockey and lost, 5-7. Andrew and Jake entertained us all in DDR. <br /><br />The day ended with a trivia game, meeting in our groups and Texas Hold 'Em. It ended when John had two aces and two were laid on the table. Three people went all in and lost. We're trying to get an okay to go watch movies in the pool at the Rec center. Devin says we're going to Cold Stone tomorrow. Twofer Tuesday! Cookie says that's all there is.Katelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00005151424646567223noreply@blogger.com0