Imagining Tomorrow-Biology Biotechnology Students are Prepping for the WSU Competition

The biology students are preparing for the competition at WSU on May 19-21, 2017.  We hosted a pre-pre-judging practice session so that students could float their ideas to judges.  The next judging event will determine which eight teams move forward to the event at WSU. Here are some examples of the teams' ideas.

How to store energy for later use?

Can we convert kinetic energy into storable energy to charge our devices?

Sunflower seed husks into paper? Waste not, want not.

Graphene- the new black.

One drop at a time. How can we conserve water?

Fieldtrip to the UW Medical Center

On February 8th, genetics students had an opportunity to visit labs at the UW Medical Center and to learn about career pathways in bio medicine.  In addition to learning about the application process to the UW, students also toured the genomics labs and the sports medicine facility.  It was a rainy day of slogging around campus, but the students learned a lot and got a feel of campus life.

Waiting for the tour to begin!

A little chat about genomics at Foege.

Happy to be part of the UW tour!

 

Learning about the amazing Sports Medicine department.

Understanding how to help injured athletes at the UW Sports Medicine Facility.

Safely back at home at BHS.  BT signs!

Got Garbage?

     First year biotechnology/biology students have been conducting research on their own consumption and conservation.  For the first week of school in January, students held on to all of the items they consumed within a 24-hour period and then sorted and weighed their consumed items to collect data on their human footprint.  In the upcoming days, they will analyze their data in their math classes and write up a reflection of their consumption learning about conservation and the human impact on our planet.
     While they were collecting data, biology students also read the book by Alan Durning, titled: Stuff. The Secret Lives of Everyday Things.  This book chronicles the consumption of an average Seattleite and explains the energy and raw materials that go in to making typical items used in an average day such as: a cup of coffee, a computer, a cheeseburger, and a car.

Weighing items.

Sorting and weighing.

Logging consumption.

Where does aluminum originate?

Having fun collecting data!

Sorting consumed items.

Record haul for the week! Six bags of garbage, five bags of recyclables, and two bags of compost.

Whidbey Island Ecological Studies Continue into the fall of 2016.

Recently, over the days of November 4-5,  25 students from all cohorts in the Biotechnology Academy visited the ongoing research site up on Whidbey Island.  For 15 years, students have been active participants in an on-going ecological research project measuring growth of a newly re-planted forest and carbon sequestration of several re-planted trees.  And, as per usual, we were fortunate to have a cool rainless Friday for data collection and a damp, raining Saturday for data analysis.  The students were fabulous in their eagerness to be a part of the natural world and they were able to put their electronic devices away (shocking, but true).  This is an outdoor experience where kids can be kids and throw away their "cool" card and be part of the present.  Here are some images from the weekend.

Collecting insects from trees.

Do banana slugs really have a neurotoxin?  No pain here after kissing.

Apple harvest for apple pressing and cider production.

That's one big old growth red western cedar. The mother tree.

Looking at invertebrates from study sites.

Collecting critters from live traps set overnight.

Testing the waters for the pond sampling expeditions.  It was a warm, balmy, November afternoon.

Reporting out data on carbon sequestration.

And the cows are always a hit with Seattle city kids!  Getting in touch with rural landscapes.

Busting home.  Biotech signs on the ferry to Mulkiteo.

School is Off to a Great Start! Biotech Academy Students are Learning Science by Doing It.

Genetics students making observations of an unknown substance.

Genetics students modeling protein folding.

A lovely tertiary protein!

Genetics student with a successful DNA extraction.

Biology students learning chemical properties of substances.

Biology students learning safe wafting technique.

School is Off to a Great Start! Biotech Academy Students are Learning Science by Doing It.

Genetics students making observations of an unknown substance.

Genetics students modeling protein folding.

A lovely tertiary protein!

Genetics student with a successful DNA extraction.

Biology students learning chemical properties of substances.

Biology students learning safe wafting technique.

Imagine Tomorrow Competition Was Amazing!

Ballard's Biology Biotechnology students competed at the 9th annual Imagine Tomorrow Competition at WSU from May 20-22, 2016. Eight teams from Ballard were selected to move on to this competition.  Students and instructors stayed in the dorms, ate in the cafeteria, and experienced life on a college campus for the weekend.

This competition asks students to take on the world’s energy issues and other grand challenges with creative, well-researched ideas.  Students competed in one of four challenge areas: Biofuels, Aerospace, Built Environment, or Food, Energy, and Water.  Each challenge had three different approaches in which students use to address solving an energy problem: technology, design or behavior.  There were 121 teams from the Pacific Northwest who competed in this year’s event titled: Pursue Sustainability Nonstop.  Our Ballard students did an excellent job presenting their scientific projects to the judges.  Teams were praised for their knowledge, presentation styles, and thoroughness.  Teams also returned home with awards for their ideas.

In the Food, Energy and Water challenge, using the behavior approach Ballad’s Green Ground  team won 2^nd place for their project: creating a working model of a seesaw that generates electricity, to demonstrate for the children the capabilities of reusable energy.  Team members Amika Smalley, Alex Van Loen, Franny Berger, and Ezra Finch won $1800 in cash prizes.

 And in the Biofuels challenge, using the behavior approach Ballard’s  Wake Up and Smell the Coffee team won Honorable Mention for their project: turning coffee grounds into biofuel.  Team members Fiona Doherty, Samantha Smith, Annabelle Fryer, Parker Crotty, and Sarah Jane Hayward won $1000 in cash prizes.

It was a great STEM weekend!

Green Ground with their educational see-saw-2nd place winners!

Yes, there is an app for that! This team designed an app that is a game for younger kids to learn about conservation.

Hamming it up in between judging sessions.  

Wake up and smell the coffee! This team created a biofuel out of coffee grounds. Honorable Mention!

Team "On with the Wind" during their judging session. They designed a wind turbine to power street lights.

Group photo after a day of judging.  Flashing the b t sign for Biotech.