"...by the help of Microscopes, there is nothing so small, as to escape our inquiry; hence there is a new visable World discovered to the understanding" Robert Hooke, in Micrographia ,1665
The link below will take you to the Nikon Small World Photography Competition winners. The images are incredible! I would love to be able to take images like these--it meshes my love of microscopy and photography. I've linked an image that relates to something we talked about earlier in the semester; Henrietta Lacks and her immortal HeLa cells. The image is of HeLa cells dividing. This image was the 11th place winner in the top 20. The number one winner is a fluorescence microscopy image of the heart of an Anopheles mosquito (malaria, remember?). Take a look through the images (they take some time to load). What do you think? Makes Gram staining seem very mundane!
Nikon Small World Gallery
I've changed the link. Click on this, choose 2010, look for image 11 for HeLa cells, and browse the other winners.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Where the Rubber Meets the Road...
Hello class! My name is Thasha Chu, I am a College of the Canyons alumni, and am now a senior at the Emory University School of Nursing in Atlanta, GA. Professor Burke has invited me to share with you a couple insights I have discovered on my journey to becoming a nurse, to encourage you as you begin your own journeys.
Recently your Dean of Nursing said that nursing is when: "all the math and science comes together at a point in time when someone really needs you." When I first read this, a recent experience I had came to mind.
During my pediatric rotation I was assigned to a 12 week old infant admitted to the hospital for having "blue spells." The baby also had many other birth defects, and his mother was extremely distraught by this new development. Because I was pregnant at the time, the mother immediately felt comfortable with me, and when the rest of the care team left the room, the mother approached me. With tears in her eyes, she asked me what was going on, and asked me what the doctors and nurses were talking about. I sat with her for over an hour, explaining to her what was happening to her child.
It was at this time I realized that I was in a very unique position, I had the science and math background to enable this mother to make a more informed choice about her child's care, as well as give her the support she needed to continue to confront the huge battle she had ahead of her. If I didn't work hard while I was at COC to make anatomy, microbiology, and math second nature, there was no way Id have been able to help her, or the many other patients Ive treated over the past two years. These disciplines are the basis for every single thing you do and say while in the hospital.
The little patient I mentioned above was sent into the PACU the next day after having a cardiac arrest that night. I went to visit him two days later, and the mother said that because of her new understanding of what her son was going through, she decided to sign a Do Not Resuscitate order (what the doctors were asking her to do for quite a while). She had peace that she had done everything she could. A week later the little one passed away.
Nursing is about caring, about changing the world one life at a time. But if you don't understand why your patients are your patients, then you aren't doing everything you can to help them.
Recently your Dean of Nursing said that nursing is when: "all the math and science comes together at a point in time when someone really needs you." When I first read this, a recent experience I had came to mind.
During my pediatric rotation I was assigned to a 12 week old infant admitted to the hospital for having "blue spells." The baby also had many other birth defects, and his mother was extremely distraught by this new development. Because I was pregnant at the time, the mother immediately felt comfortable with me, and when the rest of the care team left the room, the mother approached me. With tears in her eyes, she asked me what was going on, and asked me what the doctors and nurses were talking about. I sat with her for over an hour, explaining to her what was happening to her child.
It was at this time I realized that I was in a very unique position, I had the science and math background to enable this mother to make a more informed choice about her child's care, as well as give her the support she needed to continue to confront the huge battle she had ahead of her. If I didn't work hard while I was at COC to make anatomy, microbiology, and math second nature, there was no way Id have been able to help her, or the many other patients Ive treated over the past two years. These disciplines are the basis for every single thing you do and say while in the hospital.
The little patient I mentioned above was sent into the PACU the next day after having a cardiac arrest that night. I went to visit him two days later, and the mother said that because of her new understanding of what her son was going through, she decided to sign a Do Not Resuscitate order (what the doctors were asking her to do for quite a while). She had peace that she had done everything she could. A week later the little one passed away.
Nursing is about caring, about changing the world one life at a time. But if you don't understand why your patients are your patients, then you aren't doing everything you can to help them.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Influenza!
Based on what we covered in lecture, your text, and after reading through the resources in BB on Influenza (In the Lectures section) post your comments on at least two of the following questions regarding Avian flu H5N1:
1. What is the source of this flu?
2. What is the relationship betwAeen birds, pig, humans and the flu?
3. How might an outbreak today compare with the1918 outbreak?
4. What would some of the consequences be of a pandemic today?
5. What is being done in light of the possibility of a pandemic?
Current situation with Avian flu outbreak
Reflect on the following:
1. Do you think there will be a major flu pandemic in the next few years?
2. How do we balance individual rights versus public welfare?
1. What is the source of this flu?
2. What is the relationship betwAeen birds, pig, humans and the flu?
3. How might an outbreak today compare with the1918 outbreak?
4. What would some of the consequences be of a pandemic today?
5. What is being done in light of the possibility of a pandemic?
Current situation with Avian flu outbreak
Reflect on the following:
1. Do you think there will be a major flu pandemic in the next few years?
2. How do we balance individual rights versus public welfare?
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Craig Venter, the sea, genomics, and microbes
TED videos....a small nonprofit group produces videos based on the theme "Ideas worth spreading". In this video Craig Venter (remember from our History of Micro? Human Genome, cruising the oceans for genes?) talks about the genomic data they are collecting from the oceans. Watch the video and then comment:
What was the most interesting thing you learned?
What does he hope to accomplish with this research?
What is the significance of microbes on earth and in the sea?
What are transposons?
What is synthetic DNA and what is Venter proposing?
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/craig_venter_on_dna_and_the_sea.html
What was the most interesting thing you learned?
What does he hope to accomplish with this research?
What is the significance of microbes on earth and in the sea?
What are transposons?
What is synthetic DNA and what is Venter proposing?
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/craig_venter_on_dna_and_the_sea.html
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Follow the blog and comments via Google
Here's the tip of the week: If you want an easy way to follow the blog, click on the "Follow" icon in the upper right corner. All new blog posts will then appear in your gmail account. You don't have to go directly to the blog! Even better, if you want to follow the comments for each blog, click on subscribe at the bottom of the post next to the comment icons. Voila! All comments will be sent to your gmail. This allows you to know when others have posted comments, and you can keep track of your comments and others. Also, you can easily find a comment you might want to read again without going through each blog and comment. Highly recommend!
Next up, I'll be posting the graph of Semmelweis's data and giving you the final story of what was happening in that Vienna hospital.
Next up, I'll be posting the graph of Semmelweis's data and giving you the final story of what was happening in that Vienna hospital.
Survey Monkey Results
Here are the results from our Web 2.0 Surveymonkey:
To date there are 94% response (remember, it was required!); 45 students. 91% of respondents said they were not familiar with Web 2.0 tools or the term Web 2.0. 36% said they read online newspapers and magazines; 27% had followed a blog; 31% had a blog at some point. 36% had made a video and uploaded it to youtube. The following chart shows responses to a query about their knowledge and use of specific tools:
Never heard of it. Heard of it, but never used it. Used it once or twice. Use it frequently. Response
Count
Google Docs 57.8% (26) 31.1% (14) 6.7% (3) 4.4% (2) 45
Google Reader 57.8% (26) 26.7% (12) 13.3% (6) 2.2% (1) 45
Feedly 93.3% (42) 6.7% (3) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 45
Diigo 95.6% (43) 2.2% (1) 2.2% (1) 0.0% (0) 45
Delicious 97.8% (44) 2.2% (1) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 45
Twitter 0.0% (0) 60.0% (27) 26.7% (12) 13.3% (6) 45
RSS feeds 60.0% (27) 33.3% (15) 6.7% (3) 0.0% (0) 45
Facebook 0.0% (0) 6.7% (3) 15.6% (7) 77.8% (35) 45
Glogster 93.3% (42) 6.7% (3) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 45
Flickr, snapfish, etc. 20.0% (9) 46.7% (21) 24.4% (11) 8.9% (4) 45
wikis 57.8% (26) 22.2% (10) 15.6% (7) 4.4% (2) 45
Voicethread 95.6% (43) 4.4% (2) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 45
Prezi 97.8% (44) 2.2% (1) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 45
Wordle or Tagxedo 93.2% (41) 6.8% (3) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 44
Hmmm, another challenge...to work on formatting and tables...never ends! Are you surprised by these results? We'll learn a few of these during the term starting with a simple graphing tool: Create a Graph.
To date there are 94% response (remember, it was required!); 45 students. 91% of respondents said they were not familiar with Web 2.0 tools or the term Web 2.0. 36% said they read online newspapers and magazines; 27% had followed a blog; 31% had a blog at some point. 36% had made a video and uploaded it to youtube. The following chart shows responses to a query about their knowledge and use of specific tools:
Never heard of it. Heard of it, but never used it. Used it once or twice. Use it frequently. Response
Count
Google Docs 57.8% (26) 31.1% (14) 6.7% (3) 4.4% (2) 45
Google Reader 57.8% (26) 26.7% (12) 13.3% (6) 2.2% (1) 45
Feedly 93.3% (42) 6.7% (3) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 45
Diigo 95.6% (43) 2.2% (1) 2.2% (1) 0.0% (0) 45
Delicious 97.8% (44) 2.2% (1) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 45
Twitter 0.0% (0) 60.0% (27) 26.7% (12) 13.3% (6) 45
RSS feeds 60.0% (27) 33.3% (15) 6.7% (3) 0.0% (0) 45
Facebook 0.0% (0) 6.7% (3) 15.6% (7) 77.8% (35) 45
Glogster 93.3% (42) 6.7% (3) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 45
Flickr, snapfish, etc. 20.0% (9) 46.7% (21) 24.4% (11) 8.9% (4) 45
wikis 57.8% (26) 22.2% (10) 15.6% (7) 4.4% (2) 45
Voicethread 95.6% (43) 4.4% (2) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 45
Prezi 97.8% (44) 2.2% (1) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 45
Wordle or Tagxedo 93.2% (41) 6.8% (3) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 44
Hmmm, another challenge...to work on formatting and tables...never ends! Are you surprised by these results? We'll learn a few of these during the term starting with a simple graphing tool: Create a Graph.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Welcome to Our Microbiology Blog
The purpose of this blog is to give you, the students, the opportunity to share your thoughts, assignments, and projects with each other and perhaps the world. It is a classroom blog to begin with, however if you want to start your own blog we can certainly talk about that! The blog will be the hub of collaboration and sharing for our class. You will also comment on the work of your classmates. Finally the blog will become a repository of your good ideas.
We will learn some cool easy Web 2.0 tools to help you complete assignments and projects. You may already know some and can teach me! Eventually, with your own blog or using something like Google docs, you can begin to create an eportfolio of your work. This blog is different from our BB site because it allows you to embed projects, comment directly on other's work, read postings from guests, and more. There will be plenty of guidelines for you to follow and information on how, when, why, etc. So don't freak out! We will ease into it and I promise it will enhance your learning and not just take time away from your studies.
Take the survey on web tools (posted on BB) and watch the following video. Go to the "Tips for Blogging" page here and then share your thoughts (via comments below) on your reaction to using a blog in our class by answering the following questions: Have you blogged before? How do you think it might be helpful? What is your biggest concern? What might be fun about blogging here?
Let's get started!
Blogs in Plain English:
We will learn some cool easy Web 2.0 tools to help you complete assignments and projects. You may already know some and can teach me! Eventually, with your own blog or using something like Google docs, you can begin to create an eportfolio of your work. This blog is different from our BB site because it allows you to embed projects, comment directly on other's work, read postings from guests, and more. There will be plenty of guidelines for you to follow and information on how, when, why, etc. So don't freak out! We will ease into it and I promise it will enhance your learning and not just take time away from your studies.
Take the survey on web tools (posted on BB) and watch the following video. Go to the "Tips for Blogging" page here and then share your thoughts (via comments below) on your reaction to using a blog in our class by answering the following questions: Have you blogged before? How do you think it might be helpful? What is your biggest concern? What might be fun about blogging here?
Let's get started!
Blogs in Plain English:
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