Laudato Si, CitizenScience, and ESW Photo Contest
This unit, in addition to learning about biological processes that require molecular movement, we learned about how we affect our planet on a daily basis, and we learned how we can give back to science even from our own homes. One of the first things that we talked about was Laudato Si. This is Pope Francis’s encyclical about caring for each other and the environment. Pope Francis reminded us that we all need to take care of each other, because we need each other to survive.
Connecting our learning with Pope Francis’s message, we explored the Citizen Science website, and participated in at least one citizen science project. Citizen science is so important because it allows anyone anywhere to be connected to each other, and help discover new species, find cures for diseases, or track animals as they migrate through the oceans. I helped watch brain scans of mice for stalls, which are key factors that scientists are studying to learn more about Alzheimer’s. Citizen Science is a super important project that helps people get involved, and I think more people should take part in it.
Another activity that we participated in was the Earth Science Week Photo Contest. This contest is open to all, and is another way that everyday people can get involved in science, raising money and awareness for things going on in our environment. I submitted a photo that I took of a tile floor, that reminded me of what you see when you look at farmland from an airplane. The squares and lines remind us how everything comes from the earth, and everything connects back to each other.
Overall, this season focused largely on connecting us to the people around us and our environment, reminding me how important it is to stay connected to the world around us, and be grateful for what we have.
AP Biology 