The Future of Education: A Blended Approach to Virtual Learning
Julia Froese, Grade 12 IntroductionIn the past decade, technology has experienced a pattern of exponential growth within industry, business, and now, education. With the advent of the digital age, communication has become much more fluid and accessible, leading to a rise in investments regarding social media and computer science. However, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions had only touched the surface of … Continue reading The Future of Education: A Blended Approach to Virtual Learning
The Safety Behind Synthetic Biology Vaccines
Jennifer Zhong, Grade 11 As COVID-19 deaths and cases rise, rapid vaccine safety, development, and distribution become extremely important to potentially solve this world crisis. A myriad of people, over 105 million, have been infected with COVID-19 and well over 2 million have passed away as of February 2021 [7]. The numbers continue to climb. During a global pandemic such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, … Continue reading The Safety Behind Synthetic Biology Vaccines
Plastic Pandemic of 2020: How Our Growing Expectations for Nature Conservation Through Recycling Tumbled by Global Crisis
Isabella Oliveros, Grade 10 In 2020, a coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 left a destructive aftermath on the wellbeing of the United States of America and the world alike. The virulent strain was classified as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and has devastated millions of people, businesses, families, and workers since (1). 14% of Americans have been hospitalized by this global pandemic, and the quality of … Continue reading Plastic Pandemic of 2020: How Our Growing Expectations for Nature Conservation Through Recycling Tumbled by Global Crisis
The Environmental Cost of COVID-19: A Plastic Pandemic
Angela Zhu, Grade 12 While the COVID-19 virus has halted economies and separated families around the world, it has unintended yet devastating consequences on the environment in the form of plastic. From masks to gloves, the personal protective equipment (PPE) that is necessary in the fight against the pandemic is piling up in landfills and polluting oceans. While many other industries have been on the … Continue reading The Environmental Cost of COVID-19: A Plastic Pandemic
Depression May Be Linked To Specific Lipid Ratios Within The Body
Joyce Chen ’23 Depression is a chronic disease that affects quality of life by reducing one’s interest in basic activities and hobbies due to continual feelings of sadness and low self-esteem. Previous studies have proposed that low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels play a key role in depression because of changes in serotonin and lipid metabolism. There is little research on how depression is affected … Continue reading Depression May Be Linked To Specific Lipid Ratios Within The Body
The Effects of Social Anxiety on Decision-Making and Recognition of Facial Expressions
Joyce Chen ’23 Facial expressions are one of the fundamental methods by which we perceive others. However, our perceptions can be faulty. Perceptual decision-making for recognizing facial cues is biased by our personal attitudes, social knowledge, and stereotypes. Despite there being numerous studies on this process, not much is known about how perceptual decision-making occurs in individuals with anxiety symptoms. Dr. Aprajita Mohanty, a Stony … Continue reading The Effects of Social Anxiety on Decision-Making and Recognition of Facial Expressions
Reprogramming Cells May Reverse the Aging Process
Sooraj Shah ’24 Aging is a natural process by which cells are progressively unable to divide as efficiently as before, causing cell death and lysis as the functions of the cell slowly begin to decline. The main contributor to this are the telomeres at the end of our chromosomes. Telomeres get shorter as cells divide because replication cannot copy the “lagging end” of the chromosome. … Continue reading Reprogramming Cells May Reverse the Aging Process
Thalamocortical Associated Brain Injuries May be Linked to Behavioral Changes
Sooraj Shah ’24 The discussion of brain injury, particularly in contact sports such as boxing or football, has grown in importance as more and more former athletes speak out on the lingering effects years after retirement. The discovery of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in 2002 marked the beginning of increased attention and research into traumatic brain injuries (TBI). While CTE was found to spread throughout … Continue reading Thalamocortical Associated Brain Injuries May be Linked to Behavioral Changes
Loss of NG2 Glia Implicated in Emergence of Depression Symptoms
Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Glia are non-neuronal cells that host and provide a number of homeostatic ancillary functions in both the central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous systems. Though only recently discovered and characterized, glial cells vastly outnumber neurons and provide them with structural support and insular protection, driving their myelination (the process of forming coverings known as myelin sheaths that coat neurons’ signaling axons), facilitating … Continue reading Loss of NG2 Glia Implicated in Emergence of Depression Symptoms
Stabilization of BBB Junction Protein Attenuates Epileptic Brain Activity
Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Epilepsy is a chronic central nervous system disorder characterized by abnormal neuronal activity in the brain that triggers repeated, spontaneous seizures. Treatment-resistant epilepsy has previously been linked to disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a semipermeable network of close-packed endothelial (border) cells and capillaries that controls the influx of solutes circulating in the bloodstream into the extracellular fluid of the brain. The … Continue reading Stabilization of BBB Junction Protein Attenuates Epileptic Brain Activity
The Effect of Coffee and Caffeine on Healthcare Workers in Iran
Yukta Kulkarni ’22 Coffee, specifically the consumption of caffeine, is prevalent across the world. When studying the effects of caffeine on psychological disorders, previous studies have led to inconclusive results. However, most of the research has been completed in Western and first-world countries. Since there are differences in culture and nutrition in varying regions, it is important to see the effects of caffeine in other … Continue reading The Effect of Coffee and Caffeine on Healthcare Workers in Iran
A New Treatment Can Reprogram Macrophages to Kill Cancer Cells
Yukta Kulkarni ’22 Cancer is a disease in which there is uncontrollable cell growth in any part of the body. The migration of the cancer cells from the origin to other parts of the body is called metastasis, causing malignant tumors. Cancerous cells can be aided by other cells found in tissues such as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMS) that stimulate tumor growth, prompt metastasis, and promote … Continue reading A New Treatment Can Reprogram Macrophages to Kill Cancer Cells
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