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The Reflection• What additional research could you do into this topic?
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AboutI interviewed Mrs. Babette Shoemaker on May 27, 2016. I found Mrs. Shoemaker by attending the same school that she currently works at. She is an analytical, biological, general, and organic chemistry and microbiology teacher at Ocean Lakes High School. I met with her in her classroom. She was extremely kind and very helpful and answered my questions thoroughly. The following are questions that were asked during the interview along with shortened answers from Mrs. Shoemaker. Some answers have been slightly modified for clarity. PointWhat is your experience with mass spectrometry?
ReactOverall, the interview with Mrs. Shoemaker was highly informative and a great learning experience for me. I learned more about mass spectrometry for this experience, and I cannot thank Mrs. Shoemaker enough.
AboutI decided to take a break from learning about just mass spectrometry, and learn a bit more about blood as I am curious to if mass spectrometry can be used to detect blood cancers. So without further ado, I present my research on blood. Point
ReactThe blood is made of multiple components. This could possibly be a factor to consider if mass spectrometry is used to detect blood cancers. In order to accurately detect cancers, maybe blood fractionation could be used to separate these components from one another.
http://www.hematology.org/Patients/Basics/ I find this source extremely reliable because it is a verified American Society of Hematology. AboutAs stated in previous posts, I said I would be delving into two ionization sources that worked efficiently with biochemicals. The second ionization source that I delved into is the matrix assisted laser desorption ionization, or abbreviated as MALDI. Point
React[1] http://www.cif.iastate.edu/mass-spec/ms-tutorial#MALDI
[2] http://chemistry.emory.edu/msc/tutorial/mass-spectrometry-ionization.html [3] https://masspec.scripps.edu/mshistory/whatisms_details.php#Basics Today I sent out my interview request to my professional, Mrs. Shoemaker. She is a chemistry teacher at Ocean Lakes High School and teaches courses such as analytical chemistry and biochemistry. Here is the email that I sent to her today. May 10, 2016
Dear Mrs. Shoemaker, Hello. My name is Alisa Houghton, and I am a Math and Science Academy sophomore at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Math and Science Academy (MSA) at Ocean Lakes is a selective magnet program that provides rigorous math and science based courses that isn’t offered anywhere else in the city. The MSA and Ocean Lakes has provided me courses, such as AP Chemistry and magnet molecular biology, that have helped inspire my research topic. I’d like to delve into whether or not mass spectroscopy can be used to detect cancer in a patient. I am interested in this because I am someone who is interested in working in the medical field, and also because I believe that this could be a potential method for detecting cancers if the method is successful. I would be grateful to interview you to learn more about the procedures and basics of mass spectroscopy/spectrometry. If also possible, I’d also like to learn about possible pros, cons, and limitations the mass spectrometry procedure presents, especially when using a biochemical such as blood. Thank you for your time and consideration to work with me. If you have any questions that are needed to be answered, I am available through my e-mail, -----------. Sincerely, Alisa M. Houghton Cc: Allison Graves, Academy Advisor ABOUTI decided that I'd like to delve into one of the two ionization sources that worked efficiently with biochemicals and learn more about them to have a base of knowledge before my interview. My first ionization source I am studying is electrospray ionization, or ESI. POINT
REACTESI is a reliable ionization source due to its ability to produce multiple ions, work at atmospheric pressure, and work with biochemicals which typically are thermolabile. SOURCES
[1] http://www.cif.iastate.edu/mass-spec/ms-tutorial [2] http://chemistry.emory.edu/msc/tutorial/mass-spectrometry-ionization.html [3] https://masspec.scripps.edu/mshistory/whatisms_details.php#Basics AboutAs I started my research on mass spectrometry, I wanted to get a better feel for the basics, as I didn't feel like I covered enough in my first post. So I decided I would ask myself "What are the basics of mass spectrometry and its procedure?" Point
ReactAfter conducting the second round of research, I feel comfortable with saying that my basic understanding of mass spectrometry has been solidified. https://masspec.scripps.edu/mshistory/whatisms_details.php#Basics
Mass Spectrometry or Spectroscopy???Not going to lie, I had no clue what the difference was between the two. I figured they were basically the same thing so I used both terms interchangeably. Bad move on my part. So let's delve into what exactly is the difference between mass spectrometry and spectroscopy, and which one would I continue to focus on for my research.
Since my research topic centers around cancer detection, I wanted to focus my energy into the research that I thought might be more helpful in the detection. I chose to continue on my research with mass spectrometry because cancerous cells tend to be bigger in size and have an enlarged nucleus, both of which most likely affects the mass of the cell. Ionization Sources•Electrospray Ionization (ESI)
•Nanoelectrospray Ionization (nanoESI) •Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI) •Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI) •Desorption/Ionization On Silicon (DIOS) •Fast Atom/Ion Bombardment (FAB) •Electron Ionization (EI) •Chemical Ionization (CI) I realized there were a lot of sources, and then realized that there are probably only a few sources that work efficiently with biochemicals such as blood. As I kept looking further into my topic, I found that two worked very well with biochemicals. ESI and MALDI were worked with commonly with biomolecular mass spectrometry because of their excellent mass range and sensitivity. I decided I would narrow my research to those two sources. DEAR FUTURE SELF, YOU ARE WELCOME.Ocean Lakes High School
Seminar Proposal Date of Proposal: ________________________________ Name: Blog Address: Cellphone Number: Email Address: Topic: Question Driving Research Summary/Rational: Why is this topic relevant (personal, local, global, professional)? What will you be learning during the course of your research (what are your inquiry questions under your umbrella question—need at least four)? Which qualified professional(s) will you be interviewing as you are researching this topic? (Provide the information you will be using to make initial contact.) Name (Mr/Ms/Dr First and Last): Mailing Address: Phone Number Email Address What will be the focus for your interview? What information do you hope to learn? Action Plan: (may be in any format you like—calendar, table, paragraph, etc) What is your timeline for your sub-questions? How will you organize your ideas to make paper writing easier/more efficient—one blog entry per question? Per week? Abouts and points on a research page with reacts on blog entries? AboutSurgery. That's what I see myself doing in 15 years. I am so enthralled by the thought of surgery because of the various techniques, types, and skills required to cut someone open, fix the area that is in need of healing, suture (or staple) them back together, and make sure that they recover fully. Surgery just thrills me. It's one of the only things I can ever see myself doing and I don't plan on changing it. For this post, I will be focusing on the career side of things. Point
ReactI find this subject important to me because I am hoping that this will be my future career. I want to be educated in what it takes to be a surgeon. So I'm thinking for my senior project, shadow a surgeon, then break off into one of two (maybe three?) paths:
Sourceshttp://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/surgery.aspx
http://healthresearchfunding.org/10-interesting-facts-surgeons/ |
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