January 9, 2012

Volume 1, Issue 18

Biomedical Sciences Village

Elkhorn Crossing School

The BMS Villager BMS STUDENTS “SHOWING OFF”

It’s no secret that ECS has a lot of visitors every day. Visitors

often want tours of the building and to know more about the in-

novative methodologies being utilized by the teachers and stu-

dents. After having to head up most of those tours last year, Dr.

O’Hara (with the help of Mrs. Nichols and Mrs. Mingua) decided

to ask students to apply to be part of the ECS student ambassa-

dors. In the beginning, these students simply worked together to

give tours of the building and villages, but the program has

grown considerably! Dr. O’Hara now has put together

“packages” for visitors, which include a tour, a student panel for

Q & A, and demo presentations that include all three styles of

presentation. Students in BMS are experts (or becoming ex-

perts) in all three styles and are often called upon to do a demo

presentation. The BMSV has the most representation on the

ambassador list, but there is always room for more! Sign up to-

day!

RADIATION, HALF-LIFE, DECAY, AND CANCER!

Juniors are currently starting a new unit in Medical Interven-

tions named “How to Conquer Cancer”, in which students will

become familiar with the causes, diagnostic techniques, preven-

tative measures, and treatments dealing with different forms of

cancer. The faculty worked together so that these students

would be examining radio activity, half-life, and decay during

chemistry class, thereby connecting major treatment and diag-

nostic techniques with the basic chemistry that underlies them.

Additionally, in Pre-Calculus, students will also be examining

the mathematical basis of decay.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

The Week in BI ............................... 2

The Week in MI .............................. 2

Student Spotlights……….…………..2-3

The Week in HBS ........................... 3

YLP Information ............................ 4

Blast from the Past ......................... 4

Lab Notes ....................................... 4

IMPORTANT DATES

NO SNOW DANCES! —ECS Faculty to all students

By Julia Rusch (MI, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry)

I have been learning about logarithms in my Pre-Calculus class for a couple of weeks now. Howev-er I am not just learning about them in Pre-Calculus but also my other two classes as well; by having my classes integrated I not only learn a skill but I also learn how it will be used in real life situations. In Biomedical, my class and I are con-ducting a lab where we take our own DNA, and go through the process of collecting and analyzing it. In chemistry I am learning about Ions, Atoms, and how to write compound formulas.

Thoughts on yearlong project: My partner and I are doing our YLP on whether omnivores or vege-tarians are healthier. We are testing our subjects on both mental and physical health, which will help us determine which life style is the best. I am looking forward to finding the answer to our question and conducting this experiment.

THE WEEK IN BIOMEDICAL INNOVATIONS

THE WEEK IN MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS,

MATH AND CHEMISTRY

BI Seniors started Mission #4 on Environmental

factors that affect health. Through out the Mission,

they will have to determine the cause of an illness

that is plaguing one family. Students will also work

in groups to investigate environmental factors that

affect health in the Georgetown and Scott County

area.

JUNIOR STUDENT SPOT-

LIGHT

Julia Rusch

Age: 16

Years in Biomedical: 3

College Plains: I plan to either go

to U of L or to U of K and major

in Biology. Then I plan to go to

Medical School so that I can be-

come a Pediatrician.

Career Goals: I am not sure

whether I want to become a sur-

geon or a general physician but

either way I would love to help,

and work with kids.

Hobbies: I love to read, play vol-

leyball, lounge and hang out with

my friends and family.

2

THE WEEK IN HUMAN BODY SYSTEMS, MATH,

AND BIOLOGY

By Madison Rexroat (HBS, Algebra 2, Biology)

The past week in the Biomed village has not just been recovering from two weeks of

Christmas break. Coming back from presentation week in December, we’ve started learn-

ing what feels like new things in each class. Even though we had already started to learn

about these topics before Christmas break, we’ve really had to review before we moved on

to something new.

In order to do that, in algebra 2, Mrs. Wells has been helping us review radicals while also

teaching us new things such as factoring, adding, and multiplying them. In biology, we’ve

been learning all of the ins and outs of photosynthesis which may sound like an easy les-

son, but when you’re learning the specifics, it can be tough. However, Ms. Orear is doing a

great job helping us through it so that we can learn how an important part of our environ-

ment produces energy that we all use. Finally, in Biomed, Dr. Adams has been teaching

us about the endocrine system and how it works with our nervous system to help our body

function properly. Even though the rest of the year will be filled with schoolwork and

learning some hard lessons, all of the students in the Biomed village are going to put forth

hard work and effort and are looking forward to an even better semester that will move us

one step closer to becoming successful workers in the medical field.

Thoughts on Year Long Project: I think that my year long project has been going really

well. My partner and I work well together and I think we have a project that will give some

important results. Since we’ve noticed the growing number of girls our age wearing high

heels more often, we’re trying to find if wearing high heels affects blood pressure and

heart rate. During the December presentations, we definitely had some pre-presentation

jitters but we actually did really well and learned important presentation skills. Now, as

we move into the actual experiment for our year long project, we hope to find important data for our

classmates and other women as well as having fun along the way.

BMS Village students Jordan Peters, Kayla Ritchie, and Sydney Raulinaitis

were interviewed by a Georgetown News-Graphic Reporter.

3

SOPHOMORE STUDENT

SPOTLIGHT

Madison C. Rexroat

Age: 15

Years in Biomed: 2

College Plans: I plan to com-

plete 4 years of college and then

proceed to medical school.

Career Goals: I hope to become

an anesthesiologist to make it

possible for people to endure

surgeries that are necessary for a

better life.

Hobbies: Some hobbies that I

enjoy are playing tennis, watch-

ing movies and TV, and playing

the Wii.

.

BMS VILLAGE AT ECS

The BMS Village at ECS combines

courses in career pathway of Bio-

medical Sciences and the core aca-

demic pathway of Mathematics and

Science to prepare students for

professional schools that lay be-

yond the traditional 4-year college

degree. Via collaborative and coop-

erative methods, students learn to

apply science and math concepts in

real-world situations. Additionally,

real-world work skills are obtained

by participating in projects and

activities that focus on strengthen-

ing work ethic and honing presen-

tation, writing, and critical thinking

abilities.

Presentations are over and Proposals have been turned in...the real work

starts in January when the ordering, experimenting, and analyzing all

begin!

BMS Village at ECS

2001 Frankfort Pike

Georgetown, KY 40324

Dr. Adams: julye.adams@scott.kyschools.us

Mrs. Wells: pam.wells@scott.kyschools.us

Miss Orear: sarah.orear@scott.kyschools.us

Phone: 502-570-4920

Fax: 502-863-2610

YOUR LOGO HERE

YEAR-LONG PROJECT INFORMATION

We made the Graphic! Check out these links to the stories!

http://www.news-graphic.com/news/article_8d8266cc-372a-11e1-a1ef-0019bb2963f4.html?success=1

CHECK OUT DR. ADAMS’ ONLINE CLASSROOM FOR VILLAGE INFO!

http://www.scott.kyschools.us/olc/teacher.aspx?s=2283

LAB NOTES

BLAST FROM THE PAST

HEART DISSECTIONS WITH NOW JUNIORS KATHERINE COUNTS

AND DREW CRUM