Eukaryotic Plant Cell

If I had to choose a cell to be, I would like to be a Eukaryotic Plant cell. One of the first reasons of why I choose to be this type of cell is because it is extremely complex and I find myself to be a complex person. Second of all they can produce their own food which is a great advantage since cells need energy to live and work and what gives the cell energy is the food consumed. Plant Cells also have chlorophyll, which gives them the green colour this enables them to use sunlight and transform water and carbon into sugars and carbohydrates, in other words, produce energy. Plant Cells also have a protective wall structure which is a good protective system. Another reason of why I choose to be a Eukaryotic Plant cell is because of their specialized structures: The rigid cell wall, mainly for protection, the central vacuole which is used for storage function, it´s location is on the middle of the cell. There are also the plasmodesmata which are narrow channels that act as bridges to make the communication and transport of materials easier. Last but not least there are the chloroplasts in other words the food producers. The only one disadvantage I found in this cell is the fact that not all of them have the flagellum, the part of the cell that allows it to move. In conclusion I choose this cell the because of its many advantages and its complexity and of course because of the way it makes all that complexity work.

Register project on e-Portfolio: explain how it started, what you had to do, how your team worked, what you discovered, etc, etc, etc. Upload your presentation to your e-Portfolio. Write a self-evaluation: how did this project contribute to your science knowledge? How was it for you to work on different skills (leadership, organizational, time management, teamwork, etc)? 2! (Corect)

Well, this project was complex and completed very slowly. First of all we were put into groups,  we were suppose to act as real nutrition experts and choose one diet for a short term and another one for a long term. For this we had to analyze three menus and choose two. For this we had to research about the six types of nutrients and how they were included in the three diets. After reaching a decision, we had to put all that we have learned together and write arguments, using our new and old knowledge of nutrients and show these arguments for our menu choices in a presentation.  My team was great! We all did what we were supposed to do and had the presentation done before the due date. One of the members did not come for the whole preparation week, but made it up to us by presenting his part just the way he had, just as the rest of the group did. We also gave all of us extra homework and the group did it without any complains, even though the extra homework was simple.  Each one of us had to find good nutrition websites for research, write the arguments for each menu and of course, the presentation so that we could present.  Our group learned many different new things, such as the fact that carbohydrates make up 60% of our daily calories, also that lipids work as insulators and are also our second source of energy (carbohydrates are the first). Proteins can be found in meats and dairy products and that there are a lot of varieties of vitamins and minerals, which can be specified, since each one does something different to our body and provides us something different as well.
We learned that there are six nutrients and that each one of them has a different characteristic and help our body in a different way.

1)      Water- Water eliminates toxins from our body and it helps us reduce calories 3% faster. Water should be taken in abundance, in average eight glasses a day.

2)      Vitamins- Vitamins are very helpful for our body, since they build up a good immune system and some of them are taken for specific things, for example, Vitamin C, which can be found in Carrots, and Oranges, is good for a healthy hair and it also helps the vision. Not all Vitamins need to be taken in by food, for example, if you spend an average of fifth teen minutes in the sun everyday you will absorb Vitamin D.

3)      Minerals- Minerals, like vitamins have a specific “job”, one of them is Calcium, which can be found in dairy products, and helps us get stronger teeth and bones. Iron is also a mineral and it helps transport oxygen to the blood and to the muscles cells.

4)      Carbohydrates- Carbohydrates also known as Carbs, they are our first source of energy. Carbs can be found in many different daily foods, such as bread, pasta, rice and many others. As said above Carbohydrates make up 60 percent of the calories we consume per day. Some Carbs also provide Vitamin B. (Vitamins are also a Nutrient).

5)      Proteins- Proteins which can mainly be found on meat and dairy products. Proteins help build up muscles and muscles tissues and it only makes up 20 percent of our daily calories. When taken in abundance can cause kidney problems.

6)      Lipids/Fats- Lipids also known as Fats ,if are taken in abundant amount everyday and it becomes a routine, they can cause highly serious health problems, such as heart diseases. Apart from this, Lipids/Fats are our second source of energy, they also act as insulators, which means they keep a stable temperature and they protect the organs. Fats/Lipids are also stored so when your body needs something it will take it from that storage.

Self-Evaluation: This project brought me many skills and new knowledge I did not know of. I had no idea of how only one food could contain so many different nutrients. Being the leader of our group was a great experience, since I am new at the school and I got to see how group work works in Science class. Something I was very happy about is that everyone did their work and all presented their parts extremely well!

http://www.slideshare.net/MarinaTF/meals-on-wheals

“What was the purpose of these first two days of school and what are my plans for this year?”

The first two days of school were really dynamic and fun, but it was not for waste. The purpose of doing the Marshmallow Challenge and watching the videos was for us to learn many different things. One of them was that there are many ways to learn something, but whatever method you choose you have to spend a great amount of time on this one thing you want to learn, to actually get it. Another interesting thing we learn was that most successful people worked extremely hard to get where they are today and that if we have a passion for something we should also work as hard as they did. Group work was also implemented in one of our activities. Concluding all of this, the main message I got from these first two days of classes, is that to learn something and to be able to do it perfectly you will have to fail and try again many times.

My plans for this year, besides getting good grades and getting to know how Chapel works are to learn new things and become more organized with handouts and loose papers and of course be able to give in all homework and assignments on time.