FYS Thoughts and Musings

“Damnit, another bad registration time,” I thought to myself after picking up my PIN number from resident Latin professor and advisor, Mary Pendergraft. I hadn’t taken the first look at the classes being offered this semester, but I knew I had to face the inevitable. It was time to pick a First Year Seminar. As soon as I reopened my Virtual Campus WIN page, I noticed the various FYS courses beginning to fill. My relaxation immediately turned to panic, and my carefree outlook on class selection suddenly became cutthroat determination. After seeing the “all we do is watch movies” FYS fill up rather quickly, I decided to settle on a course entitled “Harnessing Life’s Molecular Machines: From AIDS Tests to Hydrogen Cars.” What ensued was a semester of biology, business, presentations, and more tiny quizzes then I had in my high school Latin class.

At the beginning of the semester, I was very skeptical. I had heard the disclaimers from fellow students, but despite these warnings, I decided to continue on. The first day of class we were issued genetic code soccer ball. As I pondered why I was holding this ball I thought, “Nice and colorful. Should keep things interesting.” After learning how the ball was to be used, that simple colorful object suddenly became a complicated enigma that I still cannot quite figure out. It was also something that could be easily lost, as I also found out within the first 3 weeks of class. Losing that small soccer ball cost me roughly 1 point for every quiz we took, but this loss of points did not hold a candle to the amount of points possible we could earn in the class.

The complex breakdown of points in this class proved to be both a benefit and a burden. Reflecting back today, I still do not full understand why this particularly complicated grading system was used. I never knew how many points I had received, what constituted an “intelligent comment,” why we were forced to blog, and why we had to email the professor what we contributed in a class discussion. I felt that some things, such as intelligent comments and discussion points should be recorded by the professor, and recorded on the spot in class. To make it even easier, it could have all been lumped into the ambiguous “participation” category characteristic of college level courses. The “blogging” requirement came across as an attempt to add material to otherwise unread academic blog (let’s face it, people only want to read about sex, lies, gossip, and Brittany Spears’ crotch these days). That being said, the various components of this grading system did give students an opportunity to generate points for completing the smallest of tasks such as emailing the professor an intelligent comment. Unusual grading system aside, the class did provide with new insight into the rapidly expanding nanotechnology industry.

Being more prone towards business, I was not expecting to enjoy learning about molecular biology. We hit the ground running during the first week of class, reading a couple chapters in a dense biology book and discussing complicated molecular components in class discussions. At that point I started feeling the strain on my business oriented mind. All this talk of DNA replication, amino acids, self assembly, and Feynman made me consider assuming the fetal position with my blanket and teddy, but I kept telling myself to stick with it and persevere. Then the time came to divide up into teams. These teams would each be assigned an advisor, which turned out to be a student from the BioBotz Company, and we would have these teams until the end of the semester. The team I was assigned became known as the Power Rangers. We rocked. Our newly formed team exhibited a strong, short lived cohesion typical of newly formed groups. We were eager to learn, young, and new to the ways of bionanotechnology. After being assigned our first paper, we realized that this class was going to be far from a typical pushover FYS. The paper needed to be five pages in length (no easy task in and of itself), and it had to cover material common for biology majors. Material common for biology majors is very difficult for non biology, business majors though. Needless to say, we cranked that paper out and turned it in with an air of great accomplishment. Unfortunately, that feeling of accomplishment did not last too long. After checking the syllabus, I found out that another paper was due the next week. I believe we were supposed to meet with our student advisor more often, but I only recall meeting once or twice. There wasn’t much need for a student advisor, but regardless our advisor gave us some good insight into how the class was structured, how the grading worked, and gave a little background into the BioBotz Company. As the papers continued getting more and more difficult, our team cohesion started to change into individualism. Like a wayward group of travelers stranded on an island, it soon became everyman for himself. Because the way the class was set up, extreme team unity was not really necessary, but it could have helped with the presentations.

After hearing the BioBotz Company give their presentation during class one day, I had some mixed thoughts about the class. The nanotechnology industry is very complex, requires expensive resources, and is often difficult to enter. At first, I thought the class was promoting starting companies that really made an impact on the industry, but then I realized that some of the focus was on short term, limited vision companies such as BioBotz. While the concept of biologically inspired plush toys is appealing to small children and teachers, is there really any more potential beyond that? My skepticism towards the concept may have tainted my opinion of the company, but I still remain convinced of two things. First, there is not a high demand for such an item. Second, from the information presented by the BioBotz team, the company is limited in growth potential by the very nature of their product. Obviously, these observations may not be accurate, but the glorification of their success as being the ultimate goal of this FYS left me drowning in a pool of disillusionment. While it was a unique idea, it has about as much potential as those internet t-shirt companies that teens in a computer generation have an affinity for. Unfortunately, due to the complex and expensive nature of nanotechnology, companies like BioBotz are really the only feasible solutions for college-aged students. That being said, Professor Kuhn’s startup company involving catfish disease prevention is a company that has large profit potential and substantial demand from a decent sized industry. This type of company is the type I feel should be apotheosized in the classroom.

While the creation of a company similar to BioBotz may not have been the best goal to set for the end of the semester, the class structure in general was well put together, hands on, and effective. I can honestly state that I have never had exposure to a class taught in the same manner as this FYS. It effectively utilized the use of hands on interaction through things such as the amino acid soccer balls, enhanced strep throat detection, and community center field trip. Used in conjunction with these hands on elements, lectures, outside readings, papers, quizzes, and PowerPoint presentations were used to assist in learning new, often complicated material. Team dynamics were fostered through compulsory meetings and team presentations. The students also helped other students learn the material through their presentations on specific subjects. Through this unconventional style of teaching, I felt that difficult concepts and problems in nanotechnology were confronted, analyzed, and solved in an environment conducive to genuine learning.

Professor Macosko, I thoroughly enjoyed taking your class. Regardless of the high level of difficulty, I enjoyed every minute of it from the balloon animals to the small quizzes. It was a great experience, and I’m sure your students to come will walk away with the same appreciation and respect for life’s molecular machines that I did.

Paper 4

My Experience “Harnessing Life’s Molecular Machines”


First year seminars are required for all freshman, so I had been looking over the list of available classes since it first came out in the summer. However, I had not anticipated just how fast most of these classes would fill up. Having learned from my first semester that registration times are a major factor in deciding what classes I would take, I hoped I would get a good time. I didn’t. So when it came time to register, I didn’t have many options available. I’m very interested in science, especially biology, so the one title that stood out to me was “Harnessing Life’s Molecular Machines: From Aids Tests to Hydrogen Cars.” At that point I didn’t really know what these “molecular machines” were, but it sounded like something I would be interested in, so I took a chance and signed up.
The first day of class really sparked my interest in the subject. We watched amazing 3-D animated videos of various molecular machines which portrayed the cellular structure in a way I had never seen it before. All of these different machines worked together perfectly to do various tasks. I was surprised just how much these cellular parts really did look like the “machines” I was used to seeing. We also discussed how these machines were already being applied to solve real-world problems. We passed around various products, such as HIV tests, that used molecular machines. I was definitely interested in the class at this point.
The first few days also warned me about how challenging the course would be. We were given lists of amino acids, a huge list of complicated vocabulary terms, and of course a brightly colored genetic code soccer ball. All of this seemed overwhelming at first, but I knew that we were not the first class to take this course, so it would not be impossible. I had taken biology classes before and currently, so this class seemed to fit right in with other things I was studying. Even though I was familiar with the genetic code, it took a while for me to figure out the soccer ball, but once I did, I understood just how useful it is. I knew this class would be a challenge, but I also knew I would learn a lot.
The text book reading was a good way to gain background information on the subject of molecular machines, and to see how they could potentially be used to in consumer products. This reading described the virtues and vices of molecular machines, explaining how useful they can be and what limitations they have. Although molecular machines perform the same overall functions of traditional machines, they work in very different ways. Instead of building things out of metal and plastic, these machines are formed from proteins and other molecules, which is a strange concept to grasp at first.
When it came time to write our first paper, I was not at all sure what I was going to write about. Our team was the last to select a topic, and the genetic code was not my first choice. I was not sure just how I was going to find some interesting machine when I was confined to the genetic code. I expressed this concern in the first meeting with our consultant, and she assured me that there was plenty to write about. When I looked further into the process of how the genetic code worked, I was amazed just how many machines were involved in processes such as replication, transcription, and translation. I decided that I would write about the process of DNA replication and the machines involved.
I cracked open my biology text book and began reviewing the process of DNA replication. I made note of all the different machines involved and how they worked together to copy DNA. I then looked up more detail on each of theses machines to find out more about their structure and function in the DNA replication process. The main machines I looked at were helicase, polymerase, and ligase. Then I learned something very interesting about all of these machines: they all work together as one big machine rather than completely individual machines as I had learned previously. With so much going on in the DNA replication process, I had no problem writing the first paper.
Shortly after the first paper was finished, I had to confront the task of the fist presentation. I was not sure what kind of presentation I needed or how I was going to make a presentation on the genetic code that wouldn’t put everyone to sleep. Luckily, our group was not the first to present. After seeing the first group present and hearing people’s feedback, I had a better idea of what the presentation was supposed to be and what kind of information and visual aids I should include. Still, I was pretty nervous for my first presentation, hoping I wouldn’t forget what I was supposed to say or talk too fast. However, I prepared myself as best I could and managed to give the presentation without too much difficulty. I was relieved knowing that the first big assignment was behind me.
At this point in the semester, I was pretty well settled into the course. Readings, discussions, and daily quizzes became routine. About this time, we went on our class field trip to the community care center. I did not know what to expect of this organization coming in, but I was amazed at what it was able to do for the community. It is by far the largest and probably the most advanced free clinic in the country. Just looking around, it was hard to believe that all of the different services that the clinic provided could be given free of charge. Doctors volunteered their time and companies donated funds to help this organization provide patients with much needed care. There are no stipulations of citizenship to receive help; the patients only have to live in North Carolina. This center is a great example of the entrepreneurship that this course encourages. Although this community care center is very successful, it relies entirely on donations and good will to operate and could not be implemented on the national scale.
When it came time to write the second paper, my task was to research how molecular machines could be implemented to solve real-world problems. I decided that it would save me some work if I stuck with the machines of the genetic code, so I began to look at applications of these machines. Since I am interested in the medical field, I decided to go with machines that could possibly cure diseases. The machine that looked most interesting to me was the spliceosome, a machine involved in cutting and splicing parts of the RNA strand. It turns out that theses machines have the potential to be used in a new form of gene therapy. The more I read about this SMaRT gene therapy, the more I realized just how far we have come in being able to manipulate genes. This information was exciting and I enjoyed researching it. The second presentation was much easier than the first since I knew what to expect and how to prepare the presentation. I was not nervous this time and the presentation went well.
One novel aspect of this class is the blogging. When I first hear about this requirement, I was not sure whether or not I would like it. However, the first few classes proposed such interesting and controversial discussions that I could not help but express my opinion. I found it easier to make a well-thought-out response when I could sit down and think about the question, rather than talking on the spot in class. In some situations, I prefer to talk in class, but the blog was definitely a nice alternative.
The third paper offered a very different opportunity than I had gotten used to. Rather than researching and discussing a new molecular machine, I chose to write a children’s story about machines I had already studied. I decided that I would write about the DNA replication “factory.” I set up the story as a class field trip tour of the factory in which a knowledgeable tour guide explains the process of DNA replication in a way children can understand, using analogies and cool-looking machines. There is a conflict in the story in which the main character makes a mistake and must own up to it, creating a moral to the story as well as molecular machine education. The story ended up having a sort of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” feel, hopefully making it alluring and interesting to children. This paper was by far the most fun writing assignment I’ve had so far at Wake.
Overall, I’m glad I decided to take the class. Although I really didn’t know what I was getting into when I signed up for it, I am pleased with what we have done so far. While the work was challenging, it was not impossible. The class was an interesting mix of biology and entrepreneurship, something I had not experienced before. Even though I do not plan on starting my own company, it was fun learning about how groups such as the Bio Botz can get funding and connections to create such a novel business from scratch. I feel that the class was definitely worth taking.

Final Paper

An Intriguing Class

As I signed up for classes during the worst time given out for freshman, I carefully scanned the choices of freshman seminars which had been depleted greatly from the first day of registration. I narrowed my preferences between a seminar about neurological disorders or one called Harnessing Life’s Molecular Machines. Thinking that neurological disorders would be impossibly hard I chose Harnessing Life’s Molecular Machines. The title mentions hydrogen cars, and my potential major is environmental science or engineering, so I thought this first year seminar would pertain to my interests. Over Christmas break, I received an email stating that there would be specific groups that studied different molecular machines within the subject given to their group. One group in particular, global warming, ignited my excitement for the course.

The first day of class, we were shown a complex animated view of the inside of a cell. Our professor proceeded to explain multiple molecular machines and their functions as they were rapidly shown throughout the video. The fluidity and ability for so many molecular machines to work together efficiently and effectively was amazing. I was eager to learn more about the way we could use such “nanoscale” machines to our advantage and how they occur in nature. I was more anticipating expanding my knowledge on what I thought I wanted to pursue as a career, molecular machines that could be used to combat global warming.

The next class, we were assigned groups. The last two groups to be assigned a topic were my group and another with global warming up for grabs. Finally, my group generously gave up the controversial topic to the other group. So, our group was given the genetic code to research which our professor thought up at that moment. Of course the one biological topic that I have always had trouble understanding was given to us. In that same class, we were given an extensive vocabulary list of biological terms that could possibly be referred to in the course. While looking over the terms, neurological disorders started to look really good. Yet, the molecular machines had potential to become very interesting. Also, I was unaware of the entrepreneurial side of the course. I have never studied entrepreneurship so this aspect of the class kept me in it and ready for the challenge. During the previous class, our professor and a group of students created their own company. The prospect of possibly starting a business greatly effected my decision to stick with the course.

Student presentations made up a large portion of the class. Students were encouraged to read outside material which was an online book about Bionanotechnology. Our professor gave a few lectures on his research and a few other topics, but the rest of our class time was student presentations. One lecture was on how to effectively write a paper on molecular machines. Even after a lecture about what was required of us during the course, it was still vague what our professor wanted us to do. We were each given the opportunity to choose a particular molecular machine to research that was related to our group. I chose DNA polymerase not knowing much about its function except for its use in Polymerase Chain Reactions. Our professor suggested we use in our presentation different media such as movies and pictures to keep the presentations interesting. For my first presentation, I found a video on youtube.com of a music video for Polymerase Chain Reactions. After each presentation, the class commented on the student’s work so that we could improve each time.

We were also given “consultants” for our group’s benefit. These were students who had previously taken the course some of which were members of the BioBotz Inc., the company started from the first Molecular Machines first year seminar. We were to meet with our consultants one day a week. Our consultant helped us organize our presentations and determine the best topics to research. This way our group had a cohesive three presentations.

The first presentation was very difficult. I was unsure of the material I was reading about. I did not know how to effectively explain the protein structure consisting of beta sheets and alpha helices. My presentation went alright, but it was my second presentation that I actually felt comfortable with the complicated material of which I was learning. I never knew how interesting molecular machines were. Even the small DNA polymerase has an essential function of which a cell is dependent.

Our class also consisted of a few guest lectures and a field trip. It was very interesting to see real life examples in person of how molecular machines benefit mankind. Our field trip was to the Community Health Center. It is most likely the largest free health clinic in the Northeast or possibly the United States. Unfortunately some classmates took a wrong turn which caused us to lose part of our short class time so we were a little rushed. One of the head people at the clinic gave us a quick tour explaining how they are able to meet low income family’s health needs for free or little cost. We also had an enticing discussion about universal health care. The man who gave us the tour disagreed with the idea of universal health care. Dr. Ray Kuhn gave a lecture or more a guided discussion on entrepreneurship and the business he started with a few of his dedicated students. There were a few other guest lecturers scheduled in our syllabus but were either unable to come or we did not have the time for them.

Our class also had many controversial and invigorating discussions. We discussed topics from are we just machines to global warming and biases in science. We also discussed entrepreneurship and how any creative idea can spark a successful company. All one needs is the passion to create such a venture.

For every presentation we had to write a paper that corresponded with the topic being studied. The last paper we had the choice to write a children’s story about our molecular machine. I wrote an adaptation of Rumplestilskin to illustrate the function of DNA polymerase to children and explain the importance of a co-factor. Many others wrote very creative children’s stories that could possibly be used for the BioBotz inc. developed by our professor and run by a group of Wake Forest students. The company’s mission is to excite learning of molecular biology and bionanotechnology at an early age through children’s stories that explore the inside of a cell, comic books, video games, and even possibly an animated movie. It was fun to contribute something to the company that was started by this first year seminar.

Before this class, I was unaware of how a topic that had never interested me, genetic code, could become a fascinating subject. Although hard to comprehend, molecular machines play an extremely important part in everyone’s life in regards to biology or even the environment.

This freshman seminar challenged me to explore new topics in science that I never thought to research. The class was a great mélange of discussion, student presentations, guest lectures, and field trips. Groups worked together to effectively explain the intricate molecular machines present in their subtopic and the applications of the molecular machines that were researched. I was impressed with myself and other classmates of our ability to describe such complicated and difficult material. Although it was a great course, I wish there had been more lectures by the professor or guest speakers. It was great practice to present so many times. However, students’ presentations can only be so interesting for a short period of time.