Spring Semester 2009

This semester is a heavy load as I had many requirements to meet to graduate in the spring, including a Diversity course, International Relations course, and a Critical Writing course. I sat down with my Biology advisor and got my schedule figured out... only to find out yesterday that I was shy 2 Biology credits and had to quickly add a course today for a total of 23 credits, yuck!! My courses are Human Form and Function, International Health Promotion, Ecology and Evolution, Gender and Contemporary Issues, Professional Writing, Introduction to Medical Professions, Independent Research, and Independent Directed Reading. I am also still working as a phlebotomist Thursdays and Saturdays so I am busy busy and trying to get into a rythum of juggeling my schedule.

Last semster I took a Vertebrate Morphology Class from a Dr. Farmer and really enjoyed the course. I finally deeply understood evolution and grasped the meaning and the gravity of it. She did alot of research on alligators and presented alot of it in class and I found it quite fascinating. She is simply brilliant! When I needed to find something to do for my Independent Research I asked her if she might have anything I could help her with. She placed me with one of her graduate students who is studying alligator intelligence. We give them two lighted levers of different colors and they are rewarded for the correct color. When they learn the color, we switch it on them and see how long it takes them to figure it out. I am working with 5, 2 year old alligators and I'm still in the training mode, just teaching them they get a food reward for pushing the lever. It is fun and gets my heart rate going sometimes reaching in their tanks to grab them but I'm getting used to it.

For my Independent Directed Reading class I will be studying the enviromental factors in the formation of cataracts and how to prevent them. Of course a term paper will be due but it will be nice to be able to read what I want, something that interests me, and pull it into a cohesive paper. I can fortunetely tie that in with a presentation I have to do for my International Health class, as I will present on Cataracts in Indonesia, the reasons for the high prevelance and how it lowers quality of life for themselves and offspring, and end effect how it contributes to poor economic conditions in the country. I will also be doing a half hour lecture on the Evolution of Color Vision in Hominini for my Human Form and Function class. So although busy, it should be a fun semester and I hope to learn alot.