Eukaryote Games

This is the last day of lecture with Dr. Wan. I am feeling a little bit discouraged because I will miss the way of her lecturing. The last topic is about eukaryotic cells.

To learn this topic, we dont need to sit and hear the lecture but we play games. There are 6 groups in my class so there are 6 games overall. Every group have different ways to play the games. The games are Kahoot, flip card, word puzzle, treasure hunt, bingo and musical chairs. All of the groups are so creative to create new games rule based on a classical one.

Kahoot

Flip Card

Crossword Puzzle

Treasure Hunt

Musical chair

Bingo

My group organize the bingo. During the discussion for the game, several days before we play the games, the discussion was very effective and everyone gave out ideas of their own on how to play the bingo. Of course there are some clash of idea and some argument happen before we can decide the best way. The activities teach me on how to cooperate with my group members and how to be considerate on others and follow the majority opinion.

I cannot pick which group is the most fun because all of the games are fun but not very perfect so none is the best (I am a little bit perfectionist). The most creative one is the treasure hunt because the idea is new but the game rules can be improved a lot more. Musical chairs is the funniest game for me. It is very funny to see my friends scramble for the chairs but the way of giving mark is a little bit weak. The game that I think need to be improved a lot in the future is the flip cards game. The rule is too tight for a 15 minutes game. If we play for an hour then it will be very boring. The game also exceed 15 minutes and the progress was very slow. The probability to find the right answer in the flip cards were low in the time given. They should decrease the number of flip cards.

For my group, I had heard comments that a lot of them said they are not satisfied with the answer given. In the future, my group should check the answer again and again as a lot of the questions are taken from the internet so we aspect that the answer are all correct.

Lastly, I enjoyed the activities and it teach me a lot of new knowledge mentally and physically.

Memories for last class

Prokaryote Quiz.

In this lesson I still learn about prokaryote. We learn about the transport system on the plasma membrane such as active transport, passive transport and osmosis. 

But this week my lecturer held a test in the class. She conducted the test by displaying the question on the screen in front of the class and we all answer the questions together but cannot discuss or copy our friend's answer.

I think I learned the most in this way of learning because I answer the question based on only what I remembered in our lesson before. I did not study before the test start. This resembled the percent of my focus in the class. I am glad I can answer 70% of the question correctly. That is because maybe my focus is only 70% in the class. I also know the technique to deal with the question that I cannot answer. I just use my logic and a little bit telepathy to sense the right answer. Sometimes I get the right answer but sometimes not.

In conclusion, if I were to turn back the time and do the class all over again, I will read the notes to top up the 30% and pick the answer not based on telepathy.

P/s: Telepathy that I mean here is the good feeling that I feel when I choose an answer.

Microscopy & Prokaryote

In this topic, I learned about types of microscope. Before this I believe that there are only 3 types of microscopy technique. They are light microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). I am surprised to know that there are more than 3 types of microscopy technique. Their name are also very alien to me such as confocal microscope, Normaski differential interference contrast (DIC) micorscopy, phase contrast microscopy and fluorescence microscope. Every and each of them have different ability. Some create 3D image, can analysed the thickness of specimen, can see outer layer of the cell, can see through the cell and can see the colour of specimen. Even the same specimen that had been put under these microscopes can produce different micrograph. 

Different types of microscope

Phase contrast micrograph

DIC micrograph

SEM micrograph

I also just know that there are also many types of stain other than gram-positive and gram-negative. These types of stain have different purpose. For example, there are special stain for flagella. This is to enhance the shape of flagella under the microscope so that we can observe it more clearly.

Flagella stain. We can see the flagella clearly here.

Before class, we were given task to make an online mind map about prokaryote. But during the class all of us need to write the mind map on the whiteboard again together. I was thinking the word that I remember from the mind map and quickly go in front and wrote 'glycocalyx' before anyone wrote the same word because everyone was scrambling to write on the board. It was funny because everyone was like pushing each other to write their word because maybe they also felt like me. The funniest part is when the mind map is complete, it did not look like completed. Just see the picture I attached. From this activity I learn more about team work, communication and the art of systematic.

Expectation

Reality. Reality hurts.

The other activity that I think help me to learn is when we use quizzlet. We need to put terms that we remember with its definition in 20 minutes. Then take the test about the terms that we had typed in. Generally, I make the questions and I answer the questions. In my mind I thought "You should get full mark at this rate seriously". But I get 1 wrong because I type 'ENDOSPORES' instead of 'ENDOSPORE'. So annoying. This reminds me that I am more intelligent than the computer so why make them do all of my work. I am motivated to not too rely on computer when completing my assignments.

So at the end of the topic I should know how to differentiate between different types of microscope so when I meet one after this I am not too amazed as a biotechnology faculty's student.

Just for fun

Introduction to Microbiology

This semester I am learning the subject Microbiology.This is my first time learning about microbes in details. Before this, I only know about the types of microbe such as bacteria, algae, virus and fungi.My first impression of the subject is nothing. I just thought of it as a subject that I need to take in my course and just learn about it. But I love to see the creatures under the microscope. I like to search them under the microscope and when I find them I feel very satisfied with my own effort.

In the first class I thought the class will be like the other class but it was very different from the other class. The class is not very formal. It was just like a gathering to learn about microbiology.

The first topic that I learn is Introduction to Microbiology. I learn a lot of new and interesting facts in this topic. I am very fascinated when I know that bacteria can be in a form of art. It is very beautiful. It can be in the shape of flower or just an abstract.

Bacteria in the form of art

I also feel amazed  when I know about watermelon snow. Watermelon snow is a type of algae in the snow that will turn to red when it sense pressure, for example human's footstep. The algae is Chlamydomonas nivalis.

Watermelon snow

Chlamydomonas nivalis

I also know new things that there are the biggest virus in the world. It is even bigger from some other bacteria.

Pandoravirus

The thing that changed my view toward microbiology is that how to memorize the name of the microbes. Before this, I thought it is very hard because it is so confusing to memorize them.But now I know that I need to understand the origin and history of the microbe to memorize their name.

In the class, I learn a lot from our way of discussion that is to share the information we know with everyone. We also use the internet a lot to find information. This way of learning helps me a lot to understand and do not stress out myself. I love to play the quiz on Kahoot because it is really fun and I enjoy it. But the bad side of it is that it needs internet connection which is a little bit hard to get.

Now I know that this subject is very important to me. The benefits of the microbe will be important in my course when I am doing any research. At this moment, bit by bit I am going to continue to love microbiology.

Summary from Week 1-7

Throughout the weeks that I have learned with my lecturer was very fun. At first I thought my lecturer will be very very strict but it is not like that. She is very friendly and cheerful person. I have a good time learning from her.

Everything that I had learned in the few weeks some had change my views towards it, some had add my knowledge, some were unlogical and some made me confuse whether to trust it or just learn it.

In the class, I enjoyed doing SCL because the discussion is very relaxed and convenient. I also found that the discussion stimulate my thinking skills. In school the discussion are held outside of the class so we are quite lost but here the lecturer are with us and ready to guide us. It is a very new experience to me as I get to know my friends in a different way. Other than the stereotype one, which we say our name and others, I know my friend by the way they are thinking and the way they interact with friends.

The best experience is when I get to be a cartoonist to draw and design the comic assignment. I don’t even know that I can draw that good actually. I just like colouring before and I will just draw when I am bored and have nothing else to do other than sleeping.

The other experience that I will not forget is walking to BioTech 3. I don’t know if it is good or bad experience. Sometimes it feels okay but sometimes it is hard. The good feeling comes when at least I know where is the building located. I also know that there are two ways to go there and while walking I can see animals that I cannot found at other places other than that street in UPM such as goat, snakes, flamingos and birds. I was quite excited actually. The hard thing is when it is raining, we don’t have other choice other than just walk through it. Even with an umbrella I am still soaking wet when I reached my room. The building is far away from other buildings in the campus so it took quite a long time for me to reach there. The furthest I walked is from Faculty of Science to BioTech 3.

The last experience is the most informational experience I know when preparing this journal. It is knowing how to create a blog. Before this I am not interested to have a blog and still I am. But for this task at least I know how to create a blog. I have asked my friends how to create a blog but most of them just tell me to google the way. I am quite frustated actually because no one want to teach me so I just find the way to create it in the internet on my own. It takes me a day of my weekend just to create it. At last I can create it and feel relieved. So this is the result even it does not look professional. 

This is maybe the last post in this blog. I just want to give my appreciation to Dr. Parames for teaching me passionately for over 7 weeks and my friends that had help me in a lot of ways for this course. I hope I can pass this subject with flying colours.

This is my faculty (BioTech 1). It is the main building of the faculty where the main offices located.

This is BioTech 3. It is where a lot of lab and lecturer's offices located.

Week 7: Hormone in Plants

This week will be the last lecture with my lecturer because she had finished teaching her part. The last topic is Hormone in Plants. This also not new to me because I had learned it in high school but not that specific. I just know their name and their function.

Unfortunately, this week the haze is so thick. The Air Pollution Index had increased to 260. It is in the range of very unhealthy so the class for that day were all cancelled. Because of that the class were not held. We only had another 1 hour for lecture and it is not enough for us to finish the topic. My lecturer just can explain the first part of the topic so she said that we can read by our own or if we still don’t understand we can still had another class with her.

Plant hormone

I think I learned the best from watching video so I will just find some video about plant’s hormone. If I found the video is boring I can switch to reading mode to read the lecture note and understand more about it.

Week 6: Pollination and Development of Plant

The next week of my campus life, I learned about Pollination and Development of Plant Embryo. The topic is quite familiar to me because I have learned it in high school but for me the process of pollination is quite complicated for me especially the double fertilization and I have forget some part of the fertilization.

Double fertilization

The thing that made me interested in the topic was when the lecturer explained about the cultured plant. Actually I have heard about it for the first time when I am in Form 4. From that moment I was interested to know more about it. But unfortunately I am not exposed too much about that after I finished high school. So I almost forget about my passion but when I was going to choose the course to study in degree I remember it back and try my luck by selecting the course. Then I get the spot in the course in UPM even it is not my first choice, but it is still in my passion. After I see the subject I will learn when I am in the course, I am quite excited because there were subject Applied Science for Plants that I will learned maybe in the third or fourth year. It made me remember straight away to callus because that it the thing that I was very excited to see.

Process to culture plants

During the class my lecturer brought some example of the cultured plant. At first I am very excited because I thought at last I can saw callus in real life. But I am just a little bit disappointed because my lecturer brought the one that had differentiated. I am expecting to see the undifferentiated one but after I had learned about it I just know that not all plant undergo callogenesis and there are some parts of the plant that we need to use to make sure it undergo callogenesis.

Callus

During the class we also did some SCL activities about cell division. We need to complete a flow chart about cell division. For me that activity is quite fun. We also get to discuss the thing that we were not sure before so that we can complete the flow chart. I think that discussion was one of the most productive discussion I had done before in the class.    

 Flow chart

If I were to get the chance to turn back the time. I would pay more attention in the class and maybe do some research before I entered the class so I will not be so lost as I was before and can understand better in the class. My lecturer had done a good job explaining to me but I am the want that need to work harder.