Friday, August 10, 2018

Our Western Sciences Potluck! - 11:00 - 3:30 in Room 201 on Monday, August 13th

Please join us on Monday, August 13th, for our Western Sciences Potluck

We'll be in Room 201 to celebrate our last week of the Summer Trimester.

And - as a special treat - come for our Biology Research Presentations at 9:00!

You are most welcome to bring family members to help celebrate too

And thank you Michelle!

Larry

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Biochemistry - 6 August - Cognition

Your Final Blog Assignments for Biochemistry!

Post your thoughts on one of our class discussions
Post a comment to a classmate's blog
Enjoy your break!

Your Biochemistry Paper is due on August 13th - our last class, and our Western Sciences Potluck!
"Integrating TCM and Biochemistry"
You may choose to select one of the topics presented in class as your focus, and I also welcome your own perspective on a different aspect of Biochemistry.
And you may bring your paper to class, or email a Word or pdf file - your paper should be 1000 words or so

Biophysics - 6 August - Bionics

Your Final Blog Assignments!

Ø Would you support the development of a “bionic” person?

Ø Would your opinion be any different if this were for a military purpose?

Ø Respond to a classmate’s blog

Your Biophysics Paper is due August 13th

- our last class, and our Western Sciences Potluck!
“Describe connections you can make between Biophysics and your TCM studies”
(500 to 1000 words)

You may bring your paper in on Monday, or email your Word or pdf file

Monday, July 30, 2018

Biochemistry - 30 July - Living Diversity

1. Blog Assignments

Ø “Restroom Hand Dryers Are Blowing Bacteria Everywhere”

What are your reactions to this?

Ø Post your thoughts on one of our class discussions

Ø Post a comment to a classmate’s blog

2. Check out the following links:

https://www.cbd.int/iyb/doc/prints/factsheets/iyb-cbd-factsheet-sustainable-en.pdf

Sustainable use of biological diversity

http://greatlakesecho.org/2014/03/27/from-indiana-to-latvia-connecting-the-seeds-of-environmental-justice-agricultural-biodiversity/

Connecting environmental justice and biodiversity

Biophysics - 30 July - Energy Medicine and Energy Fields

Blog assignments for this week:

Acupuncture as effective energy medicine
What conclusions can you draw from Kirlian photography
Human intent as it affects health
Respond to another classmate’s blog

Check out the following links on the Institutes of Biophysics in China:

http://users.eastlink.ca/~cabbages/psi/usbeijin.pdf
Institute of Biophysics, Academia Sinica, Beijing, China

http://english.ibp.cas.cn/rh/ri/
The Research group in the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R.China

http://159.226.118.206/detailt.aspx?newsno=8094
Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Biology - 30 July - Vaccination and Public Health Policy

Your Final Blog Assignments:

 Is compulsory vaccination the most effective public health policy in your view?

 Post a brief paragraph describing why you chose your Research Topic

 Post a comment to a classmate’s blog entry

Our Biology Research Presentations are next week!

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Class blog addresses

Here is the latest list of class blog address:

https://cheekyqi.blogspot.com/

https://ginamarks.wordpress.com/

alohachella.blogspot.com

CivilizedDiseases.wordpress.com

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Biochemistry - 23 July - Cell Biology and Radioactivity

Blog Assignments for Week Twelve - Cell Biology and Radioactivity

Ø Post your thoughts on one of our class discussions

Ø Check out the various links on cells in 2. below, and post your impressions.

Ø Post a comment to a classmate’s blog

And here is the link to the "Radiation Dosage Chart" from class:
https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/radiation-dosage-chart/
You will note that airport scanners are typically in the 0.1 microsievert range - similar to eating a banana!

2. Check out the following links on Cell Biology:

http://microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/index.html

Introduction to Cell and Virus Structure

http://microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/animalcell.html

Animal Cell Structure

http://microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/bacteriacell.html

Bacteria Cell Structure

http://microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/plantcell.html

Plant Cell Structure

http://microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/virus.html

Virus Structure

http://www.ibiblio.org/virtualcell/tour/cell/cell.htm

The Virtual Cell – Cell Biology

Biophysics - 23 July - Life and Living Systems

1 Blog assignments for this week:

I know I’m a “living system” because…….
TCM and Biophysics
Post a response to a classmate’s blog

2 Check out the following links:

http://www.crystalinks.com/kirlian.html
Aura Photography

http://members.tripod.com/RandyHiatt/Kirlianpage.html
Kirlian Photography

http://www.experiencefestival.com/kirlian_photography
A Wisdom Archive on Kirlian Photography

Biology - 23 July - Antioxidants and Free Radicals

. Blog assignments for this week:

"People should still eat healthy food" - do we rely too heavily on supplements to provide antioxidants?

"Aspirin a day could dramatically cut cancer risk" What are your thoughts on this?

Post a comment to a classmate's blog

2. Check out the following links:

Vaccines--How and Why?
http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/CC/vaccines_how_why.html

Public Health Risk Seen as Parents Reject Vaccines
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/us/21vaccine.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Measles (Rubeola) CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/measles/

Monday, July 16, 2018

Biochemistry - The Chemistry of Life - Week 11

Your blog assignments for this week

Post a comment on one of the discussion items in class
Select one of the Definitions of Biochemistry - the Chemistry of Life, and post your thoughts
Post a comment to a classmate’s blog

And please feel free to post a brief bio introducing yourself

Check out the following links:

http://keywen.com/en/BIOCHEMISTRY/
DEFINITIONS (“The Chemistry of Life”)

Unfortunately. our Biochemistry Animations link is no longer available,

To follow up om our discussion today on placebo / nocebo, here's an article on UK doctors "prescribing placebos":
'Most family doctors' have given a patient a placebo drug
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-21834440

Physics - 16 July - Synthesis

Our Biophysics Course starts next week, 7/23, so your final Physics blog assignments are:

My E-Prime Day - describe your day, only using English Prime
How might you synthesize eastern and western ideas in Physics?
Post a response to a classmate's blog

Check out the following links on Biophysics:
http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=991
Oxygen Metabolism

http://www.bionetonline.org/
New discoveries in life sciences - Explore the science and debate the issues

http://www.mountainman.com.au/chaos_02.htm
Order Out of Chaos by Ilya Prigogine & Isabelle Stengers

Biology - 16 July - Restoring the American Bison to its rightful range

Your Blog Assignments for this week:

 How would you prioritize the reintroduction of the American Bison?

 “"It appears to be working," Glass says. "People can come up on this ridge and see what it was like 200 years ago." (Bison herd helping to heal a lost landscape in Illinois)
Do you feel we are able to reset the natural balance here?

 Post a comment to a classmate’s blog

2. Check out the following links:

http://www.intertribalbison.org/default.asp
InterTribal Bison Cooperative

http://www.gprc.org/Buffalo_Commons.html
Buffalo Commons

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/buffalo/strength.html
A SYMBOL OF STRENGTH

Monday, July 9, 2018

Chemistry - 9 July - The Chemistry of Household Products

Your final blog assignments for General Chemistry:

Ø Investigate the chemicals under your own kitchen sink, and prepare a short report on what you find

Ø Are you seeing more examples of "safer" alternative to cleaning products?

Ø Post a comment to a classmate’s blog

And thank you for your excellent Research Presentations!

We start our Biochemistry Course next Monday, 16 July

Physics - 9 July - Symmetry / Super-Symmetry and Sacred Geometry

Hi there Physicists

Here are your blog assignments for this week:

 My (a)symmetrical world

 Just what does this CP violation really mean?

 Are there connections between Sacred Geometry and Physics?

 Post a comment to a classmate's blog

And check out the following links:

http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/TKno/TKnoAlte.htm
Arrow of Time: Towards a New Epistemology of Science

http://physics.iupui.edu/~vasavada/ModernPhysicsandHinduPhilosophy.pdf

Modern Physics and Hindu Philosophy

http://www.doyletics.com/art/physicsa.htm
Physics as Metaphor by Roger S. Jones
A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Human Side of Science

http://www.rawilson.com/quantum.html
Quantum Psychology - E and E-Prime
Robert Anton Wilson

Biology - 9 July - Ecosystems and Deep Ecology

Your blog assignments for this week:

What do you think about the “eight-point Deep Ecology Platform”?
Can you explain why “Ecosystems are both strong and fragile”?
How would you assess the “end goals” of Social Ecology?
Post a comment to a classmate's blog entry

And check out the following links:

http://www.bioregions.org/GYE.htm
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA

http://www.zulenet.com/see/newStuartHill.html
Social Ecology

http://uber.tv/g-one/archives/2005/03/005499.html
Making the Invisible Visible

Monday, June 25, 2018

Your Chemistry Take-home Midterm Exam - Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars, and Loafing too

For your Chemistry Midterm Exam, consider three recent articles on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars

Will hydrogen fuel cells prove to be the way forward in car designs?

Investigate Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars and report on your findings.

Your paper should be 500 - 1000 words.

And here are the links to the articles:

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/john-o%E2%80%99groats-land%E2%80%99s-end-hydrogen-fuel-cell-car

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/13/hydrogen-fueled-cars-could-become-a-common-sight-on-the-roads-of-the-future.html

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/it-takes-two-hyundai-and-audi-pair-up-for-hydrogen-project

Your Midterm Exam also requires "Loafing around without feeling guilty"
Use you blog to explore your loafing experiences

And have a Happy Holiday!

Your Physics Take-home Midterm Exam

Here is your Take-Home Midterm Exam Paper – due Monday, July 9th

Choose one aspect of Physics we have discussed in class.

Prepare a brief analysis based on both Eastern and Western world-views

Your maximum word count: 500

(Please Note - Grade point penalties for exceeding word count)

Your Midterm Exam also requires "Loafing around without feeling guilty"
Use you blog to explore your loafing experiences

And have a Happy Holiday!

Your Biology Take-home Midterm Exam - Biomimicry and Loafing!

Biomimicry is the “conscious emulation of life’s genius,”
Janine Benyus

Investigate “biomimicry” and report on your findings.
Can you find examples of biomimicry at each of the three levels Janine Benyon describes?

Your paper should be 1000 - 1500 words.

And here is the link to "A Biomimicry Primer" by Janine Benyon

Your Midterm Exam also requires "Loafing around without feeling guilty"
Use you blog to explore your loafing experiences

And have a Happy Holiday!

Chemistry - 25 June - A Question of Balance and Chemical Bonding

Blog Assignments for this week:

Ø Post your thoughts on the diet suggestions in pH Balance: Acids &Alkalis & Anti-Oxidants

Ø Post your thoughts on one of our discussions in class

Ø Post a comment to a classmate’s blog

And check out the following links:

Alkaline products promisehealth benefits with little proof to support such claims

The Business of Ingredients, Part I

10 Common Beauty Products You Shouldn’t BePutting On Your Skin

Physics - 25 June - Classical Physics

Blog assignments for this week:

Newton’s Three Laws and me
Our “Energy Efficient” Culture
Descartes has a lot to answer for!
Post a response to a classmate’s blog

And check out the following links on Sacred Geometry and Fibonacci

http://www.geometrycode.com/sacred-geometry/

Sacred Geometry Home Page by Bruce Rawles

http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/emat6680/parveen/fib_nature.htm

Fibonacci in Nature

Biology - 25 June - Cell Biology: HIV and AIDS

Class next meets on July 9th - enjoy your 4th of July Holiday!

Blog assignments for this week:

How do you feel about western approaches to HIV/AIDS?
What are your thoughts on the issues around the PrEP treatment?
Can TCM strengthen our immune systems?
Post a comment to a classmate's blog entry

And check out the following links:

http://microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/index.html
Introduction to Cell and Virus Structure

http://microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/animalcell.html
Animal Cell Structure

http://microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/bacteriacell.html
Bacteria Cell Structure

http://microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/plantcell.html
Plant Cell Structure

http://microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/virus.html
Virus Structure

http://www.ibiblio.org/virtualcell/tour/cell/cell.htm
The Virtual Cell – Cell Biology

Monday, June 18, 2018

Chemistry - 18 June - Electrochemistry and Alchemy

1. Blog Assignments for Electrochemistry and Alchemy:

Ø Alchemy – science, magic, art – or all three?

Ø Post a comment on this evening’s discussions

Ø Post a comment to a classmate’s blog

2. Check out the following links:

State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/UNEPsWork/StateoftheScience/tabid/105913/Default.aspx

The Human Touch of Chemistry

http://humantouchofchemistry.com/

Common Chemicals found in the Home
http://www.ivy-rose.co.uk/Chemistry/GCSE/Common-Chemicals-in-the-Home_Molecular-Formulae.php

Physics - 18 June - Vibrations

1. Blog Assignments required this week:
 Are all vibrations “good”?
 Resonance in my world
 Connections I can make between Energy and Qi?
 Respond to each others blogs

And here's another link on the Katrin Experiment in Karlsruhe

Conduct one of these science experiments and write up your conclusions in your blog

www.lsop.colostate.edu/category/shopcasts/buildityourself/

Some cool science experiments you can do with stuff you probably already have around the house...

And check out the following links on Classical Physics for next week:

http://www.mcasco.com/p1outln.html?CFID=3769081&CFTOKEN=69535836

Physics 1 Online Course

http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/java/billiards/billiards.html?CFID

=3769081&CFTOKEN=69535836

Billiards and Physics

http://monet.physik.unibas.ch/~elmer/pendulum/index.html?CFID

=3769081&CFTOKEN=69535836

The Pendulum Lab

Biology - 18 June - Cell Biology and Cancer

Blog assignments for this week:

How sophisticated is our understanding of cancer?
How does a TCM approach to cancer differ?
Post a comment to a classmate's blog entry

And here's an updated link to the article in class today - Is America better at treating cancer than Europe?

Check out the following links for next week:

http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/biology/textbook/cancer/cancer_13.html
Rediscovering Biology

http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/biology/textbook/hiv/hiv_1.html
HIV and AIDS

http://www.ericdigests.org/2004-1/cells.htm
Teaching About the Life and Health of Cells

Monday, June 11, 2018

Chemistry - 11 June - Avogadro and Molar Mass

Here are your Assignments for Avogadro and Molar Mass

Test your understanding of hypotheses – try Avogadro's Hypothesis and report back on your findings
What exactly is a mole? - try "What Is a Mole, Checking Out the Mole"

Plus post your thoughts on the articles on the contamination of mussles.

And here are a couple of links on Alchemy:

http://www.goldenelixir.com/jindan/jindan_intro.html
A Short Introduction to Chinese Alchemy

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/home.html
The Alchemy Web Site

Physics - 11 June - Chaos Theory

Your Assignments for Chaos Theory

Blog assignments for this week:

“Ordered chaos” – does this sound familiar?
Fractals as patterns of complex systems
Consciousness out of chaos?
Respond to each other’s blogs

And check out the following links on Vibrations:
http://www.gmi.edu/~drussell/Demos.html
Acoustics and Vibration Animations
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/sound/U11L4b.html
Resonance and Standing Waves
http://www.plus2physics.com/vibrations/study_material.asp?chapter=2
Damped vibrations
http://exhibits.pacsci.org/music/MusicPhysics.html
Music Physics

Biology - 11 June - The Complexity and Nature of Life

Here are your Assignments for "The Complexity and Nature of Life"

Your Blog Assignments:

How would you distinguish between living and non-living systems
As an optional assignment, feel free to post your thoughts on the article "Why Grandmothers May Hold the Key to Human Evolution"
And please keep up the blog dialog, and post a comment to a classmate's blog

Check out the following links:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/plants/cell/
Plant Cell Anatomy

http://www.life.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/plantbio/cell/cell.cgi
Virtual Cell

http://mandalazone.com/wordpress/thinking-through-the-mind-and-the-mandala/
Thinking Through: The Mind and the Mandala

Monday, June 4, 2018

Chemistry - 4 June - The Chemistry of Color and Nutrition

Chemistry of Color and Nutrition blog assignments:

Explore the colors of foods in your own kitchen – report on your findings.
Post a comment on one of our class discussions this afternoon
Post a comment to a classmate’s blog

Check out the following links:

http://digipac.ca/chemical/molemass/avogadro.htm
Avogadro's Hypothesis

http://digitalfire.com/4sight/education/what_is_a_mole_checking_out_the_mole_111.html
What is a Mole, Checking Out the Mole

http://dbhs.wvusd.k12.ca.us/webdocs/Humor/Dihydogen-monoxide.html
Coalition to Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide

Physics - 4 June - Energy, Matter and Force

Blog Assignments for "Energy Matter and Force":

 How has e=mc2 affected you?

 How would you compare the four “forces”?

 What is the function of gravity?

 Keep up the blog dialogue!

And check out the following links on Chaos Theory

http://www.isss.org/quotelvb.htm
Ludwig von Bertalanffy

http://www.ddewey.net/mandelbrot/
Introduction to the Mandelbrot Set
A guide for people with little math experience.

http://mathforum.org/alejandre/workshops/fractal/fractal3.html
What is a fractal?

http://www.littlesputnik.net/trpearce/orderchaos.htm
Order Out of Chaos -- Ilya Prigogine and Isabelle Stengers

Biology - 4 June - The Pattern of Life

Blog Assignments for "The Pattern of Life":

o Post your thoughts on "Our common ancestor with chimps may be from Europe, not Africa"

o Comment on the “Gaia Theory” – is this now a commonly accepted theory?

o Respond to one of your classmate’s blog entries

And check out the following links:

http://www.resurgence.org/resurgence/articles/capra.htm
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM OUR SECOND BRAIN
FRITJOF CAPRA

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/playground/life.html
The Game of Life

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-36174
Philosophy of biology
> The nature of biological systems
> Viewpoints on the nature of life

Monday, May 21, 2018

Chemistry Week Three

Your Green Chemistry Assignments

Blog Assignments for Week Three:

Ø Discover your “Element of the Week” and post a brief description

Ø Post your thoughts on Green Chemistry

Ø Post at least one comment to a classmate’s blog

Check out the following links:

http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/property/color.htm
WHAT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT THE COLOR OF MINERALS?

uvminerals.org/fms/luminescence
Luminescence and Fluorescence

http://astro.u-strasbg.fr/~koppen/discharge/
Spectra of Gas Discharges

http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/demos/main_pages/6.2.html
Colors of Elements in a Flame

Next class meets on June 4th!