Month: February 2018
Secrets to Making Research Easier
by Tommy A., Junior
Minnetonka Research 1 Student
Have you ever realized how hard it is to complete a school assignment that you don’t enjoy? It seems like that one homework assignment takes forever and you spend the whole night complaining about it. Well, I feel ya because I have been there too. The Minnetonka Research program is totally the opposite of this and that is why is it my favorite class! Being able to research a science topic that I am psyched about is mind blowing and very impactful to me! I even said to myself “Wait, what? I get to choose my own topic?”
Now how in the world did I come up with this topic. Well, I am a Nordic skier myself. I have been skiing little over 5 years now. This sport is really challenging and that is one of the reasons why I love it. Ever since I have been skiing, I have always wondered what is the science behind this and how do our bodies make us go faster so I figured that I might as well learn more about it in Minnetonka Research. It took me awhile though to figure out my specific question. I did a lot of background studying in broad topics until I narrowed it down. I started by wanting to do something with Nordic skiers and then I found out how involved your breathing and heart are related to this sport, so it made me want to learn more.
I know, what am I actually researching? Let me explain. This topic is about the science in sports. Our bodies breath oxygen so we can get energy to do fun things like dancing. The more oxygen the more energy. Now the heart has the fun job of pumping oxygen for energy to the muscles so that you can move. The more you move, the faster your heart pumps. Since your heart is the subway system for oxygen in your body there must be a relationship between them. So what I am doing is testing if there is a relationship between heart rate and the amount of oxygen you breath. I am testing this with male nordic athletes between the ages of 14-19. If you actually want to know my specific research question it is, “The Relationship of VO2max to HR in Adolescent Male Nordic skiers, ages 14-19.” This is just a fancy way looking at the relationship between the measurement the oxygen in your body and how fast your heart pumps.
Having a research question I actually enjoy and want to learn more about is a huge benefit. I also experienced this for other classes and not just research. The work I do in research makes me excited for the future and it doesn’t even feel like work to me. So my advice to you is when you go into your future, no matter where you go, do something you love. So the life lesson I learned from Minnetonka Research, is to do what you love most in life, and it will never feel like work.
Mariokart: More Than Just a Video Game
by Ayush S., Junior
Minnetonka Research 1 Student
Mariokart. To many, this is the perfect game to play on a day away from work or school. However, to me, Mariokart is more than just a videogame, it is an inspiration.
As a first year Minnetonka Research student, thinking of a research question (that is more than “What’s for lunch?”) to study has probably been the most challenging task of highschool so far.
It all started back in September when I read an article a successful 3D printed a heart valve to treat cardiac diseases. I immediately (as the amateur researcher that I am) thought to myself, “Man, what if I could do that with the human aorta.” Practically solidifying my research project without conducting any literature review, I was in this state of euphoria. I couldn’t believe that I had an actual project.
However, as I was nearing the end of my proposal, I came across the most dreaded object of any amateur researcher: that one research paper that is hidden in the unchartered territory of the twelfth page of Google Scholar that practically shoots down your entire project like a turkey on Thanksgiving Day. Well, in my defense, I had no clue that many small arteries branch from the aorta, thus if the aorta breaks, it cannot be replaced by a makeshift, toxic-free rubber tube. It was that day that I learned the importance of preparation and listening to the experts.
As I came to research class the next day, Ms.Hoehne could see my depressed state. While we discussed the death of my aorta project (pretty ironic), Ms.Hoehne brought up a great point. It was at this time that I had received a research volunteer position at the University of Minnesota to work with hydrogels: superabsorbent polymers that can absorb, retain, and release water at a controller rate.
Due to my familiarity with hydrogels, Ms.Hoehne suggested that I do something with them. That night, I read multiple research papers about the application of superabsorbent polymers in the agriculture industry and I knew that was for me. The next day, Ms.Hoehne introduced me to two scientists at Cargill. They were extremely helpful when I approached them with my interests, but there was still a big problem: I still did not have a project.
That Friday night, my parents and I went over to our friend’s place. I usually don’t play video games; however, their little kids were pestering me so much that I caved in. As we were failing our way around the tight corners of the Moo Moo Meadows, I used my banana peels to slip Luigi behind me. It was at this exact moment that I had an epiphany. “What if I use banana peels to create a fertilizer?!”
This time, instead of rushing into a commitment, I took my time and performed an extremely in-depth literature review. Finally, after consulting my mentors, I chose my research project. This year, I will take the magnesium and calcium ions present in banana peels and eggshells and soak them into sodium polyacrylate, a superabsorbent polymer that controls the release of water and nutrients into the surrounding soil, making it ideal for use in times of drought and/or nutrient-depleted soils, common in developing countries.
Despite the mind-boggling challenges that I’ve faced, I know there are more to come. However, instead of being discouraged by these challenges, I plan to look at them like experiences that I need to…experience. Each of these experiences will bring me one step closer to making a fertilizer that is not only better than most commercial fertilizers but cheaper as well.
How to Make a Difference (or not)
by Addie G., Senior
Minnetonka Research 1 Student
Walking into the Minnetonka Research lab last June, I had a pretty strong idea I would be working with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), considering one of my close family members has it. SMA is a disease caused by a genetic mutation that disables a critical muscular protein from functioning, so afflicted people are often confined to wheelchairs. There is currently a treatment available that halts the progression of SMA, but it is expensive and invasive, so research continues to identify more cost effective or efficient treatment options.
Although I knew what I wanted to do, I truly had no idea how I could contribute to SMA treatment. Over the summer and into fall, I searched through current treatments and tried to digest their problems and current lines of inquiry. Eventually, I hit a wall: what could I do to make any difference in this gargantuan subject?
I am seventeen years old. Believe it or not, I don’t quite have everything figured out (note the sarcasm!). For this reason, even once I had identified numerous current lines of inquiry, I still had no idea where I was going to fit into the SMA drug research equation. I dug myself into a hole where I had so many amazing, revolutionary possibilities, but no feasible way to actually research them without a PhD or boatloads of cash. Unfortunately, I found myself in a position where I felt I had no way to really make a difference in addressing treatment for SMA.
Eventually, I landed on a project testing the preliminary feasibility of a compound in promoting higher protein levels in SMA cells. I was so excited to land on a feasible project, but in comparison to researchers on the front lines of treatment, my experiment still felt small, and unfortunately obsolete.
Let’s just pause for a moment, in this recitation of the more hopeless part of my research journey, and return to what makes any Minnesotan happy: lakes. If you’ve ever noticed, a lot of lakefront properties have introduced boulders to their shoreline in order to mitigate erosion. Even on a lake of minuscule size, waves can erode shorebanks, pulling sand and rocks out into the depths of water. I love watching waves, or rocking on them in a nice tube on a hot summer day, but truly, each individual wave seems wholly small and irrelevant. However, the culmination of those individual waves can tear down banks, even erode rock faces.
Waves have the power to erode cliffs. A gradual flow of water can carve the Grand Canyon and efface the strongest materials on earth. I have a feeling that each wave has no quantifiable initiation of change, yet in culmination they make all the difference. Simple atoms rubbing together have the capacity to move mountains.
I may not be curing cancer or introducing a novel therapy to cure SMA. But just as the waves slowly erode, I hope that I am able to make a difference in the scientific field. Turns out, my project may not be as impressive or applicable as the researchers on the front lines, but that doesn’t mitigate its worth as a tiny push in the right direction. To this extent, I’ve realized that I don’t have to massively change the world to make a contribution towards creating a better existence.
I ask that you take heart in knowing that making a difference can be imperceptible, but in the end, it can make all the difference.
Beyond the Glass 