Blog 9: Science Fair Proposal

1. What is your hypothesis?

A: If a specific cleaner is used then more bacteria may be eliminated.

2. Identify the dependent (produced), independent (manipulated) and control variables in your hypothesis.

A:

Independent:

- type of disinfectant

Dependent:

- growth of bacteria

Controlled:

- type of bacteria

- amount of disinfectant

- the heat of the incubator

- how long the bacteria is in the incubator

- the amount of agar

- where we get the bacteria from

3. What is the connection between your science fair project and your senior project EQ?

My science fair project is Licensed Vocational Nursing and my science experiment has to do with bacteria and it's rapid growth rate and we all know when it comes to nursing it's trying to prevent the harmful bacteria that comes in contact with our body.

4. How will you perform the experiment? Include the equipment you plan on using.
My science experiment consists of  growing bacteria so I am going to swab five different  surfaces and the inside of a students mouth with a cotton swab. Three disinfectants will be used after I have acquired my five test subjects. They will be then put on a pertri dishes and sprayed with a household cleaner and put in a incubator. I will then wait 24 hours and determine which household  cleaner kills more bacteria than the other. After I have obtained this information, I will then discover what ingredients in the household cleaner kills more bacteria than the other and why.

Materials: sterilized pertri dishes, source of bacteria, flame, beakers, distilled water, glass stir rod, protective eye equipment, magnet, thermometer, 3 kinds of disinfectants, stopwatch, cotton swabs, hot plate, electronic plate, scoopula, loop, nutrient agar.

5. Which category will your project be listed under? (For a full list of categories, go to the iPoly Physics webpage, then to the Science Fair tab.

Biochemistry and Molecular biology.

What I've Learned So Far

1) What have you learned how to do since you started working on your senior project?
I learned to take whatever I have in my hands if worst comes to worst. For example, for my service learning I did not have any place to get my service learning hours done until today. I was able to start right away and volunteer at a Senior Home Care called Rowland Convalescent Hospital. It is a senior home which provides medical nursing service for seniors with serious illnesses or disabilities twenty-four hours a day, delivered by registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and certified nurse aids.

2) Post evidence of this accomplishment. It can be in the form of a picture, video, document, etc..
I don't have a picture of me in the place just yet but I do have a picture of the front place because I didn't know if I could take pictures of me with the senior citizens on the first day but I did take a picture of place on the outside.


3) What research helped you to do this and how?*
Place: http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n72/eacortes155/?action=view&current=Rowland.jpg<<< Click to see picture

Darien and Gaby Reyes helped me find the place as well as get to volunteer right away. Without them I would have never known about this place. Thanks guys!

Independent Component 1 Plan Approval

CONTENT:
(1) Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component.
I plan on either just doing the full 110 hours of service learning which will cover my two independent study components. I've been asking many health facilities like Red Cross, the Kaiser Permanente in Baldwin Park but I didn't get accepted to do my independent task there, so I have to look elsewhere. I am looking into my doctor's office and I will have that answer by tomorrow after 4:00 PM.

(2) Describe in detail how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement.

My plan is to do my service learning at my doctor's office as well as my first independent study component. Then when I am 18 in February, I will do the second part of my independent study at Kaiser Permanente in Baldwin Park. Since the due date for the first Independent Component is due until early February, I will have the 30 hours of requirement done by that date and then after I go to Kaiser Permanente for my second independent component, I will have 30 hours done by the due date of March 27, 2012.

(3) How does your independent study component relate to your EQ?

My EQ is "What is most essential to being a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)?" My independent study will be in a health facility and what better place to do this but at a doctors office or some sort of department full of LVNs. You are surrounded by LVNs and RNs which will answer my EQ simply with the qualities and skills of an LVN and with additional information of an RN.

Defining the Essential Question

1) What is your EQ?
What is most essential to being a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)?

2) Define the words in your EQ to make sure we are on the same page regarding what your EQ means.
"Licensed Vocational Nurse:" I'm focusing into the nursing job as a whole which means that I'm going to elaborate more and talk about other professions in the nursing fields but I will be answering what is most essential to being an LVN as well as the other professions.

"Most essential:" I just mean what is more important; the education you get or the characteristics you need?
3) What are some possible answers to your EQ so far?
Some possible answers are LVNs should have a caring, sympathetic nature and possess strong communication skills. They should be emotionally stable because working with the sick and injured can be stressful. They also should have keen observational, decision-making, and communication skills. As part of a health care team, they must be able to follow orders, detailed instructions and work under close supervision.

4) What has been your most important source and why? Be specific. If it is a person, name them and what they do, if it is an article, book or video, name the title and author.
I believe my most important source is the book I got from the library called, "What Can I Do Now?:Exploring Careers For Your Future" byFerguson Publishing (no specific author). This book has all kinds of different types of nursing careers and has information about the education you need and the requirements to background information, application informtion, finance details, what that type of nursing duties you do, etc.

Second Interview Questions

I will be doing my service learning at Kaiser Permanenete and I will most likley interview and RN.
1) How long have you been an RN?LVN? (Depending on who I'm interviewing that day)
2) What courses did you study to achieve this title?
3) What college/university did you go to?
4) What makes you a good nurse?
5) What do you believe is the most important when it comes down to being a nurse?
6) Why exactly did you choose this career? Did you have any others in mind?
7) What does nursing mean to you?
8) What are your duties as an RN/LVN
9) Why did you choose to be a Kaiser Permanente employee?

Interview Check

Who are you interviewing and why?
I am interviewing a Registered Nurse. Her name is Liliana Adalpa. She works at Kaiser Permanente. I want to get her opinion about being an RN and what was the process to become one and her education, etc.

What additional questions will you ask them?



1)What is the role of your postion and how do you achieve your responsibilites?

2) What type of educational backround do you need for this position?

3) What type of characteristics does a person need for this type of job?

etc.

Presentation Reflection

1. In what way did the first interview affect your presentation? Please explain, be specific and use an example.
A: I honestly didn't think the interview affected my presentation in anyway, good or bad. What affected my presentation the most was all the articles of nursing I searched up. With all the underlining and side comments I made, it was imprinted in my brain which made my presentation easier to talk about. I didn't even have to look at my information card during the presentation.

2. What you say stood out about your presentation performance and why?
A: What I believe stood out in my presentation performance was my interaction with the students and how even though the questions were a little rehearsed, my comments back to the person were positive. That was my goal in the beginning. I didn't feel obligated to ask them questions but it is rather something you do when you're presenting. You ask the audience questions and you give them answers. Simple as that. Of course, I had a few laughs here and there but that just made my presentation stand out.

3. What was the most challenging to do and why?
The most challenging to do was the overall 5 minute presentation PREPERATION. For example, creating the visual was a hassle because at first I was paying to much attention to the visual and then I completely forgot that I needed to see what kind of information I wanted to inform them with. My visual took me at least 3 hours to do and it wasn't even that great of a visual. (Keep in mind I took some breaks as well).