This week was very productive. I managed to complete my discussion and sent it to Ms. Crudale to revise and grade it. Doing the discussion was a lot of work. I found sources to support the claim I was making about the data that I had and then I found sources to support the hypothetical results I would have expected had the experiment gone through. It ended up being close to five pages, which isn't bad considering I tend to draw everything out. I ended up using about 7 additional sources in my discussion, which is good. I added those to my bibliography. I presented my results presentation. I did well, except I apparently had a negative tone while presenting. I was going for a neutral tone, but I guess I didn't pull it off right. I was surprised at how well I did. I was very nervous and I felt like I was stuttering and tripping over my own words. Surprisingly, the only points taken off my presentation was for my tone. I will try to work on it in my next presentation. With only two more weeks until the end of 2018, I am in a good place. I just need to finish my conclusion and update my website. That's it. Next week, I plan on finishing my conclusion, editing my bibliography, and editing my results. If I have time, I might also edit my discussion.
My mentors have been very involved in the process. They were the ones who supplied me with data. They have also helped me revise my Capstone paper, including the literature review and the methods. In the next two weeks, they can help me edit my discussion and conclusion as needed. With all this said, I just need to finish the year strong. There is not much left to do and I know I can do it. Next week, I hope to be as productive. Wish me luck! Tags: Discussion, Results, Forward, Presentation, Productivity, Time Management
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Time is moving by quickly. We are now just 22 school days left until Capstone Night. Surprisingly, I am feeling good. I feel confident. I do not know whether it is because I am truly confident or whether I am just so numb to everything that my stress doesn't register with me. I am pretty shocked at how confident I am, because usually I am freaking out at a time like this. I guess it is a testament to how much work I have put in and how Capstone has changed my perception on time. I think Capstone has also allowed me to manage my stress and expectation levels much more accurately. I am more aware of my capabilities and I guess I believe I can pull this off. My draft of the result is coming along. I actually finished my draft. I didn't realize that we just had to include the charts and table. I thought we had to write something extra. I then realized that it was just the charts and tables, which I already had. I believe I am track to complete my project and my paper by December 21st. All I have to do is write my discussion, edit the results, edit my discussion, write my conclusion, edit my conclusion, edit my bibliography, and then I am done.
This week, I took it pretty easy. I finished my results, but other than that, I haven't really done anything. I did start working on a presentation for my results which I have to present next week. I haven't started working on my discussion, but I believe that I can get it done very quickly. Next week, I would like to finish my first draft of my discussion. For my discussion, I need to include other sources, since most of my results will just be hypothetical. I will use this to answer my hypothesis in a theoretical sense. I also have to present my results next week. I have a lot of work to do, but I believe I will get it done. Tags: Discussion, Forward, Presentation, Projects, Results, Time Management Happy Thanksgiving guys! This blog will be pretty short since this week was a short week. I'm sitting at home and enjoying some down time and watching Friends Thanksgiving reruns on t.v. . Unfortunately, I don't think that will last long. This week was a short week. We had class Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday was a half-day because of Thanksgiving and the long weekend. On Monday, I was able to finish most of my discussion. I also edited the website and redid the Gantt chart to accurately reflect the timeline it should have taken to do the experiment. On Tuesday, I took my senior portrait, so I was late to class. Once I got there, I was feeling unsure about how to proceed. I got Ms. Crudale to sign my task sheet so I didn't have to worry about it being incomplete. I finished the discussion yesterday. The hardest part was incorporating the hypothesis and finding research to support the hypothesis one way or the other. With the help of Ms. Crudale, I was able to find some research and was able to use that in my discussion. I found that theoretically, my hypothesis should be true. I also decided to add a section about ways to troubleshoot the issues I was having doing the experiment and a section on what the theoretical results would mean going forward. Next week, I will begin the editing process. I think that I need to do a lot of editing because I don't think the draft was my best work. I will also begin working on the conclusion.
Other than that, I will try to go shopping this weekend for all the sales. I have a lot of homework to do, mainly for English and Calculus, so I will try to find some time to do that. I will also try to finish some college essays for a few applications that I want to submit before December 1. On the note of Thanksgiving, I am very thankful for all the experiences Capstone gave me because those experiences gave me the chance to grow and reflect on myself. I am thankful for my family and friends. Mostly, I am thankful for myself, for being there for me, and for just being amazing. Happy Thanksgiving! Tags: Discussion, Planning, Projects, Forward Honestly, this week was pretty dull. Nothing much was accomplished all week, I didn't do anything on Monday. I didn't do anything on Tuesday. I didn't do anything Wednesday. Wednesday was a half-day and we had to do that stupid exhibition day that the school makes us do. I had English first period and we had nothing to present. A lot of students didn't want to come that day. I have been so tired lately, so my mother said we could stay home from school on Wednesday. I didn't want to go to school on Wednesday either way so I jumped at this opportunity to stay home. I slept in and relaxed all day. I did do some homework, but I tried to take it easy. I didn't do anything Thursday. I didn't do anything today besides this blog post. So this week has pretty much been a waste. It was so unremarkable, I don't even remember what I did earlier this week. I did help my friends with their abstract and introduction for their paper because I was so bored. That was the most notable thing I did all week.
The only other remarkable thing is that I got sent some data by my mentors at Johns Hopkins University. Although there is some valuable data that I can use, they didn't send me the results of the NMR-Spectroscopy. They did send me the western blot results, so at a worst case scenario I would just have to forget about the NMR-spectroscopy and move forward with the western blot as my primary source of data. They also have it as Trials 1,2, and 3, but they didn't specify what the levels of estrogen are and whether the levels of estrogen were even used in the first place. The saving grace is that my uncle is coming today, so I can ask him about the data and get his feedback. From my understanding, Trial 1 is 50 ML of estrogen, Trial 2 is 100 ML of estrogen and Trial 3 is 250 ML of estrogen. I am probably going to use that as the basis for my result write-up. My results are due in two weeks, so I have a lot of time to do it. I will probably start some time next week. This weekend, I have to study for the SAT Subject tests (again!) and I have to finish some of my college applications. Tags: Forward, Communication, Planning, Results This week was productive for Capstone, surprisingly. We started presenting our presentations on Monday. For every presentation, we had to provide feedback on their delivery, presentation, and organization. I thought everybody did really well. Our classroom is in the hallway though, and at times students were making quite the ruckus, making it harder for the class to hear the presenter. If these background noises were not present, most of the presenters would have been quite loud. My presentation went really well. I presented on Wednesday. I made a lot of people laugh with the jokes and puns I put in my presentation. People seemed to be giving me their undivided attention. I spoke really loudly, almost close to a scream for most of the presentation so that way people in the back could hear me, even if the lunch crowd was creating a disturbance. I tried to use my hands and relax my body so that way I looked relaxed and ready. I also smiled throughout the whole presentation because I thought people would be more likely to pay attention if I looked happy.
The feedback from people was mostly positive, with two people saying that I was reading off the slide. Some more people said that at times I should have spoken louder, but I think that it was just because of the room we were in. Most people gave me a perfect score, with only the same two people taking off some points in delivery. Other than that, my presentation was really good. I forgot to include a rationale for my experiment, so I got some points deducted off for that. I didn't really practice for this presentation because I was pretty busy, so next time I would like to practice a little bit more before the presentation, that way I don't have to look at the slides that much. This week, I obviously worked on my communication skills. I had to communicate my project description, my methods, the science behind it, the materials, and the problems I was facing. I thought I did that pretty well, as evident by my presentation and my rubric and feedback from my peers. Next week, I would like to gather some data from other sources on the effect of estrogen and GDPD6 expression on GPC levels in breast cancer cells. In other news, I am supposed to get my data within the next few weeks. The head of the lab said that she would ensure I at least get some preliminary data for my project, so that's good. Hopefully next week is easy on me. Tags: Forward, Planning, Presentation, Reflection, Projects This week was productive for everything outside of Capstone. On Monday, we had no school, which I celebrated only shortly. I had a lot of work to do, especially because the SAT was on Wednesday. On Tuesday, I was studying for the SAT. I didn't have a lot of work to do that day because I had finished my methods section and all the revisions I needed. I decided to study for the SAT. On Thursday, we were assigned our first formal presentation for the semester. The topic was on our methods. It needed to include your topic, question, materials, methods, problems you are facing, and solution to those problems. I decided to add some background information to my presentation so that way people could understand my project. I tried to dumb it down as much as I could for my classmates, because last time it felt like some people didn't understand the science behind my project and what my project is about. I included some diagrams about metabolism and the Kennedy pathway to help people understand it. I tried to insert some humor into my presentation so it was more lighthearted.
Other than that, I am still waiting for data from my mentors, which is not fun. I don't really have a lot of work to do, so I've just been sitting around, sometimes doing work for other classes, sometimes doing work for one of my clubs. I have been working on being more flexible, which I think I've been doing pretty well on. I have done work for my other classes, while keeping up with the work from this class. I have switched my schedule around to make sure that I can complete my tasks in a way where I don't have to jeopardize my mental health for it. I think that I am doing pretty well considering everything. Until next week. Tags: Forward, Independent, Planning, Reflection This week was pretty productive, but not for capstone. You see, tomorrow I have the SAT subject tests in math and biology, which I have admittedly left to the last minute to study for. Next week, I have a calculus quiz, which I really want to get a good score for. I also have to take the SAT next Wednesday, which I need to study for. I finished my methods on Monday. Since I didn't have much else to do for the rest of the week, I was spending most of the class time studying for the subject test. I can't go further in my project because I need the data to come through from Johns Hopkins. I don't think that studying was a waste of time per say, it was just off-topic work. I wouldn't have had enough time to study had I not studied during class. I knew it would be difficult for my to study, so I just substituted work for capstone with work for the SAT. I could have also worked on college admissions, but this is a much more immediate matter.
While I am waiting for that though, Ms. Crudale suggested that I look into some other research as a back-up plan in case the data from Johns Hopkins doesn't come through. I would then take that data and present it as my research. It would be difficult to meet the capstone requirements, but I think I can do it. I plan on looking more into estrogen and its links with GPC levels and GDPD6 and its links with GPC levels. I will probably connect the two after that. When I was writing my literature review, I didn't find many sources on these, so I will probably have to dig deeper. I plan on doing it next week. In between, I will probably work on my college application. Honestly, most of my stress is not even due to capstone. It's just college application and the fear of the unknown. I have been trying to work through it because I just feel bad for not doing any work. Through Ms. Crudale, I have been able to get into contact with an admissions officer in Johns Hopkins and will be ale to ask him questions. I think this will take away some of the unknown for me and I am hoping that this will help my mental health. Until next week! Tags: Forward, Problem Solving, Reflection, Projects, Planning Last week, I realized I was not as productive as I should have been due to poor mental health, anxiety, and procrastination. I resolved to better my work ethics, even if only marginally, this week, but alas, the universe conspired against me. This week, I was all but ready to start working on revising my capstone paper, which I received back on Monday with edits I need to make. Unfortunately, this was also the week where the school decided to issue standardized testing to determine our reading and math abilities. While in years past this would have been a one day thing, this year they switched the standardized tests and we had to test out of every grade level starting at kindergarten. This was excruciating and annoying, as the test were extremely long. Usually, I can blow through this test in about thirty minutes, but these tests took me two days each. With the reading test, there were so many passages and questions. There were moments where I couldn't think properly and just chose an answer which I believed made sense. This exam was draining and after the testing, I felt lethargic and annoyed. I could not force myself to do any other work around this time due to how draining the testing was. While the math had less reading, the questions were more complex. They took more time to answer and had more layers to it. While I like math more than reading, the math section was still draining, albeit not as much as the reading was. After finishing the reading section, which I did today, I just couldn't refocus my mind to my paper.
On the topic of my paper, there were some grammatical issues with the APA formatting in my paper. I was able to fix them on Wednesday painlessly. However, there was some content issue, with some clarifications needed to be made at places and safety information for the chemicals in the methods section needed. I was able to address some of the clarifications needed throughout my paper, but I still have a few more. I unfortunately was unable to start looking into the safety information for the chemicals. Although some progress has been made in my paper, much work is left to be done. Although I should have done some of the work at home, I was unable to for the most part. I had a lot of work to do for my other classes, especially my ECE English and Calculus classes. I also did procrastinate, but not as bad as last week. I just tend to do my work extremely slowly so work that should take me an hour takes me two hours instead. Likewise, I also tended to get distracted on YouTube at home. While I was making strides to improve my work ethic, misfortune struck again! Since my home laptop was not responding as I wanted it to, I kept restarting my laptop which caused it to crash. Now when I start it, it takes a while to load and when I log on, I can't do any type of function as as soon as I click something, my computer freezes and crashes again. I have spent the past two days trying to alleviate this issue, which took some time away from my school work. But I do know I need to change and better my work ethic, not only for the sake of my grades but for the sake of my anxiety and mental health as well. As soon as I fix my personal laptop, I will address the concerns in the capstone paper and move forward with the rest of my school work for now. Let's see how this plan goes... Tags: Blogs, Independent, Forward, Reflection, Planning, Lit Review, Problem Solving, Time Management Since I posted a blog on Wednesday, this blog will be pretty short in comparison. This week I was pretty productive, although I think I can improve. I was able to update the website and submit my draft of my paper. I began reading through my paper, making mental notes of what I might need to change. But I feel that I could have been more productive. I was side-tracked for most of the week. I think the main reason I tried to avoid doing my work was a combination of senioritis and anxiety. I have worked so hard the past three years, at times, I just don't have the motivation to do any work. During the summer, I didn't work as hard as I do during the school year and was travelling and having some fun. I feel at times, I am stuck in that mentality of trying to take it easier than I should. I also feel that I am anxious for the future of my project, of this class, my grades, and my own future. I don't know whether the data I need will come through in time. I don't know whether I will be able to write my final paper and make my final poster and present my final presentation. I don't know whether I will be able to pass this class with the grade I expect from myself. I don't know whether my college application will be any good. I don't know whether I will be able to do well on the SAT and SAT Subject test. I don't know how I will pay for college. I don't even know whether I will get into the colleges that I want to go to. I am just filled with so much anxiety.
I need to fix this if I want to be more productive. I need to buckle down and just do my work. If I can start chipping away at my work, I do think part of my anxiety that this class contributes to will diminish. I just need to start but that is easier said than done. In addition to this class, all of my work for my other classes, especially ECE Calculus tends to take up most of my time. I feel like I just don't have enough time to do my work. I need to start managing my time better and working harder, smarter, and more efficiently. If I can do that, I think I will find more time to study for the SATs and do my college application. I think my overall anxiety levels will diminish as well. By the beginning of next week, I hope to have my paper with revision suggestions, which I will work on next week. Hopefully, next week will find me in a more productive and overall positive and healthy head space. Tags: Blogs, Lit Review, Planning, Problem Solving, Reflection, Forward This is the last week before finals and the inevitable end of school. To say that I am stressed is an understatement: I am stressed, tired, cranky, worried, anxious, and overworked. I have so much to do over the next few days. But I just have to take it day by day and try to finish everything on time. In order to make sure everything gets finished on time without delay, I've been trying to prioritize my tasks and multitask. For instance, during some free moments during class, I've been working on editing my lit review. I finished editing everything up to the conclusion. I felt it took a higher precedent than some of my other classes because I have a higher grade in those classes so getting a lower final exam grade wouldn't hurt my grade as much. However, based on an online final grade calculator, I need at least a 78% on my final exam to pass Capstone 1 with an A. So with that in mind, I am putting all my effort and thought into my schoolwork. The first thing that pops in my mind when I wake up is what I need to complete that day and the last thought of the day is what I haven't finished and need to do tomorrow. In Capstone, I need to finish editing my conclusion (including my potential impacts), then add the revised problem statement and methods section. After, I might need to include an intended results and conclusion section as well as an abstract, though that is pending based on the answer Ms. Veillette gives me when I ask her about it. I am hoping to finish it by tomorrow afternoon or early evening. Then I want to actually fix my website and add everything I need. It will probably take me a couple of hours, but seeing as I have a final on Monday, I will either finish it tomorrow night, Sunday night, or split the work and finish it Sunday afternoon. However, since it is due on the night of the final exam (which is Thursday for me), I do have some leeway when it comes to completing this aspect. I also need to finish the introduction and methodology for my poster for next year. I don't think it will take me that long since I know what I want to write in the introduction. I could probably finish it in about 2 hours max, even if I have some unforeseen trouble. This will probably take me to the end of the weekend, since I also need to study for my Monday final. On Monday, I would like to finish my final capstone presentation. On my methods presentation, I did really well. I got 100/102, with the two point deduction coming because I forgot to add something that was on the rubric. On the verbal aspect I was graded highly. I would like to do just as well, if not better, on this final presentation. It is just a combination of the first presentation and the methods presentation. We are on a strict 12 minute schedule so I am hoping for no more that 14 slides with content. I need to practice it obviously and get the timing down, but I think I can do it. I found the perfect theme for my presentation. Now I just have to make it through finals week. Since this week is the last proper week of school, this is my last blog for the school year. But fear not, because when I go to Baltimore to do this experiment, I will be blogging weekly again. There won't be a blog next week, but look for a blog in 2 weeks time. Tags: Presentation, Lit Review, Time Management, Project, Forward. Reflection, Problem Solving, Independent, Blogs.
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AuthorShubhangy Raghavan Archives
January 2019
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