Genius Hour Sharing

In this blog post I will be describing my Genius Hour process and sharing it with all of you guys! I will give you the information I found out, the obstacles I met through this process, and my overall reflection over the topic I chose.


Driving Question: How does the Human Heart work?
This is the question that I have always wanted to go more in depth with. This part of the body is so important, yet I don`t know much about it. I love science and studying body parts, functions, and conditions. Last year for my Genius Hour I studied a variety of aspects of cancer. This year I decided to stay with the whole science pattern. That`s another reason why I chose to study the heart for this Genius Hour.

Documentation and Process:

NEGATIVES:

When I first had to come up with a driving question my original question was, "How does the human heart work and how does it react during a heart attack?" I wanted to know what the heart did and what caused heart attacks. My grandpa had died of a heart attack, so ever since I was little I wondered why that could have happened. When I started to do research with my original driving question, I quickly realized that it was a little too specific. I wanted to learn about other aspects of the heart. I wanted to learn about the chambers and how does the blood flow through the heart. I decided to change my driving question to something more broad so that I could still research the heart attack aspect in the research process, but still get to research the blood flow and other things that I am still curious to know about the heart.

After I changed my driving question to what it is now I started my research. Some of the issues going into this project was for sure the time I had. There was so much going on with my strand and there were multiple times when I would have to leave my English class when it was time to work on our Genius Hour. I would have to find time at home to do the research and track down all of my information. If I had not done that and been responsible about it, I would be still be doing research and not sharing this blog with you guys. So for sure time was another complication during this process.

Finding credible sources was a major issue. A lot of the websites that would pop up were Wiki pages that I knew for a fact were not very credible sources. I had to make sure they were credible by checking where they got their information, when they were published, and the description of who wrote the article.

POSITIVES:

When I would find credible sources, they would be very informational. Sometimes these sources would almost everything that I needed, but since I needed multiple sources I would have to find different websites to get the best information possible. Since my topic was something that is very known and there has been a lot of medical research done for it, it was not hard at all to look up and find just what I needed.

Another thing that was very great during this process was the fact that I enjoyed this research process. I did not see this as a chore or something that I had to do, but did not want too. I just had a lot of fun overall because I got to learn new things. At the end of the day, that`s what brings me so much joy.

SURPRISED:

During the heart attack aspect of my research I got so surprised that a just one blood clot could lead to a potential heart attack. That made me realize that having a high Cholesterol is so bad because it could add on and turn into a heart attack. I was completely mind blow at my discovery. I was excited that I figured this out though!


RESEARCH: 



This diagram right here is what I decided to research first. This has to do with the blood flow through the heart. I will now post everything that I researched.

What is the human heart exactly?

-The size of the human heart is the size of your fist closed.

-The primary job of the heart is to take oxygenated blood and move it to the lungs to oxygenate it. When it then has been oxygenated, the blood the blood is ready to be transported through the veins and arteries.

-The heart points to the left and 2/3 of the heart mass is on the left. The other 1/3 of the mass on the right side.

Anatomy of the heart:

Pericardium- it is located in the fluid-filled cavity that is called the Pericardial cavity. The walls and lining of this cavity is called the pericardium. The job of this is to produce a lot of fluid to lubricate the heart and prevent it from getting any friction between the heart and the other organs that surround it. They also hold the heart in its proper position and maintains a hollow space so the heart has room to beat.

*The heart wall has three layers that consist of the epicardium, myocardium and endocardium.*

Epicardium: The epicardium is the outer most layer of the heart wall. It is also the thinnest layer and it is there to protect the outside of the heart and also to keep things lubricated.

Myocardium: This is basically what gives the heart most of its thickness and mass. This layer is the where the cardiac muscular tissue is located. This part of the heart is responsible to make sure the blood pumps properly throughout the heart.

Endocardium: This is the smooth tissue that lines the inside of the heart. The job of the Endocardium is to make sure the blood doesn’t stick to the inside of the heart, resulting in deadly blood clots.

*The atria is a very thin layer because it does not need to pump blood to long distances, only to nearby ventricles.*

*in comparison to the Ventricles which are very thick to pump blood from the lungs to the rest of your body.*

*The right side of the heart has less Myocardium because it only has to pump blood to the lungs, while the left side of the heart has to pump blood to the entire body.*

Daily Function of the Heart:

-Here below is what the heart goes through during the heartbeat aka the Cardiac Cycle.

Atrial systole: The atria starts to contract and then pushes blood into the ventricle. During this process the AV valves stay open while the semi-lunar valves stay closed to make sure the arterial blood does not re-enter.

Ventricular systole: The ventricles start to contact to push blood into the aorta and pulmonary trunk. This pressure then forces the semilunar vales to open and the AV valves to then close. The blood can flow from the Ventricles to the arteries smoothly because of the perfect arrangement that they`re in.

Relaxation phase: During this phase all four chambers of heart start to pour in blood from the veins. During this phase the ventricles re-polarize to get ready for the next round depolarization and contraction.

Heart during a heart attack:

-A heart attack happens when there is the blood flow to the heart is cut off. This usually occurs because of a blood clot.

-If this blood clot cuts off the blood flow for sure, the artery begins to die off.

-The worst part about a heart attack is that depending on the one that you have your heart rate could either speed up or slow down making you unsure of whether you`re having a heart attack.

-They can also happen because of an imbalance in the body, like stress.

-During a heart attack when the blood clot stops the blood flow the heart becomes deprived of oxygen rich blood. The nervous system then sends a signal to the brain about the issue.

-This is why you usually start to sweat, feel weak, and your heart rate typically starts to increase. As the nervous system sends signals to the spinal cord you entire body then starts to ache.

-Patients say it feels like something squeezing your chest. If you don`t get the treatment ASAP your heart will die off along with your nervous system.

-If you do get lucky and get the treatment all the damaged tissue stays damaged, which results in slower blood flow.

Fun Fact: The heart can still work even if it`s not in the body, it just needs the proper supply of oxygen.

*NOTE: There is so much more research I did over this topic, but if i posted it all on this blog it would never end!*

LEARNED:
I have learned so much in just a few weeks. I have completely fallen in love with this organ. It does so much for our bodies, yet we do not even realize what it does. It does it all on it`s own! I learned about the blood flow through the heart, the proper function of a heart, what causes and heart attack and what the heart does, and even the different parts that make up the heart. I did not just do this because I had to, but because I wanted too. This experience was incredible and so much fun!

REFLECTION:
Overall I learned so much in such little time. If I do Genius Hour next year I think I`ll continue with this whole science theme. I think it`s good to know a little bit about everything to become as well-rounded as possible. It was also great to research about heart attacks because I got to read articles that told me how to tell if you or anyone is having one and what to do. This research will for sure help me later on in life. That`s why I pick topics like this. I pick topics that I`m curious about, yet I know for a fact that I will need to know this for my future.

SOURCES:

How the Heart Works. WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 12 May 2016

Taylor, Tim. "Heart." InnerBody. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.

Bailey, Regina. "Layers of the Heart Wall." About.com Education. About Education,                                             n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.

Gillaspy, Rebecca. "The Cardiac Cycle: Phases, Explanation & Terms - Video & Lesson                            Transcript | Study.com." Study.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.

"Common Questions about Heart Attack Symptoms - Go Red for Women."Go Red For                            Women®. American Heart Association, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 12 May 2016.

Genius Hour is coming to an end

       I had such an amazing time with Genius Hour! I`m so happy Mrs. Heckert assigned us this project! I love learning about so many things in general, but  I also love learning more about myself. This project helped me to achieve both of these things.

      
          Questions:

1) What was your favorite part of the topic you chose?

2) What was your least favorite part of the topic you chose?

3) What do you like best about the Genius Hour research?

4) What do you like the least about the Genius Hour research?

5) What was the most important thing you learned about yourself, how you learn, or research in general as a result of this work?

            Answers:

1) I loved that there is so much you can learn about Cancer. I wanted to try to cover as much as possible because I love to retain so much information. That`s why I went and learned a little bit of everything during these six weeks.

2) I didn`t like that in order to learn I had to read so much  about my topic. I love to read, but I  would`ve liked to maybe to a hands on representation of how the cancer cells work, or something like that.

3) I liked that I didn't have to go trough so many websites to find the information I needed. There was a lot of variety to choose from! It was really good!

4) I didn`t like that we only had six weeks total to do our research. I would`ve liked a total of seven weeks maybe.

5) I learned that I am really passionate about this topic. I also learned that even though it`s tedious to read a lot, I learn and retain a lot of information if I can see it and read it.

             My presentation is next week on Tuesday and I`m ready and excited to share what I have learned with you guys! I had a great experience and I really hope I can do this again next year!

Talking to a Professional

  

         













         In my previous blogs I have talked about interviewing a doctor that has worked with Cancer patients before. I had not really been in any luck with that. When I told my mom about she said I could talk to her school nurse. The nurse at her school used to be a nurse at a Cancer hospital and then she decided to work at schools. I asked my mom if I could ask her some questions to see what answers she would give me.

        The questions I had planned were the following:
-When the patients are told they have Cancer, are there different ways they deal with the problem?
-Is dealing with Cancer parents emotionally draining for the doctors as well?
-Are there signs to look for to see if you have Cancer?
-Do patients get help with dealing with their emotions about having Cancer?

        The answers I got:
-"Yes the patients all deal with the information differently. Most of them want to know what their options are. They ask two common questions. They ask "Will I live?" and "How am I going to live?" It`s shocking to all patients, but it`s most shocking to the patients that have Cancer and they are perfectly healthy."
-"Yes the Caregivers do get affected by this as well, but there are points where there are boundaries. There are points where they just treat and help the patients, but don`t take the emotions to their house because it`s their job."
-"Well first let me tell you quickly what Cancer really means. Cancer is a word that means a large group of diseases. When you have Cancer you have uncontrolled cell growth. There are some signs, but it depends on the type of Cancer you have. There are some that don`t have any signs."
-"It depends if you`re at a good clinic like Texas Oncology, Baylor, etc. There are these people called "Navigators" and they are your helpers. I really love the Cancer Center of America because they just don't focus on treating your Cancer. They also try to make every aspect of the patients lives as great as possible."

*The name of the nurse I interviewed was Mrs. Laura Moneymaker. Her title is RN, BSM.

           I really loved to interview someone who knows so much about this topic! I loved interviewing her because I learned so much with just four questions! It`s just fascinating!

Cancer Patients and their Emotions

        I`ve studied  many aspects of Cancer so far. I`ve learned about the disease, the Cancer Cells, and today I  researched how patients deal with Cancer. Everyone deals with their emotions differently. I`m focusing on how they deal with their emotions when they find out they have Cancer.

        Today I  went on several websites and I found up some very interesting things. I learned that people who are told they have Cancer think about dying with Cancer and not living with it. That upset me so much. It`s like as soon as they find out they just give up. That`s not how it should be though! This should make them more motivated to keep fighting for their lives. They have so much to live for and it just frustrates me so much! I think I want to talk to these people and try to make them realize this. I want to make a difference even though it may seem small.

          

         I also discovered that some people in order to cope with their feelings just shut everyone out. They shut their family and friends out. I`ve learned that some do this in order to not hurt anyone. They think that since they have this disease they should just shut everyone out. This is just worse. It doesn't really help anyone. It just frustrates everyone involved. I think it`s just so interesting how different people and personalities react differently to their diagnosis.

How I`m doing with my research.

     When I started to research last class I got a lot of information over Radiation therapy. It really shocked me because what they have to go through is very tough. They`re getting treatment to try and cure their cancer, and then their healthy cells get damaged. This causes them to become even weaker during treatment. In a way I already knew this because of my Grandma. When she was going through treatment even walking to the bathroom fatigued her.

       While I was doing my research today I learned about many different aspects of Cancer. I discovered that there are three different types of cancerous cells that can be created. There is Oncogenes, which makes cells multiply, there`s tumor suppressor genes, which halt cell multiplication, and then there`s genes that repair other damaged genes that have to do with DNA. I had absolutely no clue there were three types of cancer cells. I just thought you got cancer and that`s that.
       
          I`m planning to try to go to a cancer hospital soon. I really want to talk to the doctors. If they don`t that`s perfectly fine because I  know they`re really busy. I`m just really excited to see what else I`m going to learn! I`ve learned and absorbed SO much information in just two class periods! I wonder what I will learn next!




       

How does cancer start and how does it affect people?

        I have had many family members die from cancer. I was very young when this happened, so my parents didn`t tell me the full story back then. Since I was very young I`ve always been very curious. I`ve always wanted to know more and more!


        I picked this driving questions because I`m very interested in how cancer starts. Medicine has always been interesting to me from a very little age. This is why I want to go in depth with this driving question.


        I`m going to research my question, but at the same time I`m planning to go to a hospital where they treat Cancer patients. Then I can try to talk to the doctors, so they can explain to me the disease and maybe they might let me talk to the actual cancer patients. I know I can go in depth with this topic! I`m so excited to start and learn from these experiences.