Dr. Dragon Issue #7

DR. DRAGON HSMSE’S MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE

WHAT’S INSIDE CANCER CELL THERAPY SCIENCE OF PHOBIAS PRIVATE Spaceships CLONING AND MUCH MORE!

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Dear readers, Firstly, I would like to thank the staff for their diligence and patience. This year the last of the founding members are graduating. I’d like to thank them for their help and wish them the best of luck in the future. This issue is the first one produced entirely by the new staff. They have taken the time to learn the inner workings of creating a magazine. I look forward to working with them the following years. I’d also like to thank Mr. Choi and the PTA for the support and push when we needed it. Finally, thank you to the readers. We hope you enjoy this latest issue of the Dr. Dragon magazine!

- Richelle Chen, President

STAFF President

Art Director

RIchelle Chen

Fatema Begum

Vice President

Senior Art

Hajin Yang

Ethan Bless-Wint

Editor in Chief

Design Team

Sharon Young

Joy Aun Shubashish Argha Franklin Guttman

Senior Editor Michaela Palmer

Secretary Irene Ok Vincent Sangpo

Special Thanks The HSMSE PTA

Editors

Adris Jaoutakas Carin Queener Lucy Cai Irene Ok Rebecca Mikofsky

Writers

Adris Jaoutakas Carin Queener Ethan Bless-Wint Franklin Guttman Iffat Iqbal Irene Ok Issac Elysee Lucy Cai Rebecca Mikofsky Richelle Chen Saarah Khan Sharon Young Yael Saiger

Table of contents 04 Private SpaceShips 06 reckless Drivers 09 Computer Generated Art 10 Interview: Sarah Hulchan 13 A Bigger Dipper 14 Interview: Veronica Black 17 Frank Gehery’s Architecture 18 ADHD 22 Phobia 24 Cancer Cell Therapy 25 Cloning 26 Epigenetics 28 Cheese 30 Synesthesia 31 Pros and Cons of GMOs 34 Puzzles

Faculty Advisor Ronald Choi 2

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private spaceSHIPS

Space is vast and incredible: with the efforts of government agencies and private companies, humanity is able to explore more than ever before.

Space travel was originally government run, but recently it has branched out into numerous private companies.

Private companies frequently build spaceships for other institutions, such as NASA and Virgin Galactic, who then use and run the crafts for science or space tourism.

Space tourism or personal spaceflight involves traveling in space for reasons other than science, usually for recreation. Each flight can cost from $250,000 to $40 million. Some upcoming companies, such as Blue Origin, are working to lower these costs and make it more reliable.

The Russian Federal Space Agency is hugely involved in space tourism. Although it is a government agency, it has already sent seven tourists to the International Space Station, a joint station, through a partnership with Space Adventures and use of their Soyuz ships. While space travel for science remains a goal, space tourism is a booming industry. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration it could be a “billion dollar market” in the future.

Since space travel is such a vast opportunity, many famous entrepreneurs have founded companies. SpaceX was created by Tesla Motor’s Elon Musk and Blue Origin was founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Although space travel was originally considered a Russian or American venture, and most private companies are American or British, there are companies from Denmark, New Zealand, Romania, and other European countries.

These private companies cooperate to make commercial spacecraft that transport supplies to the International Space Station. The International Space Station is the united effort of European, Japanese, and Canadian federal agencies, with the help of some private companies such as Boeing and SpaceX, which has managed to create the first reusable rockets. NASA’s Commercial Crew Development program and other similar programs commission private companies to build ships for them, especially for traveling to the International Space Station.

One example is Dream Chaser by Sierra Nevada Corporation. Many of these private ships are space planes; it acts comparable to a classic airplane but operates in the vacuum of space. However, few companies have actually been successful in manned flight. SpaceShipOne by Scaled Composites was the first manned flight by a private company. Unfortunately, one of SpaceShipTwo’s spacecraft by The Space Company - a joint company between Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic - broke apart midflight while experimenting the use of a nylon based fuel rather than a rubber one, killing one of two pilots. Space is vast and incredible. With the efforts of government agencies and private companies, humanity is able to explore more than ever before.

According to NASA, exploring space “helps to address fundamental questions” such as Earth’s similarities with Mars. Its differences allow us to learn more about humans and how they react to low Earth Orbit for extended periods. Efforts such as traveling to Mars or the International Space Station have brought countries closer together, helped scientists learn more about the universe’s greatest mysteries, and continues to make space travel more accessible and safer for humankind. Here’s a toast to the next frontier to explore.

- Rebecca Mikofsky “Blue Origin.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015.

“European Space Agency.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015.

“International Space Station.” Boeing. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2015. <http://www.boeing.com/boeing/defense-space/space/spacestation/index.page>.

Space Companies

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Space X

Created by Elon Musk

Virgin Galatic

Part of The Spaceship Company. Runs missions for space tourism

Boeing

Helped build the International Space Station

Orbital Science Corp,

Sent missions to International Space Station using their Cygnus ship

Scales Composited

Part of the Spaceship company

Blue Origin

Created by Jeff Bezno (Amazon)

Space Adventures

Worked with Russia to send tourists to the International Space Station

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The Ethics of reckless drivers You are driving a train, speeding towards your next destination, when you see five people on the track ahead of you. They have nowhere to go and you have nowhere to turn. It looks like you will have no choice but to hit them. Then, you see a small turnoff. However, on this turnoff stands a man. If you stay on the first track, you will hit the five people ahead but spare the man on the turnoff. Turning would mean killing him, but sparing the first five. What do you do?

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Driverless cars are getting closer and closer to reality. Over time, a spectrum has developed between completely manual cars and completely automatic. Many cars now incorporate features like automatic braking systems, which use cameras to sense obstacles. Several companies have now finished models that are “highly automated”. In other words, they can drive themselves under certain conditions, but still require human drivers for more difficult navigation. With companies like Google and Audi developing and testing prototypes, we are approaching the other end of the spectrum: completely automatic, or driverless, cars.

But the technology is far from simple and its implications extend beyond mechanics and coding.

An article in The Atlantic gives the example of an animal running out into the middle of the road. Even with a situation as seemingly simple as this, thousands of variables play a part in the driver’s next move. People do not consider the situation analytically—they have one moment to make an instinctive decision and they make it. This decision is undoubtedly influenced by a huge number of factors

that the driver is sometimes only subconsciously aware of.

The size of the animal, the passengers in the car, the other cars on the road put at risk by a sudden stop, the amount of space there is to avoid the animal without going off the road and even the driver’s own personal opinion of the value of an animal’s life may all impact the driver’s decision.

Without assessing each of these factors individually, the human driver is aware of them when he or she makes that split-second decision to slam on the brake. In retrospect, the driver might attribute that decision to their “natural instinct.” But a robot doesn’t have a natural instinct. First, it needs to detect each of those factors (the size of the animal, the width of the road and so on) individually; it needs to measure each and assign each a value. It then needs an algorithm that takes each of those input values into account, weighing them based on importance. It needs to take that result and use it to choose from a series of possible courses of action. And, it needs to do all of this in a single short instant.

Once a human driver is replaced by a robotic one, everyday problems like this one become complex. On the other hand, the necessarily more-complex algorithm might yield better results. Our impulses are imperfect. They might steer us in the right direction a surprisingly high fraction of the time, but sometimes they steer us in the wrong one.

Driverless cars which use a pre-programmed algorithm to make the same choices we make instinctively, have the potential to make better decisions more consistently.

All of this emerges from the simple situation of a small animal running into the road. A driverless car on the road would be faced with situations like this almost constantly, along with far more complex ones. In this situation, though it is unclear what the best course of action is, it is clear what the ideal outcome is (the animal is spared and nobody is hurt). This is not always the case. In fact, driverless cars are giving a practical application to central philosophical problems that have for decades remained purely theoretical.

The Trolley Problem

One such problem, known as the Trolley Problem, was first proposed by philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967. The problem was subsequently tweaked and developed by many other philosophers, most notably Judith Thomson. The original problem is the one posed at the beginning of this article: do you continue and kill the five men, sparing the man on the other track, or do you turn and kill the one, saving the five?

If you make this decision purely based on how many lives

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Computer Generated Art During the industrial revolution, manufacturing jobs involving unskilled labor were replaced with machines that performed repetitive processes with greater speed, accuracy and less cost. This revolutionized the manufacturing process by benefiting productivity and dramatically increasing efficiency. For instance, in the United Kingdom, Pig Iron production tripled after the industrial revolution. Today the power of machines extends much further than just performing simple labor.

As machines improve, more sophisticated tasks are mechanized. are saved, it is evident that to turn is the right decision. For some, it is obvious that turning is the moral thing to do.

Here is another version of the scenario: You stand beside the trolley. It is picking up speed and heading for a crash that will kill its five passengers. You can flip a switch that will turn the trolley so that it stops harmlessly in a pile of dirt, and save the passengers. But between the pile of dirt and the trolley is a man. If you flip the switch, you kill him; if you don’t, you let the first five die.

In terms of the number of lives lost, this problem is completely equivalent to the first. Yet some who would turn if they were driving say that they would not flip the switch.

A third variation: You stand on a bridge above the train track. The train is racing towards five people, and will kill them if it continues. However a man stands next to you who is large enough to stop the train. If you push the man onto the tracks, he will stop the train, saving the five people but he will not survive. Do you push him?

Again, in terms of numbers it is identical to the first situation. But this one certainly seems different. Many who would not hesitate to turn in the first case will assert that it is wrong to push the man over the bridge.

The question of the moral difference between the situations has been studied and debated for years. The change in peoples’ decisions emerges from the distinction between killing and letting die. People are far more willing to let someone die than to actively kill them. Another way to explain the change in response is through a theory called the Doctrine of Double Effect. The Doctrine of Double Effect details several conditions that an action must fulfil for it to be moral. Several of the conditions deal with situations where the action will result in both good and bad effects (like the trolley problems) and outline how to weigh them. One of the conditions, however, is that the

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good effect must be a direct result of the action rather than a result of the bad effect. With the man on the bridge, the good effect emerges from the bad one; so according to the Doctrine of Double Effect, it is immoral.

There is also a scientific explanation. Research has shown that moral judgments may be instinctual rather than logical. Different versions of the trolley problem awaken responses in different parts of the brain. The version with the man on the bridge produces a response in the part of the brain that deals with emotion, rather than logic.

So, what should a car do? Should it act purely based on numbers? Should it mimic the human response? For years, the trolley problem has remained theoretical. But programs for driverless cars need to be prepared for even unlikely situations like the trolley problem. Programmers will need to prepare the cars to act in similar situations.

They will need to teach the cars how to value human life.

And it may not be the responsibility of the programmers.

Some suggest that cars should simply be programmed to minimize the number of lives saved. Others propose that when somebody purchases a car, they should be required to answer a questionnaire based on the trolley problem and other similar issues. The car will then store its owner’s answers. Its programming will then reflect the moral choices of its owner. Others still suggest that consumers be able to choose cars with certain belief systems: someone could purchase a utilitarian car, for example, or a car with morals reflecting a specific organization.

Whether or not the trolley problem will ever be recreated in reality, it is clear that driverless cars bring with them a whole new set of technical and moral questions.

Machines that perform logical tasks are the next improvement in automation. A famous example of this is the almost undefeatable chess machine such as IBM’s Deep Blue or Rybka, the computer chess engine that has been narrowly defeated only once by a human being. These machines analyze the positions of chess pieces to make predictions. Cleverbot, created by Rollo Carpenter in 1987, is an abstract example of logical computing. It is an online chat bot which responds to inputs and outputs conversations to the user. Unlike most other chatbots, its responses are based on previous inputs globally, so it learns from experience. If we have software that uses data to create conversation, it may be possible to create software that randomly generates in other mediums such as literature.

Although this would be difficult and at first extremely impractical, logical patterns that exist in writing could be analyzed and imitated. An example of this concept would be SCIgen, a joke program developed by three students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. SCIgen combines phrases from scientific papers in a logical structure to create a unique, nonsensical paper. It even generates random data and citations for claims. Readers of articles created by SCIgen initially report no suspicion due to its professional vocabulary and structure. In fact, the structure of the paper was so convincing that some of its papers were used in conferences and published by organizations such as the US Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

Upon analyzing the actual information in the article however, it becomes clear how ridiculous it actually

is. Although this method of generation is abstract and mostly useless, it may serve as a key stepping stone in the field of automation.

Perhaps a more prominent example would be random music generation, which has been given more attention. This idea existed even during the classical era of music with Mozart’s Musikalisches Würfelspiel (translated to Musical dice game) where dice were used to generate music from precomposed options. With the help of modern computing, this process becomes thousands of times easier and quicker to achieve. Music follows precise rules that can be logically deduced and followed systematically. When dealing with electronic style music, a program can easily generate a logical background harmony filled with arpeggios and melodies that correlate with the background. A notable example of this would be SoundHelix, which generates music that sounds very professional and complete to the ear. It not only generates reasonable melodies and harmonies, but also generates sounds, effects and rhythmic loops that all correlate with each other. The program does this well enough that its music sounds like lots of composed music trending in the electronic genre. This makes it much more likely that in the near future, music or at least certain parts of popular music will be generated.

A future where machines not only work, but also create art may be unsettling, especially to those who work in these fields. In the near future, mechanical art overtaking human art is unlikely since the value and success of art is dependent on the public’s opinion. Ultimately, this may close the gap between humanity and artificial intelligence, bringing us closer to reaching the technological singularity where machines overpower humans and surpass them in intellect or capability. Regardless of any opposition, the search for creative automation is inevitable, just like all other improvements that extend and take advantage of technological limits.

- Adris Jaoutakas Sources on page 33

- Yael Saiger Sources on page 33

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Sarah Hluchan

Senior Strategist, Google people development Computer Engineering is a large field that encompasses a wide range of tasks and responsibilities. What do you do in your job? What is its description?

It is a large field and I have worked in many aspects. I started playing with computers when I was four and my brothers would play with Basic. We wrote little funny programs together so I saw how it worked.

My first jobs in high school were fixing computers and setting up networks for small businesses and non-profits. In college, I was a network engineer for the library systems at Rutgers.

During the dot com boom, I left school for the bay area and worked in a small ISP learning everything about the internet. Since it was small, I had insight into everything from TCP/IP settings to sysadmin and domain names. It was the beginning of dot com domain names and I could have had my pick of anything.com, even sarah.com was free... if I could have afforded $75.

I moved on to programming as a software engineer for another startup making java based server software. Our clients were mostly fortune 500 companies installing and customizing it for internal portals. The people and place were great, but the office and business atmosphere got pretty dry and boring after a while. I really needed to get

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back to developing art. So, I went to Mills for creative arts, electronic art, music, and learned to play the banjo.

Later at Google, I was an engineering team leader, designed and programmed a number of internal learning and development apps, implemented open source programs and performed senior research engineer tasks to maintain enterprise software.

Currently, I am in a project management role, not writing code, but my technical skills are essential for working with engineers to launch great products, understand what is going on in the development cycle, resolve issues, and liaison between business stakeholders and development teams.

Google is cool, because it is easier to apply creativity to the work. I can even find other artists there and we can make things happen extracurricularly.

I also work on art and innovation initiatives, including bringing outside artists into the google community, fostering collaborations, and participating in professional arts and technology initiatives outside of Google through various organizations and communities. I’m particularly interested in Pauline Oliveros and the deep listening community right now, and hoping to bring her to Google to share some wisdom with us.

What does a typical day look like?

There’s really no typical day. Except that in MTV it’s almost always sunny and bright!

How many hours do you spend in a day? a week?

Maybe 50 - 70 hours a week …. but a lot is taking projects further ahead because I’m interested, or developing side projects such as helping the artists programs or other innovative ideas. There was a year when I wanted to travel and focus on other things, and my schedule was closer to 40, and that was fine.

What is your area of expertise?

I’d say the creative process, and applying it to problem solving. Problem solving might be figuring out how to optimize a program or learn a new language or deciding that the feature or program needs to be made in the first place.

It could be figuring out who to ask to do what, or which people need to have a conversation. Basically, the creative process is cool and I’d say not well understood and undervalued. It is important to everything and John Cleese has a nice youtube video about it if you can find it. :) Did you get a college education? If so, where? If not, why not?

Yes, but really in school I just did what I wanted. I took computer science mostly at Rutgers and then art and electronic music recording at Mills. I think Mills was formative and I met some of my most important mentors there: Pauline Oliveros, Maggie Payne, Anna Murch, and Ellen Spertus.

Does Google require a college degree?

Nope, not officially required, but it probably helps a lot getting through the first interview unless you have something really spectacular to show instead.

How many additional knowledge/skills did you learn while working for Google that you did not learn in school?

A lot about UX (user experience) design, programming with APIs, and since I’ve been on the peopleOps team, organizational psychology. I could have learned that all in school though. So probably really a lot of my learning was about business and working with people.

Is there a dominant language used in your programming projects?

Python is fun. And I like helping friends automate stupid work with simple app scripts, which uses Javascript.

Do you have a favorite language? What do you think makes it better than the others? How often do you get to use it in your projects?

My favorite is Assembly. I never use it, but I wouldn’t have minded going in that direction! I’m making a sculpture that has to do with binary strings. Don’t want to give it away... coming soon.

Computer architecture was my favorite class ever and I think it’s really important (at least in my approach to everything) to see the most essential guts of what’s going on; down to the 0s and 1s and electric signals being passed about.

How many people are involved in a project?

I can’t answer how many people are on my team because our team is a part of a bigger team which partners with another team and together we need to coordinate with so and so teams.... but I guess there are about 10 people I talk to regularly on a weekly basis and 25 on monthly.

What were the hiring requirements for your job?

Not sure, but apparently Larry [Page] wrote on my file that they should hire me because I had created this giant lint ball. :) When did you decide to go into this field?

I guess in college I knew I wanted to do comp sci and art, but ALWAYS wanted them to each be their own. If they overlapped, it was like Leonardo da Vinci as a scientist and an artist, envisioning, experimenting, journaling and building new ideas.

How long have you had your job? Have you worked for a few different companies as well? If so, why? Is there an advantage to working for multiple companies over the years?

Eight years at google, but I have probably had about eight different careers there with different teams, roles and projects.

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A Bigger Dipper How much time do you spend planning a project? Executing it? Debugging it?

We’ve started using more Agile, which uses small development cycles. These three stages all happen simultaneously, with many people involved. My role right now is 60% planning, and more meetings than ever. Most of my time at Google was more on the executing and debugging, when I was heavier on the tech side. As an SRE (senior research engineer), it was mostly debugging. As a programmer, the way I worked then, it was maybe 40, 40, 20.

Which part of your job gives you the most satisfaction?

Solving difficult problems, especially with a team that collaborates really well together and seeing customers appreciate the outcome. I really love problem solving and executing to make things happen.

How do you manage your projects? What sort of organization is used?

I use a lot of google spreadsheets and docs. Everything is in teams, so we collaborate and decide what works best to keep track of the project. With Agile, we use post-its on the wall with user stories.

What is your favorite part about you job? About working at Google?

“Google” was one of my favorite words when I was a kid; I liked the sound and idea of the number.

Personally, I think the best way to manage anything is as much transparency and collaboration as possible. Sometimes just making sure all the right people are working together. Talking avoids needing any documentation at all.

That’s one nice thing about Agile, even if “Agile” is a bit of a trendy and institutionalized name... it does have a good philosophy at heart.

Have you been in different campuses? If so, do you feel that the location of the offices affect the feel of the environment? Do you think that the New York offices have the same feel as international offices or the Mountain view campus?

I’ve been to maybe eight offices internationally. The most interesting was Lisbon, because it was so tiny. Only one conference room. They are all pretty consistently fun and friendly though and I love seeing the difference in snacks!

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How much freedom do you have with your schedule? Can you work from home or other locations?

Yes, but there is so much going on at the office. I am there most of the time.

I saw Google launch when I was at my other (sorta boring) job, and since the first day I saw it, I just thought it was awesome. It was the right thing to make then, and had the cool colors and name. Right under the search bar they had a link to positions they were hiring for. I really actually considered applying, but didn’t want to commute. Oops!

But I had a friend at Stanford and went to their launch party! It was just like any other dot com party at the time so we really didn’t think much of it, but enjoyed the free beer.

They are so forward thinking. I really do like our leaders, Larry [Page] and Sergey [Brin], and think they are doing the right thing by us and the world and future. And my current role in POps (peopleOps) is in the part of the company that helps make Google “the best place to work” -- I feel like we are experimenting with how to build a mini utopia.

I’m really happy to work for a company I believe in.

The human fascination with constellations is an ancient one, with constellations first being recorded over 17,000 years ago, in the form of cave paintings in southern France. Since then, our view and knowledge of constellations have changed drastically. Constellations had great importance in cultures like the ancient Greeks.

Almost all modern-day names for constellations were created by the Greeks, and each constellation was associated with a Greek myth. Orion, the Gemini, Ursa Major and Minor, and Taurus to name a few. The Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemy identified and named a total of 48 constellations. The Greeks explained these constellations through their mythology, in which the constellations were believed to have been created by the Gods; each one honoring a different myth. Since that time, our understanding of constellations has changed considerably. We now know that constellations are patterns in the stars rather than the work of divine beings. Many more constellations have been identified and mapped since Ptolemy’s original 48.

Today, there is a long list of 88 official constellations that make up our map of the stars. Human understanding of constellations has been transformed since the creation of those cave paintings many years ago. However, oddly enough, the constellations themselves haven’t changed at all. In fact, they probably look almost identical to the constellations that the Greeks or even the cave painters saw.

What is a constellation?

A constellation is pattern seen in the night sky, usually consisting of stars that can be easily seen with the naked eye. A constellation characterizes both the pattern of those stars and their region in the sky. For astronomers, constellations serve as markers in the night sky, allowing them to recognize a region and its stars through the knowledge of the constellations.

All stars are constantly in movement, due to being in their own orbit throughout the galaxy. Many stars move at an extraordinarily fast rate, some as fast as 500 kilometers every second, while others move at a much slower pace of just a few kilometers per second. Our own sun is moving at steady rate of 30 kilometers a second.

However, these stars are very far away from us, despite seeming so close. In fact, the star closest to the Earth, Proxima Centauri, is 4.37 light years away. That is over 38 trillion kilometers away from the Earth. Despite their stunning speed, their distance away from us causes their change in position to be unnoticeable. To see any noticeable change in a constellation requires thousands of years, a timespan that individual humans cannot survive. But despite our inability to see it, constellations are changing significantly. In fact, in a timespan of about 50,000 years, the Big Dipper’s handle will become much more curved and bent as opposed to now. The stars themselves in a constellation also change in appearance, with alterations in their brightness. For example, the stars that make up the head of the constellation Scorpius have become brighter, changing the constellation’s overall look.

Constellations have and will continue to play an important role in the culture of humans, as well as our understanding of the night sky. But these ancient celestial formations will continue to change, even if that change takes thousands of years.

- Franklin Guttman McClure, Bruce. "How Far Is a Light-year? | EarthSky.org." EarthSky. EarthSky, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. <http:// earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/how-far-is-a-light-year>.

"SkyTellers - Constellations - About Constellations." SkyTellers - Constellations - About Constellations. SkyTellers, 21 May 2007. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. <http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/skytellers/constellations/about.shtml>.

"Constellations: Frequently Asked Questions." Constellations: Frequently Asked Questions. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. <http://www.physics.csbsju.edu/astro/asp/constellation.faq.html>

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I came here to study a little bit broader in subjects in design and technology but utilizing my skills in fine arts and filmmaking. So that’s how I eventually ended up here.

Then I applied for the jobs at the museum and did some really cool projects.

What do you do as digital educator?

Most of the time I work with middle schoolers and we do projects that involve technology. At the Museum of Natural History I teach classes on anthropology, biology, and astronomy using 3D environments or softwares that can visualize different aspects of these sciences. So I teach the tech side of that. We use Second Life, a 3D environment that is modified for the students to program a similar environment Cretaceous dinosaurs might have lived in. At the school where I teach in the Bronx we use a lot of technology and creative theory. We do a lot of arts and crafts and we add LEDs, batteries and motors. At my job at the Teacher’s College at Columbia University I do a lot of exhibition design for education. So using design in an educational setting.

As an educator, has your experience changed the way you view technology?

Oh yes, definitely. When I was pursuing my masters in technology and design at Parsons The New School, I didn’t the know the benefits of how you could use technology as an educational tool. As far as educational tools went for me it was like a book, pencil, and paper. And then ever so often you’d go to the library to use the computer to search things. And that’d be it. But now I understand that technology can come in many shapes and forms. From posting a picture on tumblr, to taking simple software that can locate you and tell you what was there a hundred years ago. Technology can be fun and creative, but also educational if you know the right tools and how to use it.

Interview : Veronica Black Veronica Black’s career has taken many twists and turns, from studying architecture and filmography to earning her MFA at Parson’s School of Design. She’s worked on projects with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and created films in between. She now works as a digital educator in a school in the Bronx, the Museum of Natural History, and installation projects at Teacher’s College.

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Can you describe your background and how you ended up where you are now?

I was homeschooled kindergarten through twelfth grade and after graduating high school and all my friends were going to college, none of my parents had gone to college, but I really thought that college education was important and to see what it was like for myself. I applied to colleges and got into one or two. I realized that there was a lot to offer and I thought I was going to be an architect or engineer, because that’s what my dad did. But I realized my passion wasn’t there, so I transfered around so I ended up in New Mexico taking a class in media arts. A teacher put a camera into my hands and it changed my life. After six years of working as a filmmaker I decided that I wanted to continue my education and see the world a little bit more. I applied to art schools throughout the United States and I got accepted at Parsons in New York.

It’s really cool that you work with interactive technology that blends art with your work. What do you hope for your students to take away from this integrated experience?

I hope they can develope a better sense of how they can use technology to better their education, but also have a respect for it, to know that there is a lot of hard work that goes into it. It’s exposing them early on so they can use technology responsibly in their future. Maybe they see an avenue or have a really good idea how to prevent forest fires you know, and can build some sort of software or app or project that educates you on how to prevent them. To kind of spark their imagination.

What has been your favorite and least favorite project to work on?

All of my projects have been interesting. They may not have been great or what I wanted, but the most challenging projects are what I find where you are given very little information or resources and having to come up with something really amazing on really little. Those are usually the projects where I’m working with people who don’t really understand technology or the space and their ideas and you have to talk to them and figure out this is what I can do, bring forth, what can you do? And sometimes it’s really challenging to work with people who aren’t informed. And sometimes you can have this really good idea for a client, but not everyone can understand your vision. And that’s frustrating. Especially as an artist, or somebody who wants to integrate new ideas.

My favorite project by far is a project I did with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My team and I came up with a mobile device app that helped people with disabilities

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navigate throughout the museum. On the Met paper map you can’t really tell what’s accessible or take into consideration the floor materials that aren’t convenient for those in wheelchairs. Like if its too carpeted or slippery tile. It’s like choosing your own adventure sort of map. That was an awarding, amazing project that is even continuing at the Met right now. My thesis project was also really important project that looked at wearable technology through the eyes of somebody with an eating disorder. So that was challenging but something that I needed to do as an artist personally. To challenge the idea of what wearable technology is.

A lot of your work combines artistic aspects with technology. What inspires your work?

Artistic expression comes into a lot of my work whether I meant it to or not. My background is in fine arts and filmmaking so it always sneaks in. I combine painting with computing, drawings with Ardweeny. I’m always finding ways of how technology and art can be cohesive.

What has surprised you most in your field of work?

I wasn’t very interested in becoming an educator. When I was going through grad school and when I was done I wasn’t excited about being an educator. I’ve always wanted to be a designer or an artist , like big dreams. But I’m finding that education is in everything, and everything that I’ve wanted to do. So I’ve wanted to collaborate with others and I do in the classroom. I find that education is really valuable to me and I want to share it with others. So it surprised me about how much I enjoy and benefited from being in education and learning how important education can be in your day to day life. Education is so important.

Just being aware of what’s around you.

What do artists and people in the technician field have in common?

They all require you to look at things in a unique perspective. Imagination. You have to be able to approach a problem with a creative solution. You might have all the resources, but you have to know how to start solving it.

That takes a lot a creativity and ingenuity.

How are women in the technology field?

There are really cool women working in the field right now.

It’s a little bit challenging, especially in the areas of design and technology there are understanding that women aren't coders. But those thoughts are changing. There are people like Annetta Arcadian a journalist on video games she uses technology to help fight against gender inequal-

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ity and sexism in video games. There are people that are my mentors like Marian Linger at NYU who teaches and develops software in New Mexico and doing some really cool things there. It can be challenging, being a women in a male dominated field, but I don’t think that should stop you from pursuing your creativity. There are always places and jobs out there. Lindsey Addario is a great example of using digital photography as a resource to capture struggle in different worlds and she uses digital software to edit her images and get them out there. I feel like the gender barrier is breaking. There are more women coming into coding or mathematical or scientific field. Soon that’s not going to be an idea anymore. We’ll have to keep pushing.

Is there a common misconception about technology that discourages students for pursuing tech related jobs? Like working with software?

Yes, there's a huge misconception when it comes to tech related job fields, and that is, coding is hard. Yes, you do need to know how to code something, but it is not as hard as it might seem. Just like everything you do, the more you practice the better you become. Same goes for coding.

Outside of the understanding that coding is hard, there's also a problem thinking man are better at coding then woman. It's really hard for a woman to get a job as a coder and designer. It's normally one or the other. Man can be designers and if they can code that's great, they're hired.

But it's different for woman. Woman typically have to prove they can code, and that sometimes take some fighting.

Do you have any final words of wisdom for our readers?

Everyone has potential and they should do what they are passionate about. Even if it’s hard or someone says you’re not any good, you shouldn’t really listen to them. Especially if they’re holding you back from education or pursuing ideas that are interesting to you. You never know, that idea could change somebody else’s life in a positive way. And it never hurts to do a bit extra, like volunteering at organizations to gain experience.

- Sharon Young “Home.” Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2015.<Veronicablac.com> <vimeo.com/104539100>

frank gehry

A Look Into His Architecture Frank Gehry was born on February 28, 1929 in Toronto, Canada. He was creative at a young age, building imaginary houses out of the all kinds of materials. Since the 1960’s Gehry has been among the most acclaimed architects of the 20th century.

Gehry is known for his use of bold, postmodern shapes and unusual fabrications. He uses unconventional building materials in his architecture.

Gehry graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture. Then he moved to Massachusetts and enrolled at Harvard Graduate School of Design. After leaving Harvard he returned to California to launch his cardboard furniture line “Easy Edges”.

The Easy Edges pieces are created from layers of corrugated cardboard. In this line Gehry was able to use his unconventional thinking in a product as simple as furniture. He went onto bigger projects such as remodeling his Santa Monica home. This remodel consisted of surrounding the existing bungalow with corrugated steel and a chain-link fence and splitting the house open with an angled skylight. This spread Gehry’s name throughout the architecture world and launched his career to new heights.

With his new gained popularity he moved onto high-concept buildings. His buildings became such spectacular sights that they became tourist attractions in their own right. His work challenged accepted standards of architecture while breaking the accepted ideal of form following function.

also designed many more buildings but these stand out because they are so different from traditional buildings. All of these structures make use of the Deconstructivist style because they break the ideal of form following function and they go above and beyond on their main purpose just with their outside appearance.

Gehry’s consistent aesthetic of using unusual materials has made his buildings some of the most distinctive and easily recognizable designs of the recent past.

His style also seems to be unfinished or crude because it does not follow the traditional rules of buildings. But to Gehry that does not matter.

- Iffat Iqbal “24 Spectacular Buildings.” Architectural Digest. Conde Nast, 2 Feb. 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.architecturaldigest.com/architecture/2014-10/best-of-frankgehry-slideshow_slideshow_item0_1>

Frank Gehry’s best known works include the titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, and the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, France. He has

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ADHD is an executive functioning disorder that affects both children and adults. Executive functions refer to the mental skills required to organize a person’s thoughts, self-monitor their behavior and control their impulses.

Characteristics of children with ADHD include but are not limited to failure to pay attention to instructions, difficulty remaining in a seat for an extended period of time, a tendency to fidget and issues with keeping themselves organized.

Students with ADHD are adversely affected in several areas of cognitive function that are required for success in school. The difficulties ADHD students face can be grouped into two broad categories: focus and behavioral issues, and executive functioning issues. Issues of focus and attentiveness can be treated with medication. However, executive functioning disorders must be treated with behavioral interventions.

ADHD’s most noticeable impact is usually the issues with focus that the learning disability imparts on children. For example, students may not properly complete an assignment due to overlooked details in the instructions. They may also make careless mistakes such as copying the wrong math question. Students may even be disruptive to the classroom environment by creating a verbal distraction or constantly getting out of their seat.

My body’s here but I’m not Addressing ADHD in the classroom 18

Executive functioning issues, the other component of ADHD, are responsible for long term difficulties with academic development, organization and self-management.

These issues manifest as poor time management and disorganized work (e.g. a student has difficulty writing essays with a sustained and coherent argument). ADHD students are also prone to losing or forgetting important items such as keys or homework. While these shortcomings have no bearing on intelligence, they directly affects a student’s ability to be academically competent. As a result, executive functioning issues can be particularly damaging over a long period of time. Large scale studies have shown a direct correlation between ADHD and dropout rates, as well as, lower GPAs and scores on reading, writing and arithmetic tests compared to those of their peers.

Today’s classrooms are not merely diverse in ethnicity, gender, and social status but diverse in learning disabilities as well. More special needs students, particularly those with ADHD, are being integrated into general education classrooms. The result is that teachers spend more time dealing with behavior and less time teaching the class. Teachers need new systems to effectively manage and teach students with ADHD.

While awareness of ADHD increases and diagnostic requirements relax, ADHD is also becoming increasingly prevalent across the United States. Around 7% of America’s school aged population is now diagnosed with ADHD. In the past 10 years, there has been a 35 times increase in prescriptions for Ritalin, the most common drug for treating ADHD. Recently, there have even been occasional shortages of ADHD drugs because suppliers are unable to meet demand. One factor responsible for this increase in ADHD diagnoses is that the medical specifications are still evolving. They cannot be replaced with a more precise and

formal definition until there is more conclusive research on what ADHD actually is. While studies has linked ADHD to both genetic and environmental factors, it is still unclear to what extent either play in the development of ADHD. However one thing is clear: there are more ADHD students in America’s classrooms than ever before and teachers need to be given a new set of tools and methods in order to effectively deal with this emergent demographic.

Currently, medication is the most popular way to deal with ADHD. In America, 65% of school age children with ADHD take medication to control their symptoms. ADHD medication is popular because its results are immediate. While numerous studies have shown that medication is effective at suppressing symptoms and improving academic performance medication alone is not sufficient - the benefits of ADHD medication evaporate as soon as a child stops taking it.

School based interventions shift the logistical and financial burden from parents to the school system, making behavior-based interventions more accessible. While more time consuming than taking medicine, behavior based interventions teach the individual how to confront and overcome their disability instead of trying to work around it. The solution to finding a better way to educate ADHD students is to change the way the entire class is taught. Introducing nontraditional elements into the curriculum such as teaching students self-monitoring and organization skills will also improve performance.

There are two main types of intervention methods, the difficulty for which is determined using the estimated cost and the time for implementation. Interventions are grouped into the categories of class-wide systems and individual systems. Class-wide systems change the way the existing classes are taught. This covers such methods as modifying classroom rules and adjusting lesson content or teaching styles. Class-wide interventions are easy to implement because they require few additional resources and expenses. Individual systems focus on interventions that involve new classes or activities targeted specifically at teaching skills that help students cope with ADHD. This includes classes that teach organization and self-awareness. These interventions are more difficult because they require significant training of teachers as well as the adjusting of schedules to fit these new classes.

Though more difficult to execute, individual systems have a lasting impact on students because students take the skills they learn with them after they graduate.

The first class intervention strategy is developing class rules. This intervention is easy and requires no more than a few professional development meetings. Teachers are

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responsible for creating and implementing a set of classroom rules. These rules must apply to all students – otherwise teachers risk accidentally singling out or excluding students with ADHD. The rules should be positive rather than negative; for example, instead of saying “No calling out”, say “Remember to raise hand before speaking”.

Instead of giving the student a constant reminder of what they did wrong, positive rules remind the student of the proper course of behavior. Teachers must be firm and explicit when setting rules in order to give students the structure they need. Teachers may also affix the classroom rules to the desk of disruptive students to remind them of the expected behaviors.

The second class intervention is a rewards system. The reward system has a medium difficulty of implementation. While teacher training only requires a few professional development sessions the teacher must continuously record student behavior. This approach also requires spending time that might have otherwise been spent teaching. A branch of the class rules system, the rewards solution provides students with a tangible motivation to behave better. Teachers keep track of behavior and reward students with their preferred activity (e.g. computer or physical activity free time) for behaving well. Similar to class rules, in order to promote positive reinforcement, rewards should be worded in a positive tone. Students should not be punished when they are not following the rules, instead students should only be rewarded when they achieve a goal. (e.g did classwork, was not disruptive). This system should contain goals small enough that it can be used to provide many smaller rewards instead of one big reward. Some students will need constant encouragement.

The third class intervention is modifying the requirements of class assignments. This intervention is easy to moderately difficult to implement depending on how much time it takes for a teacher to modify class assignments. Students with ADHD may take longer to do assignments, so reducing the length of assignments would helps them keep up with the rest of the class. For example, a teacher can assign the class a set of 10 math problems and, depending on the student, only require them to complete 5 or 6 problems. Over time, the amount of work can be slowly increased until the student is doing the same amount of work as the rest of the class does. Another way of modifying assignments is to give ADHD students a choice in how to complete an assignment. This lets them choose a variation of the assignment that seems most interesting to them. A personal investment in school work motivates students to do better and if the student is particularly interested in the work it might even trigger hyperfocus.

Hyperfocus is a curious component of ADHD that allows individuals to apply intense focus to a particular task or top-

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ic for an extended time, particularly if they find it enjoyable.

The first individual intervention is teaching students how to self-monitor. This intervention is hard because it requires a time investment for the students as well as staff training.

Self-monitoring is the process of checking one’s current thoughts and actions against what the students knows that he or she ought to be doing. This is important because a hallmark of ADHD is the tendency to wander off task.

One study by K. R Harris and his colleagues analyzed how self awareness education affected student performance.

After being taught about self-awareness in sessions with teachers, ADHD students were trained to self-analyze their thoughts and redirect themselves in response to an aural cue. However, the cue does not have to be aural; students can work out other cues, such as a gesture from a teacher, to remind them to redirect themselves. Self-monitoring training greatly benefited students over the course of a 15 minute spelling activity. Before the self-monitoring method was taught to the students, they were only on task 55% of the time. After the self-monitoring training, time spent on task increased to 92% of the activity.

The second individual intervention system is teaching students to organize themselves. This intervention is hard because it requires a significant time investment for the students as well as extensive staff training or, depending on the financial status of the school, hire a specialist.

Steven Evans and colleagues developed the “Challenging Horizons Program”, an afterschool program that taught students skills to organize themselves and keep on task.

Students conducted after school meetings with specially trained staff who taught the students how to organize their belongings, including their book-bags and notes. Students improved over a period of several weeks and became significantly more organized. It also helped them academically because they forgot fewer assignments and remembered about more deadlines and tests.

However, the amount of work and potential cost of having a full-time specialist is prohibitive for most schools.

While teacher managed interventions are less effective than specialized professional inventions, schools’ limited resources dictate that it is more cost efficient for teachers to be the main manager of interventions. By investing the time to teach existing school staff how to teach and monitor the children in skills such as self-monitoring, organization and note-taking, similar results can be achieved without the cost of specialized staff.

Through behavior based interventions, students with ADHD can be more productive and behave properly in a classroom setting. Instead of trying to force these students into the existing learning environment, these inter-

ventions can be used to adapt the classroom to better match their needs. However these approaches, while effective, require time and money to implement. Medicine gets the job done quicker and cheaper, but it does not teach students the independence or skills necessary to succeed in life. Medicine is simply a temporary patch – an evanescent solution. It needs another element to be part of a comprehensive ADHD treatment plan. Behavioral interventions address the underlying causes of difficulties for ADHD students and the effects last longer than those of medicine. By modifying the classroom to accommodate students and ultimately teaching students how to manage themselves, schools can empower ADHD students with the life-long skills they need to control their ADHD. - Ethan Bless-Wint (Koerth-baker, Maggie. “The Not-So-Hidden Cause Behind the A.D.H.D. Epidemic.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Oct. 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.)

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.)

Hallowell, Edward M. & Ratey, John J. (2011) Driven To Distraction (revised) : Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder. New York, NY : Anchor Books Heiligenstein, E., Guenther, E. & Levy, A. (1999) Psychological and academic functioning in college students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of American College Health, 47, 181–185.

DuPaul, G. J., & Weyandt, L. L. (2006). School- based intervention for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Effects on academic, social, and behavioural functioning. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 53, 161–176.

DuPaul, G. J., Weyandt, L. L., & Janusis, G. M. (2011). ADHD in the Classroom: Effective Intervention Strategies. Theory Into Practice, 50(1), 35-42.

DuPaul, G. J., & Stoner, G. (2002). Interventions for attention problems. In M. R. Shinn, H. M. Walker, & G. Stoner (Eds.), Interventions for academic and behavior problems II: Preventive and remedial approaches (pp. 913–938).

Bethesda, MD: NASP.

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.).

Harris, K. R., Friedlander, B. D., Saddler, B., Frizzelle, R., & Graham, S. (2005). Self-Monitoring of Attention Versus Self-Monitoring of Academic Performance: Effects Among Students with ADHD in the General Education Classroom.

Journal Of Special Education, 39(3), 145-156.

Daley, D. and Birchwood, J. (2010), ADHD and academic performance: why does ADHD impact on academic performance and what can be done to support ADHD children in the classroom?. Child: Care, Health and Development, 36: 455–464. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2009.01046.x

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The science behind our biggest Phobias Fear is completely normal. When we experience fear, our brains are bothered by stressful stimuli. Many objects or situations can be stimuli for fear. When these things present themselves, the brain sends electrochemical signals throughout the body. In response, the heart and breath rates quicken and muscles liven up. We go into fight-orflight response to make split-second decisions to cope with the threat of danger.

However, some people may fear a threat that is not present or not even dangerous. This is called a phobia, and roughly 13% of adults have some form of a phobia. While fear is a natural occurrence, its effects are usually temporary. On the other hand, phobias are especially detrimental because they cause people to miss out on many things in life that they may otherwise enjoy. A phobia is any irrational fear or hatred of something. Commonplace phobias include arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, acrophobia, the fear of heights, claustrophobia, the fear of confined spaces, and belonephobia, the fear of needles and other sharp objects.

Phobias are categorized into three different groups. The first group, specific phobias, occur when a person is afraid of a single object. Most people who suffer from a specific phobia do not recognize that their fears are irrational.

The second group includes social phobias, fears of being

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in awkward or embarrassing situations with other people. Agoraphobia, the third classification of phobias, is the fear of being in an area where it is difficult to escape. As a result, people who suffer from this also experience debilitating panic episodes. The common thread between all of these phobias is the fact that the objects causing these fears usually do not pose a serious threat to an individual. Individuals perceive that objects, places, or situations could be dangerous or uncomfortable and go out of their way to stay away from them. But what causes rational people to develop irrational fears and how can they be avoided, if at all?

Phobias can begin to develop as early as childhood. Young children mostly learn by observation. While toddlers are innately curious, the actions and reactions of others can serve to add to or detract from this fascination with new experiences. A child’s parent’s reaction to dogs, for example, can affect how the child begins to respond to dogs.

If a parent cringes when seeing a dog, the child begins to think that this is the normal reaction to a dog. If the parent allows the child to touch dogs, the child will not fear dogs. These fears can be reinforced by other factors such as friends of the same age, television, and video games. Often, childhood fears do not turn into phobias because children tend to grow out of them. Nevertheless, a seed is planted that could be developed into a full-blown

phobia. Another factor that aids in the creation of a phobia is stress. There are two different kinds of stress that can cause a phobia to arise. One way is when the phobia stems from one specific stressful encounter. When a person is put into a traumatic situation, breathing and heart rates increase and the muscles are energized, just like with any other fear.

fearing is harmless. Another way to deal with phobias is to de-stress. The less stress a person has, the less likely they will attach a stressful circumstance to an object or situation and come to fear it. If the phobia persists and is unbearable, antidepressants can be prescribed to the person as a last-ditch effort. Nevertheless, even these treatments may not work and more research is needed.

However, a structure in the brain called the amygdala keeps record of every feeling that was felt when the stress occurred. The amygdala controls the autonomic responses in the body caused by fear, anxiety, or strong emotion.

The fight-or-flight response is an autonomic response.

Whenever the person is in the same predicament, whether it is having to deliver a speech or handle a snake, the amygdala recalls the same emotions and pains that were attached to the first experience. Thus, the person develops an irrational fear. The other form of stress which can lead to the onset of a phobia is when a person undergoes a period of worry independent of an object, place, or situation, but attaches something they sensed during that period to the stress. For example, if a person receives shocking news and then sees a squirrel out the window. The next time that person sees a squirrel, the amygdala recalls the strong emotion felt on the day the bad news came and the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory forming, remembers that the person saw a squirrel in that moment.

The person has joined two independent events, the stress and seeing the object, and can develop an aversion to the object seen.

There are currently about three hundred recognized phobias. The science behind phobias is still not completely clear. However, what is clear is that each phobia takes an immense toll on the people who possess them. These people are forced to change their lifestyle to accommodate their fears so they can avoid the object, situation, or place of their fears. However, while phobias can be crippling, they can also be treated. Hopefully in the future with more research, more people with nerve-racking phobias can effectively be helped, so that fewer people have to deal with their effects. This will allow for more people to flush their phobias and fuel more fun.

While it may seem that phobias are hard to trace and even harder to avoid, there are ways to cope with them. A simple way to lessen the effects of a phobia is to allow periods of exposure to what is feared. Each period being longer and more directly related to the fear than the last.

This allows the individual to realize that whatever they are

- Issac Elysee “The Amygdala, the Body’s Alarm Circuit.” DNA Learning Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

Burnett, Dean. “Phobias: The Rationale behind Irrational Fears.” The Guardian. N.p., 28 June 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

Khazan, Olga. “The Psychology of Irrational Fear.” The Atlantic. N.p., 31 Oct. 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

“Phobias.” Mental Health America. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

Roberts, Gavin. “Stress, Panic, Fears and Phobias.” Hypnotherapy Directory. N.p., 2 June 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

Smith, Melinda, Robert Segal, and Jeanne Segal. “Phobias and Fears.” Helpguide.org. N.p., Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

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Cloning Animals

Cloning has opened many doors to the future biomedical and biotechnological studies.

The Emergence of Cancer Cell Therapy Targeted cancer cell therapy is a new emerging cancer treatment. It is similar to chemotherapy because it uses drugs but it does not have such harsh side effects that chemotherapy has. Targeted drugs go after the cancer cells-inner workings. This means they go into the programming that sets the cancer cell apart from the normal healthy cells. Targeted cancer therapy is a special type of chemotherapy that uses the difference between cancer cells and healthy cells to its advantage. It is commonly used with other types of cancer therapy such as radiation, surgery and chemotherapy.

This type of therapy plays around with the genes of the cancer cells. Chemotherapy kills the cancer cells that grow continuously. But in this targeted cancer cell therapy it looks into the proteins of the cancer cell that makes it divide uncontrollably. What classifies a cancer cell is its inability to control cell division. So in this treatment it zeros in on the genes of each cancer cell since each cancer cell is different for each person. So in a way it takes advantage of the changes in cancer cells. This allows researchers and doctors to see which medicines to use and which medicines would cause

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the least amount of side effects. Some might target only a single abnormal protein in cancer cells, while others can affect several different proteins in cancer cells. Others just boost the way the body fights the cancer cells.

Common side effects of targeted drugs are skin problems, high blood pressure, blood clotting, heart damage, autoimmune reactions, and nausea and vomiting.

These drugs affect new blood vessel growth all over the body which causes side effects in the body. Side effects depend on the person and the type of cancer and cancer cell they are fighting. But side effects usually last only until the treatment is over. Targeted cancer cell therapy is a new promising treatment for cancer patients and it has a lot more benefits than chemotherapy by itself.

- Iffat Iqbal Gerber, David E. “Targeted Therapies: A New Generation of Cancer Treatments.” American Family Physician.

Org. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 1 Feb. 2008. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://www.aafp.org/ afp/2008/0201/p311.html>.

Animal Cloning is the process by which an entire organism is reproduced from a single cell taken from the parent organism in a genetically identical manner. It has been done on many different types of animals such as sheep and mice for years and still remains a controversial topic today. Although cloning occurs naturally in our bodies through asexual reproduction, scientists found a way to reproduce mammals in labs. Researchers often use cloning, or Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, to enhance breeding strategies amongst certain livestock. It has opened up the field of reprogramming genetic material of a nucleus and expanded the future of stem cell biology. So how does this work and what animal had already been cloned?

During the process of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, scientists collect a somatic cell (body cells, not sex cells) from the animal that is to be cloned (genetic donor) and extract the DNA. Then they collect an egg cell from a female animal (egg donor) and discard the nucleus of the egg cell with DNA in it. The scientists fuse the DNA of somatic cell into the egg, which develops into embryo. This fused egg is then placed into the uterus of the surrogate mother where it continues to develop. When this surrogate mother gives birth, the newborn animal is the clone of the original genetic donor. Many mammals (excluding humans) were cloned for the past 30 years. One of the most famous clonings of mammals in 1997: the cloning of Dolly.

Dolly the sheep was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell. She was born in Roslin Institute, located in Scotland. To make Dolly, the scientists took an udder cell from a white Finnish Dorset sheep and the unfertilized egg cell from Blackface ewe. After the fused egg was developed, they cultured it for a week and made

sure that the embryo divided and developed. This fused egg was then implanted into another Blackface ewe, the surrogate mother. Just like Dolly, many other farm animals were cloned in order to produce the best types of animals that would be beneficial to farms and agriculture. Through cloning, farmers are allowed to have the best types of milk. However, there are limitations to cloning. Cloning, in some countries, are banned due to ethical dilemmas and people consider it to be against nature. Cloning also often fails most of the time in labs. Although it did not happen to Dolly, cloned animals often have birth defects such as heart and lung problems.

Cloning has opened many doors to the future biomedical and biotechnological studies. It can produce genetically identical laboratory animals that can be used as models for studying human diseases. Cloned mammals carry the genetic information to make the human clotting factor IX, a protein, in their milk. Scientists also plan to clone transgenic rabbits to study cardiovascular disease in hopes of finding treatments. Cloning can also help preserve endangered species. It has, therefore, opened many doors to medical achievements and better understanding of cells.

- Irene Ok “Dolly the Sheep”. The Roslin Institue. n.p. n.d. Web. 14 March 2015.http://www.roslin.ed.ac.uk/public-interest/dolly-the-sheep/technical-aspects-of-cloning/ “Animal Cloning-Pros and Cons Discussed”. Manataka American Indian Council. n.p. n.d. Web. 14 March 2015. http://www.manataka.org/page1033.html Eenennaam, Alison Van. “Livestock Cloning”. University of California. 2006, March. Web. 14 March 2015. http:// animalscience.ucdavis.edu/animalbiotech/Outreach/Livestock_cloning.pdf

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EPIGENETICS Nature vs nurture One of the most controversial, and probably one of the most clichéd, debates is the age-old question of nature-versus-nurture. Does nature take precedent and the body you are born with determine who you are from birth to death? Or are you born a blank slate and shaped by the environment around you? Many people today decide, from the public to scientists, compromise fifty-fifty; fifty percent of who you are is determined by your DNA and fifty percent by your environment.

But something blasphemous has happened. Something else has been thrown into the mix. Something called

epigenetics has complicated matters to more than just the simple fifty-fifty agreement. It is a heritable change in gene expression influenced by the environment.

Though many people believe that the human genome is permanent and inflexible, in reality it can be changed in regards to how it is expressed. The field of epigenetics researches how it is that gene expression happens. In the double helix of the human genome, only 1.5% of the sequence were determined to be involved in protein production. The other 98.5% was considered “junk-DNA”, useless and leftovers from our predecessors. Epigenetic changes in the genome determine the expression of DNA using chemical tags. With 98.5% of the DNA sequence being non-coding and technically “turned-off”, these epigenetic tags have a wide range of options to turn on.

Needless to say, once it was found out that theses apparently inactive regions were discovered to be only latent, junk-DNA became a myth and epigenetics started coming to the forefront of science.

Epigenetics, as it turns out, play a large role in human biology. They help with our adaptability and our survival relies on it. For example, many people who have gone through famines have had genes expressed through epigenetic changes and become malnourished. However, it is not only the famine survivors who are affected, but their children also. In addition to World War II, Western Europe experienced the Dutch Hunger Winter, a devastatingly cold winter in Western Europe that started in November of 1944 to the late spring of 1945. The population’s caloric intake dropped to 30% of what it was before. It was then discovered that babies born to famine survivors during their malnourished periods were underweight. It seems plausible and even expected. However, it was also discovered that the even two generations after the famine survivors, the children of the underweight babies, were also underweight themselves. On the other hand, the siblings of the underweight babies born not at a time of malnourishment were born with normal weights, as were their children. The famine seemed to have made a lasting impression on the genetics in a branch of the families of famine survivors.

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However new the field of epigenetics is, started only in the 90’s, there is a lot of hope resting on it. Epigenetic abnormality seems to have a hand in causing cancer, turning on and off genes that causes the uninhibited growths of cells, which in turn causes death to millions of people each year.

DNA methylation suppresses harmful expression of genes, and cancer is caused by hypomethylation, or the low activities of methylation, which in turn can result in abnormal epigenetic activity. The reverse is also dangerous as too much methylation can switch off tumor suppressing genes. With this new understanding, scientists have been able to create drugs that not only reverse these harmful effects, but also target abnormal gene expressions without harming as many healthy cells as other cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. Epigenetics is undoubtedly a growing field that provide new opportunities with a bright future.

“Epigenetics: How to Alter Your Genes.” The Telegraph.Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 16 May 2015.

“Epigenetics and Introns: Life beyond DNA.” SciTechStory.

SciTech, 02 May 2010. Web. 16 May 2015.

“Epigenetics – It’s Not Just Genes That Make Us.” British Society for Cell Biology. British Society for Cell Biology, n.d.

Web. 16 May 2015.

“The Epigenome Learns from Its Experiences.” The Epigenome Learns from Its Experiences. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2015.

“Beyond DNA: Epigenetics.” Beyond DNA: Epigenetics. Natural History Magazine, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015

- Richelle Chen

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its milk, which affects the cheese.

Turning milk into cheese is a fermentation process, similar to grapes fermenting into wine or grains fermenting into alcohol. This allows cheese to last much longer than milk. Most cheeses are created through a process that separates milk into whey and curds by breaking down the proteins, then removing the whey. This separation is started using starter enzymes, usually rennet and lactic acid bacteria. The rennin enzyme causes these caseinogen proteins in milk to become casein. This causes the separation because casein is not soluble in water so it precipitates out. This solid formed by the casein proteins is called curds. This process is sometimes helped using heat.

After the separation, salt is added and then the cheese is packed into molds. Time is an important factor on cheese.

Before the whey is removed and salt is added, time causes the cheese to become more acidic. Waiting for a period of time after salting and packing in molds helps develop the flavor and may range from months to years. This is often called ripening and is a stage where the acids, bacteria, and enzymes all continue to change. The starter bacteria often die off and burst releasing more enzymes, which further changes the proteins.

This stage is also the cause of the iconic holes in swiss cheese. The holes are caused by bacteria that create a reaction with lactic acids to create carbon dioxide, which gathers and creates the holes. Mold may grow during this time such as in blue cheese where the blue is actually penicillium roqueforti mold growing in the fissures of the cheese.

The Science of Cheese People have been making cheese since 2000 BC. The first cheese was supposedly created by an Arabian merchant who stored milk in a pouch made from animal stomach.

The enzymes in the stomach combined with the heat of the desert caused the milk to turn into cheese. The making of cheese traces back to Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans.

Even the ancient Chinese, a culture not usually associated with dairy, consumed a cheese called “rushan.”

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Since ancient times, cheeses have diversified into thousands of types throughout the world. Cheeses can be classified by their color, texture, milk (animal), and type. A brie is completely different than a feta. The biggest factor is the milk. Different animals have different proteins in their milk that react completely differently. Region is the next biggest impact on the characteristics of cheese. The local differences in plants can cause differences in the cow and

chains of casein linked through calcium. Remember the next time you bite into some mozzarella on your pizza that those chains of casein are allowing for that stringy deliciousness.

- Rebecca Mikofsky Brain, Marshall. “Cheese Making.” HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. Mar. 2015..

“Casein.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. Mar. 2015.

“Cheese Science: Cheese Research.” UEN. Utah Education Network, n.d. Web. Mar. 2015.

Fun facts: •Cheese has nearly no lactose.

•Studies have shown that cheese actually helps restful sleep, rather than causing nightmares as urban legends say. This is due to tryptophan, an amino acid found in many other foods including turkey.

•The Federation of American Cheese holds the record for the largest cheese for a 56,850 -pound cheddar.

•It takes 8 pounds of milk to make 1.25 pounds of cheese •Macaroni and cheese is usually made with cheddar •The oldest cheese ever found was on Chinese mummies buried around 1600 BC.

Besides mold, the color of cheese changes due to the animal’s diet or post creation additives. To get an orange cheese, annatto, a common natural food dye, is added. For yellow, the beta-carotene (what makes carrots orange), in the fat of cows is revealed when the whey is removed. The amount of beta-carotene is regionally affected by the grass or hay. Other animals, such as goats, have no beta-carotene in their milk because it is all converted into vitamin A, so they have very white cheese.

Cheeses behave differently when melted due to their moisture content. A drier cheese, like parmesan, will melt as individual shreds rather than one unified whole, like Gouda. The melting point is mostly dependant on the amount of water. When cheese is heated, it causes fat molecules to melt. Then, the bonds in the casein proteins begin to break and the cheese becomes a liquid. These proteins are another reason why parmesan does not melt as well as other cheeses. In parmesan, the proteins are stronger and densely packed so even when bonds are broken, it still holds together. Casein also causes the stringy effect that melted cheese may cause. The strings are actually

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The Pros and cons of gmos Smelling Letters An artist could see and paint a song he hears.

A vocalist could sing the sound of coffee.

Did you know that the letter ‘M’ is purple? Or that the scent of freshly baked cookies is a G#? While this isn’t entirely true, it is for some people. These people have a condition called synesthesia, which causes them to link certain senses with other senses, which can give colors to letters and sounds to scents.

The word synesthesia comes from the Greek roots ‘syn,’ meaning together, and ‘aisthesis,’ meaning perception. It is caused when neurons and synapses that are normally contained within one sensory system cross into another sensory system. While scientists are not sure, they believe synesthesia is inherited and congenital. Although, according to a recent study, it can be influenced. Fifteen percent of adults with synesthesia, born between 1971-1990, match their letters with colors from a popular Fisher-Price toy set. This contradicts the previous thought that synesthesia was totally random. However, there must be some genetic pattern because also it has been connected to left-handedness and is more common in women, although not enough research has been done to determine why.

The number of people who have synesthesia is also widely contested; estimates range from 1 in every 200 people to 1 in every 100,000. This is mainly because it can manifest itself in many different ways, and is therefore difficult to diagnose. The most common type is grapheme-synesthesia, or linking letters with colors, but there are many other

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types, such as linking sight with feelings, sounds with tastes, or even dates with relative locations. To test if you might have synesthesia, have someone read a series of 10 random letters to you, and write down the colors you associate with them. Then, a few weeks later, have the same 10 letters in a different order read to you again, and re-write your color associations. Most normal people have 3 or 4 the same, while most synesthetes have 9 or 10 stay constant.

While some might think that synesthesia is a disability, synesthetes usually disagree. In fact, many synesthetes use their condition to create art. An artist could see and then paint a song he hears, or a vocalist could sing the sound of coffee. Some synesthetes even have become famous for their artistic abilities, such as Pharrell, Kanye West, Charlie XCX, Stevie Wonder, Vincent Van Gogh, and even the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The romantic painters of the 1800s also celebrated synesthesia in their art, although it is not known if any famous romantics had it. So, if this sounds like you, start paying attention. Even if it does not guarantee a ticket to fame, it still allows you to see the world in far more ways than the rest of us can.

- Carin Queener Engelking, Carl. “Lots of Cases of Synesthesia Are Based on Alphabet Magnets.” Dbrief. Discover Magazine, 04 Mar.2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

Hubbard. “Neurophysiology of Synesthesia.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2 June 2007. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

Many products people consume today are genetically modified organisms, also known as GMO products. GMOs are organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. The use of GMO products is a controversial topic today because people have different opinions on how GMOs should be labeled, regulated, and distributed. Also, people have different beliefs on how GMO can affect the health of consumers and the environment.

The use of GMO products has been a long debate ever since its debut in the late 1990s. Many people who oppose the use of GMOs believe that the risks outweigh the benefits. Ever since its debut, there has been no long term research done confirming any long-term health risks.

One health concern is that GMOs can cause severe allergies in some consumers. Not only do GMOs harm consumers, but they also harm the environment. The use of GMO crops can impair the land and also harm other living organisms. Some people believe that the use of GMO

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crops can solve the problem of world hunger, but ⅓ of the food produced today is wasted. Another big problem with the use of GMOs is the issue of labeling. Since many foods contain GMOs, consumers are requesting labels so that they can choose whether to buy the product or not. These requests have been continuously ignored by the US government. One big reason as to why GMO use is so controversial is the issue of education. Many people in the US do not know what GMO products are and, therefore, are not able to choose whether to support it or not.

Are GMOs safe to eat? It is one of the controversial questions that concerns the public. Although the FDA (Federal Department of Agriculture) has approved the use of GMOs, there have been studies done that show their short term risks. One risk is the possibility of an allergic reaction. In 1999, allergic reactions from GM soy increased to over 10-15% of the population in the United Kingdom. Not only did GM crops affect humans, but also animals as well. Animals, such as mice and sheep, that fed on Bt corn (genetically engineered corn) experienced intestinal damage and death. These risks only occurred because the government advocated for the use of GM crops. Since there has been no long-term research done, consumers are unaware of the long-terms risks that could cause further health complications.

Although GMOs do limit the use of pesticides, they also cause other problems to the environment such as soil damage and affect other organisms living in that environment. One study done in 1999 showed that Monarch caterpillars who fed on Bt milkweed leaves were more likely to die than those who fed on non GM milkweed leaves.

The use of GM crops are also detrimental to the soil. Toxins from the Bt corn are secreted through their roots into the soil. Over time, the accumulation of the toxins in the soil caused a reduction in population of Actinomycetes (bacteria responsible for the breakdown of cellulose, a polysaccharide, and creating humus which provides nutrients for plants) by 17% in 3 years.

In the early 1990s, scientists believed that GMOs were the answer to solving world hunger. After 25 years, world hunger is still an issue. So why haven’t GMOs done what they have promised? This is because world hunger is caused by poverty, not scarcity. In fact, the world today produces more than 1 ½ times enough food to feed everyone on the planet. That is enough food to feed 10 billion people, which is the population peak expected in 2050. So where is the remaining food going? Developed countries, like the US, waste more than ⅓ of the food they produce. The problem with world hunger is not the lack of production, but the lack of distribution to the less developed parts of the world.

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Along with the issue of population comes the issue of labeling. The issue of labeling has been a heated debate for a long time, especially in the US. The US is one of the few countries that does not have GMO regulation or labeling requirements. Approximately 50 countries such as Japan and United Kingdom have restrictions regarding the labeling of GMO products. Consumers request labels on products that contain GMOs because they think they should have the right to know what is in their food: for health concerns, religious concerns, and other reasons. Similar to a nutritional facts label, a GMO label would provide information that consumers would want to know. Although this is an issue concerning consumers’ rights and should not be ignored, the US government has continued to disregard their concerns. In order for the public to be more aware of what is in their food, young kids and adults need to be educated on what GMOs are. By educating more people, consumers can make the right choice of whether they want to consume these products or not. The most important decision lies in the consumer’s hands. It is up to them to decide to support GMOs or not, but by not labeling products that contain GMOs, it is taking that right away.

Although there is no concrete evidence that GMOs are perfectly safe, there is also no particular evidence clearly stating a relation between genetically modifying organisms and disease. Therefore, it can be assumed that GMOs are safe to be consumed. Regarding allergic reactions, GMOs like all products, must be regulated by the FDA. Although the FDA approves of GMOs, it is still their duty to inform consumers about the contents of products. In addition, GMOs have been branded as the key to safer and more productive way of agriculture. GM crops have lessened the use of pesticides and increased the rate of production.

Pesticides, which are currently used, have been linked to a wide range of human health hazards. These hazards range from short-term impacts such as headaches and nausea to chronic impacts like cancer and reproductive harm. Some GM crops such as sugar beets are given insecticides. On the other hand, GM sugar beets are engineered with natural bacteria that repel pests, which allow them to eliminate the use of toxic insecticides. Since there is scientific proof that insecticide-sugar beets can cause health problems, some suggest that the government should label those products. Cigarette boxes are labeled to inform users that it is a carcinogen, or cancer causing agent. Therefore, labeling GMOs, which are not harmful to date as proven by science, would imply that GMOs are harmful. A possible solution would be to label products that are non-GMO, including natural items given different types of pesticides.

While it is undeniably true that the nation wastes ⅓ of food produced per year, that does not falter the idea that by using GMOs, the nation could increase our annu-

al yields by tenfold. Moreover, increasing production, the United States would be able to help third world countries in desperate need of food. This situation, for instance, has been seen in Golden Rice. This is genetically modified rice that contains high levels of beta carotene in order to compensate for vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency kills hundreds of thousands of children around the world and blinds even more people every year. One study on the prospects for Golden Rice in India found that the burden of vitamin A deficiency could be reduced by 60%, saving 1.4 million healthy life years. Moreover, it is evident that despite the potential risks that have not been discovered yet, GMOs have the intent of helping humans in the long run. Since the process itself of creating GMOs is similar to a sped up process of evolution, there should be no angst regarding the subject.

All in all, while some view GMOs as the future of our world, others view them as devastation to our world. If one considers the potential of genetic modification, as opposed to dwelling on its potential faults, then it is a no-brainer that the produced organisms will improve the environment, plant and animal life, and the lives of humans all over the world. Rather, if one considers the potential risks that the future generations would have to face, then it is clear to see how genetically modified organisms can be perceived as an irresponsible product. Should the United States continue producing GMOs for the better world regardless of a potential risk in generations to come?

Barder, Owen. “Google and the Trolley Problem.” Owen Abroad. N.p., 9 June 2014. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

Clark, Josh. “How the Trolley Problem Works - HowStuffWorks.” HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

Lin, Patrick. “The Ethics of Autonomous Cars.” The Atlantic.

Atlantic Media Company, 08 Oct. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

Muller, Joann. “Baby Steps Toward Driverless Cars Deliver Huge Leaps in Safety.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 9 Nov. 2014. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

Sources for Computer Generated art “Cleverbot.” Cleverbot. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.

“Nakamura Defeats Rybka in a Loooong Game.” Chess. com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.

“The Open Door Web Site : History : The Industrial Revolution : Iron and Steel Manufacture.” The Open Door Web Site : History : The Industrial Revolution : Iron and Steel Manufacture. The Open Door Team, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.

“SCIgen - An Automatic CS Paper Generator.” SCIgen - An Automatic CS Paper Generator. MIT, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.

“SoundHelix.” Introduction. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.

- Lucy Cai, Sarah Kahn http://www.unep.org/wed/2013/quickfacts/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-holt-gimenez/ world-hunger_b_1463429.html http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97567 http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/ global-warming/food-how-altered/ http://animalrights.about.com/od/animalsusedforfood/a/ Arguments-For-And-Against-Genetically-Modified-Organisms_2.htm http://www.labelgmos.org/the_science_genetically_modified_foods_gmo http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09371.html http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/31/business/gmo-labels-for-food-are-in-high-demand-but-provide-little-certainty. html?_r=0 http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/safety/environmental_safety/ http://www.fas.org/biosecurity/education/dualuse-agriculture/2.-agricultural-biotechnology/us-regulation-of-genetically-engineered-crops.html https://classes.soe.ucsc.edu/cmpe080e/Spring05/projects/gmo/benefits.html Sources for Ethics of Reckless Drivers

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crossword

Sudoku Horizontal: 1) Most common protein in cheese 2) A company that manufactures cardboard furniture 3) A thought experiment involving the ethics of life or death decision making 4) Individuals who associate letters with this quality are likely to have Synesthesia 5) The fear of being in a situation that is difficult to escape 6) A private aerospace manufacturer founded by Tesla Motorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Elon Musk Vertical: 1) This field is linked to causing cancer and expressing genes 2) Alternative to insect repelling GMOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3) The closest star to the Sun 4) Any diploid cell

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About Dr. Dragon Dr. Dragon is a student-produced magazine that focuses on math, science, and engineering. The mission of this magazine is to give HSMSE students the opportunity to take the school's core subjects and explore subtopics that particularly interest them. Students on the magazine staff research and write about subjects of their choice. They are also involved with the production of the magazine, and learn about everything from design to fundraising and budgeting.

If you are an HSMSE student and want to contribute your thoughts, please talk to our officers or our faculty advisor, Mr. Choi.

Contact information: Dr. Dragon email: hsmsedrdragon@gmail.com Mr. Choi: RChoi@hsmse.org Also, you can read our previous magazines, and check the answers to crossword puzzles and Sudoku puzzles by visiting our website: sites.Google.com/site/hsmsedrdragon/

Copyright © 2015 by Dr. Dragon All rights reserved. Published by Dr. Dragon No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means without prior written permission by the publisher.

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