Weekly Reflection for Week of February 27- March 03

Weekly Reflection for Week of February 27-  March 03
How did you do on the work?
Overall I think I did pretty well on the work we did this week. I understood every aspect of the lab and I had a lot of fun running the lab. I was a little disappointed that Lincoln was the only member of our group that got actual data, so I guess I should have skipped the granola bar right before the lab! Running the PCR lab gave me a better understanding of not only PCR, but biotechnology in general which I think helped me on the quiz.
What do you think you understand well?
I think I understand the virus vodcast well, but I definitely will need to review the information a little bit more, and study the new terms a little bit more. I understood each of the steps in the PCR lab, and after reading the whole packet, I understood why we were doing each step in the order that we did which is making the lab write up much easier.
Where do you think you could improve?
I think I could improve my overall understanding of what PCR would be used for in the real world. I understand what it does and how it works, but not necessarily why it is necessary. I am also not 100% solid on what the results mean which is proving to be a slight challenge in the lab write up, but as I review the material, I am getting a better handle on what exactly the point of the lab was.  
What strategies will you use to improve?
I can improve my understanding of what PCR is used for by just doing a little bit of research outside of the lab. I am sure there is a lot of information on the internet regarding this topic that would help me understand the overall point of PCR. I also think as I keep reviewing the material, I will get a better understanding of the results.
How does the work we are doing fit into the context/ narrative of the course?
Everything we were doing this past week is very important in not only what we are currently learning in the course, but also the future of science. The question on the quiz regarding “designing” your own baby really made me start to think about how far is too far when it comes to replication. This week, we also brought back Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, so it was cool to bring that back into conversation and see it being applied to something very real.

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