Blog #1

 

  • What is your name, where are you from, and where do you hope to go?

My name is Shaun Baughman and I’m from Garden City, KS. I hope to go on to complete my bachelors degree in biology here at Kansas State University as well as graduate from a masters program, but I’m not sure which particular program just yet. 

  • What is something you are passionate about?

Something I’m passionate about is painting/drawing. I mostly work with acrylic paint, water colors, and oil pastels. I don’t really have a specific style, I usually just ask my family and friends what they want to be drawn/painted for them so that they have something for their rooms/offices. I enjoy this because it lets me try out all kinds of styles that I wouldn’t have sought after myself. 

  • What fascinates you about evolution or biology in general?

In terms of evolutionary biology, I am fascinated by the evolutionary medicine that is being developed and how modern medicine was shaped as a whole. In terms of general biology, I am fascinated by how no matter the field of biology that you’re studying, collaboration with other scientists is one of the key components of success. No significant discovery was accomplished alone. 

  • How do you think evolution relates to your daily life?

I think evolution relates to my daily life in many ways. I wake up everyday and see my family and friends. They, like all living things, have an evolutionary history and through evolution, were able to adapt, reproduce, and thus survive to see another generation. This can be applied to things we see everyday whether it be trees, flowers, or animals, even the food we eat!

  • What do you hope to get out of this class?

I’m excited about R programming because I think it will be beneficial to me in my future career and spice up my resume just a tad. I’m also excited to learn with less lecturing and more engaging activities because I think I’ll retain the information from this class more easily this way. I hope to have a fundamental understanding of how evolution affects me and the world we live in. 

Comments

  1. Madison N31 August 2021 at 10:34

    Hi Shaun, I'm Madison! It's great to meet you! I totally get the grad school confusion - let me know if you ever have any questions. Libby also has some great insights, because she's a PhD student (and...probably knows more than me lol). Anyways, I'm excited to keep tabs on your blog this semester! It's definitely a fun way to learn about science. See you in class! :]

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog Post Module 6: Inbreeding

Image
Inbreeding is a common phenomenon in natural populations.  What are some benefits of inbreeding that may lead to the evolution of assortative mating?  -  Inbreeding is the mating or breeding of individuals that are closely and genetically related. Inbreeding is an example of self-fertilization, which typically results in specific genotypes. Assortative mating occurs when organisms determine their mates based on genotypes and phenotypes that are similar to their own.  I nbreeding can promote adaptation and may act as an exit strategy for some endangered species.  The benefits of inbreeding may have led to the evolution of assortative mating. In a scenario where two related organisms both exhibit desirable traits within a population and mate, their offspring could potentially obtain those same desirable traits. What are some of the costs of inbreeding that may have prompted to evolution of inbreeding avoidance (disassortative mating)? - There are much more costs ...
Read more

Blog Post Module 12: Reflection Prompt

Image
Pick one disease of civilization that interests you in particular, and research how changes in lifestyle may have been associated with its rise. We expect well-researched contributions. Provide links to all the references you consulted. One disease that interests me in particular is asthma because my older sister and I have minor problems, but my parents do not. I don't really know that much about it, only that it makes it hard to breathe. Multiple things can trigger your airways, causing them to tighten or twitch. Each person’s asthma is unique and reacts to different triggers. These triggers may be caused by house dust, molds, animals, cockroaches, the outdoors, strong smells, the weather, infections, food and medicine allergies, exercise, stress and emotions, reflux and heartburn, and smoking. As far as changes in lifestyle may have been associated with asthmas rise within civilization, I would say smoking has the most harmful effects on an individual because it can cause multip...
Read more

Blog Post Module 9: Reflection Prompt

Image
The objective of this reflection is to pick a trait or an organism that has always fascinated you. What adaptations does it have? How have scientists tested adaptive hypotheses? Lithobates sylvaticus (Wood frogs) have always fascinated me. These frogs have adapted to cold climates by freezing over the winter. When temperatures begin to drop, wood frogs store urea and convert glycogen to glucose. This produces a special antifreeze substance that prevents ice from freezing within their cells. These molecules help prevent the frogs cells from dehydrating while its body tissues freeze. During this time, they stop breathing, their hearts stop beating, and their blood stops flowing. They can endure freezing temperatures for months. Not only is this completely wild, but these frogs have always reminded me of that episode from Avatar: The Last Airbender (when Aang had to find frozen frogs for his friends who were sick). The only cure for their illness were these frozen frogs. Fine spatial scal...
Read more