Hello. I’m Macdaleine St. Remy. I will be your link to biological engineering through the tentatively named insite blogging project. I hope to spark your interest in engineeing and MIT. So stay tuned for more video posts… and check out other bloggers’ posts for different types of engineering.

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We are going to test your knowledge of biology and give you a sample of some of the data that biological engineers must possess to perform their jobs well. We’re going to play a little game of “Can you figure out what I am?” Use the internet as a resource. Let’s begin:

1. I contain the sum total of my genetic information within a membrane bound nucleus. What type of cell would you classify me as?

2. The organism that I am a larger part of is not producing enough energy for its basic functions. In what cellular structure does this imply that there is a problem? Can you think of what could possibly cause this?

3. I am an organism that suffers from a genetic disorder. I have trouble speaking and often slur my words. I also find it difficult to multi-task. I frequently experience jerky movements that will only increase as my condition progresses. What disease do I suffer from?

4. I am the disease that this organism suffers from. Based on the fact I am an autosomal dominant disease, draw a punnett square and determine the probability that my offspring will inherit my condition.

This is a small sample of the material that a biological engineer must be familiar with. Hope you had fun.

-Your BE Bloggers,
Macdaleine and Brenda

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Thanks to everyone who attempted these questions. We know some people found them difficult but they were supposed to be. We wanted you thinking and doing research and finding out new information and getting interested in biological engineering. We decided that its about time we posted the answers to the questions so check them out and see if you were on the right track.

1. The answer is a eukaryotic cell. The hint was that only eukaryotes have a membrane bound nucleus while prokaryotes do not contain a nucleus. Instead, their DNA is found in a region called a nucleoid.

2. The mitochondria is the main structure in the cell responsible for cellular respiration which is the process that creates energy for the cell to use. The rest of the question was asked to get you guys to think about the many processes that occur to get ATP (the energy for a cell) and come up with an idea on how you think it might not function properly.

3. The disease is actually Huntington’s. The symptoms are very similar to some other conditions but they all add up to Huntington’s.

4. For this question, we’re not quite sure how to post the picture of a Punnett square and we’re not sure that we gave you enough information to actually complete this problem (we didn’t give you the genotypes of both the parents). The idea was to get you thinking about Punnett squares and to have you try to learn how to do them if you haven’t learned already.

Again, thanks for checking out our blog and check back often to see new posts!

-Macdaleine and Brenda

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Hey you guys it’s Brenda again!

So I just found out about this cool research going on at MIT and wanted to let you guys know. The lead researcher is John M. Essigmann, a member of the MIT faculty and my house master, which means he is in charge of the dorm I live in. His research has to do with how cells respond when DNA is damaged. For now, here is the link to his page where you can find more information on this topic, but stay tuned because I am going to try and interview him about his research.

http://web.mit.edu/be/people/essigmann.htm

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Hey guys. It’s Macdaleine again. I happen to have a really cool Biology TA (teaching assistant), and when I asked him if he wouldn’t mind being interviewed about his research for Insite, he readily agreed. So check out some of the questions that I asked him and be sure to watch the video tour around his lab at the Center for Cancer Research.

What is your name?
Eliezer Calo.

Where are you from?
San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Where did you do your schooling?
University of Puerto Rico/ (UPR-RP).

What made you get involved in Biology?
I actually did my degree in Chemistry but joined a biochemistry lab during my undergrad and got more interested in biology. I enjoyed working with receptors and the immune system and finding out how they work and help with survival.

What type of work do you do here at MIT? What is your research about?
I deal with cancer research at the Center for Cancer Research on campus. I try to understand the pathways and the genes involved with cancer. At the center, we use the mouse and zebra fish model to study disrupted pathways and monitor the effects of cancer.

The genes involved with cancer are similar for mice, fish and humans so we can use our results from mice and fish and apply them to humans. There are some potential discoveries in the works but more research and data is needed.

What aspect of your work do you enjoy the most?
Everything. My job isn’t perfect, but I try to be motivated and enjoy everything so that the small things seem less important.

Is there anything that you would say makes you unique from the other people working in the lab?
I’m really messy and you can always find me dancing.

What plans do you have for the future?
I plan to continue in science. Having a PhD help open a lot of doors in industry, consulting, and research, but right now, I’m not too worried about it. I have three more years of schooling (I’ll actually graduate with you). Biology at MIT is competitive, but once you’re in, you’re good.

What advice do you have for kids in middle/high school interested in science and technology?
Everyone has a little scientist inside of them. The only thing is you have to explore because science is a very broad area. It’s hard to decide what to concentrate in but that’s why I would recommend going to a school that gives you exposure to different types of science to give you an opportunity to find out what you enjoy.

*For more info, check out the website for the center for cancer research at

http://web.mit.edu/ki/index.html

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