SerendipUpdate's blog

Biology 103
2003 First Paper
On Serendip

Choroidal Neovascularization

HoKyung Choi

If you had to give up one of your five senses, which would it be? Would you give up your ability to see? A startling number of people lose their eyesight due to an eye disorder known as choroidal neovascularization. And soon I may be one of them. Although there is no known cure for this unfortunate disease, studies have been conducted to find the appropriate surgical treatment.

Biology 103
2001 Third Web Report
On Serendip

Women, Sport, and Film - 2002
Student Papers
On Serendip

Biology 103
2002 Second Paper
On Serendip

Biology 103
2000 Third Web Report
On Serendip

Biology 202
1998 Second Web Reports
On Serendip

Biology 103
2002 Second Paper
On Serendip

Illegal Drugs

JR

There is a terrible problem that plagues the nation in the year 2002. It is one word that does considerable amounts of damage—drugs. Over the years, the level of teenage drug use fluctuates. "The prevalence of illicit drug use among America's teenagers dropped slightly in 1998. The decrease follows a leveling off in 1997, and suggests that the increasing use of drugs by teenagers that marked most of the 1990s may have begun to turn around."(1) . However, recent reports conclude that drug use is on the rise. In October, the Boston Herald reported that cocaine use was the leading cause of overdose in the Boston area. Illegal drug use interests me because I see it first hand and teens don't know what the long term effects are or even that there are any. Most teens are going to jail or even killing themselves because they are so addicted. What is most surprising among drug users is they don't know the long term effects of drugs- they are just in it for the ride; however, most rides end up deadly.

Biology 103
2002 First Paper
On Serendip

Religion vs. Science

By Student Contributor

I grew up with the impression that science and religion were incompatible. Maybe it was because I went to Catholic school, and my religion teacher thought I was trying to be sarcastic when I asked things like, "If the pope is infallible, why did he say that Galileo was wrong about the sun being the center of the universe?". When she answered, "Because the pope didn't know any better", I said, "Isn't he supposed to know better if he's the pope?", and the teacher told me to stop asking dumb questions and said we'd get into it later (which of course we never did). So out of fear of flunking fifth grade religion AND science, I adopted the policy that what was taught in Science class applied only to science, and ditto for Religion.

Nine years later, I realize that maybe my questions weren't so dumb. Some people spend their lives trying to bring out the similarities between religion and science, while others spend their lives trying to tear the two apart. For my paper, I wanted to explore possible reasons why these two opposing sides have never been able to find common ground enough to unite upon (fade in War: Why Can't We Be Friends?).

Biology 103
2002 Second Paper
On Serendip