Rob MacLeod
The goal of the Bioengineering 6000 semester project is to integrate material we talk about with primary literature to describe the response of the body to a specific set of extreme external conditions.
As we saw in the Nova video about Everest mountaineering, the body responds to external (and internal) challenges with a multifaceted set of changes, some long term, some short term. While we know some of the physiology behind these changes, there are many open questions, especially when it comes time to predicting how individual organisms will respond. We may understand the nature of the response when it occurs, but not be able to predict which of a variety of possibilities will actually occur.
For the project, please select a type of physiological stress and describe how the body responds to that stress. Try and find a stress that elicits a response involving more than once system, e.g., both the cardiovascular and respiratory or respiratory and renal systems. Provide not only a summary of the known responses, but also try and find one or more specific aspects of the response that are not well known. Describe the problem and then, using primary literature, explain the current state of knowledge and the approaches researchers currently use to seek answers. Specific examples of stresses include altitude, underwater, extreme heat and cold, and different types of exercise.
Use the format of the Nova video as an example of how to present the information and the questions.
In order to guide you through the development of the projects, I would like to see an outline of the report by the start of the March break. If you plan to use the break to do research on the project, please get me the outline at least a week before the break.
The outline is mandatory and please use it well to formulate your plan for approaching the topic.
The audience for this paper should be fellow classmates--you can even exchange drafts to be sure that the level of description is appropriate. I expect you to start with textbook level descriptions but to eventually include material from primary literature sources when describing the current state of knowledge and the experimental approaches used. Primary literature means the scientific papers written by the scientists carrying out the research. Scientific American is not primary literature.
The length of the report should be about 8-12 single spaced pages but do not pad! I will evaluate the clarity and conciseness of the prose and not reward the inclusion of rambling, unrelated material. Include only the necessary material to explain the physiology and the science assuming a reader with a graduate student level of knowledge of physiology, i.e., yourselves at the end of this course.
Writing is a technical skill like any other and requires guidance and practice. There are some tips on this web site so this is at least one place to start.
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