Careers and Conversations

The careers and conversations I talked to Carson Hamill who is a financial adviser and I also talked to Rory Morgan who is a lawyer. I have always wanted to be a lawyer so talking to Mr. Morgan was very interesting and informational. Mr. Hamill, the financial adviser really inspired me to be a financial adviser, going in I didn’t really have an interest in being a financial adviser but after I realized that it is a real potential of me being a financial adviser. He inspired me because I realized how cool the job is and how well it fits me, I really like to plan out things, especially with money, for example I have already calculated how much money I will make from my job within the next 6 months and I have worked out a financial plan for me spending and saving the money. I also learned that the classes that are recommended I am already taking this year or I have already signed up for on the course selection. The soft skills needed for being a lawyer are, being a people person, problem solving, analytical skills and speaking, organizational skills and I believe I possess all of these. The hard skills needed for being a lawyer are, writing ability, persuasiveness and emotional intelligence, I believe I also have these skills. soft skills for being a financial adviser are, being a people person, problem solver, and analytical skills. the hard skills are, researching, skills, math skills and financial strategies. Ways I can improve these skills are practicing them. I found careers and conversations a very valuable learning experience, because I really did learn a lot and has introduced a new possible career for me.

Biotechnology and Genetics Blog Post

genetic engineering

what is genetic engineering

Genetic engineering, sometimes called genetic modification, is the process of altering the DNA in an organism’s genome. This may mean changing one base pair (A-T or C-G), deleting a whole region of DNA, or introducing an additional copy of a gene.It may also mean extracting DNA from another organism’s genome and combining it with the DNA of that individual. Genetic engineering is used by scientists to enhance or modify the characteristics of an individual organism. Genetic engineering can be applied to any organism, from a virus to a sheep. For example, genetic engineering can be used to produce plants that have a higher nutritional value or can tolerate exposure to herbicides.

What is needed for it to work?

genetic engineering to work it must have, DNA,which is cut with the help of restriction enzymes, genes that are transported in the region of plasmids and ligase enzymes. The genes of interest from an organism are cut using a restriction enzyme.

what is the process?

The genes that are cut are inserted into plasmids. Before insertion, the plasmids are cut using restriction enzyme. The foreign genes are inserted into the plasmids and sealed using the ligase enzyme. The new plasmid is transferred into an agrobacterium for culture. The agrobacterium is then transferred to the plant or animal cell. The genetic engineering process is a small piece of circular DNA called a plasmid is extracted from the bacteria or yeast cell. Then a small section is then cut out of the circular plasmid by restriction enzymes, ‘molecular scissors.  After that the gene for human insulin is inserted into the gap in the plasmid. This plasmid is now genetically modified.  Then the genetically modified plasmid is introduced into a new bacteria or yeast cell. This cell then divides rapidly and starts making insulin. To create large amounts of the cells, the genetically modified bacteria or yeast are grown in large fermentation vessels that contain all the nutrients they need. The more the cells divide, the more insulin is produced. When fermentation is complete, the mixture is filtered to release the insulin. The insulin is then purified and packaged into bottles and insulin pens for distribution to patients with diabetes.

how does genetic engineering work?

To help explain the process of genetic engineering we have taken the example of insulin, a protein that helps regulate the sugar levels in our blood. Normally insulin is produced in the pancreas, but in people with type 1 diabetes there is a problem with insulin production. People with diabetes therefore have to inject insulin to control their blood sugar levels. Genetic engineering has been used to produce a type of insulin, very similar to our own, from yeast and bacteria like E. coli.

 

http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/basic_genetics.shtml

https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-genetic-engineering

https://www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/101239.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering