I have always believed that having animals in the science curriculum is a great way to learn about the systems of the body. I also believe the use of animals sparks the love of science and gives inspiration to future careers and likewise informs people whether or not they have the gut to deal with the dirty work. The experience is very important and very useful. Also having live animals in the class help students understand how animals interact in different environments. This also helps the students understand why animal research is so important. for those who put up the case that dissection is inhumane there are rules that protect the animals from improper treatment and most of the animals used have a really high population so that it does not damage the ecosystem.

My team’s project was over the question does weight position affect a cars speed. Our conclusion, like our hypothesis, proved that weight in the back would propel the car to the fastest speed.  I learned that this experiment can have very different results if we used a propellant that drove the car horizontally across flat ground instead of using a slope. I liked that my team could be thrifty and find what we needed in the lab. I wish we knew more about the effect of gravity and how it altered the experiment. All in all it was a fun, and I learned a lot.

The Himalayas is a convergent boundary mountain range. The theory behind the beginning of the Himalayas is that the Indo-Australian plate shifted into the Eurasian plate and crumpled together to form one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world. As long as it spans and high as the peaks reach, the Himalayas are still forming and growing. The Himalayas are currently moving about 67mm north a year and will rise about 5mm per year. I think that in about ten million years the Himalayas will shove up hundreds of miles into Asia and grow even higher to dwarf the size of Everest. Even further into the future I expect the continents to reverse their drift causing India to separate  from Asia and to collide with South America and Antarctica.

– Jackson

Today there are three main theories about the origin of the Universe. The first theory is called the Steady State theory. This theory states, that the universe has always been and always will be. This Universe has evidence that it is expanding so this theory is questionable. The second theory is called the Oscillating theory. It states that the Universe has been expanding and contracting since the beginning of time. The last and most popular theory is the Big Bang theory. The idea behind this theory is that the Universe started out with an explosion and has been expanding since then. Because I am a Christian I believe that God created the Universe as said in the bible but that does not mean that I rule out any of the theories above. I even believe that there might be a connection with one of these theories and what the bible said. One thing to remember is that the book of Genesis does not talk about the creation of the Universe but of the creation of Earth. There Big Bang theory estimates that by the first second after the explosion, the Universe was a large clump of swirling mass of elemental particles. In Genesis verse two, part of it states, “The earth was empty and had no form.” Billions of years later the first stars were being born. In Genesis, verse three, it says “Then God said “Let there be light,” and there was light.” That is why I think that there might be a connection. Still, there is just as much a possibility that it may not have anything to do with the theories at all.

– Jackson