| Biographies |
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| Morgan - We both aspire to pursue a career in medicine or in medical research; therefore a health-related project was ideal. We had heard the common controversy over antioxidants and wished to do some testing of our own. We then discovered stinging nettle and picked the herb as our product of experimentation. In terms of future investigations, we are currently continuing to test different concentrations of stinging nettle on diverse species of fruit flies. These findings will demonstrate an optimal dosage amount for the stinging nettle supplement and give hindsight into the fact that this supplement, which is found to increase motor neuron function, might only provide beneficial results on the species of flies that have decreased motor neuron function and would not benefit non-genetically-mutated flies. Our advice for other students doing a project is to research every aspect of your topic so that when judging time arrives you will leave little to no questions unanswered. Also, pick a topic that inspires you as ours did us! It is much easier to put in a full effort when you are fascinated with your topic. | | Emma - I love many things in life. I like being a nerd because I love science. I do well in school but I am also a big jock. I play rep volleyball, rep basketball, as well as school volleyball and school basketball all through the year. In the summer I play beach volleyball and soccer. Sports are my favourite hobbies. Although on top of all this, my biggest passion is volunteering. I have helped build a school in Africa and Ecuador and this summer I am going to help build another school in India. Due to all these loves my plans for the future is to become a member of Doctors Without Borders. Now about my project. The inspiration came from looking at todays society and what people see as important. There's a big demand on being healthy and living long but getting this without trying hard. For further investigations, the stinging nettle antioxidants can be used on bigger picture problems such as diseases caused by oxidative stress. My advice to other students thinking about doing a project is just that when picking your project make sure to pick something that interests you above anything else. |
| Morgan Lafontaine, Emma Vanderlee
Urtica Dioica: Effect on Locomotor Function in a Drosophila Model of Chronic...
| Challenge: | Health | | Category: | Senior | | Region: | North Bay | | City: | North Bay, ON | | School: | St. Joseph-Scollard Hall | | Abstract: | In this experiment, chronic oxidative stress in a drosophila model was tested under the influence of the antioxidant, Urtica Dioica. Statistical analysis concluded that a high concentration of Urtica Dioica increases locomotor function in a SOD null fruit fly. Although more testing is needed, there was an indication that Urtica Dioica may increase the lifespan of a SOD null fruit fly. |
| Awards | Value | Excellence Award - Senior
Silver Medal
Sponsor: Youth Science Canada | $300.00 | Dalhousie University Faculty of Science Entrance Scholarship
Senior Silver Medallist - $2500 Entrance Scholarship
Sponsor: Dalhousie University, Faculty of Science | $2 500.00 | UBC Science (Vancouver) Entrance Award
Senior Silver Medallist - $2000 Entrance Scholarship
Sponsor: The University of British Columbia (Vancouver) | $2 000.00 | University of Ottawa Entrance Scholarship
Senior Silver Medallist - $2000 Entrance Scholarship
Sponsor: University of Ottawa | $2 000.00 | Western University Scholarship
Silver Medallist - $2000 Entrance Scholarship
Sponsor: Western University | $2 000.00 | | Total | $8 800.00 | |
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