The “Society and the Life Sciences” Project is a semester-long creative assignment designed to expose students to science communication. It provides a formal opportunity to learn about the biology that is both covered in this introductory course and the student team is most interested in investigating. Importantly, students are tasked with creating a movie to help educate others on their topic of choice while demonstrating how this biology converges with society.
Primary Objective: The project team will identify an urgent issue in biology that cross-secs with a relevant societal issue. Then create an educational movie that targets the lay audience.
This project was created in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course BIO 132: Molecules, Cells, and Systems.
This is an introductory biology course taught by Dr. Michael J. Barresi, Helen and Laura Shedd professor of Biological Sciences, Smith College.
Where do Society and the Life Sciences Converge?
The Science of Neurodiversity
By: Luisa Grutz-Bianchi, Kayra Hawk, Addison Klunder, Lucy Kreipke, Emily Tvaroha, and Sophia Zuverink-Perry
Addictive Foods, Ozempic, and Food Deserts
By Oslo Crowley, Virginia Johnson, Eva Larson, Gwendolyn Tuckett, Jackie Wiechmann, and Yuki Yang
A Journey through IVF: in vitro fertilization
by Mia Boydston, Sophia Dube, Olivia Gallagher, Lucie Gundersen, Maeve Lamb, and Pheona Xaykosy
Naloxone and the Opioid Epidemic
by Gabrielle Bennett, Lily Botelho, Zoe Dresser, Maria Kulik, Ashly Lopez, and Sophia Neilson.
Air pollution: A breath of death
by Yendry Cabrera, Chloe Jahncke, Sasha Lewis, Pauline Mallari, and Francesca Negri
Alcoholism
by Morgan Almeida-Gonzalez, Holly Rose Pacyon, Orla O’Keeffe, and Kira Seshaiah.
Regeneration
by Philippa Kargbo, Sophia Liu, and Nicole Shi
Sunscreen’s effect on coral reefs
by Allison Bleicher, Annika Morse, Yutong Wei, and Yuqi Zhong
Black Maternal Mortality
by Sophia Azizuddin, Abbey Green, Delia Parco, Emie Sholly, and Gabas Yagoub
impact of vaping on teens
by Abby Dickson, Ella Comfort-Cohen, Laine Fine, Caroline Ricketts, and Michelle Xu.
Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance
by Joana Ibarra, Jeremiah Hickman-Maynard, Hannah Pettibone, and Elizabeth Schretzenmayer
Marijuana Use Among Teenagers
by Mia Cerami, Anna Feuer, Sofi Packard, and Kylie Redwood
Addiction
by Sagufta Anchal, Emma Cohler, Rinal Dahhan, Grace Hylton, and Keily Tiban
Mortality Rates in African American Women: Pre-eclampsia
by Darcy Garde, Chelsea Fremming, Grace Knight, and Safia Mohammed