Biology
Is Biology a complicated subject to study? Yes, but understanding “life” is way more than memorizing vocabularies and concepts; in fact, it’s astounding how much biological studies matters to the real world! Together, we will explore life from macromolecules to the organisms formed by them, from genetics to natural selection, and how individuals interact with their ecological surroundings. This class is designed for students interested in life science to discover and acquire knowledge through analyzing past biological experiments, in-class research, and active discussions with your peers. At each session, students will be introduced to one topic on Biology and general concepts through lectures and hands-on experiments; we will look at specific studies while understanding the principles behind natural phenomena: What controls heredity? What’s the factor of allergy? Students will share and explain their thoughts after individual research. Don’t worry if you think research and experiments are not your thing yet - The concepts are just as simple as they perform trillions of time in the real world, and you will learn with your peers. Let’s go beyond the textbook and become future pioneer scientists! This class touches upon all levels of general biology mainly based on first-year biology, and we will make a gradually transition to AP Biology depending on the students’ understanding. No previous knowledge in Biology required.
This class is currently FULL, and no longer accepting signups.
Dates: Saturdays 1/26, 2/2, 2/9, 2/23, 3/2, 3/9, 3/16, 3/23
Time: 7:00-8:30 PM
Location: Omei Academy, Room 3
Grades: 5-9
Teacher
Cynthia Jia
Hi! My name is Cynthia and I’m a sophomore at Los Altos High School. I have strong interest in life science and enthusiastic in exploring all topics, especially in researching the mechanism of living organisms. My areas of interests are neuroscience, immunology, behavioral studies, as well as psychology. I enjoy reading a variety of biotech articles and research projects for the Biomimicry club. In my high school, I tutor Biology and Chemistry and enjoy discussion with aspirant peers. Outside of school, I am actively involved in volunteering and online English teaching. In my spare time, I run cross country, research on smoothies, draw, and hike with my family. I’m excited to inspire my students with all the insights I gained in this area, and build a positive learning community in our classroom.
Teacher's Assistant
Angelica Wang
And I’m Angelica! I’m an 8th grader at Kennedy Middle School. I really like life science and how it ties into the medical field. I find molecular/cell biology particularly fascinating. At school, I run cross-country, wrestle, play the bari sax, and run the literature club. Outside of school, I like to read, draw, participate in writing contests, and volunteer my time at the community services center. Also, I am probably not a genetic copy of Cynthia. (We will discuss clones in class.) I am really happy to be teaching bio, and I’m ready to bring an effective learning environment with me. Hope to see you at bio class soon!