After an intense study session with little progress, we decided that a tension breaker in the form of a movie was needed. Enter Billy Madison, featuring one of the finest moments of on-screen defecation in the modern era. Right next to My Wife the Tramp in the list of trivia subjects lay, in all its splendor, Flaming Dog Poo and the Human Response. Hence, the group name.
Short and sweet. Richard, Mike and Brandon are members of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Kristie and Jason had Biology 10 lab together. Raina was Richs Chemistry 32 lab partner. Now stop bothering us.
Thomas, Raina c645209@showme.missouri.edu Effmann, Jason c641245@showme Larkin, Brandon c670032@showme Snyder, Mike c642051@showme Aldenderfer, Richard c668476@showme Hampton, Kristie c666395@showme
Meetings were usually on Sundays and usually lasted for a couple of hours. We met at Brandons room, as he has a computer and made our research a little more comfortable than it would have been in a campus lab. We also did a lot of browsing individually, then shared what we had found at our weekly meetings.
AIDS from A to Z to T
AZT (Chemical name: 3-azido-3-deoxy-thymidine) was approved in 1987 as a means of slowing down replication of the AIDS virus. Ten years later, AZT is still used to treat the virus, now in combination with other drugs, forming a drug cocktail. These combinations, approved by the FDA, are keeping millions of people healthier, although at a great financial burden. AZT has far-reaching implications in a society dealing with the greatest epidemic of the twentieth century. Twenty-somethings are one of the groups most at risk, so initial interest of those our age should be high. Add to this the fact that Brandons sister is a pharmacist and provided a wealth of information from being in contact with AZT recipients, and youve got a project topic. Once that was determined, our web research entailed searches on topics related to the subject, namely AZT and AIDS. This took us to several different pages, many with their own links to other sites. So, after many long hours of sifting through possible sites, we cut down to our favorites, and there you go. So now, we are proud to present our group project.
Luckily, AZT had a cool, spinning 3-D molecule (C10H13N5O4) on the web. Chemical names and reaction mechanisms are also included. AZT is a complex drug therapy and can be, at times, difficult to understand. Therefore, the National AIDS Treatment Information Project posts an information page that familiarizes patients with anything and everything they would ever want to know about AZT. This is a content-rich fact sheet, not to be missed if youre looking for information presented in a very understandable fashion. The FDA approved AZT in 1987. The initial press release from the Food and Drug Administration doesnt read like Shakespeare, but is essential in its description and approval of the first (semi-) effective treatment of HIV.
Cool graphics and colors abound in a page about HIV Information, posted by Glaxo Wellcome, a leading pharmaceuticals manufacturer, and very close in name to the company that actually produces AZT, Burroughs Wellcome. FAQs, detailed answers and a huge glossary of AIDS terms are also included. Worth the visit. Once one has obtained enough knowledge on the disease, he or she can take a look at cases of its incidence in the United States. North Dakotas the only safe spot, according to the AIDS Cases in the U.S. Graphic. Brought to you directly from the Centers for Disease Control, it shows progression of the virus in the United States from 1983 to 1995.
In our research on this horrible disease, we not only concentrated on chemical formulas and structures. One must not forget that AIDS affects people, our family members, friends, and peers. One of the most recognizable faces of AIDS and HIV awareness is Magic Johnson. Welcome to the warm-fuzzy part of the project. Take a look at the Magic Johnson Foundation homepage, complete with picture of Magic and educational material. Speaking of Magic, his comeback to the NBA after being diagnosed with HIV is shown in this movie. WARNING: this takes a long time to load, but its worth it. It shows determination and perseverance in the face of hardship, a quality Magic Johnson shares with millions of other afflicted people all over the world.
Things seemed to run pretty smoothly in our group. Six intelligent people do have different ideas, but it was not difficult to compromise for the sake of the project. Some of us learned how to speak up when things were going in the wrong direction, while others of us even learned to shut up every once in awhile. A task of this magnitude would have been close to impossible to take on as six separate individuals, but when our efforts were combined, it became a manageable assignment. We all believe we have turned out a top notch piece of work, and feel that we have made a few new friends in the process. Plus, for the rest of our lives, every time we pop in the video, Billy Madison, it will bring a smile to our faces and a warm spot to our hearts. For more examples of cheese, above and beyond what you have just read, click here. (Make sure to check out the rotating models and dont forget to vote!)