28 November 2009
My First Post on Biology-Dedicated to Matilda June Hinklemeyer
Posted by Dan Satterfield
The Wild Wild Science Journal concentrates on Earth Science. Some very good reasons for this.
1. I know enough about it to not make a total fool of myself. (most days and I have an MS in Earth Sciences).
2. I like the field, and run across interesting “stuff” often enough to write a fair amount of posts.
3. Meteorology, which I have the most training in (BS Meteorology 1981 and 30 years as a forecaster) is also considered an Earth Science. I love all aspects of Meteorology as well. Cannot imagine doing anything else but forecasting and learning more about the subject.
So those are the reasons I write about what I write about, and they are also good enough reasons NOT to do Biology. I have a good friend and neighbor who is a well known Biologist, but little rubs off on me.
The main reason I do not write on Biology has nothing to do with any of that.
I PANIC AT THE SITE OF BLOOD and I get the creeps from bugs.
My High School Biology teacher I am sure ranks me as her worst student. We had to dissect fetal pigs. I put ribbons on the legs of mine and named her Matilda June Hinklemeyer. It sounded appropriate for my Sophomore (literally and figuratively) brain.
Fortunately my class mate and life long friend to this day did the hard work for me. (She is now an X-ray tech. in Oklahoma. (Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, gamma rays don’t upset us!)
So now you understand.
That said, it’s with great pride I write a post on Biology. This is for my Biology teacher Kathy Gray, and my class mate and fetal pig surgeon Robin Fox.
Go here and learn something: (I didn’t say it would be a LONG post.)
Seriously, it’s very good and no blood.
Later,
dan
Dan Satterfield has worked as an on air meteorologist for 32 years in Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama. Forecasting weather is Dan's job, but all of Earth Science is his passion. This journal is where Dan writes about things he has too little time for on air. Dan blogs about peer-reviewed Earth science for Junior High level audiences and up.
Thanks Dan. I’m teaching cell division this week, and genetics next week to first year students who have come in without any science background (darn high schools), and this site looks like a friendly resource for them.
I’ve already embedded the link into my powerpoint lecture and I will encourage them (bribe them with bonus marks?) to look around this site.
Congrats on your first biology post—I say it is a success. I’m very curious as to who your neighbour might be. Probably someone from the U of A, I’d guess.
That is great, I have spent well over an hour on that site and it finally removed some of the cobwebs on genes and cell processes! Someone spent a lot of time on it and deserves to have it spread wide.
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