9th grade Institute of Health Sciences (IHS) student investigated what it means to have diabetes, explored how doctors make an initial diagnosis of diabetes and characterize the disease, completed simulated glucose tolerance testing as well as insulin analysis on three patients, including Anna, and drew conclusions about their disease status based on their findings. By analyzing test results, they will deduce what is happening inside the body when a person has Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
Glucose levels are related to the food we consume. During the Spring Semester, IHS freshmen will investigate the science of food and look in detail at the biochemistry of macromolecules and test for the presence of sugar, starch, protein, and lipids in three common food items, including testing the stomach contents of the ill-fated Anna Garcia. Analysis of her stomach contents at the time of her death may reveal information about Anna’s last meal and provide additional evidence regarding the conditions surrounding her mysterious death.
They will also analyze Anna’s diet and assess how well she was meeting her nutritional requirements. Students will then complete a series of molecular puzzles to build macromolecules and explore the biochemistry of food. They will begin to see how the body works to harness the power of what we eat, through the assembly and disassembly of macromolecules. Students further explore the energy content of various foods by completing calorimetry experiments.
