Report on Practicum Projects 2009

Rachel Redfield
Bethany A. Jackson
Teresa Rostkowski

Rachel Redfield
Email address: rachelr0002@yahoo.com
Colleg Park Scholars, Earth, Life, and Times, Pre Med
Title of Project: "Gynecologic Oncology: Cancer surgery in the female reproductive system

Rachel Redfield, sophomore biology major, shadowed the Chief of Gynecology in a Texas Hospital. She observed everything from routine gynecological exams to gynecological surgeries. It was awkward for her at first but after she became used to it, it became the norm. Rachel notes that the best part of the entire experience was watching the surgeries. She was amazed when the patient would appear absolutely fine when they entered into surgery, but once they were opened they were obviously troubled by tumors. In one patient she notes that a tumor was as large as a melon. However it was not always easy to shadow the doctor. It was really unstructured, and she found herself standing around a lot. The worst part was listening to the doctors tell patients there was nothing they could do, or turning away patients because they did not have insurance and could not afford the medical procedure. Her greatest obstacle in her research was the fact that gonads are considered a private topic in our society and are taboo to discuss, and that she was not the doctors priority. However the entire experience made her realize her love for medicine and doctors, and gave her drive to continue her pre-med undergraduate career.

Bethany A. Jackson
Email address: blueyed@umd.edu
College Park Scholars, Earth, Life, and Times Program
Title of Project: Eighteenth Century Disease and Maladies

For her project “Eighteenth Century Disease and Maladies” she worked at the Philips Farm and Greenbank Mill. Here she had many duties besides her own research. She performed historical reenactments, participated in archeological digs, acted as a farm hand, and even assisted in genetically engineering sheep. For her practicum project she decided to make a new exhibit at the farm about civil war medicine, procedures, disease, and herbal remedies. She hand crafted the gruesome tools like saws and tourniquets, and even grew a medicine herb garden. She struggled with her goal but preservers over the lack of prior research, and money. Bethany worked hard for every bit of her exhibit, because she loved working and teaching the public, and gaining new skills like sowing.

Teresa Rostkowski
Email address: Trostkow@umd.edu
College Park scholars, Earth, Life, and Times
Title of Project: Raising and Caring for Plants at the College Park Research Greenhouse

As an avid plant lover there was no way I could not check out the poster titled “Raising and Caring for Plants at the College Park Research Greenhouse” by Teresa Rostkowski. Teresa was very enthusiastic about sharing her work and you could tell she enjoyed doing it. She mostly created cuttings and worked with a soil sorter. She used Cholias, Tropical Pitcher Plants, and Pansies in her cuttings. Cuttings are usually cutting a piece of a plant off like a branch or leaf and growing it into an entirely new plant. Of course it’s not that simple the plant cutting must be dipped in an enzyme called root tone so that the plant cutting will take root and be able to attain its own nutrients. Teresa said that the hardest part of her project was transportation to the greenhouse and the heat of the summer and green house. The best part for Teresa was gaining experience and learning about plants.

Last modified: 18 May 2009