STEAM Projects

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

This project analyzes causes, symptoms and treatments of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and the effects it has on the function and structure of the respiratory system. COPD is a progressive inflammatory airway disease characterized by perpetual restriction of airflow and related respiratory symptoms, due to damage to the airway and …

Follicular, Ovulatory, and Luteal Phases with and without PCOS: A model with clay

Two models are shown: one will show the normal development of tertiary follicles and dominant follicles, and the other will show the disrupted development in a woman with PCOS related to hormone imbalances.
This shows the follicular phase. As you can see, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulates follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) production. In the case of PCOS, too much LH is produced, resulting in several more follicles.
Continuing out the follicular phase, a dominant follicle produces estrogen, leading to a decrease in GnRH, LH, and FSH. In the ovary of a woman with PCOS, a dominant follicle does not emerge, and the regular estrogen production may not occur.
This shows the beginning of the ovulatory phase. The dominant follicle survives in the follicular phase, secretes estrogen, and triggers a positive feedback loop in that causes LH and FSH production to rise again. For a woman with PCOS, this positive feedback loop is never triggered.
During the luteal phase, the released oocyte travels towards the uterus while the granulosa and theca cells in the follicle form the corpus luteum, which produces progesterone. With PCOS, there is no corpus luteum and therefore no progesterone production.
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STEAM Projects

The Hormonal Effect on Maternal Protectiveness in Pregnancy

By nature, a mother post-partum is experiencing a hormone flux like she never has before. With certain senses feeling enhanced, and the baby forcing new responsibilities, the mother can often begin to feel an overwhelming need to nurture and protect their young. This feeling, or in some cases, maternal aggression, …

STEAM Projects

Effects of Tracheoesophageal Fistula (TEF) on the Respiratory System

The objective of this STEAM project is analyzing the effects of disease (condition) on function and structure of the respiratory system. For the art side of the project, I created a candy respiratory system. Meet Christian Trey Davis born on February 1st, 2019, in a hospital in Anchorage, Alaska. As …