Holly Dong - 2023 Fellow
My name is Holly Dong and I am a high school teacher from Riverside, CA. I teach physics, chemistry, and forensics at Riverside Virtual School.
Science Blog:
All science tells a story. This story begins 27 years ago when Drs. Lee Dryer and Craig Dobson got in an old van and drove it to Costa Rica to begin the studies connecting chemistry and caterpillars which we are contributing to today.
Today, we were fortunate to have a chemistry lecture from Dr. Chris Jeffrey, the head of the Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology. Chemical ecology is the interaction between an organism and all the biotic and abiotic elements in its environment. The goal of the current team that Dr. Jeffrey's leads is to find a good question and then bring together the scientists who have the expertise needed to study that question. No one scientist or even specialty is able to fully answer a question with the complexity involved in ecology.
A historical problem in organic chemistry is how does one study things you can't see with your eyes. Throughout history, chemists have had to rely on their senses, primarily taste and smell, to determine the reaction substance has. Now, we are able to use technology to find molecules "hidden" in the natural world.
Spectroscopy relies on the reaction of molecules and elements to light. Molecules and elements have different and predictable responses to light. You have likely experienced this phenomenon when watching fireworks; each color corresponds to a different element. In organic spectroscopy, different molecules produce different spectra, a graph that can be matched to known values.
Once one knows the molecules in a sample and has found one or more that merit more study, they have to be separated. This is where chromatography comes in. Again, you are probably familiar with simple chromatography. Commonly in chemistry classes, simple paper chromatography activities are done. With filter paper, rubbing alcohol, and ink, you can separate the mixture of inks in a pen.The concept is the same but the process is more complicated when isolating a molecule in organic chemistry. Now that the molecule is isolated, the chemists can begin to determine its structure.
But, how does this apply to our story of climate change and caterpillars? Dr. Jeffrey shared with us a study he completed in the Andes of Ecuador. The Piper kelleyi is a plant that grows in a small range in the Andes. What is interesting about this plant is that as its elevation changes, its chemistry also changes based on the amount of light available (more light available at higher elevations). Although the range of the plant is small, it supports a large variety of organisms. And, these organisms also change the elevation (and chemistry) changes.
Dr. Jeffrey spent five years raising multiple generations of 1,000s of plants. What he found is that five sets of parent-offspring plants had a different molecule than all of the others. Because the molecule was passed from parent to offspring, Dr Jeffrey knows that there must be an evolutionary benefit but is unsure what as of now. The next step in this particular study is to study what the benefit of this molecule is. I know I will be following developments in this study!
Personal Reflection:
The rest of the day was spent working on our projects and lesson plans. I was so impressed and proud to see the variety and depth of ideas that my colleagues will be taking back to their students, schools, and communities. In this small way, we will also be contributing to this story of science. Hopefully, we will inspire some in our communities to continue to contribute as well.
Did you know?
Wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina) has a molecule in it, stable for 2.8 billion years, that blocks UV-C? Its name comes from its history; it also has a toxic chemical, once ground and sprinkled on meat to poison wolves.
My name is Holly Dong and I am a high school teacher from Riverside, CA. I teach physics, chemistry, and forensics at Riverside Virtual School.
Science Blog:
All science tells a story. This story begins 27 years ago when Drs. Lee Dryer and Craig Dobson got in an old van and drove it to Costa Rica to begin the studies connecting chemistry and caterpillars which we are contributing to today.
Today, we were fortunate to have a chemistry lecture from Dr. Chris Jeffrey, the head of the Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology. Chemical ecology is the interaction between an organism and all the biotic and abiotic elements in its environment. The goal of the current team that Dr. Jeffrey's leads is to find a good question and then bring together the scientists who have the expertise needed to study that question. No one scientist or even specialty is able to fully answer a question with the complexity involved in ecology.
A historical problem in organic chemistry is how does one study things you can't see with your eyes. Throughout history, chemists have had to rely on their senses, primarily taste and smell, to determine the reaction substance has. Now, we are able to use technology to find molecules "hidden" in the natural world.
Spectroscopy relies on the reaction of molecules and elements to light. Molecules and elements have different and predictable responses to light. You have likely experienced this phenomenon when watching fireworks; each color corresponds to a different element. In organic spectroscopy, different molecules produce different spectra, a graph that can be matched to known values.
Once one knows the molecules in a sample and has found one or more that merit more study, they have to be separated. This is where chromatography comes in. Again, you are probably familiar with simple chromatography. Commonly in chemistry classes, simple paper chromatography activities are done. With filter paper, rubbing alcohol, and ink, you can separate the mixture of inks in a pen.The concept is the same but the process is more complicated when isolating a molecule in organic chemistry. Now that the molecule is isolated, the chemists can begin to determine its structure.
But, how does this apply to our story of climate change and caterpillars? Dr. Jeffrey shared with us a study he completed in the Andes of Ecuador. The Piper kelleyi is a plant that grows in a small range in the Andes. What is interesting about this plant is that as its elevation changes, its chemistry also changes based on the amount of light available (more light available at higher elevations). Although the range of the plant is small, it supports a large variety of organisms. And, these organisms also change the elevation (and chemistry) changes.
Dr. Jeffrey spent five years raising multiple generations of 1,000s of plants. What he found is that five sets of parent-offspring plants had a different molecule than all of the others. Because the molecule was passed from parent to offspring, Dr Jeffrey knows that there must be an evolutionary benefit but is unsure what as of now. The next step in this particular study is to study what the benefit of this molecule is. I know I will be following developments in this study!
Personal Reflection:
The rest of the day was spent working on our projects and lesson plans. I was so impressed and proud to see the variety and depth of ideas that my colleagues will be taking back to their students, schools, and communities. In this small way, we will also be contributing to this story of science. Hopefully, we will inspire some in our communities to continue to contribute as well.
Did you know?
Wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina) has a molecule in it, stable for 2.8 billion years, that blocks UV-C? Its name comes from its history; it also has a toxic chemical, once ground and sprinkled on meat to poison wolves.