Neurochemistry: It's all over the place!

 
What is a capstone? Maybe a more appropriate question would be what should a capstone course be? In my opinion, a capstone course should be an integration of many fields into a single course. But also, a capstone must involve the community, for that is part of Concordia’s motto. For me, neurochemistry has provided just such an experience.
By reading articles weekly, I have become a more thoughtful and informed citizen. In addition to that, I have also learned so much! Our articles were very interdisciplinary. Not only were they biochemistry intensive, but we also managed to get philosophy and ethics in the discussion almost every Friday. This class has taught me to think deeply about course material, and what our culture is really about. For example, when we discussed aging and how it can be stopped, ethical issues arose. Would it be okay to synthetically raise the life expectancy of everyone? What would that do to our retirement plans? How would that change ages at which we mature? There are so many things to think about besides the in-depth biochemistry.
But this was not the only thing I enjoyed from our excursion into neurochemistry. I also enjoyed the blogging. This has really been a fun way to reach out to the community with our knowledge. Plus it was a fun way to think about our audience and learn how to communicate science to the community. This is an invaluable tool for me since I will be going into chemistry research. If you cannot explain your research to those around you outside your specific field, then what is the point? This is a great way to get involved with the community. I hope many people read our blogs. I know at least somebody did since a psychologist commented on one of my blogs on bipolar.
This class has taught me many things, and improved my scientific reading skills. This class is a capstone, and most definitely should be continued to be offered as one here at Concordia College. As you can see from the above picture, my brain was activated all over while taking the class!