October Sky

While watching the movie, October Sky, I came across many scientific connections. For instance, when the boys in this movie were framed of setting a forest on fire due to their rocket, they used an advanced equation involving a parabola to prove that the destination of their rocket was not where the authorities believed, and thus proving their innocence. Other than that, the movie was introduced with the sight of Sputnik, a space probe launched by the Russians, flying through the night sky. This movie took place in Coalwood, West Virginia. In Coalwood, there were many coal mines. In fact, the town revolved around coal mines. However, the mines exposed its workers to a very hazardous health problem called Black Lung Disease. Black Lung Disease is caused by exposure to coal dust, which is what the coal workers breathed in while they mined for coal. The main characters in this movie were high school students, and they built functioning rockets. This was a surprise and extreme accomplishment, because in that time period and in that environment, the only chance of college was on a sports scholarship. Not many people accepted this group of teens for being different, and trying hard to earn a scholarship by relying on their smarts and science. I too, was surprised that this group of teenagers took part in creating a rocket. Three of those teenage boys were not very intelligent, and their life had revolved around sports. When Homer Hickam, the main character, chose to build a rocket, they were made fun of. It was almost like everyone doubted their ability, and at first, I too, was doubtful of their abilities. When they finally built their rocket and it worked, I was proved wrong, and I was completely astonished.
Other than science and math connections, October Sky also connects to Character Education. The characters in this movie display cooperation by agreeing to work with a 'nerd'-like student. This surprised because those three boys who had cooperated with that one student, were apart of a completely different clique of friends. It was funny when Homer sat down with the boy in the cafeteria because the entire cafeteria gasped in surprise. Assertion was another attribute displayed by these boys because no matter what others said, they continued building their rockets and studying. Even when Homer's dad had yelled at Homer for wasting his time studying, Homer stood up for his interest for science, and stood up to his father. As a result, I believe that this movie was both inspirational and educational. It showed both scientific and character education. October Sky was based off of a true story, and a book written by Homer Hickam himself.

Response Blog

When I read glowriter54's blog on Phenylketonuria, or PKU, I learned that it's most likely diagnosed in White and Asian newborn infants. The cause for PKU is an excess amount of protein in the infant's body. When an infant is born with PKU, and the infant is not instantly treated, then the infant may get brain damage. I feel bad for the infants who are born with PKU, because from the moment they take their first breath, they have the risk of getting brain damage and a very hard life ahead of them full of physical struggles. For instance, patients with PKU may have intellectual disability, seizures, delayed development, behavioral problems, psychiatric disorders, musty or mouse-like odor, eczema, and lighter hair and skin color. Although this is a genetic disorder, we hope that this disease will begin to die down. I feel sympathy and concern for those infants born with Phenylketonuria who have to constantly struggle with difficult physical conditions.

Cri-du-Chat

In 1963, Jerome Lejeune discovered Cri-du-Chat syndrome. This genetic disease affects between 1 in 20,000 and 1 in 50,000 babies. Cri-du-Chat is only diagnosed in infants, because the cause of this disease is the missing piece of Chromosome #5. Chromosome #5 is usually missing in the male sex cell when fertilization occurs. Children born with Cri-du-Chat have physical properties such as a cry that is high-pitched and sounds like a cat, a downward slant to the eyes, partial webbing or fusing of the fingers, wide set eyes, micrognathia, microcephaly, and a low birthweight, and abnormaly shaped ears. However, the mental effects of Cri-du-Chat are mental retardation, which results in an inabilty to care for themself and an inablity to function in society. There is no treatment for this genetic disease. However, the child born with Cri-du-Chat may need certain counseling and support from their family and various therapists. This disease is also very rare. For instance, if one child is born with Cri-du-Chat, there is a very, very low chance of Chromosome #5 to be missing again in another fertilization process. In eighty percent of the missing chromosome is from the male sex cell. Sadly, children diagnosed with Cri-du-Chat do not survive into adulthood. I believe that perhaps if society had acceptance for children with Cri-du-Chat and their appearance or mental stability, then it would be much easier for them to function in society. To think that it was only a missing chromosome that cause this genetic disease, is quite frustrating.

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