Extra Credit Options for BI 101
Winter 2012 – SE Center – Brett Schaerer
All extra credit options must be turned in by Wednesday, March 14th, 2012 at the beginning of lecture.
You may earn up to 15 points of extra credit by completing one or more of the following:

Check out one of the Planet Earth videos, produced by The Discovery Channel, from the PCC library (or
your local public library). Watch one episode and write a 1-page summary of what you saw (5 points
per episode/summary).

Watch one biology-related segment of Oregon Field Guide, produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting,
(either over-the-air or online at [www.opb.org/programs/ofg/]) and write a 1-page summary including:
what the segment was about, one or two interesting new things that you learned and it how you might
apply this information in your day-to-day life. (5 points per segment/summary)

Calculate your ecological footprint. Log on to [www.myfootprint.org] and complete the survey. Turn
in a 1-page summary telling me how many acres it takes to support you, how many planets we would
need if everyone lived like you, and 3 ways you can reduce your footprint (5 points).

Attend a public science talk, such as one of the Linus Pauling Memorial Lectures ([www.isepp.org/],
PCC sometimes has free tickets for these), OMSI science pubs (must be 21 or older,
[www.omsi.edu/sciencepubportland]), or a biology-themed talk at one of the local colleges or
universities (Portland State University, Reed College, University of Portland, etc.). Write a 1-2 page
review of the talk including a short biography of the speaker (this will likely require some outside
research), major claims or ideas they presented in their talk, and your thoughts on what they
presented. (10 points).

Read the first four chapters (pp. 1-41) of the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (the
PCC library has several copies) and answer the following questions (about 1 page, 5 points):
o When and where did Henrietta Lacks live? What was her occupation? How many children did
she have?
o What disease caused Henrietta’s death? Which virus commonly causes this disease? How did
Henrietta’s doctors treat her disease?
o What is informed consent?
o What is cell culture? What is required to culture human cells? Why does cell culture often fail?
o How are HeLa cells similar to and different from the other cells in Henrietta’s body? Would you
consider HeLa cells in a culture to be truly ‘alive’ (do they meet all of the biologists’ criteria)?

Volunteer for one of the PCC 50th Anniversary Service Events [www.pcc.edu/resources/servicelearning/PCCDaysofService.html] or do similar volunteer work for an organization within your
community. Qualifying volunteer experience must be biology-related (i.e. invasive species removal at
Mt. Tabor park or sorting/packaging food for distribution at the Oregon Food Bank would both qualify),
and you must fill out the form on the next page to document your experience and connect it to what
we are learning (10 points per 3 hours of service).
Your name: __________________________________
Event or organization you volunteerd for: _____________________________________________
Date and time of volunteer service: _____________________________________
Signature of volunteer leader: ______________________________________________
If your service was not at a PCC-sanctioned event, please also include the name, position, and contact
info (phone or email) for the person who signed this form verifying your service.
In the space below, describe what you did and how it relates to one of the topics we are learning in BI
101 this term: