Everything is getting busy as we enter our last full week of
classes. Final projects abound. This weekend I did not get up to much because
I’m busy with multiple end-of-semester projects.
The first is for my algorithms class, my partner and I are
building a game similar to Oregon Trail.
This version however is set in a dystopian future where you are trapped
on campus and have to find a way to escape.
The faculty and staff here have formed rival groups and fight over
resources. It’s mostly a text based
adventure, but with a very minimal map to help you stay oriented.
For my other project, we are making a phylogenetic tree of
various biofluorescence genes in coral. A
surprising amount of marine life expresses fluorescence (look at
these fish!) and we wanted to try to get a better understanding of how
similar the genes for different colors are.
They have turned out to be very similar to one another with the
different colors of fluorescence mixed in with one another.
It’s hard to imagine, but in under six weeks I’ll be
studying in Australia. Time is flying
by fast and those few weeks between now and then are completely packed. I don’t
believe I have a single day left unscheduled between now and then. My family leaves on a trip the day after I
get home, when I’m back from that I’m visiting friends for New Year’s, then I
run a winter camp, then I visit a different set of friends, then I have most of
a day to pack, and then I fly to Australia. It's crazy, but I'm looking forward to it.
Questions? Send them to me at ameliaberle@lclark.edu