Biology - Extended Essay

[Markee]

I need help if my topic and research question is appropriate enough for when I apply to a decent Uni. for medicine.

I'm doing mine on Biology and it will be about Acupuncture, as of the moment, myself and the rest of my fellow IB colleagues have just begun on the EE.

This is our first week in on doing it. And our first time as well. Anyway, knowing that I have asked my supervisor already on how should I look up on Acupuncture, and I've done some research already to see if there are enough reasonable references via internet - for the mean time - I was able to come up with a research question which in I would really love to get some feedbacks if it is a strong and appropriate question which will last me for 4000 words, and it is "How effective is Acupuncture?" OR "How effective is this compared to modern day treatments?". I was also thinking of doing it with Traditional Acupuncture as well, but, I am quite unsure about it. But for now, that's the best I can come up with for the past days we were introduced to the Extended Essay.

Well, many thanks in advance for the feedbacks!

I would appreciate both good and bad feedbacks as well.

[Sandwich]

You need to have an experimental component to your EE if you want to get a good grade (I've never heard of a grade better than a C for a non-experimental Biology EE) so I would strongly discourage you from pursuing this EE. Also, you don't have to do an EE themed around Medicine to get into Medical school. Often it's better to have all your bonus points and a better grade in terms of your likelihood of getting in

So yeah, I would avoid this title.

[Markee]

You need to have an experimental component to your EE if you want to get a good grade (I've never heard of a grade better than a C for a non-experimental Biology EE) so I would strongly discourage you from pursuing this EE. Also, you don't have to do an EE themed around Medicine to get into Medical school. Often it's better to have all your bonus points and a better grade in terms of your likelihood of getting in

So yeah, I would avoid this title.

Is it now? Hmm... Well I have spoken to my supervisor and this is the idea i have come up with from her. And she said it would be ok to do a non-experimental EE.

Well that may be true, yeah, I might as well do another topic which can focus away from medicine as well. But I'm not sure. I'll just see what my supervisor thinks about this. But I will bear what you said in mind. Since The EE is just,what, 1 point to get the IBD? Right?

Thank you so much for responding and giving me a piece of advice as well!

Looking forward to help you out in the future as well

[Julie]

I have heard that you can do both an experimental or non-experimental, but I am not too informed. I think Sandwich is right about people who do non-experimental EEs in Bio get lower grades. That is something you should definitely look into with your supervisor. If she says you shouldn't do the non-experimental EE, than tell us your new topic so we can help

If you can do the non-experimental one, I find the topic you have chosen incredibly interesting. I like the idea of comparing it to modern day treatments

[Markee]

Is that so? Ooh, I really should ask my supervisor about this...

Cool cool! I'll be sure to inform you guys ASAP

Ahaha, thank you! I don't know why, but I have a habit of comparison and contrasting two things HAHA! Like with my research paper I did when I was a high school student, I did it on Transportation: Public vs. Private. )

All the more, thank you!

would the topic title "The effectiveness of acupuncture towards modern medicine " be ok?

[Sandwich]

Is that so? Ooh, I really should ask my supervisor about this...

Cool cool! I'll be sure to inform you guys ASAP

Ahaha, thank you! I don't know why, but I have a habit of comparison and contrasting two things HAHA! Like with my research paper I did when I was a high school student, I did it on Transportation: Public vs. Private. )

All the more, thank you!

would the topic title "The effectiveness of acupuncture towards modern medicine " be ok?

Well it still has no experimental component, so it's still not a good title for the same reasons as before.

[iber2011]

Is that so? Ooh, I really should ask my supervisor about this...

Cool cool! I'll be sure to inform you guys ASAP

Ahaha, thank you! I don't know why, but I have a habit of comparison and contrasting two things HAHA! Like with my research paper I did when I was a high school student, I did it on Transportation: Public vs. Private. )

All the more, thank you!

would the topic title "The effectiveness of acupuncture towards modern medicine " be ok?

Hey i've done my EE on bio too! your idea is good but as sandwich said, it wouldn't fetch you a lot of marks. It would be better to have some kind of data so you can comment on them, otherwise you would have to just write theories and would just be too boring. I would suggest you do some experiment related to plants. My teacher told me to state the research question as "what is the effect of ....on... " kind of questions

Good luck

[Markee]

Is that so? Ooh, I really should ask my supervisor about this...

Cool cool! I'll be sure to inform you guys ASAP

Ahaha, thank you! I don't know why, but I have a habit of comparison and contrasting two things HAHA! Like with my research paper I did when I was a high school student, I did it on Transportation: Public vs. Private. )

All the more, thank you!

would the topic title "The effectiveness of acupuncture towards modern medicine " be ok?

Hey i've done my EE on bio too! your idea is good but as sandwich said, it wouldn't fetch you a lot of marks. It would be better to have some kind of data so you can comment on them, otherwise you would have to just write theories and would just be too boring. I would suggest you do some experiment related to plants. My teacher told me to state the research question as "what is the effect of ....on... " kind of questions

Good luck

Yo man! Thanks for the feedback! But I am actually thinking of sticking with this topic, and I was planning to do some stats. on the reaction/feedback of the masses towards acupuncture and make it go around yes - the effectiveness of acupuncture towards other western medicines in terms of pain relievers and the likes - and how much people would rely on acupuncture alone in terms of that to use acupuncture other than expensive pain relievers... So I might actually end up with "The effectiveness of Acupuncture towards Western/modern medicine and how it affects the masses."

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GUYS! I would also love to hear your feedbacks concerning this EE of mine, please refer to my latest response and if you could, give me some suggestions for my idea and title.

Much appreciated!

[nametaken]

I have heard that you can do both an experimental or non-experimental, but I am not too informed. I think Sandwich is right about people who do non-experimental EEs in Bio get lower grades. That is something you should definitely look into with your supervisor. If she says you shouldn't do the non-experimental EE, than tell us your new topic so we can help

If you can do the non-experimental one, I find the topic you have chosen incredibly interesting. I like the idea of comparing it to modern day treatments

True bit about people who do non-experimental EEs in Bio get lower grades. That's the same with every science. Going for an experimental EE also in my opinion, is easier. But that's just me!

[Sandwich]

Yo man! Thanks for the feedback! But I am actually thinking of sticking with this topic, and I was planning to do some stats. on the reaction/feedback of the masses towards acupuncture and make it go around yes - the effectiveness of acupuncture towards other western medicines in terms of pain relievers and the likes - and how much people would rely on acupuncture alone in terms of that to use acupuncture other than expensive pain relievers... So I might actually end up with "The effectiveness of Acupuncture towards Western/modern medicine and how it affects the masses."

----------------------------------------------------->

GUYS! I would also love to hear your feedbacks concerning this EE of mine, please refer to my latest response and if you could, give me some suggestions for my idea and title.

Much appreciated!

Well it's still not a good essay title! Why are you doing it if you know it means you can't get more than a B at absolute max? And with the title you've chosen, I think that a B is an extremely optimistic mark. I don't understand why you're persisting with it!

Anyway that aside, a comparison of the efficacy of acupuncture compared with (not 'towards', by the way) traditional painkillers is a statistics/epidemiology essay, not a Biology Essay. People's views of acupuncture is definitely not a Biology essay either!

Have you read the Extended Essay Guide at all, including the subject-specific guidelines for Biology?

Your topic is very interesting, but you really aren't going to do very well with it. At all. You can't score marks for a biology essay that contains no relationship to Biology, and can in fact fail your EE, so I would strongly advise you think a lot harder about how to match your EE not to your interests but to the Extended Essay Guidelines. I'm not trying to be negative, it's just very important you follow their criteria!

[Markee]

Yo man! Thanks for the feedback! But I am actually thinking of sticking with this topic, and I was planning to do some stats. on the reaction/feedback of the masses towards acupuncture and make it go around yes - the effectiveness of acupuncture towards other western medicines in terms of pain relievers and the likes - and how much people would rely on acupuncture alone in terms of that to use acupuncture other than expensive pain relievers... So I might actually end up with "The effectiveness of Acupuncture towards Western/modern medicine and how it affects the masses."

----------------------------------------------------->

GUYS! I would also love to hear your feedbacks concerning this EE of mine, please refer to my latest response and if you could, give me some suggestions for my idea and title.

Much appreciated!

Well it's still not a good essay title! Why are you doing it if you know it means you can't get more than a B at absolute max? And with the title you've chosen, I think that a B is an extremely optimistic mark. I don't understand why you're persisting with it!

Anyway that aside, a comparison of the efficacy of acupuncture compared with (not 'towards', by the way) traditional painkillers is a statistics/epidemiology essay, not a Biology Essay. People's views of acupuncture is definitely not a Biology essay either!

Have you read the Extended Essay Guide at all, including the subject-specific guidelines for Biology?

Your topic is very interesting, but you really aren't going to do very well with it. At all. You can't score marks for a biology essay that contains no relationship to Biology, and can in fact fail your EE, so I would strongly advise you think a lot harder about how to match your EE not to your interests but to the Extended Essay Guidelines. I'm not trying to be negative, it's just very important you follow their criteria!

I'll explain everything later and respond to those later as well. . .

Then, Sandwhich, is it allowable for you to give me any other ideas that would focus on Acupuncture that would turn it around and turn this into an experimental and proper EE for Biology?

[Mahuta ♥]

Okay so even though so many people gave you positive feedback, from the moment i read Acupuncture, I knew this isn't a biology thing. What are you going to experiment and how? It's an experimental science..trust me you wont do good on it.

In fact, it's not a biology topic in the first place, not everything that is related to humans and medicine is biology.

"The effectiveness of Acupuncture towards Western/modern medicine and how it affects the masses."

That doesn't sound like a biology EE topic! It's not experimental ---> you will get a bad grade for it.

I mean I don't know how to make my point clear. Trust me, this is not biology. Medical treatments, medicine and its effectiveness..etc..etc. It is not biology, it's medicine! This is what Sandwich told you already! I am saying the same thing..we've seen the whole biology HL syllabus and started med school..please don't do this to yourself.

There are so many other simple topics you can do and get good marks for!

[Markee]

Okay so even though so many people gave you positive feedback, from the moment i read Acupuncture, I knew this isn't a biology thing. What are you going to experiment and how? It's an experimental science..trust me you wont do good on it.

In fact, it's not a biology topic in the first place, not everything that is related to humans and medicine is biology.

"The effectiveness of Acupuncture towards Western/modern medicine and how it affects the masses."

That doesn't sound like a biology EE topic! It's not experimental ---> you will get a bad grade for it.

I mean I don't know how to make my point clear. Trust me, this is not biology. Medical treatments, medicine and its effectiveness..etc..etc. It is not biology, it's medicine! This is what Sandwich told you already! I am saying the same thing..we've seen the whole biology HL syllabus and started med school..please don't do this to yourself.

There are so many other simple topics you can do and get good marks for!

I understand. . .Thanks. . .

I shall get back to you guys again once I've re-set everything. . .

By the way, would it still be possible for me to attain the form that I have submitted already to the librarian? Which contains the proposed topic? And be able to redo it? =/

And here is my explanation for being persistent on this topic, the reason is, because this was the only best Extended Essay I could think of and because of the fact that this was an easy thing to do since I don't fully trust myself with lab works. . .As much as I would love doing hands-on work, when it comes to things like the lab and not the computer lab, I feel a tad bit, unsure of myself on how I will go around accomplish the task for my EE. . .

[Mahuta ♥]

I can tell you that you can change your topic anytime you want, people change theirs a week before the final deadline. Did they tell you who your supervisor is? If so, you may want to go talk to him/her about changing your topic.

[Markee]

Sweetness! ! !

Good thing I haven't actually started on my EE. . .ALthough the books I bought and the print outs I've made for my EE will all go to waste. . .How troublesome. . .Can't be helped now. . .

Arigato Gozaemasu, Mahuta-senpai! . . .

hey guys! I've really thought hard and not too much about my next EE topic which would really need lab work

I haven't thought about a certain topic yet but, this is what I had in mind

How does enzyme effect the rate of digestion/metabolism...?

or

how does enzyme affect the growth rate of human body hair?

[Mahuta ♥]

Hmm here's my opinion:

For the first one:

I like the idea of human physiology focus.

It seems a bit too simple..and I am not sure how you're going to turn that into a scientific research question. If you can use that as your base and develop that question into a better research, it will be awesome.

You could change it into another research dealing with digestion, though I don't know how you're going to measure the rate of digestion.

Why don't you do think of something like physiology of the hear, exercise...etc. For example something to do with blood pressure during exercise..watching a scary movie..etc..etc. I will give better suggestions when I think of them..but for the time being, think along the lines of heart/blood pressure/sugar levels...etc.

For the second one:

I am not sure how you're going to experiment that. To be honest with you, I don't know anything about hair growth depending on enzymes just yet.

A completely different suggestion is something environmental, or to do with germination in plants. A friend of mine did an EE on germination and got an A in it. But if you want to stick to human physiology, then think about what I said.

[Markee]

Hmm here's my opinion:

For the first one:

I like the idea of human physiology focus.

It seems a bit too simple..and I am not sure how you're going to turn that into a scientific research question. If you can use that as your base and develop that question into a better research, it will be awesome.

You could change it into another research dealing with digestion, though I don't know how you're going to measure the rate of digestion.

Why don't you do think of something like physiology of the hear, exercise...etc. For example something to do with blood pressure during exercise..watching a scary movie..etc..etc. I will give better suggestions when I think of them..but for the time being, think along the lines of heart/blood pressure/sugar levels...etc.

For the second one:

I am not sure how you're going to experiment that. To be honest with you, I don't know anything about hair growth depending on enzymes just yet.

A completely different suggestion is something environmental, or to do with germination in plants. A friend of mine did an EE on germination and got an A in it. But if you want to stick to human physiology, then think about what I said.

So it's the first one then! Haha. . .Uhm, about that, I was thinking if it is possible to replicate the acids inside the digestive system, (so making solutions of those) place them in a 100ml beaker, i will definitely need around 3-4 beakers filled with those replicated acids, then, 3 of those will be mixed with the enzymes in different rates/concentrations. So that's it for now.

[Guest IBkidd]

Hey,

the EE on the abortion thing sounds pretty interesting.

but how can you make it operational and scientific?

any reply much appreciated (promise)

[Markee]

Hmm here's my opinion:

For the first one:

I like the idea of human physiology focus.

It seems a bit too simple..and I am not sure how you're going to turn that into a scientific research question. If you can use that as your base and develop that question into a better research, it will be awesome.

You could change it into another research dealing with digestion, though I don't know how you're going to measure the rate of digestion.

Why don't you do think of something like physiology of the hear, exercise...etc. For example something to do with blood pressure during exercise..watching a scary movie..etc..etc. I will give better suggestions when I think of them..but for the time being, think along the lines of heart/blood pressure/sugar levels...etc.

For the second one:

I am not sure how you're going to experiment that. To be honest with you, I don't know anything about hair growth depending on enzymes just yet.

A completely different suggestion is something environmental, or to do with germination in plants. A friend of mine did an EE on germination and got an A in it. But if you want to stick to human physiology, then think about what I said.

MAHA! I've finally got the response I needed from my supervisor, this is what she has told me:

This looks fine however I have the following concerns:

- the RQ is not very original

- the lab work is a good idea although the acid level of the stomach is pretty consistent so which variable are you actually changing?

- we know a lot about how enzymes affect the rate of digestion so you need to think of something that has much less research already out there

- you would not be allowed to digest meat in the lab I'm afraid

Human Physiology is fine and the use of a lab enables you to add more detail to the EE more easily but you must be as original as possible

I don't understand how is it not original? Could it mean when you told me before that it sounds too simple hence not being original? And, to be honest, I don't get what variable does she mean. . .and when she told me i need to think of something with less research already out there.

[Mahuta ♥]

Hmm here's my opinion:

For the first one:

I like the idea of human physiology focus.

It seems a bit too simple..and I am not sure how you're going to turn that into a scientific research question. If you can use that as your base and develop that question into a better research, it will be awesome.

You could change it into another research dealing with digestion, though I don't know how you're going to measure the rate of digestion.

Why don't you do think of something like physiology of the hear, exercise...etc. For example something to do with blood pressure during exercise..watching a scary movie..etc..etc. I will give better suggestions when I think of them..but for the time being, think along the lines of heart/blood pressure/sugar levels...etc.

For the second one:

I am not sure how you're going to experiment that. To be honest with you, I don't know anything about hair growth depending on enzymes just yet.

A completely different suggestion is something environmental, or to do with germination in plants. A friend of mine did an EE on germination and got an A in it. But if you want to stick to human physiology, then think about what I said.

MAHA! I've finally got the response I needed from my supervisor, this is what she has told me:

This looks fine however I have the following concerns:

- the RQ is not very original

- the lab work is a good idea although the acid level of the stomach is pretty consistent so which variable are you actually changing?

- we know a lot about how enzymes affect the rate of digestion so you need to think of something that has much less research already out there

- you would not be allowed to digest meat in the lab I'm afraid

Human Physiology is fine and the use of a lab enables you to add more detail to the EE more easily but you must be as original as possible

I don't understand how is it not original? Could it mean when you told me before that it sounds too simple hence not being original? And, to be honest, I don't get what variable does she mean. . .and when she told me i need to think of something with less research already out there.

The RQ is not very original

Okay, the research question you posted was:

How does enzyme effect the rate of digestion/metabolism...?

Like I told you in the last post:

"It seems a bit too simple..and I am not sure how you're going to turn that into a scientific research question."

In other words, it just sounds like a class lab title and it's not really a research question..because in a way it's not 'research' if you know what I mean. We already know how enzymes effect the rate of digestion, so many people investigated that from grade 7 up to college and work(in medical field i mean).

The lab work is a good idea although the acid level of the stomach is pretty consistent so which variable are you actually changing?

That's another good point she pointed out which is why I said:

"though I don't know how you're going to measure the rate of digestion. "

I know it was going to be beakers and stuff, but it just confused me. I mean what are you trying to investigate? You RQ says 'effect of enzyme', does that mean you're going to investigate the rate of digestion with and without the enzyme? If so, then it's still way too simple and we already know the effect. If not, then I don't know what you're changing. You see what I mean?

We know a lot about how enzymes affect the rate of digestion so you need to think of something that has much less research already out there

Exactly what I pointed out above.

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Okay now since that didn't seem to be a good idea, how about thinking about what I said:

"It seems a bit too simple..and I am not sure how you're going to turn that into a scientific research question. If you can use that as your base and develop that question into a better research, it will be awesome.

You could change it into another research dealing with digestion"

Here's something you may want to look into:

Some people may need to have an organ removed as a result of a tumor or any other pathology that makes the organ useless. One of these organs is the pancreas. As you may have studied this organ produces a lot of the digestive enzymes.You could look at how these people will face problems with digestion of a substance X(depending on the enzyme) which as a result causes a lack of X.

So try thinking along those lines. It is to do with digestion, it involves an experiment, not too simple yet not too complicated. Therefore i you decided to go with something like this, we could help you out with more ideas.

If I thought of this idea back in IB I would have definitely done it.

EDIT:

Oh and if unis look at the EE topic, this will look amazing for you. Maybe you could even mention it in an interview or something, no?