Corina

//Main job: update wiki.// __**March 24**__

1. Set up meeting with design team for Thursday.

2. Brainstorm ideas with Trina regarding smartphone applications.

__**March 28**__

Type out meeting discussion. //**Do more research on how long it takes for panic to kick in !**//

__**April 1**__

Useful websites (research):

http://www.unm.edu/%7Elkravitz/Article%20folder/stresscortisol.html

http://www.medical-library.net/content/view/1401/41/

http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/cortisol.htm

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/86687-exercise-cortisol-levels/

__**April 2**__

Finalize on ideas and make sure outline is simple, concise, and clear. Some questions that came to mind: 1. Is there a way to incorporate smart phones with the puzzles for a higher engagement level? 2. What should the billboards in the last hallway say? 3. Discuss with Dhairya the interaction of adrenaline and cortisol together. 4. Inhibit or promote memory/strength/cognitive ability? Our stance?

__**April 6**__

Day after the Group meeting - discussed format of final report: - what to include - divide roles - research - partners?


 * continue updating the wiki !

__**April 11**__

Group meeting; set a date to meet with Allan, Maria.

Stress cortisol paragraph in progress.

__**April 14**__

1. Send Allan the exhibit outline by Tuesday, LATEST.

2. Paragraph on cortisol for final report.

3. Set up group meeting for Monday.

FINAL REPORT PARA--

The design of the exhibit is to take the visitors out of their comfort zone. It was not designed to simply throw the visitors into a shaking room, but rather, they enter a room and the sudden black-out and voice are what frightens the visitors because they are under abnormal circumstances. Typically, human life is already filled with an assortment of sounds and people scurrying around to get to places; hence, a loud and shaking room would not necessarily surprise the visitors. They are forced to step out of their comfort zone. Cortisol is a hormone that is regularly released from “the adrenal glands located on top of each kidney” ([|http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/stresscortisol.html]); however, the amount of “cortisol present in the blood varies through the 24 hour cycle, with the highest levels present in the early morning, and the lowest levels present around midnight” ([]). When put under a stressful environment, the bodily response is to secrete more cortisol, which in turn, increases certain metabolic processes. This includes glycolysis: the breaking down of carbohydrates, and gluconeogenesis: the conversion of amino acids into useable carbohydrates in the liver ([|http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/stresscortisol.html]). That is why small amounts of cortisol can give humans short and quick bursts of energy, and heighten alertness. ([]). Cortisol works hand-in-hand with epinephrine to create better and clearer short-term memories, otherwise known as “flash-bulb” memories, and are used “to remember what to avoid in the future” ([|http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/stresscortisol.html]). This hormone also mobilizes energy, moving amino acids ([]) and fats through the blood stream to areas in the body and skeletal muscles that need it ([|http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/stresscortisol.html]).

It says that cortisol also lowers pain sensitivity, but I couldn't find any information as to why that happens. If someone can find something on that, it'd be great.

__**April 23**__

Brainstormed ideas for trailer - possible names for our exhibit: Stress Tester, Put Your Stress to the Test etc. - some theatrical aspects that are needed to grab audience's attention

Next meeting; share ideas.

__**April 26**__

Started to brainstorm for presentation during innovation.

__**April 30**__

Worked on powerpoint and organized wiki (transferring meetings and notes to logs).

What I am responsible for: - cortisol - why did we choose this exhibit? - how it fits into human limits

__**May 1**__

Improved powerpoint, edited outline and group members' roles regarding the presentation. Practiced with Pam and Dhairya after school. Presentation is coming along.

What I am now responsible for: - cortisol - how it fits into human limits

CORTISOL:

- known as the "stress hormone" - in the long run, it inhibits memory, but when working hand in hand with epinephrine, it promotes short term memory - short term memory flashes are so that if you make a mistake, you know how to prevent it the next time around - improves reaction time, slows down thinking process

HOW IT FITS INTO HUMAN LIMITS:

"Perhaps when you think about human limits, some things that come to mind are severe injuries, extreme sports, and so on; however, it is difficult to build an exhibit that tests for such extreme human capabilities. It is very challenging to make something that can push human limits, and have it be safe at the same time. It's not like we're going to push someone off a cliff and see how high their pain tolerance is and if they can get up and move, despite several broken bones. That is why we chose to examine the mental side of human limits - the cognitive ability when an individual is put under a stressful environment. Stress is easier to test and it is much safer to analyze."

Updated powerpoint, rearranged roles according to decisions made after school.

NOTE: NEED TO ADD MORE PICTURES !!


 * __May 2__**

Presented final project in front of class. Received a lot of feedback and will put up on wiki.

To do: - research and find articles as evidence to support the fact that loud music/shaking room will cause stress - film trailer - meeting with design team; ask group when a good time is

__**May 3**__

Updated wiki with feedback. Will start research regarding the science and stress correlation.

__**May 4**__

Filmed segments of trailer. Upload onto wiki so someone can edit and put everything together. Re-organized wiki.

Reminder: meeting with design team on Thursday.


 * __May 9__**

Started and finished putting commercial together because files were difficult to transfer. Will bring to next group meeting to see if any changes need to be made. Total length of video is 50 seconds. Upload commercial onto main page of wiki. Trailer status: DONE.

__**May 10**__

Successfully uploaded trailer onto youtube (last night). Showed group members. Emailed to Science School Staff through First Class.

__**May 15**__ Research on how earthquakes induce stress: [] In those studies, the limbic, paralimbic, striatal, and prefrontal structures inside the brain proved to play an important part in determining a test subjects' response to stress, pain, and danger. These researches show that, in humans, similar areas of the brain are affected by the same conditions. The new study was conducted on earthquake survivors, because 20 percent of them are very likely to develop the acute stress disorder (ASD) or the PTSD following their experiences.

[] New research has found that the Wenchuan, China earthquake that occurred on 12 May 2008 had an acute impact on the brain function of physically healthy survivors and poses a risk to the mental health of these survivors. The results of this study demonstrate that individuals experiencing severe emotional trauma showed hyperactivity in certain areas of the brain, and decreased functional connectivity in others, shortly after the massively traumatic Wenchuan earthquake. In particular, the findings indicate that traumatic experiences affect not only regional function but also dynamic interactions within brain networks.

[] - possible discomfort such as dizziness, nausea, seizure (all these are pretty rare)

The aforementioned stress-inducing factors may be severe; however, our exhibit's simulation will not have such adverse effects on the visitors. The severity of the shaking (or earthquake) will not be nearly as traumatic as a real earthquake. This will be safer for the visitors.

__**May 16**__ Made script for presentation and printed. Practice presentation today during lunch and practice presentation for Maria after school today!

Edit and update PowerPoint. Splitting slides and adding custom animations. Also adding more information. Making ppt more organized and easy to follow.

UPDATED: PowerPoint is done. Added slides for clarity. Pictures and visuals are added. Extra information is now up. Will do one more run through tomorrow with group before final presentation.