ER Thoracotomy: Is it Worth the Risk?

This term, I proposed my own independent study. We were offered the opportunity to work independently and create something of our own. I proposed a surgical science study. I spent these 9 weeks researching and learning about different procedures. I kept track in with entries in a Google Doc I made. I first researched anatomy. I looked at the anatomical landmarks of the thorax and the planes of the body. I allowed myself to drift between what kind of surgeries I wanted to study. I started out with cardiothoracic surgery. I found myself drifting toward more minor, emergent procedures. I am fascinated with emergency medicine/surgery, so I wanted to really understand the basic emergency surgical procedures. I looked at procedures like chest tubes, thoracotomy, needle aspirations of pneumothorax, and pericardiocentesis. I then found myself drifting into neurosurgery. Both cardio and neuro are at my top interest. I looked into some common neurosurgical procedures such as craniotomies and craniectomies, hemispherectomy, corpus callosotomy, lobectomy, ventriculostomy, and ventricular peritoneal shunt. I also looked at some emergency neurosurgical procedures like emergency ventriculostomy, Intracranial probe insertion. I also looked at some emergent airway procedures like cricothyroidotomy and tracheotomy. For my FE, I visited the American Hematological Society's annual hematological cancer conference ASH. My friend and classmate NB also came with me, as she is studying medicine as well. It was very technical, and I am rather ignorant when it comes to the more diagnostic side of medicine, so it was interesting to learn about. For my project, I wanted to something more than just research. I have always been interested in emergency thoracotomy, and I have heard several different sides of to argument as to whether it is safe or not. I wanted to research thoracotomies, and find some statistics, and then ask people what they thought. I hope you enjoy!

You can view my research from my independent study here.

Here is a video of me performing a Clamshell Thoracotomy.

In conclusion, this was my dream class. I am always trying to connect what I am learning about medicine because it is my passion. I wanted to flaunt my surgical knowledge, and I found some statistics, but I mostly knew all of this information already. I really was able to do what was interesting me a the moment. I wished I could have challenged myself more. Sadly, I don't really know anyone that knows more than I already do at school. I often have to challenge myself. I wish I could have talked more with my teacher, but overall, I am very happy with the work that I have done.

Works Cited:

Fallon, Brian. "Atlas of Trauma Clamshell Thoracotomy." TRAUMA.org. April 2005. Web. Feb, 5 2019.

Guthrie, Kane. "ED Thoracotomy: Is it Just The First Part of the Autopsy?" Life in the Fast Lane.com. June 2, 2018. Web. Feb, 8, 2019.

Lent S, Gretchen M.D. "Emergency Beside Thoracotomy." Medscape.com. August 7, 2017. Web. Feb, 14, 2019.

The Essential-Clock!

This is the 3rd and final unit of the Junior STEAM course Light, Sound, and Time. In the 3rd unit, we studied time. We wrapped up the mini-lessons. These were a series of lessons that each student gave about a chapter of a book they read in each unit. I this unit we discovered latitude and longitude, and how to calculate your location without a clock using Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). We learned about the Prime Meridan as well as the International Dateline and all about timezones. We also learned about pendulums and how they can be used to tell time. We mainly focused on the Foucault Pendulum, which is a pendulum that used the earth's rotation to tell time. We also looked at the different ancient time telling devices like sundials. We also studied the universe and dark matter and wormholes. We also learned some math concepts like calculation arc length and angle in a circle, as well as calculating vertexes. We visited the Adler Planetarium where we learned about the universe. We looked at different planets calculations, and we saw how time has affected culture and we looked at other historical devices. For this action project, we had to come up with our own time telling device. It could be inspired by an old way of telling time, but we had to make it better We then had to make a video advertising the product.

You can view the script of my video here



In conclusion, this was a pretty difficult project. I really struggled coming up with something that wasn't already come up with. Making the video was also pretty difficult. I kept messing up on the voice over and having to restart. I am proud of how my video came out as it is clear and well put together. I really enjoyed this class and I am happy with how I did. I learned a lot in this class about how we perceive the world, and I definitely see the world different now.

Works Cited:

Bendini A. Silvio. "Measurement with Insense in Japan." Japanese Insence.com. Cambridge Press. 2002. Web. 21, March 2019.

Creating A People's Assembly

This is the 3rd and final unit of the Junior Humanities course "A Nation's Argument." In this unit, 1960's, we learned about the events of the 1960s and the Civil Rights era. We studied the Bill of Rights and the amendments that give Americans rights, and how they apply to people. We also learned about the lynching era where African Americans were hanged for committing minor offenses We also attended a Yale University Open Courses online lecture about the Civil Rights Era as well as the Selma march and the Watts riots in Los Angeles. The main focus of this unit was to create our own people's assembly. We wanted to discuss policing in Chicago. We were able to create a format and roles for each other to create this assembly.  We brought in 4 guests that were able to talk to us about policing. We had one Chicago Police Officer, 2 community activists, and one researcher from NYU. We sat down with our guests and had a conversation about communities in Chicago and how they react to police presence. We also discussed policing in schools, immigration, and police officer suicide. For my project, I chose the issue of police suicide. It was very cool to hear first hand from an officer about why some police get depressed and how it is more than just trauma, but a combination of things. For this project, I created a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis about police suicide. I also did research and found statistics to re-enforce my argument.

In conclusion, this was a very interesting project and class. I am happy with how I performed in this class, even if I always wasn't 100% about what I was doing. I thought this last project was a neat way to tie in our communal project that was the policing assembly. I liked how each student got to pick the issue they wanted to address. I am proud of the research that I did, and I am proud that as a Junior cohort, we were able to come together and have a real-world discussion with real-world people.

What Does It Take To Become a Citizen?

This is the 2nd unit in the Junior Humanities class "A Nation's Argument." This unit is called "1850's. In this unit, we learned about the historical events of the 1850's. We studied the events that lead up to the civil war, as well as the political climate of America at that time. We studied events such as the Kansas Nebraska Act. We learned how America was split on whether slavery should be legal or not. To learn more about American history, we once again participated in Yale University's open courses. We attended a lecture by Professor Blight about the founding of the Republican party. We also learned about immigration. We learned about what it takes to become a citizen, and we tried to take the naturalization test that immigrants have to take. We also visited the Immigration court where we saw live immigration hearings. For this AP, we had to amend the naturalization test. This was up to interpretation. I decided to make it more personable and related to what America means to you. Enjoy!

United States Government. "Seal of the U.S, Immigration and Naturalization Services." (2000)

Do you know what it takes to become a citizen of The United States? In fact, it is a long and treacherous process, in which one step is t take a “naturalization test.” This is a part of the citizenship process where an applicant takes a 100 question test on all things America. Questions range from government to geography and history. A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service officer will ask 10 questions, and 6 out of 10 questions must be answered correctly. A form of naturalization tests have been around since the early 19th century. According to the USCIS website, trick questions were eliminated in the 1930s to “ensure that questioning would establish the applicant’s attachment to the principles of the Constitution rather than the mere ability to memorize facts.”

I think that this quote is an interesting statement, as a lot of people today say that the test is still just a memorization test, even though the purpose is to understand the government, history, and geography of America.

I believe that the citizenship exam should be more than memorization. People who are coming to America are usually looking for a better life than they could have in their native country. I believe questions on the test like:

88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
92. Name one state that borders Canada.
95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?


Are very general, easily googled, and generally useless questions. These questions are also probably not known by many American born citizens. To me, these questions feel more like trivia questions, rather than questions that all Americans should know. These questions are all connected and are pretty general geography questions. I think it is good to be a well-informed citizen, and I think most or all Americans should know these answers, but I don’t think it is nessacery for a brand new citizen or a non-native person who is coming to America for the first time to know. Imagine going to a brand new country and having to know the geography (even if it is pretty well known.)

A syllogism for the current test would be: American citizens know basic geography, therefore all new citizens should know basic geography. This is a very generalized test. I believe that because some Americans know the answer to these questions, It is assumed that every American and new citizen should know these answers. I think that it is fairly hypocritical since many American citizens do not know the answer to these questions.

I believe that the citizenship test should be revised into a project that an applicant does on what America means to them. For this, there is no right or wrong answer, (which could present problems) but it is the opinion of the applicant. This project could be much more worthwhile than memorizing facts. It could also show the USCIS agents why this person is coming to America, and what they plan on doing once becoming a citizen.

In Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, the following is stated: “To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization,” This means the Congress is granted the right to establish a rule of naturalization. This determines how immigrants may or may not become citizens, even back in the 1700s. At this time there was no naturalization test, but it was up to the government to determine if someone could become a citizen even if they do not meet the criteria of: “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.” In Article II Section I. Even to this day we still have the government determine who can become a citizen, but it seems we haven’t come much farther than we have when the country was first born. With my new way of naturalizing immigrants, we can move forward in the ways we accept people into this country.

I declare that the U.S. Citizenship Naturalization test shall be amended into a self-fulfilling project about what America means to them. This will be an open format project will no restrictions. This is purely to show the government what America means to this applicant, and what their plan is. This will eliminate memorization, and trick questions to give everyone a fair chance.

My classmate KS had this to say about my amended test: “I think this is a fairer way to judge who gets to come into America. It is less general and more personalized.”

This amendment is signed by:

CM & KS


Works Cited:

“Origin of the Naturalization and Civics Test.” USCIS.gov. Department of Homeland Security. 15, Jan 2013. Web. 9, Mar 2019.

“The U.S. Constitution and Immigration.” Boundless.com. Boundless Immigration Inc. 3, Jun 2017. Web 12, Mar 2019.

U.S. Constitution. Art.I, Sec 8. Art. II Sec. 1.

In conclusion, I did like this project. I thought it was a fun but challenging way to think about how we as Americans see immigration. I always thought the test was suspicious, but I really do feel like my plan could work. The most challenging part was connecting my amendment to a historical document. I was able to find some good connections, but it was challenging. I am really happy with how this turned out.

DIY Guitar

This is the 2nd unit in the Junior STEAM class, Light, Sound, and Time. The second unit was focused on sound. We learned all about sound and how it can be applied to the real world. We studied how light and sound are related, and how to calculate the distance it takes sound to travel. We learned about things like the Doppler effect and sonic booms, where sounds that are moving have a different pitch, or what happens when something travels faster than sound. We also studied how our ears perceive sound and the human threshold of hearing. We looked at the anatomy of the human ear and studied sound waves and measured them. To prepare for our action project, we went to the Chicago Music Exchange to learn about guitars and other instruments and how they produce sound. We were able to play instruments, and talk to experts about how the different instruments produce sound. For the action project, we made our own guitars or Diddley Bows. This is a one-stringed guitar made out of different household materials. The made the Diddley Bow, and then recorded ourselves playing it, and we drew the harmonics the played. We also calculated the length and angle of the guitar and the volume of the resonator.

CM "Diddley Bow" (2019)

The instrument I made is called a Diddley Bow. It is a type of homemade guitar. It is made out of wood, a tin can, batteries, and guitar strings. The diddley bow can be as little as 1 string, or as many as 6. Diddley bows also have varying amounts of detail and features. My Diddley bow was made by using a 2 x 4 piece of wood and measured where I wanted the nut to go. The nut was made by using a dead AA battery. I then used a tin can as the body or the resonator of the Diddley Bow. I poked a hole in it, and then threaded the guitar string from the nut through the resonator and then tied it around the screw at the base of the resonator. I made sure that the string was taught enough to make loud enough sound but that it wasn’t too taught to play.



The Diddley Bow produces sound by vibrating the string. The string’s vibrations are amplified by the resonator or the body which is made out of a tin can. The pitch can be changed by tightening or loosening the screw that the string is attached to, like a tuning peg. Or shortening the length of the string. The volume can be changed by how hard the string is plucked. This changed the amplitude of the wave that the string makes, producing a louder sound. The width of my string is 0.05 in.

CM "Diagram" (2019)

My Diddley Bow demonstrates wavelength and frequency by manipulating the strings. When the strings are plucked, a standing wave is produced. This is how sound is portrayed in waveform. The longer the wavelength, the lower the frequency and vice versa. Pitch is how our ears perceive frequency, the higher the frequency of a wave, the higher pitch it will sound. If the string is plucked and produces a high-frequency wave, a higher pitch sound will be created. If the wave has a lower frequency, it will produce a lower pitch sound. This is how the Diddley bow is played so it can produce different pitches.

Here is a recording of me playing the Diddley Bow The side view of the guitar created a trapezoid with an area 15 x (1.5 + 1.75) / 2 = 1.625 x 15 = 24.375 sq in. I figured out how to find the angles by dividing the trapezoid into a rectangle with a triangle on top, with a base of 15 and a height of .25 and a hypotenuse of 15.5. To find the upper right angle, I calculate tan -1 (15 / .25) = 89 degrees. The left angle of the triangle is 1 degree because 89 + 90 = 179 which is 1 short of 180 degrees. This means the left angle of the trapezoid is 91 degrees because 1 + 90 = 91.

CM "Trapezoid" (2019)

The tin can I used as a resonator has a radius of 1.75 in. To calculate volume, we need to know the area of the circle and the height. The area of my circle is π 1.75 ^2 = 9.62 cubic in. The height is 4.5 in so the volume is 4.5 x 9.62 = 43.29 cubic in

CM "Resonator" (2019)

My Diddley Bow plays 4 harmonics. I found the frequency of my Diddley Bow which was 55.2 Hz (Hertz) I then found the wavelength. The speed of sound is 343 m/s so 55.2 Hz / 343 m/s = 6.21 meters which is my wavelength. As Frequency gets larger, the wavelength gets smaller.

The 1st harmonic represents the open note.

The 2nd harmonic represents the ½

The 3rd harmonic represents the ⅓ and ⅔

The 4th harmonic represents the ¼ and ¾


Frequency = 55.2 Hz Wavelenth = 6.21 meters

Frequency x 2 = 110.4 Hz Wavelength / 2 = 3.105 meters

Frequency x 3 = 165.6 Hz Wavelength / 3 = 2.07 meters

Frequency x 4 = 220.8 Hz Wavelength / 4 = 1.5525 meters

CM "Harmonics" (2019)

In conclusion, I liked this project. I thought it was an interesting hands-on way to learn about sound and sound waves. I enjoyed making the Diddley Bow as well as calculating it. This was a challenging project as I had a lot of other things going on, but I am proud of how the Diddley Bow actually came in the end.