You will have two weeks to complete the following assignment – you may work with one of your classmates (or individually if you prefer). If you commit to working with a partner, realize that both/all of you will receive the same grade for the project (thus, if there are conflicts, you will be expected to end the partnership and inform me so that you can independently complete the work in the allotted time).
Your assignment is to choose a specific protein or molecule (or a family of related proteins/molecules), and explain its structural and functional significance to a specific cell type. The protein must be directly related to one of the topics we have covered so far (Plasma Membrane/Organelle, Cytoskeleton…etc). For example, I might choose to look at the role of Beta-Actin in skeletal muscle. You must satisfy the following criteria:
Projects must be completed in PowerPoint (or a presentation software of your choosing). This is NOT intended to be a research paper, it should look like a presentation (visual, aesthetically appealing, no dense blocks of text). As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Embedded movies are ok too, though they should be used sparingly. Length requirements are not fixed, but most students have presentations between 10-15 slides.
You are NOT required to narrate the presentation, unless you choose to.
Your target audience is an AP Biology or Freshman Biology student – thus, you should design your presentation assuming only a general knowledge of cell biology. You will need to explain things in simple terms before progressing into higher level jargon.
Your presentation must incorporate data/evidence from at least three primary sources (e.g. journal articles). In order to satisfy point #3 above, you will need to provide background and context to make the data ‘flow’ and be accessible to a high school student.
This project is due one week after we return from spring recess on 3/28. You will not have any other work assigned during this time. Please e-mail me if you need extra time to complete the project, or if you want to bounce an idea before you get started on your project.

These solutions may offer step-by-step problem-solving explanations or good writing examples that include modern styles of formatting and construction of bibliographies out of text citations and references. Students may use these solutions for personal skill-building and practice. Unethical use is strictly forbidden.