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"One of the Best Weeks of my Life"
I competed at the Canada Wide Science and Engineering Fair from May 11th to May 18th that was held at the University of Lethbridge in Lethbridge, Alberta. There were a total of 482 students all the way from Australia to Nunavut. The title of my project was: "Skeletal Muscle Inflammatory Cytokine Expression Predicts Metabolic Disease Risk". I chose to investigate the inflammatory chemokine CCL2 located on chromosome 17 in skeletal muscle tissue in lean, overweight and obese patients. The reason was because I wanted to see whether the skeletal muscle tissue experiences inflammation in a state of obesity as virtually nothing is known, and so the gene expression of CCL2 would serve as a novel representation of this. Then I combined a population study looking at South Asian and European male and female patients that were lean, overweight, and obese as I wanted to see what role genetics plays in terms of skeletal muscle inflammation. Since South Asians experienced a higher concentration of this inflammatory cytokine, this means that they are more highly predisposed to inflammatory disorders like insulin resistance which leads to type 2 diabetes mellitus. The findings of my project essentially showed that the BMI scale needs to be re-defined and restructured as skeletal muscle inflammation occurs at different degrees in different ethnic groups of our world. This is a major finding as it's a scale that's used by physicians globally. With the findings of my experiment I am also one step closer to helping find a cure or a possible non-invasive treatment at an "in-utero" for type 2 diabetes mellitus and lower the risk of patients for cardiovascular disorders.
I presented my project to judges that were MDs and PhDs and my project was awarded a silver medal in the senior category, $300 in cash, and up to $10,000 in scholarships from the Universities of Dalhousie, Western, UBC, and Ottawa. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I had one of the best weeks of my life. I plan to continue my research at McMaster University in their Health Sciences program.
Thank you and Regards,
~Ishan Aditya
Grade 12 Student - Mrs. Granville's Homeroom
Head Prefect
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Make Your Mark Golf Classic a Great Success
Our MacLachlan Make Your Mark Golf Classic was held at Piper's Heath Golf Club on Friday, May 24th. Although the weather was cool and windy, parents, staff, alumni and friends all shared a great time on the links. Unfortunately, no one was able to make a hole-in-one and win the $50,000 nor the Mercedes-Benz. Mrs. Piening reports that if there were prizes on number 8 for balls in the water, we would have needed dozens of cars as prizes!!
We are pleased to report that our fundraiser for the MacLachlan College Educational Foundation Scholarship and Bursary Fund was a success with final details to follow. Thank you to all members of the MacLachlan community for supporting this event and kudos to the many parents who gave of their time and energy to make Friday so rewarding. A special thank you to Pam McGuinness and Kristin Brule for organizing everybody and making the day a memorable one!
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Grade 6s Share Their Inquiries at the IB Exhibition
Under the guidance of their teachers, our grade 6 students have been working on their extended, collaborative inquiry projects, know as the exhibition. On Monday afternoon, all students now completing the PYP Program were able to share with their peers, parents and teachers the culmination of their efforts.
The exhibition represents a significant event in the life of both the school and student, synthesizing the essential elements of the IB programme and sharing them with the whole school community. It is an opportunity for students to exhibit the attributes of the student profile that have been developing throughout their engagement with the programme.