1. Dr. Fabian’s presentation was based on recent studies associated to HIV with
cognitive disorders. First, he mentioned that HIV is a retrovirus that causes
immunodeficiency syndrome. That is a condition in humans in which the immune
system progressively fails, allows life-threatening opportunities, and can even
cause cancer. Secondly, he pointed out that blood, semen, and vaginal fluids,
pre-ejaculation, or breast milk could transfer HIV. He referred to the retrovirus as
an RNA virus that produces DNA from its RNA genome. The cells infected by the
HIV virus are the brain macrophages and microglia. The major organs that the
HIV infects are the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. Thirdly,
he talked about the sphinogolipids that are a class of lipids whose function is to
enrich the central nervous system. The central nervous system plays important
roles in signal transduction. In this study used three types of monkeys and
injected the virus to the monkey to compare it with the HIV in humans.
Overall, I would say Fabian did an excellent job in presenting his topic. He
demonstrated the he new what he was talking about, came well prepared and
was very organized. Also he showed great amount of enthusiasm like the other
two presenters. They truly lived and felt what they were doing. This is a sign of a
person who is knowledgeable and creates an environment for other people to
inquire and develop new ideas.
In addition, I would suggest that he also improve his diction because there were
times that I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Furthermore, his lack of
communication skills didn’t allow him to express really well what he was working
on.
This field trip was an outstanding experience and I learned a lot from the
presentations and the tours. As the field trips come to an end, I noticed one
thing. In science there are a lot of fields and a lot of choices so we should not
focus on only one but rather be opened to the many available options.