BIO 110 - Genetics: Home

Make sure to include citations for your sources! MLA and APA format are both fine.

Submission & Grading

You must submit a rough draft of information that will be included on the poster including sources, a list of main points, and images you plan to use, to Mrs. Bolling via Brightspace in the assignments section by 11:59 PM on Monday, Nov. 20.

Mrs. Bolling will provide feedback on the submitted information with suggestions for revision no later than Monday, Nov. 27. Students will be required to acknowledge via Brightspace they have viewed feedback before submitting their poster for final grading.

The completed poster should be turned in before class on Friday, Dec. 1. Posters will be displayed in the main hallway of Franklin Hall with student permission. If you do not want your poster to be displayed, please let Mrs. Bolling know. 

The final poster will be graded using the rubric in the box below. 

BIO 110 SCA #2: Genetic Disease Poster

Assignment Details

Research a genetic disorder of your choice. You can select a disorder you already know something about or choose one from the list shown below or choose one from the list posted in the Science Communications Assignments section on Brightspace. I also emailed a copy of the list for you to include on the resource guide.

You will produce an educational poster presenting information on your chosen genetic disease. Your poster should be visually appealing (colorful, include images!) and include the following information:

• Medical definition of the disorder
• Symptoms
• Statistics about the disorder:
  • how common is it, what ages/sexes/races tend to be most affected, is it more common in some populations than others, etc.
  • You may choose the most relevant stats to include based on the genetic disorder you chose, but make sure to include at least 2 different types of statistics (unless your chosen disorder is extremely rare, in which case 1 statistic will be accepted).
  • Graphs/charts are not required, but can enhance the visual appeal of your poster.
• Explain the inheritance pattern of the genetic disorder:
  • Dominant or Recessive?
  • Autosomal or Sex-linked?
  • Clearly explain what the inheritance pattern means – does a person need to inherit 2 alleles or only 1 to have the disorder? Is it possible to be a carrier? Include diagrams or Punnett Squares to help explain this part.
  • Make sure to explain if the trait is influenced by environment or other factors besides genotype
• Explanation of the biological basis for the disorder:
  • What happens to the cells/body of a person with this disorder that is different from a healthy person?
  • What gene is changed, and what is the function of the gene? Is there more than one gene involved?
  • Are any specific proteins changed in this disorder? If so, what protein(s) and what function of the protein is changed?
  • Definitely include some graphics that help explain this part! You can make your own graphics, drawn by hand or made using a computer program, or you can include graphics made by someone else. If the graphic is made by someone else, you MUST cite the source. Make any image you use is a clear, high-quality image that is large enough to be seen on your poster from a couple of feet away.
• Scientific research – what are scientists learning about this disease?         
  • What potential treatments are currently being researched by scientists/doctors? Make sure to explain how the treatment would work to fix the problem(s) caused by the genetic mutation
  • Are scientists still figuring out what causes the disease? If so, what information have they been able to find, and how did they find it?
• Prognosis – how does the disease progress over the course of illness?
  • Does the disease get worse over time? Can it be fatal?
  • Can it be cured? If so, how effective is the cure? Does it always work?
  • Are there any variations in prognosis – is it more severe in some cases than others?
• Current treatments for the disorder
  • If you can find the information, explain how the treatment fixes the biological problems the disease causes
  • Treatments are not the same as cures. A disease may be incurable, but still have treatments that help alleviate symptoms or slow disease progression.
• Misconceptions/Misunderstandings
  • Is there anything about this disease that people frequently misunderstand? For example, do people think the disease is contagious when it’s not? Do people get this disease confused with another condition? Do people often misunderstand the prognosis and/or treatment? Etc.
  • If you can find information on misunderstandings, please include explanations with correction
  • When addressing misconception, make sure to include explanations with corrections

You may create the poster completely by hand as long as your hand-writing is neat and easy to read, or you may include printed information that you have typed and glued/taped to the poster.

You should use reliable sources for your research, and you should not get all of your information from a single source. Your poster should combine information from multiple sources, PUT INTO YOUR OWN WORDS. DO NOT copy/paste text from a website. That is plagiarism!!!!

Reliable Sources for Research

Here is a list of some good places to look for information. (Note - These are the same links as in the left column.)

MedlinePlus Genetics

https://medlineplus.gov/genetics

National Human Genome Research Institute
https://www.genome.gov/For-Patients-and-Families/Genetic-Disorders

Learn.Genetics
https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/disorders/

Mayo Clinic
https://www.mayoclinic.org/

Johns Hopkins Medicine
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/genetic-disorders

YourGenome.Org
https://www.yourgenome.org/

CDC: Genetics Basics
https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/about/basics.htm

Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center
https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/

Mendelian Genetics: Patterns of Inheritance and Single-Gene Disorders
https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/mendelian-genetics-patterns-of-inheritance-and-single-966/

Regarding Plagiarism:
The information on your poster should be in your own words! Plagiarism is not acceptable and will result in a “0” for the assignment. Examples of plagiarism include:

• Copying paragraphs, sentences, or even phrases from sentences, directly from another source.
• Taking the overall structure of another written source or of paragraphs, sentences, or even phrases from a source, and then just changing a few words so that it sounds different from the original.
• Using a figure for your poster without citing its original source.
  If you think you might be plagiarizing the work of another, check with your teacher before turning in the assignment!

For more information about Plagiarism, click on the tab at the top of this page, or follow this link.