the team! Our team composes of Xiaoxiao, Lisa, Susan, and Sri, who all worked together to make this website possible. We had a rocky start--we didn't even hear about this competition until approximately one week until the preliminary was due--but by the glory of God, it happened. Each of us worked on a specific section of the website. However, we collaborated quite a bit. We all received help from each other. Now, a little more about each person!
xiaoxiao: My name is Xiaoxiao. In this group, I acted as the leader, coordinator, designer, webmaster, and I wrote a bit as well. When I first heard about this topic, I was curious, since everybody knows not to drink shampoo yet they just don't know why (besides the fact that it wouldn't be "healthy"). I thought it was a nice topic. About a week before the preliminaries were due, I managed to gather up a team, find a wonderful coach and start this website. I've wanted to do ThinkQuest since I was in 7th grade, but over time, I didn't know how to start a team so I just forgot about it. I'm really happy to be able to make it this year!
lisa: When my friend convinced me to join ThinkQuest, I thought, “A web
design contest? No way.” If I were to add up my computer skills, the
total would be a negative number. But I love to write. My greatest
dreams are to (A) become a bestselling novelist, or (B) get a passing
grade in math. Obviously, (A) is the more probable event. My primary
job on our team was to write and not procrastinate. Well, at least I
got the first one down pat.
In all seriousness, finding and reading sources for my topics was very
time-consuming. Apparently, Googling “anionic surfactants” would only
turn up a few generic sentences that were plagiarized by countless
websites. So I turned to databases like ProQuest and Access Science,
requiring me to read giant 30-page primary source articles on things
like the effect of parabens on mice genitalia. It was not pretty. My
most noteworthy sacrifice to my team was passing up tickets to a Black
Eyed Peas concert for work on phthalates. You owe me, Xiaoxiao.
ThinkQuest truly was an enlightening experience. I learned how to read
scientific articles, meet deadlines, find sources, and, of course, the
dangers of cosmetics.
susan: Greetings! I’m Susan, the Taiwanese member of this team and resident editor. Although I’ve always cared about health, ethics, and the environment, I’d been more of a passive bystander. Recently, as I broadened my readings and gained more knowledge on these topics, I’ve acted as more of a Cassandra of Health, warning my friends about the hidden risks in diet and environment. Cosmetics? I knew in the back of my head that, say, nail polish was probably not good for you – anything with such strong chemical fumes could hardly be healthful – but it was only when I was invited to become part of this team, and I started researching, that I realized how fraught our world is with these dangerous substances.
Am I sounding too Cassandraic? I apologize. Let me back up and start again: Greetings! I’m Susan, the Taiwanese member of this team and resident editor. To know me, you need only know the following facts: 1) Frogs rule the animal kingdom; 2) Taiwan is not part of China; and 3) Life = books + writing + Internet + apples + sleep.Much better. Now, if you haven’t yet, go read the articles!
sri: Hi, this is Sri. For ThinkQuest, I helped with the government regulations PLUS took on the rigorous job of compiling and writing the bibliography! I am very interested in science and technology, and really enjoyed participating in ThinkQuest with my friends, as I got to learn about cosmetics plus collaborate with each other. I am an Indian girl and attend a lot of Indian dance competitions. I am a Indian classical dancer.
mr. ramadan: Mr. Ramadan was our coach. He agreed to it very close to the deadline. He spent a lot of time helping us with our team. Thanks Mr. Ramadan!
together: Overall, we helped each other quite a bit. Susan butchered (just kidding) selectarticles as the editor, and Sri wrote most and compiled most of the bibliography that we sent to her for the sources. Xiaoxiao helped Sri find sources, and everybody occassionally went to Xiaoxiao for clarification. Xiaoxiao also helped a team member write her personal description--can you guess which?