biology

Project ALS

Project ALS is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Project ALS rather than just read about it. In short: Project ALS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to identify and support leading scientific research toward the first effective treatments and a cure for ALS. Founded in 1998 by Jenifer Estess, Valerie Estess, Meredith Estess, and Julianne Hoffenberg, Project ALS recruits scientists and doctors to work together toward a better understanding of ALS and other closely related neuro-degenerative diseases.

Key takeaways

Project ALS belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Project ALS to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Project ALS from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Project ALS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to identify and support leading scientific research toward the first effective treatments and a cure for ALS. Founded in 1998 by Jenifer Estess, Valerie Estess, Meredith Estess, and Julianne Hoffenberg, Project ALS recruits scientists and doctors to work together toward a better understanding of ALS and other closely related neuro-degenerative diseases.

History Project ALS was founded in 1998 as a non-profit organization when Jenifer Estess, a 35-year-old New York theater and film producer, was diagnosed with ALS. Historically, scientists working separately on various aspects of the disease conducted ALS research. Project ALS changed that approach by requiring that researchers and doctors work together, share data openly, and meet research milestones. Project ALS's Research Advisory Board (RAB) brings together accomplished scientists to seek out the most promising research and set the agenda for the entire research field.

Celebrity involvement The following people and groups have been involved with Project ALS:

Julianna Margulies Anne Meara Caroline Rhea Debora Spar Thomas Jessel Northport High School Donna Hanover Edie Falco Ben Stiller

References

External links Project ALS

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Project ALS

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Project ALS claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Project ALS before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Project ALS ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Project ALS

In research: Project ALS appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Project ALS in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Project ALS is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1998 establishments in New York City, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Charities based in New York City, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Project ALS outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Project ALS in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Project ALS means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Project ALS out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Project ALS in simple terms?

Why does Project ALS matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Project ALS?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Project ALS.