During my time at Longwood, I was able to learn how to analyze data quantitatively and develop testable models of that data. During the fall semester of my sophomore year, my Introduction to Ecology and Evolution class was tasked to create an experiment after choosing from a number of topics. My group chose to research lichen populations near the Lancer Park pond. Our group created an experiment where we surveyed plots of land that were a certain level of shade, proximity to water, and tree type. We then entered this data into Microsoft Excel and created graphs and charts to communicate our results to the rest of the class. During this time, I was able to have one of my first looks at the experimental design. Designing an experiment is a large part of research, and making sure that it is thoughtfully created can be a roadblock to proceeding with research. This project showed me how much thought can go into a research project. The link to the presentation that we used to communicate is listed below.

During the fall semester of my senior year, my Ecosystems Ecology class created an experiment to find the difference of net primary production in lentic versus lotic systems. First, we had to conduct a literature search for papers that would help us find information about the topic. Since nobody had conducted that research, there wasn’t much literature to help us. Then, we created a research question and constructed our experiment accordingly. After collecting all of our data, we created a presentation to communicate our data to students and professors at the Student Research Day. This process allowed me to see how my growth as a scientist has come full circle. I was able to take the skills that I’ve been refining during my time at Longwood and actually apply them to a novel idea. The presentation used for this project is linked below.

During the same semester in my Evolution class, I also was able to conduct a research project on different zoos and their educational programs on evolution.  My research group collected data from different zoos around the United States.  These zoos varied in their political demographic and whether they were publicly or privately owned.  The data that we collected involved survey responses, website content, and exhibit content.  We compiled our data and created a poster so that we could communicate these results to other students and staff.  This project was very eye-opening, and it highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between scientists and the general public.  The link is below.

Lichen Presentation

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ySW_PN5My4BkJ_iScJGrm5skqjZzQS25WY7WCJifTCo/edit?usp=sharing

Lentic and Lotic Systems Presentation 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Xnp1c5o9DgCJ2O1GO4FJgBSd5BbkwwoDLkTq5Hg9Etg/edit?usp=sharing

Evolution Poster

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Md_hG7X3JGHfz3i22Ub4eQPeANZSstmo/view?usp=sharing