Entering Research II
Freshman year, spring 2020:
As the second semester of the continued research class began, I knew I was going to gain so much valuable information and applicable skills. By meeting twice a week as a class we were able to collaborate in order to meticulously analyze single journal articles to understand the material as it stands in the science community. Also, regarding the overriding theme of Chesapeake Bay awareness, we were assigned the task of creating a proposal to add the existing but limited research that is currently present.
The idea of creating a proposal that included several different things such as significance or even creating a plan of action for data collection was very intimidating as any new task is. However, when realizing how little information there is to represent the state of the Chesapeake Bay I was committed to the semester-long project. The group project was such a great way to explore a new topic in a way that allowed everyone to gain information that would not have been gained alone.
On the other hand, the individual project presented the opportunity to analyze a scientific journal in its entirety. I gained a lot from the in-depth research of an article that piqued my interest. There is no black and white to the scientific world, not every article is always completely transparent or accurate. In order to understand one paper, you have to understand its standing within the community and similar articles.
Click here for the artifact for this class, my individual article presentation on Wunderpus photogenicus because octopi are my favorite animals. I really enjoyed doing a presentation on this article because I am fascinated by how octopi have the ability to change the color of their skin as well as the texture of their skin to blend in with their surroundings and be less detectable by prey. It is also possible that each octopus has their own “fingerprint” when they are not changing color and can be detected by creating a database of individual octopi and comparing several instances of photographs being taken. This could ultimately help track them and learn more about their behavior.
Artifact details: Name; Davice Jones, Date; (02/04/2020), Title; The ability to photo identify Wunderpus photogenicus.