Midterm Reflection
I never imagined college to be like this, but because of the adversity, the class of ‘23 has faced, we are stronger because of it. I have learned so much at Longwood university thus far. I feel that this experience has shaped me and will continue to shape me for the rest of my life. The things I learn on this campus and from these professors make such a large impact on my life and I would not trade this experience for the world. I am also thankful that I have chosen my major of biology for it has driven me to be more introspective on things that I would have never even taken a second glance at beforehand. Biology’s perspective on the world, how it works, how the things in it interact, how it morphs the very ground we walk on, and creates a timeline of awe-striking things continues to bewilder me.
In learning Goal 1: taking several different courses of biological sciences has led me to think in a more nonlinear way and through this, I am able to see the bigger picture and how it impacts the world around me. Sometimes I struggle with the bigger picture because I get so caught up in the details of everything and its importance. While they are important it is also necessary to take a step back and realize how these concepts of biology apply to everyday life. I think I have made meaningful progress towards this goal because I have had such amazing experiences in classes like biogeography, Introduction to research, Integrative Biology, Introduction to Ecology and evolution, and genetics to name a few. My scientific writing and presentation have greatly increased in proficiency from my first biology classes like the Integrative Biology (120) artifact of my final group presentation to some of my recent artifacts such as my Introductions and Ecology and Evolution (251) presentation for the Student Fall Showcase. Goal 1.1 goes hand in with goal one as identifying and describing the major principles of biology comes with the practice over time of learning and using these basic principles. Goal 1.2 of being able to analyze critically and apply the major principle of cell and molecular biology was satisfied when I took my first biology classes freshman year. I made meaningful progress by becoming more comfortable with discussing biology openly and gaining more curiosity through exploring new topics that I had not really thought about beforehand. The same applies to goals 1.3 and 1.4. With goal 1.5 I was able to satisfy only the chemistry portion as I have yet to take physics in college. I have absolutely adored chemistry experience in my higher education, while in high school I always struggled because of the mathematical aspect of it but in college, I was able to truly connect with my teachers and learn how to grasp chemistry. While it still proves to be a struggle to me I still thoroughly enjoy the challenge, from organic chemistry to chemistry 112 I have gained hands-on experience that has driven my interest in chemistry. I have added a chemistry minor and through that, I am able to connect biology and chemistry to help me reach my future goals. All of that experience thus far has led me to satisfy goal 1.6, there is still so much to learn and still so much that is applicable to society. I was in awe when fall semester of my sophomore year I was in Ecology and Evolution and also in Ecological Imagination and somehow over time they seemed to almost synch up with each other. While in my Ecology course I would learn the specifics of Biology in the Ecological Imagination course we applied the fundamental principles to societal problems and advances in our understanding of how biology connects to our everyday lives and ultimately makes it seem more than just words on a page. I will admit I feel that I will continue in my career every day to make that comparison. After that one experience, I am always looking for ways to improve my knowledge of my society through my biological perspective. I hope to continue to make more meaningful progress as I continue to meet new people because I truly believe that people such as professors are the third party that facilitates the connection between us college students and understanding the contemporary issues in society. Their insight and knowledge continue to wow me and I am always looking for that opportunity to know the people around me better to learn their perspectives. Without them, I feel I would be lost in a sea of information without guidance or direction.
Collecting, organizing, and evaluating scientific information through experiential learning is really only applicable through hands-on learning experiences. I had the amazing opportunity of experiencing PRISM during my freshman year of college at Longwood. I was able to apply my previous knowledge and use my critical thinking skills to work through R-coding and analyzing graphs that compared and contrasted water quality data and bass fish data from the local Farmville reservoirs (Briey Creek and Sandy River). I presented this information to my peers among the PRISM students and also got to present at the Student Fall Showcase. Goal 2.1 of drawing valid conclusions from experiments was accomplished through several lab experiments in Integrated Biology and more individualistic through PRISM as I had to analyze the graphs and their indications about the current bass populations with my professor. Goal 2.2 was difficult as using a new coding system while in quarantine had a very high learning curve. However, my professor was always kind and helpful so as time went on I was able to grasp more of the skills needed to form such graphs to make them useful for the goal of the research. Goal 2.3 states that I should be able to interpret data in scientific literature and other sources and I know that my skills have improved in that field. When I first arrived at Longwood I truly struggled to understand the jargon and formulaic manner of the scientific journals. After writing several various types of articles for my biology classes in synthesis, literature reviews, etc I have found it easier to comprehend and apply the information to my hypothesis. While there are still articles that I have to re-read to fully comprehend their purpose, the more I read the better I get. I enjoy being able to fully discuss articles with my peers in Sophomore Seminar (288). I hope to gain more experience as I continue my undergraduate research and hopefully publish our research. I hope that my interest and joy in discussion continue to drive meaningful progress within Goal 2. I am so thankful for getting such amazing experiences at such an early stage in my college career because it has truly shaped my academic and professional development.
Goal 3 of being able to demonstrate the ability to communicate science effectively within and across disciplines I also gained through my PRISM experience. I had to communicate with several biologists in the field about our research to reach a common goal. I had to explain our goal and what we needed to reach those goals all while understanding their perspective of our work. Biologists from the DEQ and DWR are the environmental and the department of wildlife resources. This was amazing because we all talked about our interests and discussed what we could do in order to gain the most benefit from our interaction. However, I am extremely excited to do more of this in the future, seeing all of those people who are so passionate about their jobs and so willing to help us without scientific inquiry has inspired me to never lose my passion within my field of work and always look for ways to improve while learning from others. Goal 3.1 of being able to effectively write in multiple contexts within the discipline has always been something that I struggled with because I get so caught up focusing on one standpoint within the literature that it gets very confusing very quickly. I hope to be able to orient myself better in the future as I write my literature reviews and synthesis from my Biogeography class and Sophomore seminar (288). Goal 3.2 I have practiced a few times by participating in the Student Showcase events, however, I know there are more ways that I could improve by participating in more conferences. Goal 3.3 of preparing and presenting orally and in writing to the scientist in other disciples and audiences outside the sciences is really only able to be accomplished by participating in conferences and since COVID-19 has become a major influencer in our lives I haven’t been able to present my research to other scientists. Hopefully, that will change soon and I will be able to gain that valuable experience. Goal 3.4 I have been working on since I got to Longwood, we are close-knit and do a lot of collaborations within our classes. An example of this can be found in Genetics and Cell Biology (250) as well as Ecology and Evolution (251) artifacts. Goal 3.5 I am looking forward to the most, I hope that shadowing a dentist in the near future will allow me to perform competently and apply my critical thinking skills to a job.
I hope to continue to make meaningful progress within my major. I have a head start on a lot of my goals but I will never say that there is no room for improvement. I believe you learn the most from others and I will continue to listen to my professors and peers that have different experiences from me. I continue to learn about myself every day as well, learning ways to learn more effectively, develop a deeper understanding, and become more proficient at the skills needed for success. I hope to become more driven to learn different areas within biology as well as areas that complement biology and support its understanding.