In my Evolution class, we started learning about phylogenic trees. I remember being slightly confused by this concept, yet excited to learn about it. After Dr. Franssen determined we had a good grasp on this concept, he tasked us with taking a trip to the zoo in Richmond. On this trip we were old to take pictures of the animals and read facts about them. In out lab the next week we analyzed what animals we had pictures of and thought about how they could be connected in a phylogenic tree.

I must admit, this project was extremely difficult for me as well as my lab partners as we looked at traits many other groups may not have looked into. We were able to make connections other groups had not, therefore we had no way of comparing our findings. In the end, this project was extremely enjoyable and allowed me to understand the evolution of different species as well as how we are all connected. Through this, my group and I were able to educate our classmates on certain traits they had not looked into as well as learn from other groups about traits we had not chosen.