Evaluate, interpret, and apply experimental design and draw valid conclusions from experiments.
Throughout my studies at Longwood University, I have designed and completed multiple semester long experiments in every biology course. Starting back in the introductory course BIOL 120: Integrative Biology, this is where the initial practice of experimental design, collecting data, and drawing conclusions began. In this course, we focused on measuring growth of mustard plants under various conditions. I began with designing the experiment and followed that with executing the experiment in collecting the results to form conclusions. Furthermore, once all data was collected, I evaluated the data and composed a presentation to present all findings and convey the data and conclusion of The Growth of Mustard Seeds. This project allowed me to establish the essential skills of creating and executing an experiment and draw conclusions which prepared me for future experiments in my biological academics.
As I continued throughout my academics, more semester long projects arose to practice the skills I learned in BIOL 120. The courses of BIOl 250: Intro to Genetics and Cell Biology and BIOL 251: Intro to Evolution and Ecology are still introductory courses, however these courses present the need of more critical thinking and analyzing of biological concepts. In BIOL 250, the focus was primarily centered around studying E.coli, GFP, and pGLO. All semester, we ran various testing like electrophoresis gels and the use of agar plates to culture cells. Doing these different laboratory test introduced other ways to collect and analyze data that had yet been presented to me in previous classes. In BIOL 251: Intro to Evolution and Ecology, I was able to further and become proficient in my ability to collect and analyze data amongst various factors and draw and compare conclusions. All semester in BIOL 250, I was able to collect data out in the field by visiting bodies of water in the surrounding Farmville area. Lake Transparency between the Longwood’s campus pond, Sandy River Reservoir, and the Lancer Park Pond. Both of these courses were extremely foundation in my ability to clearly collect data and define conclusions.
Continuing into upper level biology courses, BIOL 326: Cell Biology and BIOL 450: Biology of Cancer both allowed me to perfect and be confident in my ability to collect data and establish conclusions. In BIOL 326: Cell Biology, the semester long project that was perform focused on the methuselah gene within Drosophila melanogaster and its connection to longevity. Similar to what was performed in BIOL 251, various laboratory test were performed with the opportunity to be more independent with the experiment. In BIOL 450: Biology of Cancer, I spent the semester examining data from cBIO Portal to compare data from four different Ovarian Cancer types as an independent research project. These courses allowed me to utilized the skills I gained over my time spent as a biology major to perfect and to feel confident in my ability of data analysis and conclusion making.