Throughout the course of the summer, I have been working on understanding data analysis, the experimental design for my upcoming project, designing my experimental schedule, and reading and reviewing literature to provide for me a theoretical understanding of my project as well as creating an annotated bibliography that will continue to expand as I run experiments.
In creating this bibliography, which I consider to be adjected to a final project, I’ve seen myself improve in my scientific literature analysis skills significantly, and I believe that this experience will prove invaluable for my as I write my theses in the coming year! But that’s not all I learned from my project this summer. Overall, this experience has helped me feel very prepared not only for my upcoming senior year, but also for my pursuit of a PhD, and any research work experience I may obtain after graduation. Seeing as this summer was the precursor for my senior capstone project, the experience has given me a significant head start, and will be incredibly useful by letting me jump right in at the beginning of the year!
Additionally, throughout the summer, I was building skills and understanding relating to my project that were previously weak spots for me. I feel as though I am coming our of this summer a more well rounded scientist, as well as student! These skills will continue to prove useful to me not only during the remainder of my time at this University, but also in my pursuit of a graduate degree as research heavy as a PhD. Specifically, I can see how my improvement with analyzing literature and choosing/finding sources will truly benefit me during a graduate thesis. My improvement with understanding experimental design of my project can be applied to my future research projects in my career as well!
