Plasticity of etiolation and water storage in succulent leaves under different light conditions
Sharing My Work with Others
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Goals
Goal 1: I will present my study at the Festival of Excellence to experience the professionalism of my possible future field of study.
I was able to achieve this goal as I was able to present my research on April 3rd, 2018 at the Festival of Excellence at SUU.
Goal 2: I will prepare my research in such a way that anyone can understand it when I present it.
I was only partially able to complete this goal because I initially struggled to identify the most important parts of my study to explain to other people. As I continued to explain the study throughout my time at the event, I could anticipate the types of questions that people would ask and my explanations became much more concise and clear.
Outcomes
Outcome 1: By completing my goal of presenting my research in a professional setting, I learned some of the skills required of those in the scientific botanical field. The benefit of this outcome is that I now have a better understanding of what a botanical researcher would be doing for research and I can decide if this is a career I wish to pursue once I graduate from SUU.
Outcome 2: By completing, at least partially, my goal of simplifying my research so that I can explain it to other people, I was able to teach those who came up to my poster at the Festival of Excellence about how light intensity affects succulent plants and why that is important. The benefit of this outcome is that everyone who listened to my presentation learned something new and I learned that I really enjoy sharing knowledge and explaining biology to other people.
Key Takeaways
Lessons learned - Through my project, I was able to learn many of the skills required to perform as a botanical researcher. I learned some of the expectations that need to be met in order for a project to be acceptable to the scientific community at large. On a more personal note, I learned that I don’t enjoy all the analytical processes required to undertake professional level research projects. I did not know how to properly apply my data in some cases and, while I was able to use that data thanks to the help of Dr. Ogburn, I doubt I would be able to replicate my study without again relying on extensive aid from Dr. Ogburn or another researcher. I did, however, discover how much I enjoy explaining and sharing new knowledge with people as I presented my research at the Festival of Excellence. For this reason, my current career goal is to become an educator rather than a researcher.
I was able to learn many things about how to successfully present a project thanks to the help of Dr. Ogburn. My initial rough draft for my research poster relied very heavily on the data that I had obtained and did not clearly express the results of the study. It conveyed a lot of information that simply was not interesting or useful to the people I would be sharing with. After discussing with Dr. Ogburn, we revised the poster so that much of the information was condensed, instead relying on my verbal explanations of the study to explain the details of the research and to answer any questions that an interested party may have. Understanding what my audience is interested in and getting to the heart of the matter, whatever it may be, will help me in any future projects that I undertake.
Future plans - This project has helped me to understand not only the complexity of professional studies but also the benefit of directness when presenting such studies. Information is a valuable tool but only in the hands of those who know what to do with it. The information that is presented, in any scenario, must be appropriate in tone and quantity for the audience that is receiving it. This is definitely a lesson I will use and apply in my future endeavors.