User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
I definitely experienced some issues with my experiment and was unable to course-correct due to changing field conditions. I collected my field data in August and then did not proceed again until winter. Big mistake!!! As my experiment was concerned with soil moisture content, and I did not measure this adequately in the summer, I was unable to get better data when the ground froze and was covered with 3 feet of snow.
As I worked through the experiment a little more, I think it would have been more interesting to assess biodiversity among shorelines more generally instead of specifically thinking about 1 species (Labrador Tea). This is my first time designing and implementing a field experiment and it has made me appreciate the breadth of knowledge and skills that it takes to collect sound data and then clearly communicate that to readers. I have always understood that developing ecological theory is a slow evolution that takes skill and patience. Performing my own experiment has made me realize that it is possible to do your own research and it doesn’t have to be complicated; however, the science can get really complex if you are interested in a higher level of research. Support and guidance would be key in next-level analyses.
