Blog Post 9 – Field Research Reflections

It was definitely an interesting class, one that has taught me much about ecological theory and it’s development. I would say my biggest challenge was not so much the field experiment – as I found that part fairly straightforward – but more the scientific wording throughout the assignments. Throughout my post-secondary education, I developed interests in subjects other than Sciences which switched my brain and mindset from being categorically logical (black and white) to more philosophical. So, heading into higher level BIOL classes for my BSc, I started having trouble wrapping my brain around the more complex scientific logic. This could perhaps explain why I am now working permanently in a Human History museum 😛 Nevertheless, this paper was really fun to make! It was my first time venturing in the world of Botany, so it was especially challenging. Field-wise, I probably had the most trouble identifying the mosses in my study areas. I did the best I could! I did have to make changes along the way, tweaks here and there to make it all come together nicely. I do think that perhaps the scientific wording in the assignments lead me astray from time to time. I spent a LOT of time trying to figure out how to categorizing my predictions and variables, but also making it work for the final report. That part was most confusing. But in the end, I hope that my work is up to standards!