I have just turned in my Independent Research Project. At the conclusion of our presentations yesterday our professor gave us a “What next” pep talk. Many students on this course have been published in undergraduate journals and some actually returned to conduct more work and get published with Mauricio. My take away is that I am always welcome back to research at OTS.

But I am not one of those super people who can produce real results on my first try. Allow me to turn myself back a little.

Between the days of April 29 and April 30th I created and presented a power point presentation and a complete if not experienced scientifically formatted paper essentially from start to finish. Let me repeat. In a 48 hour period, with about eight hours of sleep over that 48 hour period, I collected over 20 scientific papers for citations and wrote a paper about my research. I sit in our bed room and two of the guys are passed out on their beds. Christian and I have not eaten breakfast today, or yesterday for that matter.

From April 25- the 29th, I collected data in the field twice a day, and I can elaborate on that data and the project itself in a different post. I had to exclude data from the first day due to sampling mistakes and I was out on my own for basically the entire project, minus the morning of day one where our Teacher’s Assistant came out to help me establish my protocols.

The research presentation, which was a public event, is done. I was very disappointed in myself because I had to restart explaining what my slides meant more than once. My final slide show somehow got replaced with my draft and I was presenting a power point with many errors in it. My classmates and I were not awake during this period and we all presented to each other and one visiting professor.

I know where I should have been better and I think I can improve for next time. Step one, get more than two and a half hours of sleep before a presentation you are doing by yourself.

“By yourself” I really challenged myself this time. I am also aware of many friends in Colorado and California and Montana who are completing their own projects just before their finals week. They all deserve a congratulations and a plate of cookies.

I had the adviser this week who is like the tough love boxing coach. I understand that she was trying to teach me years of her experience and critical thought development over a 20 minute meeting on my presentation style. It hurt to think after that experience. I still am uncertain if I really understood what I learned this week.

That’s where it’s at!
A quote that I favor of my handbook of wisdom says, “If you feel that at the end you are standing firm on your own two feet, then the University has failed you”.

I am currently stumbling along, but I am learning something for real here.