Science has been something that has fostered a sense of curiosity in my life for many years. It has been something that challenged my ideas and ability to think on a deeper level in order to solve issues in the world. The application of science to life and the way humans function was something that I had a desire to know more  about as I entered SUU as a freshman. While this interest was put into place by taking various science courses in high school, I now know that I had and still have a minimal understanding about how living beings function. My courses at SUU have increased my knowledge base and have left me in awe and wonder about various functions of life.

My interest in the life sciences were fostered and shaped through various classes during my time here at SUU. However, one experience taught me more about science, specifically in research than any other. For years I had spent lab time learning what the teacher or professor expected me to learn. I did this by going through the modules in a quick and efficient way. Freshmen year I spent the majority of lab time trying to figure out how I could finish and leave the lab in the fastest way possible. The rapid method by which I moved through labs did not allow me time to think and ponder on the ideas, theories and concepts that would one day become essential to my knowledge bank. Creative or independent thinking was not something that I looked forward to or searched out in my studies. All I had a desire to do was exactly I was told was necessary to pass the class. Later I learned that this was not the best method by which to learn about science.

 During spring of my junior year I was given the opportunity to explore some things for myself. The expectation to learn for myself became apparent and while it was necessary to search for answers about the world around me, I developed a more intrinsic perspective about what I was learning. A project was given to create and carry out a research project in order to analyze an idea or concept from vertebrate physiology. As a group we decided to research the effect of stress on cortisol levels in college students. While this sounds very low key, I never realized the extent to which research and actually designing and carrying out an experiment consisted of, especially when dealing with human beings. Some of the things I learned from this experiment were communication skills, critical thinking skills and the number of variables that play a role in animal science.

The first skill I learned was communication. This skill was learned by means of being put into a group with whom I wasn’t extremely familiar with and we didn’t have similar learning styles. Every single one of my group members seemed to address critical problems differently. I found difficulty in my ability to communicate ideas to them and understand their ideas in order to come to a conclusive idea to produce a cohesive finished project. We spent hours discussing ideas, plans and flaws to those plans. It took so much time to communicate these things to one another that the majority of our time was spent figuring out what everyone was thinking. While this was a waste of time in my opinion, it taught me that you have to know your audience and know how to communicate, which includes explaining ideas simply and clearly as well as listening to understand where the other person is coming from. This is evident across all fields of research. Ideas must be shared among peers and to an audience in order for the research to be meaningful. Research is not useful if no one understands what was studied and what was done during the experiment. This is how science builds upon itself, the ideas of those before are used to develop possible other ideas and ways of doing something in order to gain a greater understanding. If people couldn’t communicate these ideas through writing and talking, then the world of science would not be growing the way it is today.

Secondly, my critical thinking skills were improved due to all of the obstacles that we ran into when designing our experiment. Cortisol levels are difficult and expensive to measure. However, we needed a means by which to track these in order to study our hypothesis. This took a lot of research and creativity to find a way to measure cortisol levels in the blood stream. We found several ways to track this and eventually measured blood glucose levels, which through various pathways are connected to cortisol levels released from the anterior pituitary gland.  This led to the third thing I learned, which was the variability of research on humans and other animals.

Humans are incredibly complex organisms whose organ systems interact within very specific ranges. In the experiment there was a large leap from cortisol levels and glucose levels. This created an incredibly wide array of variables which were unaccounted for in our data. We saw very little significant data in the difference between those individuals who were chemically stressed by caffeine and those that were not. The variables that may have created such poor p-values could not be measured or accounted for. This allowed us to again think critically in order to explain what we could have done differently in order to enhance our experiment and continue the scientific process.

This experience gave me insight into the scientific process that I had not experienced previously. It allowed me to understand the questions that arise and the ability to look at the world as if everything should be questioned. The constant questioning of the world is something that I believe a scientist does in order to find ways to improve the world as a whole.

The concept of questioning the world has led to all great advances in the sciences. In my most recent studies on plant blights there are many instances where people began questioning ways to improve the world. When a problem arises in the environment it is scientists of various emphases that step in to provide a way to resolve it. A current example of this is with the Cavendish banana which is currently being destroyed by a fungus around the world. The previous banana was destroyed by a similar fungus, but the Cavendish was immune to that particular strain. However, there is a rising issue as bananas are a main food group in many countries and a popular one in places such as America. It is geneticists who are working to fix this issue and breed a new banana, as well as other biologists who are working to prevent the destruction of our current banana as a food source. In the realm of mono-breed plants it is ecologists who tend to be the most involved. They work to create and maintain biodiversity in many aspects, not only in food consumed by humans, but in maintaining environments for all life forms. This can help to keep the world alive. Due to mass extinction of plants there have been dire circumstances in the past, specifically the potato blight in Ireland in the 1840’s, which led to the human population of Ireland to decrease by about 50%. Scientific advances of pesticides and genetically-modified organisms have given the world the ability to decrease disease of all life on Earth.

The ability to question and think critically is something that will help me in the world outside of SUU. In the study of occupational therapy there are many things that play into a person’s ability to perform ADLs. ADLs or activities of daily life are inhibited by injury and other traumatic experiences in a person’s life. If a person cannot perform a task they visit a doctor who can ensure their survivability, but an occupational therapist (O.T.) restores their quality of life. This process can pose many different obstacles for an O.T. To be able to analyze a situation and prescribe the best course of treatment requires communication skills, critical thinking skills, especially in knowing the many different factors that play into a person’s recovery. My time at SUU not only taught me subject matter, but it taught me how to learn and think about the world in a way that will allow me to be successful in the future.