iUTAH Undergraduate iFellows

 

Week 11 Recap

July 25-29, 2016

 

Joydino Beyale

This week was very exciting and a little sad because it is the last week of iFellows, I enjoyed all the lab work and field work with my mentors, peer mentors, and also with another iFellows participate. I also had a chance to experience another project conducted by Makenzie and Jared at the Utah Water Research Laboratory, I enjoyed working with them and to be part of their project this week in Park City, Utah, we were testing a stream for nitrates, it was fun working with both graduates.

 

 

Heather Bottelberghe

No entry

 

 

 

 

Katelyn Boyer

It is hard to believe that this is the last week of the ifellow program. It seems like I started couple of weeks ago instead of two months ago. Through the summer I have learned a lot about my research project and other grad student’s research projects. With this being the last week of the program I spent most of my time writing my final paper but I was able to help Josh with his research project in Rush Valley. In the same blocks that I helped collect biomass in, 80 small animal traps were set up to collect the small mammals in the area. The traps will make it possible to see what small mammals affect the vegetation in the different blocks. Being part of the ifellow program has been a good learning experience and I look forward to applying what I learn in the future.

 

 

 

 

Todd Brown

This week was a great but sad week. It was great because I got to present my research with everyone. I loved sharing my results with everyone. I also got to write a paper to share. Most of my work this week has been doing literacy review and also preparing to share and write my paper. It was sad because it was the last week of iUTAH. I would like to thank everyone at iUTAH for helping the researchers and myself do this amazing work.

 

Darcie Christensen

I cannot believe this is the last recap. At the beginning of the summer, I thought 11 weeks sounded like a long time. Looking back now, it seems like it was just yesterday I started on the project! This week was focused mainly on getting my presentation finalized, finishing up analyzing qPCR data, and finalizing my paper. I think the presentation went very well and it was fun to see where everyone else’s projects ended up. I am grateful I had this opportunity to be a part of the iUTAH iFellows program and to have this opportunity of getting hands-on research experience. I have learned so much about presenting, writing, research skills, and asking questions this summer. I believe this experience was definitely a push in the right direction for me and am excited to see the future opportunities it leads me to. Once again, thanks to iUTAH and the National Science Foundation for providing me with this AWESOME summer! And thanks to my mentors and all those who have helped me this summer. I definitely couldn’t have done it without you!

 

 

Georgie Corkery

This week has been to most rewarding and quite possibly the most challenging. I logged in many hours to put together my presentation and paper together. I knew almost everything I wanted to say during the presentation by heart, but had to consolidate it and make it as clear as possible. At the symposium it was exciting to hear my fellow iFellow present on their research after seeing their progress throughout the past 11 weeks.

Writing my paper was difficult because I had never written a scientific paper before. It is much different from what I was used to, but I think in the end I explained my research well. I would love to one day redo the entire experiment and fix all the flaws in the project. I plan on continuing to collect data from the experiment through at least the end of the summer, and potentially through the fall semester.

 

 

 

Cynthia Elliott

What a week it has been! We had the presentation symposium on Wednesday and it was so much fun! It was one of my favourite parts of the program, to be able to see all of the projects that we all have been working on. I was pretty nervous, but I had a great time presenting! Other than that, I just finished polishing up my paper and had a last meeting with my mentors. They really were spectacular. They were available all the time to help me when I needed instruction and they were so supportive. I will miss all the friends I have made here, and I will miss being at Utah State University. What a great campus (or at least, the one building of it I know)! I learned so much this summer, about surveys, about data, about cooperation, how to do presentations and posters, and so many more things! I just wanted to give one final thank you to everyone involved in this program. It was such a great learning experience and I really feel lucky to have participated in it!

 

Andrew Hackett

iFellow Andrew Hackett recaps his experience in the 2016 program. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greta Hamilton

The final day of the iFellows program is here. As I write the final recap I am confronted with the sadness that inevitably comes with endings, and remind myself that I am at the beginning of an exciting journey that holds endless possibilities. I will be taking the skills I learned this summer and applying them to future endeavors. This program has been invaluable to myself and the other iFellows. I know this from talking to them and observing the sheer amount of effort everyone put into their research. I was impressed with everyone's presentation this week and could see that they were just as dedicated to the program as I was. As I make the final edits to my paper for submission today and write my final recap I find myself in a state of reflection and absolute gratitude for the iFellows program and the iUTAH staff who have been wonderful to work with. I will miss everyone in the program and wish them the best on their continuing journeys. 

 

 

Stacy Henderson

No entry

 

Rebecca Lee

I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by! This week I gave my oral presentation and finished up my paper. We also tried to finish making standards, but we won't see if it worked until next week. I am so grateful for the iFellows program and all of the people who made it possible. I have loved being able to learn about microbial source tracking and have my own project. I have loved getting to know and collaborate with the people in my lab and the other iFellows. IUTAH has helped me to discover my love of research and I feel like I have been able to contribute to bettering Utah's water future.

 

Gabriela Martinez

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Mitchell Steele

No entry

 

Shanae Tate

iFellow Shanae Tate explains volumetric water content.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luis Vidal

A lot of this week was spent working on the presentation and the final paper. The majority of this week was spent inside the lab which was a great relief from the summer heat. I got to see everyone for the last time this summer at the iFellow symposium was on Wednesday. It was a great conclusion of everyone’s work and was inspiring to see how many issues were researched and were going to be continued into the fall.

 

 

 

Lily Wetterlin

No entry

 

 

 

Adam Whalen

With the end of the program nigh, I thought I would spend my last weekly update mulling over my final thoughts on the iFellows program. The experience for me was nothing short of insightful, interesting, and relentlessly fun.

 

I had limited experience in the scientific realm before I began my research. My academic time was spent reading political theorists and practicing my elevator pitches for client meetings. I had always possessed a secondary interest in science. During my high school days in debate, I most enjoyed the topics that had to do with climate change and resource conservation. At the collegiate level, I began a survey research project that led to my application to become an iFellow. My mentor had pointed it out to me as a great opportunity to enhance my backend survey analytics skills, and at the very least, I decided it could aid me in my academic future. Little did I know the experience would revolutionize my ten-year plan.

 

As an iFellow, I gained a real appreciation for statistical analysis. I cannot say if the academic path is in my future, but at the very least I have acquired an interest in data analytics as a future career path. Furthermore, I know I want to do something that impacts society in a broad level. During the cohort sessions I saw firsthand the impact our work has, and that sense of fulfillment is something I want to hold onto. More than anything, I think the iFellows experience opened my eyes to the bright future we have in the environmental sciences. The mentors, undergraduates, and public figures we read about and heard from made the program worthwhile. I will never forget the other iFellows I shared the Summer with, and beyond the knowledge I attained, the friendships I developed are by far the best gift I could ask for.

 

I want to thank everyone involved in iUTAH for this wonderful experience. I want to extend my gratitude and good wishes the other iFellows in all their future endeavors. Lastly, I want to give my graces to my fantastic mentors Meaghan McKasy and Sara Yeo for their support, knowledge, and unrelenting ability to push me to my limits.

 

Sandra Udy (Young)

No entry