Applying Research Methods

UREAP Final Report – Summer 2025
This was a report of my first large-scale research project. I learned a lot, but mostly that research does not always go as planned. I had to be flexible with my research methodology as some things did not go as planned. One of the learnings I got from this research was that although certain methods work for one researcher, the same methods may not work for me.

• Once I collected my data out in the field, I focused on research in the lab. Prior to this project, I had very little experience developing my own method–based on the literature–in the lab.
• The lab work was a struggle from the beginning, but I pushed myself to keep going and got help from Dr. Mark Rakobowchuk with some basic lab procedures. I was fortunate to have the lab technician in the lab to answer my questions whenever I needed help also.
• In the quote below I show where my lab work challenged me the most. Something–crushing fecal matter–that I thought was going to be the simplest part of my procedure, proved to be the most difficult and left me struggling to complete the work on time.

“Once dry, the fecal material was transferred from weigh boats to 15mL centrifuge tubes, where it was pulverized into a fine powder by vortexing the samples with 4mm glass beads. A glass rod was used to break up hard-to-crush fecal matter. Any large chunks or bits of undigested food were removed using tweezers.“

– Domenico Comita from UREAP Final Report

Overall, the UREAP was a fantastic experience and by far my most valuable learning experience when it comes to understanding and applying research methods

Field Ornithology Avian Richness Report Summary (BIOL 3110) – Spring 2025
I was fascinated by this month long project where I got to observe birds in an area of my choice. I chose to study birds at Gamble Pond next to McGowan Elementary School in Kamloops, BC. Here I developed a stronger appreciation for the biodiversity of birds.

• I focused primarily on species richness reporting. That is, I would makes notes in my field journal of what birds and how many were present at Gamble Pond over a 30 minute time period. I did this for a month at approximately the same time and day to account for circadian variations.

Plant Physiology Nutrient Deficiency Effect on Tomato Plant – Fall 2024
In this project I looked at multiple tomato plants under different nutrient conditions and determined how these nutrient conditions effected the physical (phenotypic) characteristics of the plant. This project taught me to take good photos, especially if the conditions or characteristics of the target variable are changing over time!

Plant Physiology Clove Oil Inhibition on Acetylcholinesterase – Fall 2024
We did this project in class. It was important because I needed to carefully follow a procedure–something invaluable for my Honours research thus far–and I used a plate reader for the first time to measure absobance. The plate reader is a key piece of equipment that I need to use for my ongoing Honours research.