Research Methods Course: Student Spotlight

I have always liked science, but my love for it blossomed in my 9th-grade biology class. In this class, we started doing hands-on experiments and diving into how things work, which is what I love about science. When I came to HRA in 10th grade, I was in Dr. Gendreau’s chemistry class and WISE, where she learned about my love for science, specifically plants. Towards the end of last year Dr. Gendreau asked me if I wanted to do a research experiment, of course I said yes. Through this experiment, I tested the effects of amino acids on plant growth after emergence. I tested five crops at different amino acid concentrations: corn, soybeans, tomatoes, wheat, and bell peppers. This year, I will expand my research through my Research Methods class. During the 3rd quarter, each student in the class does an independent research project where we utilize all of the skills we learned over the 1st semester. For this project, I will see the differences, if any, in what types of bacteria and how much they grow in the soil at different concentrations of amino acids. All of this plant research and Fear-To-Hope with CNU have made me love botany. This has made me realize I want to be a botanist or college professor once I am older.