A valuable skill that can distinguish a science degree from others is lab experience. Being knowledgable and familiar with laboratory procedures and practices is the bridge between theory and practice in the field. Practicing lab skills has helped me strengthen my problem-solving skills, learn how to keep proper lab notes and documentation, apply class knowledge to real life situations and overall have a well-rounded education in a science degree. Here are assignments and lab notes from different classes that demonstrate my lab skills.
Field notes describing rock formations
Course: Field Methods in Environmental Science & Geology
These are samples of field notes that I wrote for this class. Here, I learned proper field practices and note-taking, learned to identify minerals, bedding/crossbeds, texture, sorting, clast size, take strike and dip measurements, and make descriptive statements about the formations. Learning how to identify these characteristics and what they mean helped me write about the geology of these sites and understand the processes involved in geologic formations.
Research poster: Habitat Effects on Electrofishing of White Suckers, Longnose Dace and Satin fin Shiner in Hazel Run, VA
Course: Animal Ecology
This is a poster for a small research project done in an Animal Ecology course. A previous study done in Appalachian streams showed that factors such as stream depth, width, substrate and other conditions had an affect on electrofishing efficiency for specific fish species, including the white sucker and longnose dace. For this project I wanted to see if there were similar effects on white suckers, longnose dace and satin fin shiners in Hazel Run, VA. A lab for this class involved electrofishing in a portion of this stream, capturing, counting, classifying and measuring the fish. The stream conditions at the time such as depth, width and substrate were also recorded. The professor for this class has been conducting this lab since 2016 and recording the data, which is what I used to do this project. I sorted and compiled the relevant data, excluding years where habitat data was not recorded. I analyzed the data using Pearson’s correlation in Microsoft Excel. I found that there were significant correlations between stream width with white suckers and longnose dace and stream depth with white suckers and satin fin shiners. I presented my poster at the University of Mary Washington’s Fall 2025 Jepson Science Symposium. See more pictures here.
Research: Heavy Metal Concentration and Soil Health Factors of Soils in Fredericksburg, VA
Individual Research
The summer before my senior year I was invited by Dr. Melanie Szulczewski to be a research assistant in her lab and continue this project in the Fall 2025 semester. The main purpose was to measure heavy metal concentration in soils at the census block level in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Alongside another research student, Maddie Binkley, we received a research grant that would allow us to expand the project beyond heavy metals, assessing soil biological health by measuring enzyme activity using acid phosphatase. We found significant correlations between the phosphatase activity and concentration of Exchangeable Aluminum, Arsenic and pH, which meant that heavy metal concentration and soil pH have significant effects on how biologically productive a soil can be. This experience has significantly contributed to my research, lab and data analysis skills. I was given the opportunity to work independently alongside my research partner to carry out the phosphatase enzyme processes in the lab, working with different types of instruments, equipment and methods. I also worked with the data to find significant correlations and make figures depicting them. This opportunity helped me learn a lot about the processes involved in doing research, expanded my understanding of soils and their importance, and enhanced what I have learned in the classroom by applying it to real world experience. We presented this research at the CANVAS 2025 Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah and at the University of Mary Washington’s Fall 2025 Jepson Science Symposium. These presentation experiences also helped me improve skills like teamwork, gave me the opportunity to talk with people interested in similar fields and do networking, exchange ideas for future research and overall helped me become a more well-rounded scientist. See more pictures about the project here.