How has RiE affected my attitude about science?

By Mai Fukata

Date: July 22nd, 2009

In this summer program, Research in Ecology, I learned many things. On the first day, I made new friends, people from different schools and people from my school I didn’t even know. I learned what null or alternative hypotheses are, and I learned more about genetics and other materials. At the dinner table, I would tell my parents what I’ve learned in RiE so far and they were very impressed. Feeling so smart and that you know lots of things that other kids don’t know makes me feel special!

From the beginning, I loved monkeys, but I didn’t know much about them. I always thought it was just an animal that ate bananas a lot and they are able to move through the trees in the rainforests. But, after four to five weeks at Monkey Jungle, I learned new terms and that they are more than what I thought they were. Monkeys breakiate through the trees, and there are many types of primates and apes. Woolly, White handed Gibbons, Java Macaques (Crab eating Macaques), and spider monkeys. My group and I studied about Java Macaques, and I learned that they are usually aggressive and they fight over females, food and territory.

I learned interesting facts from lectures by Doctor Kremples. Doctor Kremples made the boring information really interesting! Albino tigers might have pure white fur, and some could have blue eyes with white fur with some black lines. Places like the forests had special names. They are called biomes, for example the Arctic Tundra, Savanna, Tropical rainforests and the Boreal Forests. Those facts helped me and my group to win Quiz Bowl one time. Watching the little clip about the worms and parasites made me grossed out. I learned that some types of worms and parasites could kill animals and humans. The poison dart frog might look pretty, but it has poisonous skin so they are poisonous. Snakes that carry venom in their mouths are called venomous because it has to bite you to kill you or at least hurt you.

In statistics, I learned what a T-test and Chi-test was. I learned about Variance and Standard Deviation. I got to see a “sea cigar” when we were collecting data on how long the “sea cigars” were. I learned how to calculate data without making mistakes over and over again. I also learned how to correctly pronounce the word “statistics”! I knew some things that we did, but I learned how to solve problems in an easier way, which was very helpful for me. In computers, I learned how to make a graph with Microsoft Excel, and I learned how to make a PowerPoint, now I know how to decorate it really well.

I’ve met great teachers and people at this program. I am very glad that I joined RiE. I learned many things, and met new people. I had fun, and I know how to do many things that I wasn’t able to do. I feel very scientific and I feel like a grown up. Now I want to learn more and more things about science, it seems interesting to me now!