Mary Lugg

Place-Based Ecology 1: Dr. Jan Eitel

Portfolio Reflection

Place-based Ecology was very important to my journey of becoming a Masters

of Natural Resources because it expanded my knowledge of ecological principles. I

based much of my teaching curriculum content from this course. It was beneficial to

learn ecological principles and then teach them to my K-12 students to gain a deeper

understanding of these principles. This class culminated in a research paper in

which I showcased my skills as a researcher and ecologist. My research paper

focused on lichen species richness and diversity found in Ponderosa State Park in

relation to distance from Payette Lake.

Every class session included experential learning by having a hands-on,

student lab attached. Using this method, I was able to learn an ecological principle

and then explore this principle by moving through the scientific method. An

important component of this class was data visualization and analysis. I learned a

new analytic tool called R statistical software that was much appreciated during the

results section of my research paper.

My research paper was entitled, Lichen species richness found in Ponderosa

State Park and the Impact on Diversity in Relation to Distance from Payette Lake.

In this paper, I followed the scientific process to conduct real-life research from

beginning to end. The paper included background research on lichen as a

bioindicator for air quality and climate change and lichen monitoring has been used

in the area in the past. I developed a hypothesis from my background research. My

materials and methods section included information on my study site and sampling
approach. My sampling approach was a transect and quadrant method. I learned

how to do this sampling approach during one of the lab sessions. I used R to

conduct a one-sample t-test to see if the richness of my lichen species count was

similar or statistically different than a similar Forest Service study. I also fit a linear

regression model to analyze if there is a statistically significant correlation between

lichen species diversity according to distance from Payette Lake. While I did not

find any statistically significant data, I did find academic rigor, self-confidence, and

autonomy over my work as a scientist.

I hope to facilitate similar research projects in my career as a high school

science teacher. This class and research project increased my science and research

literacy and gave me important data visualization and analysis skills by teaching me

R. I was also able to see how I could translate a similar experential experience for

my students through hands-on, student-centered lab sessions and projects. I want

my students to learn that they too can be scientists.