Creating a experimental design involved pinpointing a specific research question to explore throughout the semester and identifying the range of components that would need to be accounted for while working towards addressing this question. These factors included, but were not limited to, experimental variables, controls, and the outline of an experimental setup.

When looking back at this point in the semester, I realize that there is so much that has changed significantly since then, both in terms of the experimental design I proposed, and in terms of my understanding of PARE in its actual application, rather than the theoretical perspective I had been evaluating it from prior to this assignment. 

Between submitting this assignment and now, I ended up revising my hypothesis considerably, shifting away from the variability of antibiotic resistance in relation to distance, and towards a greater focus on land use in relation to the presence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. I felt that this assignment enabled me to critically assess what my understanding of the laboratory procedures associated with PARE were and make an effort to address areas where I felt there were gaps in my knowledge or abilities through referring more closely to Tufts University's PARE manual and meeting with Dr. Marrs to ask questions and discuss the feasibility of the research questions I was interested in exploring. 

Overall, this assignment felt like the biggest turning point for me in the semester from feeling like I had a general understanding of PARE to feeling like I had a solid sense of direction for my individual research ambitions.

Date of submission: 10/6/23

The contents of my original experimental design can be accessed using the available link.