Piper is a third-year Microbiology and Individualized Studies double major. Through this research project, they were able to. . . 

1) Incorporate new technological skills. Not having a background in coding, in project proved difficult in the beginning learning how to navigate R but now has sparked an overall interest in biostatistics. 

2) Extend critical thinking skills. Like in any lab, challenges would arise that had to be thought out. Especially being new to coding, there were endless hours spent in front of the computer researching new codes and trying them all just to work around one error. 

3) Develop communication methods. Having different schedules and varying times spent in the lab, primary methods for communication had to be adjusted in order to meet the needs of the whole team.