Communication
Communication is a vital part of the creation of this project. The initial collection of blood samples and body measurements was done by a separate group. This data traveled from person-to-person before reaching the steps that I personally participated in. Proper labeling of data and organization of information was important to ensure that each person in each step of the process knew what was going on. For example, a sample was labeled with the bird species and sample ID. If this was done incorrectly, data would be wrong.
Communicating with my professor was important, as he provided assistance. It was also important to work with peers to look over the work that was being done. It was important to use each other to check our work!
Teamwork
This project involved a lot of working in a team. Without the work of a group, the samples would have taken an incredibly long time to collect. By working with others, the project was completed more efficiently. Additionally, the help of my advisor was essential to the success of this project and working with him has helped me immensely!
Technology
Microsoft Excel was used to keep and organize data. Learning to use this became very important, as it was important to ensure that each sample was marked with the correct information. Various tools within excel allowed for quicker calculations and data organization that made analysis of data much quicker. Microsoft Powerpoint was used to create a poster. The skills needed to navigate various microsoft tools has prepared me for any future career I will persue, as it is a widely-used platform.
Lab techniques like PCR and DNA extraction were performed for this project. Sanger sequencing was also completed. The first-hand experience and education with these techniques has prepared me for future research as well as future classes and careers.
Compiling contiguous nucleotide sequences was done using Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA12). This project relied on the usage of this website. Learning how to read chromatograms was vital for the success of this project. Data analysis and graph making was all completed using RStudio. Learning how to use this website was immensely useful in order to speed up statistical analysis and to make graphs! Learning how to use these for this project has prepared me for future research projects that require the use of these sources.