Blog Post #1

This blog post tells the story of how I created my research question and the journey to developing my methodology.

• What led you to your topic?

I was lead to my topic by my love for snowboarding. Initially, I was lost in a search for the right topic that would keep me engaged throughout the entire year. I was offered some advice: pick something you are truly passionate about. After hearing that, I knew what my topic would be. The realm of snowboarding and winter sports is very complex, with multiple different subtopics for each topic I investigated. I bounced around, using bits and pieces of different ideas to come up with my final research question. My initial ideas ranged from how snowboarding can reduce stress, to snowboarding injuries. Eventually, I narrowed my focus on the environmental aspect and snowboarding's impacts. I began to investigate how boards are recycled and found that they are manufactured with Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. This piqued my curiosity and I look into it more, finding that PFAS are used in the majority of waxes used to wax the bases of skis and snowboards. Through my research I found that the use of ski and snowboard wax results in excess presence of PFAS pollution in the environment. Almost all ski areas are surrounded by plants and animals, many of these effected by bioaccumulation of PFAS due to wax. I followed this lead and found that PFAS have a direct negative effect on plant life. Knowing my topic, I just had to find the gap, something that wasn't hard after a little more research. While there are multiple studies proving the existence of PFAS in ski and snowboard waxes, along with the presence of PFAS in the environment where wax is used, there was no study analyzing the effects of PFAS pollution on plant life resulting from ski and snowboard wax specifically. 

• How has previous research helped in the development of your topic?

Previous research helped in the development of my topic by building the context. The sources I found during my initial research proved that PFAS were a a major environmental threat that must be mitigated. Further supporting this, I found even more sources investigating the presence of PFAS in the environment due to ski and snowboard wax. I used this previous research to prove that my topic is a meaningful, pressing issue. By doing this research, I was able to find the sources on which I built the foundation of my topic. I also utilized some additional information in order to improve the depth and accuracy of my methodology.  

• What is your plan to collect data?

My research topic focuses on the effects of PFAS on the health and growth of Brassica Rapa or Wisconsin Fast Plants. I chose to use these plants because of their short germination period and fast maturity time. In order to scientifically analyze the changes the plants undergo during my experiment, I will be measuring a number of physiological and chemical indicators. I will test these changes on 55 different plants. 5 sperate groups, each one dedicated to testing the effects of a certain wax. In each of these 5 group I will have 10 plants, 5 plants exposed to levels similar to those found at ski areas, and 5 plants exposed to excess levels. I will also have a set of 5 control plants. In order to access the growth and health of the plants, I will record physiological data at set intervals like root length, root shape, shoot height, stem diameter, leaf area, leaf color, number of leaves, number of blooming flowers, and after the plants are done growing, I will measure their wet weight, before baking them in an oven to determine their dry weight. To further my research I will potentially measure soil nutrients and pH levels

• Why should we care about this topic?

Anyone who appreciates nature and the outdoors should care about this topic. Not only are PFAS found around ski area due to wax usage, they are also found all over the world. PFAS are extremely persistent in the environment, taking thousands of years before they fully break down. They are used in the manifesting of thousands of products, many of which you use daily. These pollutants bioaccumulate throughout the food chain, causing a build up of these toxic chemicals, damaging the natural environment. These pollutants are already in our water, food, and bloodstream. If left unchecked, this pollutant epidemic will exponentially grow, and the damage will become even more irreversible.