Coursework
Manual Analysis and Quantifying of the Social Behaviors of Iteroparous Cephalopods
Course: BIOL 499 Undergraduate Research (Wang Lab)
This was my first quarter conducting non-library research. I started off the quarter working on a Mary Gates Research Scholarship Essay. It probably took me like two weeks to write and edit the application essay, with the help of my lab professor and research technician. Unfortunately, I did not receive a scholarship, but this process still helped me understand what my research this quarter was going to be like and why it my work is important (so no regrets! Also, I can request feedback on my application, so I will be applying again). For my project (likely to happen in spring quarter or in subsequent quarters), I will quantify cephalopod social behaviors by performing a comparative analysis on octopuses and cuttlefish, two cephalopods with different life history strategies. I will use high resolution footage of these cephalopods to examine the factors predicting a successful mating attempt and uncover information about common and species-specific attributes of behavior.
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This winter quarter, I became familiar with the coding platform I will use in my future project. It is called BORIS. Using the ethogram (a catalog of all behaviors observed in cephalopods and their corresponding operational definitions), I manually coded the social behaviors between two males of a type of cuttlefish species called Sepia bandensis (also known as the Stumpy Cuttlefish) seen in recorded videos from the Marine Biological Laboratory. Each video is ten minutes long but each video takes about three hours to code because I have to track two different cuttlefish (usually at x.5 speed) and code for each cuttlefish twice to account for both coloration changes and its movements. The end goal is to use this information for machine learning programs that can track these cuttlefish more efficiently and reduce inter-researcher variability in segmenting natural behavior. However, successful application of these tools requires having a fundamental understanding of those behaviors to begin with, which is what our work in BORIS is helping with.
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Besides working on my Mary Gates Scholarship essay and coding on BORIS, I attended lab meetings once a week and computational neuroethology joint lab meetings with the Ahmed Lab once a month. For the most recent meeting, the research technician and I presented on our project. I have attached the PowerPoint I made below!
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also learned how to handle bees properly (beekeeping suit and all), attended Animal Behavior Journal Club meetings, and read about cephalopods.
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Things I would like to work on next quarter:
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take more organized and comprehensive notes on Obsidian
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be more precise in coding (down to the millisecond)
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contribute more observations to the cephalopod behavioral analysis Twist Channel
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Overall, I have enjoyed my research experience so far and I am excited for next quarter!
Setting New Records with my Chemistry Midterm Scores
Course: CHEM 238 Organic Chemistry
I wish I could tell my fall quarter self: "Oh, you thought CHEM 237 was hard? Wait until you take CHEM 238." CHEM 238 was a BEAST. I have never struggled so much in a class before. I remember getting my first midterm score; my eyes popped out of my head and from then on I questioned my decision to be a STEM student almost every week (not seriously, but it was fun to think about a life free of chemistry). I had received a 75...out of 120, for a whopping 62.5%. That was probably one of the lowest scores I have ever gotten in my entire life. Totally did not cry in my office that day :D
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Thankfully, I soon realized I was not alone. To my surprise, the average score was a 66/120 (55%) with a standard deviation of 20. Despite this, I knew I had to change my approach to this course if I wanted to meet my standards. So I made the following changes:
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I started handwriting my notes. I had been typing them in order to save time but this prevented me from fully absorbing the material. I also made a larger effort to actually do all the notes because sometimes I would just show up to lecture not having done them. This helped me use the lecture to reinforce what I already learned, as opposed to try to learn the material on the spot.
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I did a LOT of practice problems. Due to my own negligence to search the canvas page before the first midterm, I did not realize there were weekly practice problems provided by my professor. Those were actually extremely helpful and I did them multiple times over to prepare for exams and quizzes. I also did the practice midterms.
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I actually paid a few visits to the organic chemistry study center. Often, I found that there were no TAs to help and when they were there, they were either busy or could not answer my questions correctly BUT it was still helpful to be there because I found some super smart study partners (that I continued to meet with) and was in a studious environment that motivated me to stay focused.
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Like I alluded to, I met with other students and we went through practice exams together. This was helpful because I could ask questions and also practice explaining problems, which was beneficial for my own understanding.
There were still areas I was lacking in. I probably attended half the lectures this quarter because they were at 8:30 AM in the morning and I did not want to wake up most days. I would watch the lecture on Panapto later that day on 2x speed. Honestly, this was not much of an issue. I usually did not understand the lectures live because my attention span would only last so long in that hour and a half long lecture on little sleep, so watching a recording allowed me to take breaks and re-watch areas where I was confused to maximize my understanding. Next quarter, I scheduled classes later in the day so I will actually be awake enough to go. I understand that it is on me for not getting enough sleep though, so that is another thing I will be working on next quarter. ​
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Okay, now for the results of my new approach to the class: I cannot say I was happy with my midterm scores BUT I showed improvement in each subsequent exam and was consistently scoring above the average by almost one standard deviation.
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I am proud that the changes I implemented led to improvements, and I hope that this learning experience will help me succeed in CHEM 239.
Free Plant from Physiology
Course: BIOL 220
I felt like I learned the most from BIOL 220 lab section than I did from other lab sections because we did the most hands-on experiments. We dissected a frog (an invasive species) and investigated the muscle contraction of its leg (only its leg!) when a stimulus was applied at different intensities and frequencies. Then, my lab partner and I cut open the frog's chest cavity and saw the heart beating (it was brain dead; it was technically alive but would never be functional again). It was amazing to see all the different organs, from the small, peanut-shaped stomach to the noodle-like intestines to the lungs. In another lab, we examined sheep and cow hearts to learn more about the anatomy of mammalian hearts. We also stimulated Venus flytraps to measure their action potentials. In that lab, we were allowed to take home a plant. I got a FlameThrower coleus plant which is somehow still alive weeks later. Let's hope it stays that way. (photo shown to the left; my plant is on the left, next to my roommate's plant)
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I like human anatomy and physiology so I enjoyed the lectures on the respiratory, muscular, and circulatory systems and metabolism. The external brain assignments were fun and engaging, but I sometimes got too caught up in the aesthetic of my notes that I lost sight of what really mattered, which was the learning involved. Towards the second half of the quarter, I made sure to really absorb what I learned in the videos and readings; instead of drafting the external brain assignments while watching the video for convenience, I would complete them afterwards, using active recall. This helped me process the content better. Below is an example of an external brain assignment I did:
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Overall, I enjoyed BIOL 220 the most out of the biology series because it related most to my future as a medical professional; consequently, I was more engaged in the coursework. Additionally, this class was extra interesting because of the unique external brain assignments, the study sessions, the hands-on experiments, and my charismatic professor (shoutout to Dr. Ruesink!)
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Reflection
Final Grades
You know, I was proud of my work this quarter. My goal is to do better than a 3.5 in organic chemistry in the spring. I'll keep working hard!
