A lot of people like students and young adults fresh out of school believe Wikipedia to be a write off when it comes to research. This idea has been drilled into their brain as early as elementary school. Teachers often tell us never to use Wikipedia for assignments and many even penalize us for usingContinue reading “My Wikipedia Experience”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Multiple Choice on Covid-19
Q1. What is the most efficient PPE to protect yourself against SARS-CoV-2? A) Any face covering (IE cloth, bandanna, blue surgical mask) B) A N95/KN95 mask C) Double surgical masks D) Face shield Q2. What is FALSE about N95/KN95 masks? A) They capture 95% of 0.3 micron particles B) They impair breathing by limiting theContinue reading “Multiple Choice on Covid-19”
George Washington Carver
We often think that historical figures in science were educated white men, as racism and sexism kept people of colour and women oppressed and uneducated. But there are exceptions, like George Washington Carver. This historical figure in science was a black American born into slavery in the mid 1800s in Missouri. He and his motherContinue reading “George Washington Carver”
Types of Peer-Reviewed Literature
Anything you want to know is just a simple Google search away, but how do we know what we are reading is reliable? The answer is peer-reviewed literature. Peer-reviewed literature means quite literally that peers, those being masters of the same discipline, have reviewed it and confirmed its dependability. Thus, Wikipedia is not a peer-reviewedContinue reading “Types of Peer-Reviewed Literature”
Film Nomination
The Applied Plant Ecology film festival was a very entertaining and refreshing way to spread news about science. My winning nomination was Extinction: the facts, a documentary narrated by the legendary Sir David Attenborough. My second nomination was the science fictional TV series Snowpiercer. Snowpiercer is a post-apocalyptic series showing the aftermath of climate change.Continue reading “Film Nomination”
Advice from the People Behind the Science Podcast
Being a post-secondary student in this day and age is not an easy experience. We’re anxious, we’re stressed and many of us are suffering from imposter syndrome. Dr. Dawn Bazely’s advice for us is to learn how to overcome failure. I couldn’t agree more. I feel like we’re always being told that we need toContinue reading “Advice from the People Behind the Science Podcast”
Peer-reviewed Primary, Secondary and Tertiary literature
The distinction between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources is based on how far the information source is developed from the original event or occurrence. Is it firsthand information? Is this a second-hand translation? Is it possible to get a third-hand synthesis and overview of what’s known? Primary sources are developed as closely as possible toContinue reading “Peer-reviewed Primary, Secondary and Tertiary literature”
Primary, Secondary & Tertiary… What’s the Difference?
Primary sources include the first report on a particular topic of research. This includes raw data, first hand observations and overall findings and conclusions obtained from the person writing the piece of literature. For example, in the article “Synthesizing habitat fragmentation effects on plant–antagonist interactions in a phylogenetic context” the author discusses their study conductedContinue reading “Primary, Secondary & Tertiary… What’s the Difference?”
Test Your Knowledge on COVID-19
Answer the following questions to see if you understand COVID-19. Post your answers and I’ll let you know if you got it right! 1.True or False Covid_19 and SARS CoV-2 are air borne viruses a) True b) False 2. The “19” in Covid_19 indicates a) There are 19 variants of the virus b) The virusContinue reading “Test Your Knowledge on COVID-19”
Exotic Mammals & Monkey Puzzle Trees
Araucaria araucanas otherwise known as monkey puzzle trees are endangered trees in Chile and Argentina. The article, “Large-scale impacts of multiple co-occurring invaders on monkey puzzle forest regeneration, native seed predators and their ecological interactions” explores the impact communities of exotic mammals have on monkey puzzle forests. The authors conducted a study illustrated in thisContinue reading “Exotic Mammals & Monkey Puzzle Trees”
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 