Is Research Important?

Do I think  research is important and valuable to us as a society?

The answer to that question is, OF COURSE. 

There will always be something new to find or something that can be improved and made better as well as more efficient. This goes for anything such as technology, the way we view the earth and environmental practices, as well as how we should interact with each other. 

Research is very important and it's extremely important for the project being done in the community. Everything and everyone in this town is connected and should work together to help fix the issues that are occurring. It seems that so many people I have met are unaware of the lakes issues or how to fix it. In reality, starting out small could make a huge difference. Anything from grass buffers, tree buffers along the waterways, using less fertilizer on your lawn, putting sediment ponds in areas that are prone to runoff and erosion. These are all examples of things that if they were done individually and eventually on a larger scale could make some sort of a difference.

Do I personally think I could change the world?

I think anyone can change the world. 

Changing the world doesn't have to be some huge scale epiphany that changes society dramatically, even though that's what everyone's first though is. Changing the world can be anything from giving someone inspiration. Or giving someone the opportunity to take a step back and reevaluate the things they could change within themselves. I think changing the world comes from changing yourself individually and allowing your passions, beliefs, and positivity to be passed on to others. Research is very similar in this way that it starts small, but eventually if it starts gaining recognition it becomes very important. Our research alone and what will be done here within the next 5 weeks is only a snapshot, but it could have the opportunity to be huge and grow into some really valuable surface water and groundwater interaction data. This is only the beginning and what is done after we leave will determine if it was all worth while or not. 

That's up to the community and how it important it is to them though...

P.S. The sunsets and sunrises are beautiful here...