Adventures of Learning

Who knew you could learn in the summer? So far I have learned how to canoe (properly), make bread, and that burger king has $1 frappes! I have also learned that the women’s world cup is hard to find on the tv, which is OUTRAGEOUS.

While I was learning these life skills, I have also been learning a lot about my research. Over the past two weeks, I learned how to write survey and interview questions as well as how to collaborate with other teams that are working on different projects but have similar interests. I am also learning how to do GIS modeling and the best way to use archives for research.


My partner Ivy and I have two big investigations for this summer. We are interested in examining the history of hydrology in the area and how land cover has changed over time. This will involve us learning about people’s relationship to water and how it has changed with the changes to the land cover and hydrology. Our other project involves us using a GIS modeling program called the ACPF to identify what fields are at the highest risk of contributing to soil erosion falling into lakes and streams. We also hope to learn what conservation practices could be useful in stopping this process based on the geography of the area and the way the land is being used. We want to see how useful this information could be to farmers and how usable the conservation practices that are generated by the ACPF model are.

My summer will be filled with learning how to cook, clicking on the computer, and talking to people!