Contrary to popularly held beliefs, science is not always conducted on a smooth linear pathway from hypothesis to conclusion. Rather, researchers can be met with obstacles which both impede progress and discourage further... [ view full abstract ]
Contrary to popularly held beliefs, science is not always conducted on a smooth linear pathway from hypothesis to conclusion. Rather, researchers can be met with obstacles which both impede progress and discourage further work. During the summer of 2016, our team worked with a research grant from Adrian College to measure nutrient loads in farm drainage channels and streams of the River Raisin watershed. Throughout our work, we were met with setbacks, including, but not limited to, timing of funding, inadequate personnel, equipment malfunction, inclement weather, and lack of materials required to complete testing. Even working in tandem with additional funding from Michigan State University’s Institute of Water Research, we still found difficulty in investigating the issue of nutrient loads. As in our case, scientists also frequently encounter problems with communication between cooperating organizations. Our ability to conduct our research was negatively impacted by these factors, and as a result, some of our data are unreliable (principally for a difficult to measure nutrient, dissolved reactive phosphorous). As a result of the setbacks we faced, our team was able to devise new methods for examining nutrient loads in water samples from natural sources. We are far more confident in the measurements of nitrate levels in the water samples than the dissolved reactive phosphorus measurements, and so present our nitrate data for consideration. With new methods and instrumentation for performing this research, Dr. Martin has continued the work with new research staff and is now achieving trustable results. It can therefore be said that while science does not always progress as planned, discoveries are still made in the midst of difficulty. This research challenged us to overcome hardship, reconsider our methodology, and assess our scientific question through new means, and so it fits the ribbon “Thinking Critically.”
