James Henry          BIO 299 Summer 2020

Now that my Creative Inquiry experience has come to an end, I think that it is important to reflect on what I learned through the whole process. First of all, I owe thanks to Dr. Lee Edwards for all of the guidance and support she provided throughout my research. She helped me understand new concepts that I had never before considered and steered me in the right direction when I had questions (which was all the time!).

I experienced both successes and failures during my project, which I feel helped hone my problem-solving skills as well as emphasize the importance of planning in research projects. Throughout the process, I felt like I was constantly learning and having those “Aha!” moments. By the end of my project, I felt that I lived for those little moments, and it was truly rewarding to be able to solve problems as they arose during the experiments. Above all, being able to design a research experiment and see it through from start to finish was one of my greatest successes.

Going forward, I feel well-equipped to tackle a future full of problem-solving and research as I plan to enter the workforce as a biological research engineer. The tools and skills I have acquired through participating in GTC’s Creative Inquiry program have proved invaluable thus far and I can only imagine that this will hold true in the future, especially when I make it to grad school. This has been both an enriching and gratifying experience, and I am glad I chose to do it!