Ohio State University is a diverse place with many people (students and faculty) who have information and experiences that would be beneficial for first year students. I found the students and faculty who I was going to interview in different ways. The Upperclassmen that I interviewed was a friend that I knew who was also in STEM EE Scholars Program; I thought that the approach to her studies would align with mine in many ways. Although my major is Atmospheric Science I am still very interested in Biology; I also was very interested of the variety of majors in the STEM field. So when I was looking for a Graduate Student I wanted someone in the Biology field which is how I came across Heather Glon. When looking for my Professor I used Scopus.com to find a Professor in the Meteorology department and I came across David Bromwich through an article I found on Polar Research.
The Upperclassmen that I decided to interview was Leah Dunston. Leah is also in the STEM Scholars program which was very beneficial to me during the interview process. I was able to connect with her through many similarities we had and because we were both in the same scholars program. One of the most beneficial things that I learned from Leah was how important good study habits are for success in the classroom. Leah emphasized how crucial it is to plan ahead so that you are able to give yourself enough time to study all you need to. She also helped me to understand the endless resources that Ohio State offers for people in need of help in their classes. There are countless tutoring opportunities and study materials that the University provides to everyone and most people don’t take advantage of them. Leah also informed me on how important it is to join clubs that you enjoy; and also how key it is to do fun clubs so that you can get a break from hard classes and studying.
The Graduate student that I had the privilege of interviewing was Heather Glon. Heather went to a small Christian College in Florida for her undergraduate degree and then went on to graduate school at Central Michigan University and finally came to Ohio State where she is currently doing research in Metridium, phylogeography and, systematics. Heather explained a lot about what she had to do in her undergraduate years in order to prepare her for the research she is doing now. She applied for a research opportunity with a Marine Biologist during her undergraduate degree which she said opened a lot of doors for her; she also became a scuba diver which she said showed colleges her passion for Marine Biology. Heather knew that in the field of Biology you most of the time need a bachelor’s degree or PhD in order to get the jobs you want; which was her motivation to continue past her undergraduate degree.
One of the articles I read by Dr. David Bromwich was called “Oceanic response to changes in the WAIS and astronomical forcing during the MIS31 superinterglacial.” It was about the Marine Isotope stage 31 (MIS31) and how under this isotope there is a reduction in the sea ice distribution over the Northern Hemisphere. The article explains the possible reasoning to be due to the fact that there has been an increased water density due to salinity changes in the oceans which could affect the convection in the North Pacific. The article shows the tests that the scientist did in order to determine this information; they measured differences in surface temperature, density flux, and the time average for MIS31. Reading scholarly articles for the first time is very difficult for a variety of reasons. One of the most challenging aspects for me was the higher end vocabulary that is used in the articles. Throughout reading the articles I had dictonary.com open so I would be able to look up all of the scientific words that I was unsure of. I think that it’s just important to know that you aren’t going to understand everything and to read the article multiple times to get the most out of it that you can. One many advantages to these types of media would be the learning opportunities that it provides for students and other researchers in that specific field. Some disadvantages would be that the general public may not be able to understand the research; because they are only reaching a targeted audience.
The professor that I met with was Dr. David Bromwich who is one of the heads of the Atmospheric Science department and does who currently does research at the Bryd Polar and Climate Research Center. Dr. Bromwich was very informative in ways to excel in the classroom and how you can stand out to Professors in general. Dr. Bromwich explained to me the importance of office hours and how it is one of the only ways to build a real relationship with professors who teach many lectures. He also talked to me on the importance of trying and applying for many internships and research opportunities even if you don’t get them. He told me how many times he failed at different aspects in his career and that each one taught him something new and made him improve on an area in his life. Dr. Bromwich also shared with me some clubs such as the Meteorology club that could be beneficial for my resume as an Atmospheric Scientist. Overall Dr. Bromwich showed me the effort and dedication required to pursue research in Atmospheric Science and really motivated me to continue towards my dream.
This Interview Project has taught me much more than I could have thought going into it. Each person I talked to showed me something that will hopefully benefit me in the future. I learned the importance of study habits, getting involved in clubs, and how it’s never to early to begin undergraduate research. Overall I thought that this project was very beneficial and has taught me a lot about the significance of talking to people with experience about what they have learned.