The “Phylogenomics and the Procrustean Bed if the Species Tree” seminar was daunting. It was put on the the Evolution and Ecology program. Going into the seminar I knew nothing about Phlyogenomics and the last biology class I took was in freshman year of high school. I got there early to get a prime spot, one where I could see everything but far enough back where I could still hide looks of confusion. I don’t know if I was the only undergraduate student, but it definitely felt as if I was the only one who knew nothing.
That’s not to say that I got nothing from the experience, I found it very informative and Matt Hahn was a very engaging speaker. From what I could understand, he presents an intriguing argument. Basically Prof. Hahn argues that in formulating species trees there is a lot of error (made by differences in sequences among DNA samples) that resolves into inaccurate species trees. Thus inferences about trait evolution made using the species tree as a reference can be incorrect.
In the picture above, Prof. Hahn is explaining how one could differentiate the types of error in species trees.
I took four pages of typed notes, so hopefully after I take some biology classes I’ll be able to refer to them again and understand more than 20% of the material. I may have been a focused audience member, but I was not active. I didn’t speak to anyone who attended the seminar nor did I talk to Professor Hahn.
While the seminar was not specifically in the area of my major (Mechanical Engineering) it is in a field that I am interested in. I am looking into getting an Evolution and Ecology minor and part of choosing this seminar was determining if Evolution and Ecology is something I want to learn more about. Because I understood so little from the seminar I am not sure if the field is what I’m interested in. From what Idid understand it is a rather compelling field, but I think I’d like to focus on Ecology as opposed to Evolution. I did not really have any expectations going into the seminar, so I suppose I was neither disappointed nor surprised.
Being active in the academic community at any age, any year, any level of education can be incredibly enriching. The seminar definitely encouraged me to take a biology course and look deeper into getting a minor. Also, because STEM can be so interdisciplinary, going to seminars can help you understand what research is going on in other fields, and can even give inspiration to a completely unrelated thing. Going to seminars like this and interacting with the speakers can help build your network and strengthen understanding in a topic (assuming you’re familiar with it going in, that is). I think learning, in any form, is always time well spent. This experience has made me want to reach out of my comfort zone and go to more STEM seminars. Next time, however, I will look for a seminar that I know a little more about, or give myself more time to prepare.