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.

I found the Underwater Robotics team via the Ohio State University Involvement Fair. By not having a focus on rockets they set themselves apart from the other engineering-based clubs like Design, Build, Fly and Buckeye Space Launch Initiative.

Going to the first meeting was exciting albeit nerve wracking. They hosted the meeting at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion at the RPAC. I had never been to the pool at the RPAC before and I was nervous about getting lost. There the president, Jennifer, a few of the sub-team leads, and long time members explained what the club is all about. They showed us the robot that most recently went to the competition in San Diego and their tour/ outreach robot: Puddles and STEM Boy respectively. I even was able to drive STEM Boy around the pool at McCorkle.

The second meeting with the Underwater Robotics Team was were it really started getting interesting. They took us just off campus to the Center for Automotive Research (CAR). The club meets there with all three sub-teams (mechanical, electrical, and software) on Sundays. CAR hosts several engineering-related teams from OSU. The center boasts a few buildings for research along with many machines including but not limited to computer numerical control machines, lathes, and drill presses for building/ prototyping parts.

*inside one of CAR’s research buildings*

It was these two meetings that made me decide to join the team and mechanical engineering sub-team. The mech team’s leader Collin is knowledgable, amiable, and most importantly enthusiastic about mechanical engineering. While I could not see myself being president or vice president – I could see my self being a project or sub-team lead. Based on these meetings, I know that the Underwater Robotics Team will be an incredible resource in building my resume with engaging hands-on experience in actually designing and building something. Not to mention, that the team will also be incredibly useful in building a professional and social network. Joining the Underwater Robotics Team will force me to manage my time in a more efficient manner. Which will definitely help me build lifelong organization and time-management skills.

Because The Ohio State University is so large, I had no trouble finding organizations that meet my interests. I have found several clubs that I’d love to attend – the trouble has been in determining at which few clubs I’ll spend my time. During the involvement fair I signed up for emails from at least twenty-five different clubs. While all those emails were certainly a little overwhelming, they helped me determine which clubs to continue with. I have also joined the fencing and boxing clubs. The university’s size is both a blessing and a curse for student involvement/ organizations: it allows for all sorts of interesting and unique clubs, but because there are so many it can be difficult for all students interested in certain things to find that club. Therefore students can accidentally overlook something they’re passionate about. In the end, however, I believe that the size is to the advantage of students, if they are willing to work to find their niche club.