Final Project Reflection – Saloni Gupta

1. I worked on the Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment Lab and the Outreach Project to Clarke County High School. At the High School I, with my classmates, interacted with the students in groups as the students counted their data and entered it into the online spreadsheet.

2. For the project, my partner and I first worked on the Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance Lab. The lab consisted of acquiring soil samples and performing a systematic dilution. We transferred the diluted soil samples to Petri plates, which had a bacterial growth medium with and without tetracycline. We then counted and recorded the number of bacterial colonies to calculate the frequency of tetracycline resistance in the soil samples. We also arranged plates for the high school students so that they were also able to count their colonies and enter it into the database. At the high school, I assisted the students in explaining what was meant by a “colony” and how they should be counted. We then entered our data into the national database for PARE researchers to perform regional comparisons and analysis on antibiotic resistance prevalence. As preparation for the lab and the outreach project, much of the research came from learning in class. This was through learning about the antibiotic resistance process and how mutations can result in resistance. These lessons facilitated my understanding of antibiotic resistance in the soil. This research may be similar to something I may do in the future because the soil is something that will always remain a necessity. Understanding the basics of antibiotic resistance can be helpful when put in a situation where analyzation of resistant microbes in an affected area is needed and I already have some background knowledge of what this means and entails. This would especially be useful if I am trying to educate someone on the topic. Also, since technology is constantly getting integrated into society in such clever ways, and being that I am a computer science major, my future may consist on working on a project relating to the environment and antibiotic resistance.

3. How did you gain information about your topic:

In class, powerpoints helped me understand the background of antibiotic resistance and what this means.
It also helped my understanding when I researched the outcomes of antibiotics in soil
Reading the lab manual and understanding the purpose and goals of the lab helped me realize the overall target and objective of assignment.

What did you learn about your topic through this project:

The overall goal of this project was to determine the percent of tetracycline resistant bacterial cells in each soil. This will loosely give us an insight of the total number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the soil. After all groups had entered in their data, it can be observed that the percentage of resistant cells was mostly under 1% with a few around 20-30% for TET30R and many of the TET3R percentages under 20%.

Did presenting on the topic cause you to get to know the subject matter better?

Yes, firstly it was easier to tell the high school students how to count the colonies since we had done this in the previous class with our own soil samples. The high school students’ data also reaffirmed our data since they also got percentages mostly under 1% for TET30R and percentages mostly under 20% for TET3R.

4. The characteristic of the presentation of being intellectually stimulating was incorporated into the outreach project by allowing for the high schoolers to bring in their own soil. Seeing that many of the high schoolers most likely brought soil from their own background or a place he or she may be familiar with made the research all the more interesting. This is because the high school students are able to analyze and hopefully comprehend the results a little bit better knowing that this is not some “special soil” but instead soil that he or she sees every day. The presentation was also relevant to the audience, high school students, because the high school students were able to interact with the college students. I think this allowed for an overall relatable and low-pressure atmosphere knowing that we were all students working on the same lab. I believe it also made it easier for the high school students to be interested in the lab since a college student was also there and able to casually communicate with them. The presentation was also creative because, for the most part, it was hassle free. We had organized the Petri dishes beforehand by already labeling them. This easily allowed for the students to count their colonies and enter it online.

5. During the outreach project, I saw myself as being more confident. I think this is because if the high school students were confused or had any questions I was there to help them. I had to make sure to carefully walk them through on what they had to do. Science is not my strong suit, usually, the objective and goals of labs are difficult for me to grasp. However, when communicating with the high school students, I realized that I knew more than I thought I did. I think this also came from having to explain the procedure to the high school students. Whenever I have to explain something to someone else, it always affirms my own understandings as well. Being that I am a computer science major, I feel like using technology also made me feel more comfortable with the project.

6. I analyzed the audience by thinking back to my own AP environmental class in high school. As I said before, labs are sometimes a little difficult for me to understand and I usually need to analyze the instructions a couple times to gain the full understanding. With this in mind, I made sure to approach the high school students in a way that made their part in contributing to the research in a simple and easy to follow along way. I prepared for the presentation by reading back over what the high school students would be doing and thinking about possible areas where they would need help, so that if someone did have a question I would be able properly to assist him or her. I can apply this approach to future communication efforts by realizing that not everyone I speak to will be as educated on interested in what I am talking about. Knowing this, I will have to adjust my way of explaining and presentation of the topic to still capture the other person’s attention and keep he or her engage in the topic.

7. If done this project again, I would read over the lab initially more carefully. I feel like this may have eliminated some of the confusion when working with the soil the first time around with my partner.

8. This experience better helped me understand the course by first performing an experiment on antibiotic resistance in the soil, which is in line with the objectives of the overall course, and applying it in a social setting by communicating with high school students. Realizing that it is important to keep the high school students engaged meant that I needed to understand the goals and objectives of the assignment and properly communicate this to the students so that they were given the information and not waiting around and losing interest. Explaining and communicating with the high school students helped me understand the assignment better and the importance of the numbers that were having to be calculated since this is what the high school students had to do too. So, if they had any questions I needed to made sure I explained it to them in an easy-to-follow-along way.

9. I can use what I learned from this experience in the future definitely in the way I communicate with people, especially to those who may not be as educated on a topic as I may be. Many people may define themselves as “not being a computer person” or “not being able to work with technology.” Being that I am a computer science major, I need to make sure that when I am trying to explain a project I may be working on to someone who may not have any interest in technology that I communicate in terms that still keep a person engaged and interested in what I am talking about.

10. I hope I came across as approachable and educational. I hope that the high school students felt comfortable enough to ask questions and I was able to deliver with information that was informative enough to where their confusions were eliminated. In the future, I would go in feeling confident in the subject. I think the best way to achieve this is by doing extra research beforehand and acquiring relatable information that can be applied to the subject. I believe that this will allow me to gain all perspectives on the subject and realize the problem at hand.

11. I believe this assignment was effective for me. This is because I was able to work on an assignment that is so relevant to my everyday life. Antibiotic bacteria in the soil affects all of us firsthand since the soil is something that we will continue to need. It was eye-opening to work on an assignment that looked into a subject that I can physically see and relate to. Feedback from communicating with the high school students also made the assignment effective because it helped me gain knowledge on the matter better and educate others on the matter as well!

Infographic – Saloni Gupta

I was not able to get a clear copy of the infographic, so please go to https://ilsr.org/compost-impacts/ to get a better reading.

What: This infographic is intellectually stimulating. After a brief explanation of what composting is and consists of, the reader is immediately taken to a simple yet powerful picture of a garbage bag with one side looking gray and the other side with contents of what most people would actually throw into the bag. This is a compelling image because it also attaches percentages to what can be composted in regards to what gets thrown into a trash bag, coming to a conclusion that more than 50% of what is thrown in a trash bag can most likely be composted instead. This picture makes the idea of composting more relevant to the audience because it literally depicts that composting does not require out-of-the-way materials, but instead materials which are getting thrown away on a regular basis. This infographic is also creative in that it does not only describe how composting can obviously help the environment, but it also appeals to those who may not be so interested in the environment by incorporating how composting can help the economy by creating jobs. This way, the infographic serves the purpose as being informative and attractive to all kinds of people.

Gut: I was quite pleased with this infographic. I felt like this was a well-rounded graphic which organized the material in an easy-to-follow way. While most people know that composting is beneficial to the environment, I really liked how this infographic dived into the specifics of how composting can legitimately improve the environment. It explains the benefits to the soil by literally going through the different levels of the soil and inserting the positives. The graphic also states the harms of food scraps to the climate and then immediately turns the mood around when depicting what happens to the climate if food scraps are converted into compost. This infographic really succeeds in the job of not just telling but also showing.

So What: While I knew that composting is beneficial to the environment, also as mentioned in the infographic, the graphic also includes information on how it can directly impact a person’s professional life. The infographic displays information on how composting can create jobs. This is a factor of composting I had not considered before, but it is definitely an important one. By including this bit of information, I feel like the creator was trying to depict to the audience the importance of composting outside of the environment. This allows for the infographic and the concept of composting to appeal to people who may not be so environmentally mindful. After following through the sources listed, it seems as though the statistics in regards to the number of increased jobs is coming from their own website, Institute for Local Self-Reliance and press-release. As far as how we might be able to find this information also can be through specific searches on the internet, as the creator of this infographic did when wanting to describe the increase in jobs through composting.

Now What: Even though this is a great infographic, I wished it had expanded more on what people can do to compost. The last bit suggests on policies people can consider, however it does not mention legitimately how people can compost. A reason why they may have left this out might be because they were trying to appeal to people working at the local and state levels who can implement policies to encourage composting. We can use this as inspiration for the graphic that we create by making sure that while we still include the benefits to composting, we should also include how composting can be achieved for a common being without it becoming too complicated.

UGArden – Saloni Gupta

In this picture, at first glance, I see a large, jumbled pile filled with grass cuttings, leaves, orange and banana peels, and a sunflower. However, what I notice is the beginnings of the beneficial natural process of composting. What seems like an ordinary pile is actually being recycled into dark, nutrient-rich productive soil (pictured in the back) which I think is so incredible. This compost pile is productively using raw materials to give back to the soil. It is housing invisible organic matter and beneficial bacteria and putting it all back into the system. Many natural processes take a long time, so; it is kind of mind-boggling to think that the UGArden uses composting to transform a six-month process into a just a few weeks while still contributing to and enriching the soil. This picture makes me think about people taking the environment into their own hands, understanding its needs, and genuinely wanting to help and nourish it. It makes me think about the fresh vegetables and fruits I eat. The reason why I am able to truly enjoy my food and retain the nutrients I need is because the fruits and vegetables are growing in quality rich soil due to composting. It also makes me think about how easy composting can be based on the materials shown in the picture. Since fruits such as oranges and bananas are already part of my regular diet, it is hard to think of an excuse to not put the peels into a composting bin than opt for the trashcan. I think this picture is about hard work, care, and awareness. The people of UGArden have truly put in genuine hard work because they care about the environment. They understand the benefits of composting and the effects it can have on the soil and then later on to the fruits and vegetables we eat to get our nutrients from. It makes people, like me, aware of composting and why it is important to look after the soil and environment since we depend our whole lives on it.

Introduction – Saloni Gupta

In high school, I took biology, chemistry, and physics. So far in college, I have taken Physics 1 and Physics 2. I liked physics the most because it was very math based.
I would like to get an informative biology foundation and am looking forward to learning about the properties of soil and its necessary tie with the environment. I have always wanted to help the environment but felt like I didn’t quite understand all the key aspects or most beneficial ways of doing so, so I am excited to get this knowledge through the visits to the watershed.
I am interested in the Outreach program at Clarke Central High School. It will be interesting to work with the students and researching the bacteria since this is a major issue found in our streams. This is also something I have never done before, so I am looking forward to this!
I think issues about how all this can affect our future will appeal to students. A lot of times it is easy to overlook things like the soil and its future importance in the moment, however, when put into perspective on how it can affect our life 40-50 years from now, it becomes more impactful.
With helping with this service learning project I think It will be eye-opening to see the issues of bacteria in our streams. With the knowledge I have gained I hope to be able to motivate people around me in understanding and helping with the issues. I also hope to better communicate the issues with my peers as well and together we can make help preserve the environment.