Igniting Passions for Research

By: Jessica Schmitt For CALS students Avery Wickham and Emily Hugen, the Science with Practice (SWP) program has allowed their interests in the research field to blossom. Participants in the program are able to complete hands on research in a project of their choosing while working with Iowa State University faculty and staff, gaining academic credit and earning money. After exploring ways to use animal waste as insect feed, Avery Wickman says her SWP experience has provided her with immense value. For Emily Hugen who is working on an ongoing team study, her SWP journey has allowed her to gain a wealth of skills beyond using research methods alone. Both Wickman and Hugen have shared the highlights of their projects and advice they would offer prospective SWP students.

Avery Wickham

Major: Animal Ecology, Focus: Interpretation of Natural Resources Classification: Sophomore Hometown: Dubuque, Iowa What was your Science with Practice project? For my project, I fed crickets the excrement of cows and chickens to see if it could be used as an alternative feed source. Using excrement as feed would be a great use of animal waste products as well as a sustainable method for harvesting insects. What were your findings? I fed crickets from three different age groups three types of excrement and recorded the populations, comparing this value to the control group. Neither the cow or chicken excrement were able to support the nutritional needs of the crickets. However, I am now researching superworms this spring semester to see if they are more receptive. Why would you recommend Science with Practice to someone? Science with Practice helped get me out of my comfort zone and problem solve independently, all while still knowing that I had a team of people supporting me and helping me if I had questions. What have you gained from the program? I felt I learned more in this class than any other because I was working on a real problem I was interested in. I loved being able to do research with insects so early on in my career and the ability to analyze my results at the end of the semester. I also learned how to raise and breed crickets, which is a cool skill I never thought I’d have.

Emily Hugen

Major: Agronomy and Agriculture and Society Classification: Senior Hometown: Monroe, Iowa What was your Science with Practice project? The project that I have worked on is a multi-year study analyzing the perceived drivers and impediments to public trust in gene edited foods (GEFs). The research focuses specifically on the debate surrounding the governance and regulation of GEFs and the issue of public trust. How are you working to answer your research question? Studying this topic is accomplished through in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and participant observations. The interviews and observations are then transcribed and coded to understand the debate surrounding GEFs. What has been your role with the research team? This semester, I provided input to assist team members with analyzing their data, presenting their results and enhancing outreach through the project website. Why would you recommend Science with Practice to students? I would recommend SWP to someone because it is a great opportunity to develop both technical research skills and soft skills that can be applied to numerous careers. I believe it is beneficial to any student that is interested in the sciences or research specifically. SWP offers great insight into the “how’s” and “why’s” of research. Not only are students able to gain experience in a potential career field, but they are also able to earn academic credit and receive compensation.