The Search for Research: The Top Two

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My first step for this semester’s research project was simply to search for topics in my interest areas. Unfortunately, since I am a new STEM scholar, I have numerous interest areas. I’m hoping that this is a normal occurrence for beginners.

In order to narrow my scope, I chose to stick in the relative area of ecology. I started by looking at different ecological issues and moved on to wildlife epidemiology. Once, I compiled a list of important and relevant problems, I gathered more information about each and created a compilation of summaries or overviews.

Although I started with 10+ topics, these are the top two that made the cut:

  1. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) population has drastically reduced in size over the last two decades. Research suggests a need for increased milkweed habitats. More research is necessary to understand the effects of climate change on migratory patterns. This video from National Geographic is twelve years old. It mentions the monarch butterfly population being approximately 300 million and the elimination of 80% of it in 2002. Today, the population only stands at 29,000. 


       2.  Some rodents in Coconino and Navajo county in Arizona have tested positive for the plague                    caused by Yersinia pestis. The disease is rare, but transmissible to humans and pets. Fleas carry             the disease causing bacteria from host to host. 

NOTE: There are still two more topics that have not been eliminated. However, these two have been  my favorite to read, thus far.

 

References

Campbell, S. B., Nelson, C. A., Hinckley, A. F., & Kugeler, K. J. (2019). Animal Exposure and Human Plague, United States, 1970-2017. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 25(12), 2270+. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.pc.maricopa.edu/apps/doc/A615236488/SCIC?u=mcc_phoe&sid=SCIC&xid=46d86dce

Center for Biological Diversity. (n.d.) Saving the Monarch Butterfly. Retrieved September 7, 2020. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/invertebrates/monarch_butterfly/#:~:text=The%20count%20in%202017%20showed,maintaining%20just%2029%2C000%20individual%20butterflies.

Iowa State University. (2020, September 2). “New study on migration success reinforces need for monarch butterfly milkweed habitat”. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 10, 2020 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200902114349.htm


Comments

  1. Josh JamesSeptember 14, 2020 at 10:27 AM

    both topics are good

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kimberly MerrillSeptember 17, 2020 at 12:41 PM

      Thank you! There is tons of research done already for the butterflies. I am really leaning to topic #2 considering it's relative closeness to our community.

      Delete
  2. Maria RodriquezSeptember 17, 2020 at 9:47 AM

    Hi Kimberly, those re great topics! Also you are right most scholars get in and are completely overwhelmed with the possibilities of what they can research. That’s what makes TRAin/SSTEM so awesome. Good luck deciding. I’m excited to see where your blog is heading

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kimberly MerrillSeptember 17, 2020 at 12:39 PM

      Hi Maria! Thank you for reassuring me that I am not alone. I am looking forward to seeing all the interesting studies from my fellow scholars and also to getting started on some research.

      Delete

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