Third Week
This week is all about your 🧬Mini research project🧬 and ends with a 🎉 final presentation 🎉 of your work on Friday. The research projects will be conducted in small teams.
You learned the basics on oribatid mites, heard of some unresolved mysteries and practiced how to analyse molecular data.
Major Goals
Each project-team will build their own hypothesis and collect data, from the course and public repositories, to answer the research question. You will apply the suitable analytical tools and interpret your results in a scientific context. This will be presented by you and discussed (and defended) with the whole group.
Attention
The course will end with the last presentation and a feedback round on Friday. You will not have to write a protocol or paper. Instead, you will have to answer a questionnaire, individually, on Thursday.
🧬Mini research project🧬
Are oribatid mites monophyletic (or what about Astigmata)?
Have the body sizes of oribatid mites changed over evolutionary time?
Do oribatid mite communities differ between ecosystems and if so, where is phylogenetic diversity (PD) highest?
These are the research projects you can choose from. Each of the three research areas (phylogenetics, ancestral state reconstruction, and phylogenetic diversity) should be covered by the whole course. Come together in small teams of your favourite research area. All teams should be approximately of the same size.
Formulate clear hypotheses that are testable and refutable. In order to investigate your research question, you need to take small steps. A hypothesis is testing parts of your research question. If you have enough pieces together, you may be able to explain your results. Collect the neccessary data to test your hypotheses and plan how to split the work among each other.
Note
At the end of the week you will…
Know how to formulate a hypothesis.
Where to find and collect data in order to test a hypothesis.
Skimmed through some publications that relate to your research topic.
Gained practice in handling and analysing molecular data.
Apply and intensify the knowledge you gained in the last two weeks.
Learned that public data repositories may contain flawed data.
Work effectively and cooperatively in small teams.
Learned how to interpret preliminary and final data.
Interpret results in a scientific context.
Monday
Summary
First, we will start with repeating what you learned last week. How do you analyse molecular data to obtain a phylogenetic tree! Which analytical steps are necessary and why. What are the different steps doing with your data, which are necessary and which are replaceable. As last week, you will draft mind-maps in small teams. The best mind map will be exhibited in the hallway of our working group.
After discussing open questions, you will start to think about your mini research project.
Tasks of the Day
Choose a research topic you are interested in.
Find a team with the same interest.
Formulate hypotheses.
Explain you hypotheses! What do you expect and why?
Discuss which data you need to test the hypothesis.
Discuss the hypotheses and the data with your tutors.
Literature research: Check if other studies investigated similar topics!
Start to collect the data you need. Bring your data in the right format!
Build task forces and split the work effectively.
Tuesday
Tasks of the Day
Continue with your 🧬Mini research project🧬.
Try to finish collecting and formatting the data you need!
Start the first analyses if possible.
Consult the literature.
Tip
Ask tutors for help, assistance, and/or advice.
Wednesday
Tasks of the Day
Today, keep the finish line of your analyses in sight. Check and discuss preliminary and final results with your tutors. Add or delete taxa/genes if it improves your analyses. Be critical but pragmatic.
By the end of the day, you should have your final results!
Make sure that you have looked for and consulted scientific papers that deal with your topic.
Attention
Just a reminder: Tomorrow will be the Questionnaire.
Thursday
Tasks of the Day
Today you wrap up your data, results, and prepare your 🎉 final presentation 🎉.
Attention
It’s Questionnaire day!
Friday
Tasks of the Day
Attention
🎉 Today, you present your mini research project, followed by a brief discussion. 🎉
At the end of the course we will have a small feedback session. After that, we wish you a good time and enjoy your studies!