Queen of Science - 1 A Mess

In a medium-sized city, the University of Ontario is nestled along the shore of Lake Ontario. The lake has mostly frozen over and a brisk wind pushes bits of snow across the landscape. Although it shouldn’t be very cold, the wind makes all the people on campus feel like it is -10 degrees Celsius.

One of the main lecture halls for undergraduate courses is unimaginatively named Smith Hall. Currently, 418 students are stuffed into the 425-seat auditorium to learn about basic biology.

It is 10 minutes before class is over and the students’ brains are so stuffed with information that they can barely think anymore. The professor is trying and failing to raise student engagement by showing cute pictures of animals. Only a few students in the front can muster the energy to pay attention.

Sitting in the middle of the hall, Fern just can’t bring herself to focus on the lecture. Finals are right around the corner, which means lots of research projects that no one has time for. Realizing that she can’t understand anything that the professor is trying to explain, she can’t help but feel hopeless for herself.

Drifting off into her own worries, Fern ignores the prof. as he switches to the next slide.

“Could’ve studied for the quiz tomorrow. Should’ve figured out what I want to declare my major to be. What if I just don’t declare my major. Maybe I should try my luck at becoming an amazingly rich college drop-out… ”

The person sitting next to Fern nudges her side and brings her back to the present.

“Fern wake up. The lecture is over. Do you want to walk home, get coffee, or both?”

Turning her head to Emily, Fern sighs and says, “I need all the caffeine”

After packing up their school supplies, the two ladies navigated through the flood of students and started walking to the closest coffee shop.

…

The Maple Leaf Cafe has an artificially quaint vibe, but everyone ignores the artificial part. The walls have a fake log texture and all of the decorations are made by the university’s alumni. The quiet acoustic song that is playing over the speakers is only interrupted by the quiet chatter of customers and the espresso machine. In the corner of the store, a small table is occupied by Fern and Emily.

Emily is attempting to multi-task and put her hair into a braid as she rummages her bag for her lipgloss.

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“I got this lipgloss from Sephora yesterday and it is so amazing. It’s flattering on everyone- ya know? Anyways, getting new makeup and getting all dolled up is the perfect reason for you to finally go out with me this weekend.”

With a grimace, Fern sets down her half-chugged coffee, “Okay but we’ve both come to the conclusion that I suck at partying. If we’re going to dress up and go out, let’s go to the art gallery that you keep talking about.”

“Ooh, that’s a great idea. We can get some cool pictures and I can get material for my article assignment.”

Just as Fern is about to respond, she gets an automated text message on her phone.

[BIOL 101 – Introduction to Biology (Updated Grade): Your grade for “Project Proposal” has been updated. Your grade is D+]

Immediately Fern’s heart starts palpitating faster. Flustered, she quickly types in her phone’s password in a couple of times before it unlocks. Fern opens up her school’s coursework manager and looks up the remarks of the grader.

[Great research question, Fern! However, your proposed hypothesis deals with a fundamentally different question. You will need to pick either your research question or hypothesis and change the other. Also, you supported your hypothesis with outdated evidence. For the final report, you will need stronger evidence. For these reasons, your proposal is rejected. Please submit a new proposal by the due date. I strongly encourage stopping in for my office hours soon. You can find them on the homepage. – Prof. Mike Jameson. ]