103 Research Reflection by Kylee Haslam

Faculty Mentor: Andrea Brunelle (Geography, University of Utah)

Working in a research lab as an undergraduate has been an amazing experience for me. I recognize the opportunities it has opened up for me and I have been extremely appreciative for the connections I have been able to make throughout my journey. Having a great team and being able to be excited about my work has led to making the project work out to its full potential. Without the support and enthusiasm from my mentor, Andrea Brunelle, and my lab partner, Lauren Isom, the research would have felt much more strenuous and less exciting. I was ecstatic about the idea of working with sediment that was tens of thousands of years old, I knew that I was holding history in my hand and it was oftentimes difficult to fathom this information. I was also excited about the chance to carry out research that very few people my age are fortunate enough to experience. It has opened up a whole new realm of opportunities in education and future career aspects. If I were to do it all over again differently, I would have taken more time to get to know more about the background of the Wishbone Site. I felt as though I understood the background to a certain extent, however if I had conducted more research about the site, I might have been able to understand my findings on a more enhanced level.