Jason Ramos ’25: Ingenuity In Action reflection
Ingenuity in Action experience: Cornell Summer Research Institute
Where: Cornell campus and a private nature preserve near Muscatine, Iowa
What: Ecological fieldwork focused on nesting turtle species, radio telemetry, and data analysis
Major: Ecology and evolutionary biology
Minor: Chemistry
For eight weeks I conducted visual encounter field surveys—walking through sand prairie habitat for a prescribed time systematically searching for nesting turtles. I also found and documented other species and completed a lot of side projects to assist my professor with his research and to gain experience in different research methods.
My primary projects were counting and measuring eggs, comparing nest size characteristics, and conducting radio telemetry using a radio transmitter fixed to a turtle’s shell, allowing it to be tracked to determine its home range size. I also did terrestrial and aquatic trapping, using the data to estimate the population of different turtle species.
Planning our fieldwork was more difficult than I expected. There are a lot of conditions and variables out of your control. For example, due to the site being about an hour from campus, and issues with weather, it was difficult trying to plan what objectives needed to be completed before we needed to be back on campus. Finding turtle nests required a good deal of luck and effort, and it was often difficult to complete the objectives you set for the day due to things taking longer than expected. I also learned that being in the field can be extremely difficult since you’re outside and dealing with the heat and bugs.
Finally, I gained a lot of understanding about presenting my findings. At first, I focused extensively on the methods and the results. After a few presentations, I realized that I should state why my research project was important, and I altered what I highlighted after hearing common questions. I wanted the presentation to sound as interesting as possible to different audiences.
Read six more student reflections on their Ingenuity in Action experience.
