Author: milesl768

Today was our final day of WEP, and we finished it off by presenting our presentation to Mr. Self at his actual workspace. It was very good to finally meet with him in person and show him all the work that we had done the past few weeks. He was able to use a lot of the information in our PowerPoint, and so it was a success. I think that the main thing I learned during these last 2 weeks was honing my researching skills and being able to make an intriguing presentation to an interested employer. Both are extremely valuable skills that I will certainly have to use in college and beyond, and I cannot think of a better way to have spent these last 2 weeks.

Today was the final day before our presentation to Mr. Self. Our group decided to meet in-person for the first time today in order to practice our presentation in the format that we will give it in tomorrow. We did a couple practice runs and made edits/editions where we saw fit. We also discussed what we were going to wear tomorrow for the presentation, which might seem like a small detail, but looking presentable is extremely important in business. It helps sell the product, or the presentation in this case, which is a very valuable lesson I learned today. Tonight we plan to wrap up our final edits and practice our individual parts for the presentation, and I look forward to presenting tomorrow. The last two weeks of research have all been building up to it!

Today our group began the bulk of work on the presentation we will be giving to Mr. Self. We compiled all of the research that we had done the previous week and formed it into an engaging and descriptive power point. We divided the work amongst us evenly so that we could work more efficiently, and we coordinated what design techniques we would use for each slide as to not have repetition. I learned a lot about coordination in a team when putting together a project, and the role that collaboration plays in that. Tomorrow we will put the finishing touches onto the presentation and do a trial run to make sure we are fully prepared for the real presentation. I can’t wait to present and show off all the good work our team has done on finding a solution to this research question!

Today we had a check-in meeting with Mr. Self to detail our plans for the presentation. We developed a short outline for what we wanted to present and explained to him our rough draft. We also did some mathematical research on how much total Permethrin 225 million Permethrin treated nets would have. Our group collaborated very well on creating the basis and template for the PowerPoint, a laying out a solid outline. I learned how to style a PowerPoint template for exactly what you are trying to present, which I didn’t know before but is very useful. I also learned how to write/design a good hook for a PowerPoint that will engage the audience and encourage them to keep reading. I look forward to continuing to design and create our presentation next week!

Today was mainly focused on finishing up all of our research. We continued to investigate the indirect effects of Permethrin on humans, and looked into how each region in sub-Saharan Africa would be affected. It was no surprise that we concluded that areas with more water, such as the rainforest areas in Africa and  the Rift Valley areas, would yield the most damaging effects if large amounts of Permethrin were introduced there. The main skill I took away from this week so far is how to collaborate in a team to maximize the amount of work that can be done. With such a large question needing to be answered, it would have been impossible to come to an answer if we hadn’t split off into separate research groups. This is certainly a skill that can be used in other jobs and areas of life.   

Today was mainly focused on researching the indirectly impacts of the chemical Permethrin on humans. We had a check in media with Mr. Self do discuss what we had accomplished so far and what we were aiming to complete in the coming days. Today’s research was extremely interesting. I was expecting to find basic information about how Permethrin affects animals, and how those animals might come into contact with humans and harm them. However, my research eventually took me to looking at the exporting and importing levels of fish in sub-Saharan Africa. Since sub-Saharan Africa is one of the main exporters of capture catch fish in the world, I was able to calculate the amount of people worldwide that could be affected by Permethrin being introduced into sub-Saharan Africa. I had no idea the consequences would be so wide spread. I can’t wait to dive deeper into this research tomorrow!

Today we began our main research into what the effects of introducing the chemical permethrin into sub-Saharan Africa would be. We split off into groups to spread out the research, with me focusing on the direct and indirect effects of permethrin on humans specifically. Other groups focused on environmental and ecological impacts, and another group focused on how specific regions would be affected. Together as a team we learned to collaborate in the most effective way possible to get the research done in the most efficient way. We also have to practice good researching and note taking skills since we will be using our data to create a presentation to Mr. Self on the effects of permethrin, so that we can see how much safer the non-permethrin treated clothing is. I look forward to doing more research tomorrow and starting the first potential draft of the presentation!

Today we kicked off our work experience journey with Vector Textiles and environmental modeling. Together with the team we planned out our schedule for the week and learned more about what our goal is during these 8 days, which is to investigate the environmental affects of permethrin when released into sub-Saharan Africa. It was great learning about how research-based projects such as these are conducted, and certain techniques that can be used to investigate similar problems. I also learned about how the specific chemical, permethrin, is more dangerous than it looks and is portrayed to the public, which gave me insight onto how other chemicals or ingredients might not be what they seem. Therefore, I learned to always double check what I am working with. Overall, it was a great start to the program and I look forward to doing more research in the coming days!