The Methods Project was assigned in Spring 2018 as part of the Writing in Biology course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This project directed the writing of a methods portion detailing the creation of a scientific figure (Figure 2) that would then be compared to a previously made original figure (Figure 1). The project was designed to teach students how to make scientific observations and inferences. Students would examine both Figure 1 and Figure 2 and quantify explicit differences between them. The project was also designed to teach students how to write their own methods section and how to follow another student’s method section to produce a comparative figure.
In scientific writing, it is imperative to write a detailed and concise methods section so other scientists can replicate the results of an experiment. The figure created as a result of this project depicts the orchid species Oncidium Sharry Baby and where it can found indigenously throughout the world. This orchid is found on the University of Massachusetts campus in Durfee conservatory, which is student accessible. Oncidium Sharry Baby was chosen because the morphology of the plant and its flowers made the photo angles easy to control. The plants location in the greenhouse allowed for the control of the photographer’s distance from the orchid. The blooms are fragrant, unlike many of the flowers surrounding it, further drawing attention towards the orchid of interest. Utilizing a ‘fragrant flower’ sign located in front of the plant as a reference point regulated the orientation of each image. The computer program Inkscape was used to create a world map, which allowed for the control of which world maps were less pixelated and which colors could be used to highlight individual countries. These reasons allow for the controlled creation of a parallel, representative figure of Oncidium Sharry Baby.
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