Author: jdeboe (Page 2 of 4)

1. It is interesting to think that making research a “solo journey” can drastically impact the results of the study. Conducting a study alone is not uncommon, but when it comes to multi-layered issues, it turns out working with a team can actually benefit the way in which the research is done. 

2. I believe the effects of ethnic diversity on community connections could go both ways. A similar ethnic population could lead to the people feeling like they all have something in common. On the other hand, people from different backgrounds could get together and begin to form bonds, allowing for greater overall connections instead of just connections between a majority. 

3. The author mentioned that Marrow chose to highlight White Americans, African Americans, Indian immigrants, and Mexican immigrants in his study. I wonder why other groups were not given this same “importance”. What about Asian immigrants, or immigrants from Eastern Europe? 

4. Problem-solving skills are always going to be a big part of conducting research. Learning to look for and fix minor errors will help get the most valid data. While it may be difficult sometimes to tell if your data is truly valid, using multiple different methods from the textbook will help clarify that. 

5. It is interesting how people from different fields of study view the world in different ways. Biologists might look at certain scientific concepts differently than chemists, and chemists might have different views from physicists or mathematicians. But at the end of the way, each of their points of view is considered equally right. 

• It is interesting how many people would disagree on whether or not the doctors were right to take samples from Henrietta Lack’s cancer cells without her permission. On one hand, the samples they took did allow them to further their cancer research, but on the other, they wrongfully took these samples from a dying woman who did not give them permission to do so. It is a debate between whether it is better to fulfill the last wishes of a dying person or fulfill the wishes of the living. It is a topic that I believe will never fully be agreed upon. 

• What living through events such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 Pandemic has taught me is that resolutions to conflicts often come too late. For example, throughout the 1800’s, Native American tribes were forced to endure constant relocations and violent altercations from the American government. These people were separated from their homes and their families just because they did not fit in with the rest of the American population. A century later, most of these Natives are living in poverty-stricken reserves, unable to get themselves out. By that time, the US government had begun to reflect on how they treated the Native Americans in the past and attempted to bring the tribes back together, preserve their religions, and give them more control over their lives. But at this point, the damage was already done, the Native Americans could not return to the lives they had decades ago because of how much the American government had torn apart their culture. With the Black Lives Matter movement, it started when George Floyd was killed by the police officer Derek Chauvin. But this was not Chauvin’s only wrongful kill. He had actually received almost 20 complaints about the way he handled conflict as a police officer. It took him killing a person for people to finally realize that he should not be a cop. While he was later sentenced to 21 years in prison, the damage was already done, this one action ignited the whole country and nearly lead to the government defunding the police. 

• The problem with society nowadays is that many people are so quick to highlight negativity and ignore the positive side. Several scientists who found out about what happened to Henrietta wanted to try and slow down or entirely eliminate research done with HeLa. However, Henrietta’s own relatives did not even think that this was the best route to take. Many of them, such as her grandson Alfred Lacks Carter, believed that the best approach would be to at least acknowledge the fact that none of this development in cancer treatment would have been possible without Henrietta Lacks. Alfred knew that despite the doctors being in the wrong for using Henrietta’s cells without her consent, what they did with those samples ultimately benefited tons of people.  

• One question I have is how will the new policies on taking samples from people for research change the progression of medical advancements? If these rules did not exist beforehand, then it is safe to say that Henrietta Lacks was not the only case of ignoring consent. In fact, many of the medical advancements made in the mid 20^th century could have been the result of this same issue. So, if we start enforcing a new policy on conducting research with proper consent, could this slow down future medical discoveries or is Henrietta’s case not as common as one might think? 

• Many people believe that racism is a thing that will exist until the end of time. While in the past, racial prejudice majorly impacted the lives of minorities in the US, it is now less of a common problem. Despite that, the hard truth is that racism is still prevalent in America. It is still embedded in many professions and lines of work today. For example, racial prejudice from the police is still a massive problem in this country. Is it as bad as it was in the 1950’s? No, but it is still seen often. From George Floyd to Sonia Massey, the public is constantly being reminded of racism in the police force. The question is how can we stop this? In the case of Henrietta Lacks, how can we ensure that doctors will not try to bend the rules for someone simply because of the color of their skin? 

• In the beginning of the chapter, it is mentioned that following good research practices in a school setting does not always lead to conducting impactful research in the future. What is interesting about that is it shows that many students are missing a crucial part of the research process, a part that might be overlooked in a classroom setting.
• One thing that stands out to me about understanding methods of research is that most of the time, you must acknowledge that there are a lot of questions that you do not have the answer to. I could see how this could be difficult for many people who believe they know a lot more about a topic than they actually do.
• How can we best prepare for true field research? Since conducting actual research often involves making quick decisions and looking for solutions for any obstacles, what can we students do in order to best prepare for a fast-paced setting?
• It is interesting to me how passion is often a driver for good research. The introduction explained how most of the researchers who made appearances on the Give Methods a Chance podcast showed excitement and joy throughout the process.
• One question I have is how can students make themselves interested and engaged throughout a research study? How can we build a passion for research that could allow our results to be more impactful?