BIOL368/F11:Class Journal Week 4

Isaiah M. Castaneda

1) Did the in-class discussion of the journal article enhance your understanding of the article? Why or why not?

Yes, it felt as if we dissected the article and examined its insides. It was discussed piece by piece and this discussion probed issues to be raised which also aided in an increased understanding. Dr. Dahlquist offered a lot of insight and also brought up topics to question that otherwise may not have arisen. By the end, it was more clear what type of inquiries could be further explored through our HIV evolution projects.

2) Have your views about what it means to do original research in biology changed as a result of discussing this article? Why or why not?

No, I don’t really recall talking about “original” research. Currently, it is my view that original research is the result of an original observation and the appropriate steps that follow afterwards. Also, I would not consider the use of someone else’s research as a foundation to be original research. From what I can gather, I would categorize the research in this article to be original because it was the 1st to apply the new technique of DNA sequencing to examine patterns in HIV progression. Also, although it did cite and mention similar studies, they did not appear to be the reason/foundation for the study from the article.

Isaiah M. Castaneda 18:58, 25 September 2011 (EDT)