(OMSB9) Conducting Chi-Squared Tests with MSB Peer Tutor Sophia Risin

In this article, the Board of SASS interviews Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9) Peer Tutor Sophia Risin. We hope that this article will help current and future MSB students in their academic journey!

When did you take Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9), and who was your instructor?

I took MSB last year, (2019-2020 school year) with Dr. Tillman.

About how much time did you spend a week working on assignments and preparing for discussion sessions in Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9)?

I probably spent around an hour to an hour and a half a week on prep for discussions and then 4 - 5 hours on each essay, spending time reviewing it with peer tutors, meeting with Tillman, etc.

What did the typical week in Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9) look like?

A typical week in MSB will be a few lectures prior to each section, one day bio and the other stats, and a quiz. I highly recommend starting the quiz after the first discussion section, filling out any info that you just learned, taking the second part after the second class, and then reviewing it and submitting it over the weekend.

Do you recommend taking digital or hand-written notes for Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9)?

I took handwritten notes for MSB on most of the lectures and then had a combination of online and handwritten notes from class sections. I would recommend having some way of accessing the notes online because the exams are open notes (or at least were when I took it) and having a quick way to find all of the information is really helpful.

What did you enjoy about Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9)?

I really enjoyed learning about all of the ways statistics can be manipulated to show different trends depending on a desired conclusion (think about WA 1 and the stats used there). It was my first class on stats and I loved learning how to see the world in different ways via the manipulation of data.

What was your favorite topic covered in Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9)?

I really enjoyed the units on Mendel and evolution were fun because they seemed like applications of a lot of the first semester stuff and it was really interesting being able to critically analyze this information.

What challenged you the most in Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9)? How did you overcome those challenges?

MSB was my first core class at OHS and completely different than my other classes. It took a while to get used to taking a quiz every week and the different writing style of the assessments. I overcame the writing style challenges by meeting with peer tutors and talking to Dr. Tillman about what went wrong in the previous assignment and how to apply it to future assignments. For quizzes, I started taking them earlier in the week and then reviewing at the end to try and improve my scores that way.

Are there midterms/finals in this class? How would you recommend reviewing for these exams?

There are midterms and finals in MSB and to prepare for them I recommend reviewing notes, asking questions to peer tutors and your instructor. I also recommend reviewing old quizzes, printing them out, and retaking them. Any questions you miss, add them to a Quizlet or a document and explain the concept it was getting at. That was super helpful for me.

What are the major assignments for this class? How would you recommend approaching these assignments?

Major assignments for this class are the writing assignments. I recommend first, starting early, reading the prompts and trying to think of ways to respond as soon as the prompt is released. Then, I recommend using the prompt as an outline and systematically addressing each question raised in the prompt and thoroughly explaining the background concepts and the way that it applies to the topic at hand.

How should a student participate and engage in discussions of Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9)?

A student should participate in class discussions by coming to class prepared, writing down questions beforehand, and not being afraid to raise your hand and make a mistake on mic. If you’re struggling on something, probably someone else is too.

What tips do you have that could be useful to students taking Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9)?

Notes are essential to MSB, good note taking is half of the battle with this class and will help you immensely on all of the assignments.

If you have taken other core classes, how does Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9) compare to other courses in the core sequence?

So far, I’ve only taken MSB and HSC and so far they’re very different classes.

Do you have any resources (i.e. study tips, useful websites) to share with students who want to take the course?

Highly recommend using Khan Academy and VassarStats to review missed concepts and to calculate various stats things.

Sophia Risin is a peer tutor for Methodology of Science - Biology (OMSB9) and can be found on the Writing and Tutoring Center.

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