Behind the Scenes: Data Entry
When the research team isn’t sampling local lakes and streams, they’re doing the less-glamorous (but equally important) task of data entry. All the numbers they gather in the field are added to spreadsheets. For general lake data alone, there are nine separate spreadsheets that each have up to nine tabs, a culmination of information from 2012-18. The spreadsheets include data on nutrients, dissolved oxygen levels, temperature and more.
Meet Hayden, our student research team leader.
Although it can be mind-numbing at times, data entry is essential to understanding positive trends and spotting problems. Time is the best way to see how lakes respond to their environment! The more data we collect, the clearer our knowledge of the lakes in Kosciusko County will be.
The hard work of student team members (like Jed) is what makes data analysis possible.
This fall, the research team will do an analysis of 14 all-sport lakes based on data gathered this summer. They’ll evaluate the numbers in light of past summers, too. Context is key! Lakes include Winona, Wawasee, Syracuse, the Tippy chain and several more.
Meet Aaron, another experienced student team member.
Next time you see the research team, be sure to thank them for their effort. We couldn’t fulfill our mission without them.