Week Six with Extension by Ellie Rogers

The Beauty of Wye Island -(Located nearby the Wye Research and Education Center is the Wye Island NRMA, home to a few miles of hiking trails and waterfront landings. The natural beauty of the area highlights the importance of extension and conservation in maintaining natural areas and working to minimize environmental damage to such sites.)

In order to operate in a fully functioning society, it is implied that the general populace must think to perform tasks for the success of themselves and that which resides around them. This, however, implies divisiveness of concept, to have thoughts and to critically think. As a general summary, critical thinking entails holistic thought, an understanding of lack of understanding, forgoing our short sighted nature in favor of future speculation. The essence of critical thinking is its essentiality. It is for this reason that a lack of critical thinking is so apparent, a gash in logic, a tooth missing in consequence.

Like any person, I like to think myself capable, adept at critical thinking. Like most people, my sense of capability is often inflated. Time and time again I have proven myself wrong, and will continue to do so as I progress in age. In order to think critically, you must question, and that, for me and for many others, is my biggest fallacy. Now, I could go on with the myriad of ways critical thinking plays a role in my internship, in the ways that I have learned to critically think in order to increase the efficiency of our work and in the ways I need to improve upon said skills. Rather than detail this journey of thought, I will share a more lighthearted anecdote relating to technology.

Contrary to the date listed upon my birth certificate, oftentimes, I feel more akin to members of older generations in terms of my technological prowess (or lack thereof). When asked to upload data, as is so commonplace with such projects, I was confronted with a dilemma regarding my savviness with the bright screens hailed as saviors by society. My original inability to critically think led me to waste time properly uploading and using the correct software, a more trial with errors abounding more so than anything else. Even so, reflecting upon this experience, I realize that posing questions, in such acknowledgment of error, would have saved me effort from a learning by error experience. Through this process, I was repeatedly forced to realize my mistakes, allowing me to expedite the process as I learned and overcome future potential errors I may foresee myself succumbing to in moments of haste. I developed a process, although not the most efficient, is the most beneficial to myself and capitalize upon a basic skill previously underdeveloped.

Although a trivial anecdote, the lesson that I learned is nonetheless imperative in this journey of thought and thinking; admitting weakness in fault and admitting said weakness in fault, in taking the time to learn, to fill in gaps in knowledge, is a hallmark of active (critical) thinking. In taking the time to admit weakness there is potential for betterment, to influence, and ultimately to learn. It is a mitigation technique of consequence full of curiosity and questions. Ultimately, this duality of thought and critical thinking can be surmised by the simple fact that if you do not question, you do not think.

 Spraying Soybeans (In accordance with the protocol for a soybean study conducted by extension specialist Dr. Kurt Vollmer, a preemergence application of herbicides can be shown being sprayed using a backpack sprayer and boom.)